Golden Star Restaurant: "Burgers are amazing my dad used to go there in high school, its so old" - Mark Barbetta

Golden Star Restaurant

7123 Yonge St., Thornhill, 905-889-6891

When I drive up to Golden Star, I feel like I've been transported back into time, when gas was cheaper, and the ozone hole was smaller, and asian people hadn't taken oven all the communities.

I constantly see "Golden Star" on all these "BEST BURGER IN TORONTO" lists, and I've always passed by on my way home from work when I used to take the Viva bus down Yonge.

I would think. This place looks old. and its stayed around this long, must be good, gotta check it out!

I asked my coworker Mark, who grew up in Thornhill, this is what he had to say:

"Rich history, quality product, pillar of the community"

"Burgers are amazing, my dad used to go there in high school, its so old"

I may not known the history, having grown up in Vancouver, but its true the burgers are pretty awesome!

Check out my vintagy looking photo of the Golden Star sign! 

If you can read it (click to enlarge), here's the Golden Star menu board.

heehee, greeted by this sexiness when we arrived.  I showed this to my coworker and he's like, "oh! this guy!" he's famous!

here's our burgers being gussied up! Everything please! (Eveything on my face)

2 home burgers and a side of onion rings

"can i have some pickles on the side" = THIS. AWESOME!!!!! 

Burger says =P . I say i'm going to eat you for your cheekyness.

omg my burger was a huge mess. i used up 20 napkins just to wipe burger off my face and hands. but it was sooooo worth it.  

cash total. BTW, CASH ONLY but they have an ATM on site. but let's not waste your hard earned money on ATM fees ok, just bring the cash.

Ava Food - Persian Grocery Store and my 3rd kinda kebab on my kebab terror! (@ sheppard & willowdale ?)

Ava Food

193 Sheppard Avenue East

647-347-7065

This place must be newer, cause i just googled it and nothing came up, and the google maps shows something else. But this is on my way home, and on my way home, i see this big giant posters of... KEBAB, which basically means i gotta go.

It's a persian market and i'm not familiar with persian markets and food except i like eating prepared stuff.

you can buy bulk raisins and nuts and crystalized rock candy, in bulk and packaged on a stick, which is supercool cause i only ever see them in science gift shops and overpriced candy shops, but you can buy a box for like 4-5 bucks.

whoa check out how huge these flat breads are!

very delicious looking sweets section

part of their deli section

part of their cooked foods section

and the reason why i was even there, the kebabs.  I got #9, which was the veal kebab and the ground beef, i guess koobideh everywhere else.  It's a dollar more expensive than Taftan (though give the biggest portions so far), and 2 more than Tah Deeg, @ yonge and finch. 

So this was my kebab, it was super delicious, and i also love take out containers in sturdy plastic, but kinda felt a lil gypped, as i think this is the smallest portioned one.  However, delicious as ever.

you get a choice of side salad or pop.

Here's a shot of the Sumac that i forgot to put @ Tah Deeg, remember, sumac is that lemony sour crunchy spicy thing.  Its actually really really good.  At Taftan, there's a bunch of sauces you can put on, and it's more like a lemony liquid, so i guess this is the powdered flavour version of it?  Who knows, but its really good.

Anyway, this is another kebab run! I am addicted for sure!

Taftan Kebab aka Fresh and Healthy Food Low Calorie! (@ 9625 Yonge St.)

Taftan Kebab
5372 Yonge Street
(south of finch)
Tel: 416-224-5985
Cell: 416-569-9992
(NOTE the info on the website directs you to another Taftan not in the Yonge/Finch area but more like Richmond Hill... a mistake that i made and ordered at Richmond Hill when i walked my ass 2 subway stops to get my take out and it wasnt there!!!!)

