Sam’s Congee Delight — Restaurant in Markham

If you're craving authentic Hong Kong style breakfast, this is the number one spot to go to! Everything here is made so expertly with amazing and fresh ingredients. There are so many items on the menu that I can't wait to come back next time! Here is my analysis of what we ordered:

BBQ rice roll - freshly made rice roll with pieces of bbq pork and sweet soy sauce drizzled all over. You can definitely taste the freshness of the rice roll and will definitely recommend trying!

Chicken and preserved egg congee - the star of the show! The chicken was so soft and the preserved egg so creamy! We added a salted egg which also enhanced the flavor even more. Be aware that the flavor is bland on purpose so that customers can add their preferred amount of salt and white pepper. DEFINITELY try this because it's by far the best congee I ever had...and I normally don't order congee at all :p

Pork blood and radish - very fresh and smooth texture for the pork blood! It was highly recommended by our friends and family so we tried it. It was definitely very smooth and the radish was delicious!

Turnip cake - the best turnip cake we ever had. Unlike other Chinese restaurants where they are served in square pieces, this place serves it in a ball, which was both unique and refreshing to try! Very strong turnip flavor and I will definitely recommend it since it's also fairly cheap!

Beef brisket - extremely moist and well seasoned! Served on top of some lettuce, it's a perfect balance of the two! If you ordered some rice roll, you can pour some beef brisket and sauce on top to enhance it as well! Definitely would recommend!

Overall this is by far one of the best Hong Kong style breakfast place we have ever been to. We came around 11 on a Saturday and was seated immediately, which I think was just luck on our part since it got crowded shortly after. Definitely coming back hands down!

Thank you...

Visited on a Thursday morning around 9:15 AM. The restaurant was about 25% full at the time but quickly filled up over the next hour. I really appreciated that they spaced out customers rather than cramming everyone into one section. Even solo diners were given four-person tables, which made for a much more comfortable experience - something you don’t often see these days.

The space was clean, and the high ceilings gave it a nice, open feel. When we were seated, the table was already set with a teapot, cups, bowls, spoons, and chopsticks. Shortly after, the waiter brought over menus along with a pen and paper for us to write down our order.

Service was a highlight. Our waiter was not only polite and friendly but also very attentive. Small touches stood out, like repeating our order back to us from memory after we handed him the list (we had only written down item numbers), and clarifying a common mix-up with the radish dish. He explained that some customers expect pan-fried turnip cake and are surprised when they receive radish in clear broth.

The congee portions are generous for one person. My grandpa had the Pork Liver and Fish Congee, which came with a good amount of both ingredients, and I had the Minced Beef Congee - also hearty and satisfying. Both were served piping hot, with peanuts and green onions on top (I just wish there were more peanuts and green onions!)

The radish dish was nice - sweet, tender, and free of bitterness, though $5 felt a bit steep for the portion. We also had the Cruller with Bean Paste, which was wonderfully soft and airy.

If you’re in the mood for comfort food early in the morning, this place is a great pick. They open daily at 8:30 AM (closed Tuesdays), making it a solid option for breakfast or brunch...

Great traditional Cantonese congee restaurant that was open on Boxing Day as well (so worth the call ahead if you're not sure on hours)! They open at 8:30am for breakfast and has lots of space to dine-in. Quantity and quality of food were all great.

Previously located in Market Village, they've opened here on Aug 2018 with a restaurant conveniently near Highway 404 (Steeles & Woodbine) at Woodbine and Denison. Do note, this is the plaza across from the Starbucks on the West side of Woodbine if you're looking for a landmark. This is located in a plaza with a decent amount of parking. Walking into the restaurant, you're required for the standard ID and proof of vaccination. One person will need to leave information for one person for contact tracing. Staff are quick to respond for service and food comes fairly quickly.

The traditional congee originates from Sam's Congee Delight in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong. However, tasting the congee from other Hong Kong restaurants, the congee could be improved to be better. True to the authentic Hong Kong dishes, we've ordered the chicken and minced beef congee, minced beef congee, sweet cruller, dough stick rice roll, BBQ pork rice roll, and fried noodles with bean sprout. Our table agreed that the congee was edible but could be better quality overall. For example, thicker congee (ours felt more liquid/watery) and for Hong Kong-styled minced beef, it lacked texture (there should be more rice vermicelli to make bigger beef clusters). Their rice rolls were pretty good and well made. The fried noodles with bean sprouts could be fried a bit longer (as it felt closer to slight wet noodles than pan-fried/wok-infused). Overall, food is still delicious and worth...