Mississauga – Page 10

Quick Bites: Machino Donuts, Fuji Noodle House, Kunafa’s

Published on May 14, 2024May 17, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Various doughnuts from Machino Donuts

Machino Donuts specializes in vegan doughnuts, and I’ll admit that I’ve dragged my feet on trying it because of that fact. I assumed that the vegan-ness of the place would result in compromised, subpar doughnuts, and I was 100% wrong. I tried three doughnuts here: the apple fritter, the banana bread fritter, and the sour cream orange, and all three were quite tasty. In particular, the apple fritter was right on par with the better fritters I’ve had in the GTA, with a lightly crispy exterior, a nice and tender interior, and a great apple flavour.

Fuju signature noodle soup from Fuji Noodle House

Fuji Noodle House specializes in tasty Chinese noodle soups, and yeah, it’s good. I tried the Fuji signature noodle soup (“signature hand-pulled noodle soup with beef, crispy pork fillet, Fuji meatballs, beef brisket, cilantro, and scallions”), and while nothing about it jumped out at me as mind-blowing, the noodles were nice and chewy, the broth was tasty, and all the meaty add-ons were satisfying.

Kunafa from Kunafa’s

Kunafa, for the uninitiated, is a delicious Middle Eastern dessert in which a gooey, neutral-tasting cheese is topped with syrup-soaked pastry. It’s great, though I have yet to find a truly exceptional version in the GTA. Kunafa’s, which I wrote a few years ago, specializes in the stuff. As you’d hope, it’s very good — probably the best in the GTA. I visited the original Scarborough location last time, and the one in Mississauga this time, and it’s clear that they haven’t missed a step in the expansion (they also have a location in Ajax). It’s a really tasty dessert.

Delicious Filipino Food at Kusina

Published on May 13, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3024 Hurontario Street, Mississauga
Website: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558706068051&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Kusina is a delightful Filipino take-out joint with various meaty and seafoody dishes on offer. I’m not incredibly familiar with Filipino cuisine, but the guy in front of me said that the pork hocks are the thing to order, so that’s what I did.

There weren’t any labels on of the items on offer, but based on a quick google search I believe that this is a dish called paksiw na pata, which features slow-cooked pork hocks and banana flowers (which are the blossoms of a banana tree). It comes with a healthy portion of white rice and costs nine bucks, so it’s a great deal.

It’s exceptionally delicious. Pork hocks can be a bit gummy if they’re not cooked well, but these were absolutely perfect, and were abundantly tender. And the flavour was pretty amazing — sweet, savoury, and a little bit tangy. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s giving it that tanginess (the banana flowers, maybe?), but it gave this dish a really unique personality and was extremely tasty.

A Delicious Wrap at Yaseen’s Shawarma

Published on April 13, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 5030 Maingate Drive, Mississauga
Website: https://yaseensshawarma.ca/

Shawarma is one of those foods that’s everywhere in the GTA. I doubt that you can go more than two or three blocks without coming across at least one shawarma joint in most parts of the city. And yeah, it makes sense — it’s fast, cheap, and reliably tasty.

That being said, even with as many options as there are in the GTA, Yaseen’s Shawarma stands out. I got the chicken saj wrap, which features chicken shawarma, zippy pickles, and a very generous amount of garlicky sauce.

If that sauce weren’t so tasty it might have been too much, but it was rich, garlicky, and delicious. I want to buy a tub of it.

The shawarma had a decent amount of crispy bits, and was nice and juicy. It also had an interesting citrusy flavour that helped cut through the richness of the chicken and the sauce (sumac? Lemon zest?).

And the saj flatbread its wrapped in was nice and fresh, and was toasted on its exterior, giving it a light but satisfying crispiness. It’s a great wrap.

A Great Veal Sandwich at Cosimo’s Cheese and Deli

Published on April 4, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1051 Dundas Street West, Mississauga
Website: https://www.instagram.com/mammaangelinacooks/

Cosimo’s Cheese and Deli is a delightfully old school Italian deli in Mississauga; it’s been around for over thirty years, and it looks like not much has changed since they opened (hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it).

It’s a full deli with the usual assortment of cold cuts, cheese, and Italian pantry items, but it also serves hot sandwiches like veal and meatball.

I went with the veal, which — assuming you ask for everything — comes topped with a mix of peppers, onions, and eggplant, along with a fiery pepper paste.

It came up to $13 even (and it’s a cash-only establishment, so come prepared) and is a seriously hefty sandwich, so it’s a great deal. I was planning on eating half and then saving the rest for later, which obviously did not happen. I mean, come on. I’m sure there are people out there who have the self-control to stop eating a delicious veal sandwich halfway through, but I am not one of those people.

It’s a great sandwich. The veal is super tender, and the sauce it comes with is richly flavourful, with a nice garlicky punch that doesn’t overwhelm. My only real complaint is that this is a hot table place, which means that the veal has been sitting in the sauce. On one hand, that results in a piece of veal that’s really soaked up that tasty tomato sauce; on the other hand, you lose the crispy texture of the fried veal, which is missed.

The sandwich winds up being kind of one-note soft; the veal is incredibly tender, the bread is fluffy with no exterior crustiness, and the toppings are all silky, resulting in basically one texture throughout. But it’s so delicious that is is a very minor complaint.

Tasty Korean Noodles at BookChon

Published on April 3, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 315 Dundas Street East, Mississauga (inside PAT Supermarket)
Website: None

BookChon has a bit of an odd setup — they’re inside PAT Supermarket in Mississauga, and if you want to order, you can’t actually do it at the restaurant. You have to line up at the grocery store’s checkout area, and then tell the cashier what you want and pay there.

I’m assuming most of their business is take-out, but they do have a small seating area around the corner.

I ordered the jajangmyun, a Korean dish in which noodles are served with a thick black bean sauce.

It’s not the best version of this dish that you’ll ever have (it’s a bit on the bland side), but it’s tasty enough, with a generous serving of chewy noodles topped with a savoury, slightly sweet sauce.

I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way for it, but if you’re in the supermarket anyway, it’s a pretty solid deal at ten bucks.