Wow. so i've been living in the area for around 3 years now, first at yonge and finch, and now yonge and sheppard, and i've made my trek to and from both ends many times, and Taftan Kebab AKA Fresh and Healthy Food Low Calorie! (that's what i thought the name of the restaurant was!!!! the Fresh and Healthy sign is SOOOO much bigger),

smak dab in the middle.  Every time i pass it, on the street or even across the street, there is an undeniable aroma of grilled meat on hot coals. It always reminds me of PNE (or any international fair i guess, where ppl are mass grilling meats, i dont know why, i guess it could be any BBQ but it specially reminds me of PNE).  I've always wanted to try this place, and i don't know why it took me so long, but yesterday i made it in. and man... it was AWESOME. 

I cant remember what combo i chose, but it was Beef Steak kebab, and Koobideh, which i asked, is a ground beef kebab, kinda like a hallow sausage? i guess, of ground meat.  The steak was amazing, juicy and tender, and made for you on the spot (unlike my lunch time experience at a stupid Taste of Mediterranean that wasn't even worth the mention here on my blog, where the meat was dry like shoe, ugh nothing redeeming about that place at all) But this place, is super busy all the time, so you know it's fresh.

Anyway this place was great. it's a shame it took me so long to check it out, they have tonnes of stuff on their menu i wanna check out.. Even though i'm not a lamb person, it's something i wanna check out cause i know they'll do it well. (plus, wanna try their quail kebabs!)... If you're in the area, check this place out! They have a small lil patio in the front for a great Spring/Summer dusty yonge street fest! Kinda like you were at a real fair!

Wimpy's Diner @ Sheppard and Willowdale

Wimpy's Diner
North York, ON

199 Sheppard Ave. E. M2N 3A8 

Tel. 1-416-222-7737 

So before Jughead came along, there was Wimpy from Popeyes, the original hamburger eating king (though i would totally go to a burger joint called Jughead... or even Pop Tate's! and have a nice chocolate malt)

I always pass by this place on the way home from work, and always wondered what it offered.  According to wiki, Wimpy's is a UK hamburger restaurant chain founded in 1954.  I guess to me, this is kinda like a Denny's since it has an all day breakfast, but also offers homestyle meals like, meatloaf, mass potatoes and peas, or like a turkey diner, its like any other kinda burger, sandwich, wrap, dinner, all day breakfast joint, but with the kitschiness appeal of a 50's, 60's diner (complete with jukebox, mine started off with Paul Anka's Diana)

The milkshake is in the middle. i wish the milkshake was bottomless :(

 This is the 5 star breakfast, 3 eggs, homefries, ham, bacon (to replace sausage), and a side of toast (not seen)

this. . . this magic carpet ride is Wimpy's famous burger, a 10 oz burger, with cheese, with a side of onion rings and endless pop for like, $12? bucks. 

so in order to even attempt to eat this monster, i had to cut the patty in half and form my own double patty, just shy of being a three quarter pounder.... and all i see when i look at this picture, is with his pickle tongue sticking out... cooing "feeeeedddd meeee seeeyyymooouuurr"... i dont know why. but this burger wants to eat people. you can thank me, cause i ate this people eating burger. you're welcome. 

Pho 88.

Here is my opening line. Could you get better Pho elsewhere? Pho Sho.
*cricket*

Anyway, we all went for Pho after the soccer game, and the one uptown here at 5197 Yonge, the Pho 88  is open til Midnight daily (so their banner says), so that's always a draw.  My friends all seem to love the one downtown, but that's probably cause they're all drunk when they're eating there. Cause... honestly... meeehh. I mean i'll eat it, it will take a lot for me to spit it back out if i already put in the effort to open my mouth. And I'ts not horrible, but it's not the best PHO SHO!

Here's a pic from the back shooting front.  I've been taking interior shots lately im not sure with what purpose.

Here. started with the spring rolls. thoughts. meh. i'm a fan of the crunchy skin with a bit of chew, the spring roll did over an ok crunch and chew but the insides were really mushy. like it was pre-chewed for me by old toothless vietnamese ladies working in the back.

I got the Pho Rare Beef Medium, P05 I think, i think it's like 6 bucks or something.. as you can see, the presentation is like, here's a ball of noodles and plop, next!  Seriously, doesn't it look like the beef wasn't actually meant for this noodle soup but someone accidently dropped some slices in there, and they were like, let's not bother to pick it out... she'll think it's a bonus.  If you want to refer to my LEMONGRASS post.. in comparison the beef was so tender and plentiful. just a shame. a shame!

