西域食府.清真/Magical Taste Of China.Halal.Woodbine — Restaurant in Markham

Summary: Markham and Scarborough have better options for Northern Chinese cuisine. For lunch, at least, I was disappointed. Maybe their dinner options/chefs are better?

Detail: We walked by 10 minutes after their opening time on a Saturday and entered, enticed by their Saturday daily special for "big beef wrap" (formally "Rolled onion sliced beef pancake"). The poster on the window said $9.99 (regular price $12.99)... Hey, I like deals, and I like Northern Chinese cuisine, so why not?

They took us to a table where the seat still had some crumbs - no worries, it was shortly after opening so we figured the night crew had missed it. The orders come on a little sheet where you check off what you want - we were hungry so we ordered a few items!

"Big Beef Wrap" aka "Rolled onion sliced beef pancake": this is one of my favorite Northern Chinese dishes... Unfortunately, the one here was a disappointment that set the stage for the rest of the meal. It came in six pieces, each seeming to represent a different stage of grief. It lacked flavour, was missing a solid crunch, and the meat quantity seemed stingy. Also, the poster on the window? Apparently it was outdated because "that is not the special anymore"... We also found out that the REGULAR price had also gone up. Say WHAT? $13.99 for 6 bland rolls? If your chef hates making this, just remove it from your menu!

I have this dish at every Northern Chinese restaurant I go to, but I wouldn't get this here again.

BBQ Steamed Buns: $3.49 for two. The seasoning was pretty solid, although other places are more generous with it. Probably my favourite part of the meal nonetheless.

BBQ Enoki Mushrooms: $7.49. I thought it was alright. The garlic elevates it more than I thought, although I think the price point was a bit steep for the portion size.

Egg and Chive Pancakes: just like the beef wrap, this was surprisingly and disappointingly bland. Decently crunchy on the outside though, but wise people taught me that it's the inside that counts.

Handmade Flat Noodles with Lamb: honestly it's hard to go wrong here because I'm a huge fan of flat noodles AND lamb. I thought the noodles were fantastic and the lamb was good. It wasn't as savoury as I wanted, but that's a personal preference.

Overall - I'm really glad that I didn't get the loyalty membership card that they offered at the beginning. It's $20 for two years, and would give you a discounted price on every dish (varying from 5 - 15%). But I don't trust their discounts, and Scarborough/Markham definitely has, in my opinion, far better options when it comes to Northern Chinese cuisine. It's a shame because I'm frequently in this area but when there are more delicious and better-value alternatives elsewhere, I think it makes...

A XingJiang restaurant in Markham. With a vibrant atmosphere and rich flavors of the Xingjiang region. There are three private room spaces, which provided a cozy and intimate dining experience. The dining area itself was clean and well-maintained, adding to the overall pleasant ambiance.

The menu was extensive, offering a wide variety of dishes with the unique blend of Central Asian, Persian, and Middle Eastern influences. The vegetable skewers are delicious flavored and beef skewer are tender, juicy and were marinated to perfection, charred on the outside and tender on the inside. All the dishes we ordered are flavorful, aromatic and the combination of spices and herbs was simply irresistible.

The service at the restaurant was friendly. One thing that stood out the most was the attire of the staff. They were dressed in traditional Xingjiang costumes, which added an authentic touch to the dining experience. Their attention to detail in presenting the culture and cuisine of Xingjiang was commendable. They making sure that each dish was served promptly and with care. They were also more than happy to answer any questions and provide recommendations based on personal preferences.

Great experience to explore the flavors of Xingjiang...

Bad service, we had vip card with them and when we registered we did provide with our phone number, however they insist to have vip card presented to have the discount, which doesn’t make sense, we do have the corresponding phone with us. Plus the attitude was really bad.

Edited to respond to owner reply:

I don't believe it was mentioned to me that I have to have my vip card presented when I joined the membership. The owner said this is always mentioned but I am not sure how he can guarantee that 100%, but either way this is a he said she said, so I didn't want to argue on that. And just to be clear.. the last time when I visited the store for a pickup, I didn't have to present my vip card to access my vip discount... (my wife had the vip card and was sitting in the car, I asked if I should ask my wife to come, waiter said no). Not that I am proud of taking this "advantage" for the last time, bit just an example why I don't always need to have my vip card presented.

In addition, what triggers me was the attitude from yesterday's waitress, it wasn't kind at all, she's probably busy but that's not the attitude i deserve.

And again, I didn't apply for a new membership yesterday. Neither...