Northern Cafe Authentic Chinese Cuisine — Restaurant in Richmond Hill

Chen Xiang Ji is one of those places that initially felt like a hidden gem — I was so excited when I found it. It’s a super convenient spot for Chinese-style breakfast with tons of variety. Whether you're craving something sweet, savory, southern or northern — they seem to have it all.

They offer everything from Taiwanese rice balls and egg crepes, to congee, noodles, wontons, dumplings, and even things like scallion oil noodles. Oh — and the thing I couldn’t remember earlier — yes, they also have jianbing! (That crispy egg pancake with youtiao and sauce — a must-try.)

When they first opened, I was seriously impressed by their low prices and huge menu. I felt like I struck gold — the value was amazing, and I ended up eating there several days in a row just to try everything. My husband really likes their bibimbap-style rice bowls, and I agree — they’re pretty tasty.

That said, they’ve made some menu and price adjustments recently — some items, like the spicy Hunan-style noodles they used to have, are no longer available, and prices have gone up a bit. Still, I think they’re fair for what you get.

Food-wise:

The rice balls are good, though the filling isn’t super generous compared to other Taiwanese spots.

Egg crepes, wontons, and suan la fen (spicy-sour noodles) are all decent — solid 3.5 to 4 out of 5.

Their fried snacks, like the seafood rolls and sausage, are really enjoyable — I think their small bites and sides are a strong point.

The location has free parking, which is always a plus, and while the restaurant itself is small, it’s great for a quick, casual Chinese brunch when you’re craving a variety of comfort food.

Overall, while the flavor isn’t mind-blowing, it’s consistently satisfying, and the wide selection keeps me coming back. I’d say most dishes are in the 3 to 4 out of 5 range, and that’s good enough when you want a one-stop spot for all kinds of Chinese...

Trying out this spanking new neighbourhood addition, featuring some interesting and unfamiliar N.E Chinese and Taiwanese Cuisine dishes.

First off, LOVE the gorgeous, bright, open and minimalist contemporary decor.

Second, kudos to our friendly lady server for her warm and attentive service

Third, onto the food. Our party of three ordered the following items from a QR code menu:

Tea Leaf Egg Crepe wrap with roast beef and crunchy crullers filling Hot and Sour, Sweet Potato Noodles with minced pork Traditional Grand-Ma Scallion Oil Lo-Mien noodles Shanghai Bok-Choi with garlic soy sauce and sizzling oil Hot silken tofu in savory broth with spicy mustard greens Dessert of brown sugar syrup, tapioca balls and silken tofu

Overall, our random and mainly 'guess work' food order brought us some interesting, unfamiliar and fairly tasty fare.....though some of the dishes like the Roast Beef Crepe wrap were slightly on the bland side. ( Our lady server later told us their more complex tasting crepe with mustard green, Chinese bacon and sausage filling was the patron's favorite! Maybe next time?! ). Though overall, the savory food ( my fav., was the well seasoned Tea Leaf Egg ) were enjoyable. However, for me, the stand out was the Tofu and brown sugar Tapioca dessert! Not overly sweet, the velvety smooth silken tofu combined with the chewy tapioca balls offered a delightful and delicious contrasting mouthfeel.

For my next visit, maybe I'll just focus on their snacks, Bubble-Tea and desserts?! Ha!👍😋🤣

PS: Paper version of their a-la-carte menu was in Chinese characters only. As such, I only posted the bi-lingual set dinner menus.....which according to our server, incorporated all their house...

Extremely Disappointing Experience – Poor Service and Chaotic System

We visited this restaurant on a Sunday morning, expecting it to be busy. While the wait time for a table wasn’t too bad, our experience went downhill from there.

Chaotic Ordering System: The lack of a physical menu wasn’t the issue—I’m fine with using a QR code. However, after submitting my order, I was asked for a verification code that I had to request from the waitress. This process was incredibly inconvenient and poorly thought out.

Terrible Service: The service was virtually non-existent, and I felt completely disrespected as a customer. We waited an excessively long time for our food, only to discover that one of our orders was missed entirely—with no prior notice. To make matters worse, our bill was incorrect, including items from another table’s order. Throughout this entire ordeal, there was no apology or effort to make things right.

I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. The owner needs to seriously reconsider staff training and invest in upgrading...