Well. that's it. I did walk by some tables and their dishes looked nice and colourful but i kinda suck in that i don't stray too far from Pho, or lemongras chicken/pork on rice, and spring rolls... hey at least i know what i'm expecting!  However, Pho 88 does have a redeeming dish, from what I've experienced and that's their Deep Fried Banana with Ice Cream. I know... it's deep frying a banana, but man they can deep fry a banana.  I like my bananas cut in lil pieces so the friedness covers the most volume, and the batter has to be light, and it has to be cooked enough that the banana melts when you bite into it, you dont think it's a big deal, but in the last 5 tries for the perfect deep friend banana, all those elements were f*ucked up!  Pho 88 has it nailed.  So props to you on that. 

Oh Geul Buh Geul Korean Restaurant on 5320 Yonge St.

One of my lifelong goals (i'm just realizing how sad this sounds as i am typing this), is to patron all the restaurants between Yonge and Finch (my old hood) and Yonge and Sheppard (my new hood!)... I love my neighbourhood, there is so much great food, apparently it's the new Korean neighbourhood, but there is tonnes of everything else, chinese (dim sum, northern, bbt etc), indian, schwarma places, japanese places, mexi. italian, street food, etc! I only wish I started this blog earlier to start the documentation process sooner! But it was only a matter of time before i revisted this awesome Korean place, Oh Geul Buh Geul (or as my friends call it, OGBG for short). It's a homey place, great food, nice little korean aunties servicing you, with LOTS of free sides... sold!

So here's the entrance on Yonge, it's next to the 24 hour Korean joint Owl, if you're more familiar with places you can pronounce...

Here's the inside, i kindly removed these dude's face since they kept starring back when my flash went off... whoops!!! So you can see, they have a couple of booths, some tables, and if you're really special you can dine in the party room downstairs next to the toilets... i advise against that one...

Here's a picture of the menu... there was 5 of us, 4 boys and one me, who eats like a boy so let's count 5 boy stomachs, so you can put in perspective the amount of food / cost.

Here's a pic of the awesome sides I was talking about... 10 FREE SIDES!!! (im not even counting the doubled pancake!)...it changes everyday, but from left to right you get some sort of potato green onion pancake, some sweet mayo potato pasta salad, kim chi, spicy pickled cucumbers, repeat pancake, tofu, bean sprouts, spicy bean curds, awesome marinated potatoes, that's a dish of garlic so not a side, glass noodles, and some sort of greens.  Make sure you bring a korean friend, cause you can get them to refill dishes.. which i can never seem to make happen :(

So we started with this lemon chicken dish, i'm not generally a fan from other versions, but found myself munching nonstop on this one, the lemon isn't overpowering, it's just... tasty and the right amount of tang and sweet, and probably cause the layer of the lemon sauce just coats the deep fried chicken, i don't find it overwhelming like the chinese variety.

Here's 2 hot sexy pics of the main, we got the table side BBQ pork in korean marinade, and here's a non-flash and flash pic... haha. We had them cook it in the kitchen since we didn't have room on the table, but  cooking it table side is fun too, it's like a meat sauna, and you can remember your meal til laundry day...mmm bbq pork scented clothes... This is a portion for 3, we got to feed 5 and it was plenty for sure.

So they also bring out lettuce, garlic, this bean curd paste, and these marinated spicy greens, oh and rice! as you can see, i forgot to put the rice on in the picture, but you make your own rolls, and stuff your face with it, or however you want to eat it.

The bbq pork also came with your choice of soup, we choose this tofu seafood soup, super delicious! and there's a tang to it that really cuts the fattyness of the pork.

all done! I hope you enjoyed my play by play of my Korean BBQ dinner! 

So to recap, we ate til we couldn't eat anymore, and for the 5 of us, the damage was... $14.00!!!! I love this place.