TAI ER SICHUAN CUISINE (太二酸菜鱼） — Restaurant in Markham

Chinese restaurant serving comfort food, originating in the northern parts of China - Sauerkraut fish is spicy, numbing, sour, delicious, and oh so good when done correctly.

Restaurant is located on the North-East corner of McCowan and Hwy 7 across from Markville mall. Plenty of parking spots in this plaza. The decor in this restaurant is absolutely stunning with wooden finishes, very zen vibe and minimalist. I had dinner here last night around 7:30PM; restaurant was very busy but we were promptly served by wait staff.

The menu is not massive which is good (quality over quantity, unless you're an HK café)

Menu is QR code based on the edges of the tables

For 3 people, we ordered quite a few dishes to sample

Suancai & Fish - Small (Snakehead Fish) 小份酸菜鱼(黑鱼) - Spicy, Numbing, has vermicelli noodles - decent portion for a single person... flavor wise it is a 5-6/10; it was lacking a bit of seasoning/salt, the flavor was there but there was something missing. My wife and mother in law found it not spicy, so if you have high spice tolerance

Sichuan Peppercorn Fish Fillet 鲜麻青花椒鱼 - this was for me since my spice tolerance isn't crazy high; good flavor, umami, same comments as the snakehead fish - missing some seasoning/lacking but overall good dish (preferred this over the other one)

Stif-fried Pork Belly Slices 火爆辣椒炒肉 - good wok hay, good flavor, could have been spicier (even for me)

Tasty Fried Chicken Wings 二哥爱鸡翅 - really crispy wings as a snack, loved me the mustard on the side, portion comes with 6 wings

Mapo Tofu - This was ok flavor too, similar comments to the dishes ordered

The Sichuan Spicy Chicken 重庆口水鸡 - decent flavor, good cold dish to offset the spicy and sour fish

We did order rice and noodles on the side to enjoy with our dishes

Coconut Ching Bo Leung 椰香冻冻清补凉 - tasty and creamy, refreshing

Orange drink - tangy, sour, good blance to the other flavors

Service was great, the wait staff were attentive and very friendly, they hired the right people for this restaurant.

Overall i give this restaurant a 7/10 rating; improvements could be made I feel

A little oily for my own palette as i had to bbg today twice - I also enjoyed that it wasn't heavy on the MSG as I didn't feel the MSG thirst after eating at this restaurant. It's great for me cause this spice level I can tolerate but for super spice lovers you may be disappointed (unless they have a super...

I had a fantastic meal featuring three standout dishes: a pickled mustard fish stew, sautéed greens with soy sauce, and creamy shrimp balls.

Pickled Mustard Fish (酸菜鱼) This dish was the star of the meal. The fish slices were incredibly tender and cooked to perfection, bathing in a rich, tangy broth made with pickled mustard greens and chili oil. The soup was fragrant but not overpowering, with a pleasant sour-spicy balance. The generous topping of sesame seeds and scallions added extra texture and aroma. It’s the kind of comforting, bold-flavored dish that warms you up instantly.

Chinese Greens with Soy Sauce The leafy greens (possibly Chinese broccoli or choy sum) were blanched just right—bright green and still crisp. The simple soy-based dressing was subtle but enhanced the natural sweetness of the vegetables. A small amount of translucent jellyfish on top added an unexpected but delightful chew and umami boost.

Creamy Shrimp Balls These were lightly battered and coated in a sweet, creamy mayo-style sauce, topped with a few orange roe. The shrimp was juicy and bouncy inside, and the outside had just enough crisp to contrast the sauce. A classic dish that’s easy to love, and this version was well-executed without being overly greasy.

Final Thoughts: Each dish was thoughtfully prepared with well-balanced flavors. The fish dish in particular stood out with its bold seasoning and fresh ingredients. I’d definitely come back for that and recommend this combination for anyone craving comforting Chinese cuisine with a touch of...

wow! what a flavour experience we had! if you enjoy spice then this is your place! the food isn’t particularly super spicy but the consistency is the seasoning builds up the spice profile and hits you after a few bites. the seasoning is amazing (i’d love to know what they use!) the calamari was a little chewy but the seasoning was insanely good and addicting! the Sichuan fish fillet soup was so great! the broth was delicious, there was a slight spice that caught up to you after a few bowls. the fish was so tender and had such an amazing taste! wow! there were also noodles in the soup that were so delicious but those soaked in all the spice. cucumbers as well, but those were good just interesting eating warm cucumbers but not bad at all! the boneless chicken feet had a 10/10 flavour. they were served cold which is a way we have never tried chicken feet. not our favourite as the feet congealed and got an interestingly crunchy texture which put us off. simply personal preference to have them warm, but we can fully appreciate that someone else may love it this way! again the seasoning of the chilli spice was amazing! the sichuan lettuce wraps were by far the best thing we had! fresh vegetables! the pork was so juicy and flavourful! great amazing dish. the service was a 10/10 and the staff were quick with food. whole restaurant was very clean and the kitchen looked well maintained. great experience here! great food! great staff! thanks...