Mahjong Bar — Restaurant in Toronto

WHAT TO TRY?!

The half moons!

I think this bar is awesome for drinks and lounge around. It’s a very unique bar in that the front looks like a regular mom and pop shop but little did you know, it’s actually a bar through the doors. But this review is strictly about the food.

This bar has a lot of space to stand around in the middle but not a lot of tables for people to sit if you’re just here for drinks and lounging, so come early to grab a table or else crowd around the bar.

We had tried the smashed cucumber, the half moon, the shrimp wonton and the eggplant dish. Other than the half moon which was kind of interesting, I thought the other dishes were kind of disappointing.

The smashed cucumber name is kind of deceiving. It’s actually not smashed cucumbers but rather chopped cucumber chunks that was mixed with soy, crispy shallot and sesame. I thought this dish was really easy to make and I didn’t think you couldn’t make this at home. It’s really simple!

The shrimp wonton didn’t look like it was hard to make either. I don’t think they make their own wontons, and other than a spicy taste, I didn’t think it tasted much else.

The eggplant was the better of the dishes however it was a bit too salty and the combination with the mantou bun was a bit weird since the eggplant pieces were quite big cubes, and to put it on the small buns, seems like there wasn’t enough buns for the eggplants. I somehow ended up eating the eggplant dish separately from the fried mantou bun. It was easier to eat it that way and both tasted good on its own.

The half moons were the most interesting dish. Reminded me of the Chinese fried pockets with pork inside that I get for dim sum. Same texture. Just that this half moon is flat vs the ones at dim sum is this oval egg shape looking dumpling. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The ingredients inside were just right without it overflowing.

LAST TIP?!

I really think they will excel more with drinks more so than food. It’s definitely not a restaurant to have dinner at, maybe a quick snack is more suitable. There’s a semi private lounging corner near the extrance of the bar, so if you have a party of 5 or 6, come early so you can grab that area and...

Last weekend I came here with friends to celebrate a birthday and I will not be returning to this bar ever again.

The bartender named Abby (blonde hair, baggy grey t-shirt and black eyeliner) told us she was not serving any cocktails, which was a bummer because the cocktail list was one of the reasons we decided to come. We were ordering separate rounds of lemon drop shots and she angrily says "You guys need to stop ordering lemon drops separately because I have to keep remaking the drink each time, just order it all at once!". As I pay for my order of shots, I believe I had pressed the 1 button (which displayed 18% tip), but then Abby storms back with the receipt and follows up her previous angry retort with "ESPECIALLY if you aren't going to tip!" I am someone who always tips the bartender at whatever the first default option is (even in this instance where she was giving a bit of attitude; I can be sympathetic in seeing how we're a big group and it's a busy night). Perhaps I had accidentally mispressed a button in this dimly lit bar, but had she kindly confronted me about how she would appreciate a tip, I would've amended it. I was so taken aback by her rude statement that I had to take a moment and step outside. When I return, a different bartender is serving us (blonde ponytail, light blue(?) tank top) and she was willing to make us cocktails as she apologized for her colleague's behaviour, stating Abby was having a "bad night". Well, Abby has also turned my night into a bad one. This establishment has left nothing but a bad taste in my mouth as I can imagine management would rather let their bartenders work while in an awful mood, giving negative energy and rude service instead of telling them to just take a mental health break and come back when they're able to provide service that deserves tips and reflects well on...

This is a really cool concept! Love the front where it’s unassuming, then walk past a set of plastic curtains and you enter into a larger bar area. Sitting at the bar they have an amazing selection of whiskeys. But their cocktail list is only 7 drinks long, but they sure sounded good on the menu! But unfortunately, poor skill and a lack of attention to detail left me disappointed. Shaken drinks were not double strained leaving a ton of ice flakes in our drinks... eventually they began to just pour the shaken drink right into a glass and serve that. Glasses were not pre-chilled, glass wear was not appropriately chosen, so drinks would come out looking half empty, no garnishes in any of the drinks.

The drinks themselves were ok, I could see what they were trying to do and the potential of them being amazing, but the balance just wasn’t there.

One redeeming quality to my surprise is that the food here was good! Got the wontons and the beef noodle (it’s not in a soup, more like a sauce). Noodles had a wonderful chewy texture, beef was super tender and flavourful. Wontons were well seasoned and very delicious!

Come here for the food and the atmosphere, maybe take a pass on the cocktails and check out their extensive...