Donburi — Restaurant in Markham

My review is going to be long; summed up version: They use the same gloves for cleaning, to touch our food without washing/changing them. Saw multiple employees touch cleaning supplies then touch food they're serving immediately after. It takes a second to change gloves/wash someone's hands - don't know why they wouldn't do that.

• ADDED ON JUNE 24 THE MANAGEMENT THAT REPLIED TO MY REVIEW ARE LIARS!!! I WATCHED THE SERVER WALK FROM MOPPING THE FLOOR DIRECTLY TO MY TABLE TO TOUCH THE FOOD! DON'T BELIEVE ANY THING COMING FROM THEM ABOUT TRYING TO IMPROVE. THIS IS A DIRTY RESTAURANT, THE STAFF ARE INCREDIBLY RUDE. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON MEDIOCRE FOOD & CRAPPY SERVICE! I am offended they would blatantly LIE about their poor cleanliness to save their restaurant that should be shut down RIGHT AWAY *

Myself & 2 friends came in at 10pm (they close at 11:30). The menu is confusing for first timers & the staff were not helpful when we asked questions (they were rushing us to order & didn't explain how it worked even though we kindly asked about different options). We put in our order by 10:30 & at 10:35 they remind us that they're closing at 11:30 & last call is now (they didn't remind us when we walked in) so I order my dessert early (no big deal).

At 10:45 they place our food on the table to be steamed (without a word - no instructions were given to us). I had to ask for drinking water because even 45 minutes after arriving we were not offered any (still, not a big deal, just odd to me because at all restaurants water is given the second we walk in).

A few minutes later, the timer is blaring & no one steps in to do anything for a couple minutes even though there's employees at the front/back. My friend turns it off (it was loud & annoying) while I alert an employee who is doing nothing. The employee very rudely scolds us, "do not touch the timer, they're for us to know when to come to your table"... we understand that, except for the fact that the timer was going off for a while & we didn't know what to do.

I noticed that all the staff were cleaning. The alarm blared again to for the sauce to be added. The employee that came to help was just mopping the floors & did not change her gloves or wash her hands before adding the sauce/veggies.

Around 11pm, food's been served & we're eating. I notice that they didn't deliver our noodles yet so I asked the employee who was wiping tables (nicely, mind you) & she said "yes we know, it's coming, it has to be made you know." Not even a minute later she brings it out. She probably forgot about them (which is why I reminded her & it's not a big deal) but the way she dealt with it was so unprofessional. She came out with the noodles in the same gloves as cleaning. I'm not sure if she touched them with her hands or not as she scooped them in the kitchen.

The bill was $80 for 3 people. We were still hungry by the end. It was not worth $30/person for a small meal (with tip). The food was only "good". We picked the option to make our own pot (beef tendon, beef, shrimp, mushroom with bacon with mild sauce) & it was tasty but not worth the price. The sauce seemed like simple hoisin sauce & the meats were nothing special. We ordered the Mango Romance for dessert which was 3 different mango plates. I had it to go. Don't get me wrong, I thought this was delicious but everything was warm by the time I drove home (15 minutes). It seemed like they packed the dessert really early & left it to melt. I wished I tried more of their dessert. They have a large dessert menu but since the last call was already made I couldn't order any more. The service, price & cleanliness is what turns me off from ever coming back. 1 star for the food is all. If I could give 0 stars I would.

Thinking back, I wish I had more courage to stand up to the staff & remind them how disgusting it was to use the same gloves as cleaning, as for serving food. I hope a manager or the owner sees this & re-trains employees on how to speak to customers in a kind & respectful way & cleanliness which is...

Food: 9/10 -- Value: 7/10 -- Service: 8/10 -- Ambiance/Décor: 8/10

Would I come again? Yeah.

-- Skewers: Mentai Chicken ($2), Chicken Heart ($2), Wasabi Beef ($2.50) - Of the three, wasabi beef was my favourite. Even visually, it stands out with the contrasting colour of the wasabi sauce and strips of seaweed. Both of the chicken skewers were good too, which is a generic description, but I don't remember them tasting like much out of the ordinary. I completely forgot that someone ordered chicken hearts because I didn't notice a taste or texture difference.

-- Renkon Chips ($2) - These lotus root chips were delicious to me in a "fried beyond all recognition" kind of way. I like unhealthy junk food, so this fit the bill, but taste-wise, don't expect much.

-- Super Size Chicken Katsu ($10.50) - This was a giant piece of chicken, much like downtown's shiny new Hot Star Large Fried Chicken, but this came with two sauces. We picked wasabi and another sauce with the longest name that was like a sweet soya sauce. It was crispy (although the breading separated from the chicken very easily), flavourful, and moist on the inside.

-- Signature Onigiri ($2.80) - This was probably the most boring thing. While onigiri is literally a rice ball, this was just so plain that I was like...what is the point of this? There was a sweet soya/teriyaki sauce on the bottom and I guess the "value" comes from the roe topper, which doesn't taste like much. I feel like it's less of a "signature", more of a "basic" or "classic". I'd skip it.

-- Polar Beer Chicken Wings ($10) - It was 10 wings for $10, which isn't bad. They were really crispy and whatever seasoning was on them was delicious; a little sweet, a little salty. I'm not sure where the polar beer factored in...?

-- Gyūdon ($10.50) with extra beef ($2) - I guess it was our fault that we didn't know that gyūdon is literally just sauce, rice, beef, and onions, because it was a bit underwhelming. The extra beef came in a separate container, almost as if to emphasize how little they were giving you. Like the Signature Onigiri, this was definitely more on the basic, classic end of the spectrum; thoroughly average and unexciting.

The service was pretty good. Cheerier from the female wait staff. The restaurant is comfortably spaced out and clean, and there's a little diversion in the front door to prevent the cold outside air from blowing in on anyone. While some dishes definitely stood out among others, the worst dish...

Donburi is always one of my favorite restaurants to visit whenever I'm craving some skewers or rice. Situated at commerce gate and highway 7, Donburi offers a great selection of Japanese delights. Coming around at 6pm on Thurs, the restaurant wasn't too busy at the current moment. The servers greeted me and prompted me to my seat right away when I entered. The menus are conveniently placed on the table already and you order using the sheet provided (match the letter of the food to the order sheet with the quantities).

The wait time for most of the food (as some require more time) took roughly 10 mins to arrive. Some of the things we ordered: Omurice: The egg was very soft as my spoon was able to dig into it with ease. There's a good portion of rice and chicken inside, plus the sauce was a good touch. Everything went well together. Beef Short Rib Don: Coming in a big bowl of rice, it was topped with a generous amount of ribs on top. The ribs were tender and juicy with every bite, and the teriyaki sauce had the right amount of sweetness to it. There's also an option of just ordering the ribs as a Japa instead. Beef Tataki: I really liked the presentation of it because it came as 2 flowers which was a nice touch. They were soft although I personally like my beef tataki thinner. But overall still good! Mentai Chicken Skewer: The chunks of chicken were pretty big, plus it was super tender. It is topped with some spicy mayo so it has a bit of a ting to it. Beef Tongue Skewers: You can order these with teriyaki sauce or salted (you dip it in a pile of green salt provided). They were cooked to perfection as I liked it to be; a bit crispy on the edge but tender in the middle. Personally the salted one is my favorite one as I like the subtle taste of the salt with the beef.

As it got later through the day, the restaurant was starting to get busier (usually at night, it's busier). Service was good as my servers were attentive to when I needed water, and to clean our dishes. Honestly, a very good restaurant to visit at least once if you're craving for some Japanese...