John "underpaid civil servant" F.'s Profile

This business seems to compete with Hero in the "premium" burger category.  On the whole, it is just okay, at least this location.  Burger was quite good and I liked the choice of toppings.  I also liked the availability of whole wheat buns.  However, I found the fries to be very soggy.  And for over ten dollars (with tax) for a simple burger, fries and drink combo, I think they could do a little more than McD's does:  Blot the fries to get rid of extra grease, and maybe offer some additional ground meat choices (priced accordingly) like turkey and bison burgers.

Service was blase at best.

As usual, when I review a chain, my review is for the location in question and not the chain itself.

This IKEA is conveniently located near both a subway stop (Leslie) and the 401.  It get extraordinarily busy on weekends and is smaller than their Vaughan location.  Last time I was there I bought a combo furniture item which had a part that needed to be obtained from the pickup counter as it was not a standard bin item.  After the checker put in the order, it took a very long time for them to retrieve it.  The sign said their wait time should be about seven minutes but a lot of the folks had been waiting a lot longer.  Plus there was no one staffing the pickup counter when I arrived.  Of course, it was a busy weekend, but  still, the management should expect that and have enough staff on hand.  

On the other hand, I have never had trouble finding parking here, even when they are busy.  Maybe its because a lot of folks use the subway to get here.

I prefer the Vaughan store to this one but as this one is a short distance from my home it is more convenient.

This is the first location of this chain which I had visited.  As others have noted, it is very clean, at least the part that is visible.  There is a huge variety of Chinese stuff, a smaller Philippine section in one corner, and miscellaneous Korean, Japanese and Southeast Asian goods scattered throughout.  Nice selection of live fish and seafood.

Some good buys on meat; I think one might be able to better on produce in smaller Asian markets if not buying items on special.

The store area includes a number of separate businesses (some reviewed in Yelp) which form a kind of Asian mall-within-a-mall.

Checkers seem more considerate and polite than at some other markets.

The food gets almost five stars except for a rather short menu.  The soup (only one listed) is fabulous, and kebabs were very generous, well-flavoured and tender.  Rating is pulled down by both atmosphere and service.  The place looks like a dingy old street bar, despite being in a modern strip plaza.   It is not dirty, just does not have a comfortable atmosphere.  The service is friendly but extremely slow, even when not busy.

They are open 24 hours, which is nice to know.  If they could pick up the service a bit, make it look a little more inviting and add a couple of appetizers and mains to the menu it would be a five start eatery.

Yesterday was my first visit to this mall.  While it probably won't win any special awards for architecture or design, it is nicer than most, with a lot of skylights and a bright, airy feel (even more so than Yorkdale).  

The selection of non-anchor stores is heavily weighted towards women's apparel.  As this is the bread and butter of shopping centre marketing, it would seem to indicate they do well in attracting tenants and I noticed the window displays have some very sharp looking dresses.

Anchors include a T&T, a Sears and an Old Navy.  As I went here primarily for the T&T,  I did not stop at the food court.  Would like to look around it a bit more.

The Sunday afternoon clientele seemed to be about 50% East Asian (mostly Chinese and Korean),  about 10% Orthodox Jews,  and about 30% Russians.  The diverse ethnic mix of shoppers not only is a reflection of the area, but also reflects well on the mall's ability to attract different groups of people.

More on a subsequent visit...

Unlike Jennifer's experience with lady's clothing, I was able to find something here I cannot usually not find in Winner's or other non-specialized Canadian stores:  XXL size shirts.  Not a big selection but they did have one I liked, which I wound up purchasing.

I do have to add the checker was quite rude.  I was a little drowsy and did not realize the card machine did not have a chip reader, so she felt she needed to repeat the instructions in a rather loud was as if talking to a child.  Honey, I am an older guy but have not quite yet been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

For some reason, I have never been able to find anything I like in this chain, and this one is no exception.  They do have a nice but rather overpriced selection of curtains.  Beyond that, their merchandise, typically in bright "jewel colours" looks like what a fourteen year old girl would choose if she were charged with decorating a house or apartment.  Also, some of the stuff is barely above the level of IKEA and significantly more pricey.

Not impressed.  Portions small, service uneven, items checked off on the AYCE menu were not delivered, coca-cola was flat and the "white tuna"  (whatever the stuff is) was not fresh.

Good grilled squid, though.

Three stars is really a mixed review here.  2 stars for the store and 5 stars for one of the employees.

Last night we went to buy some window blinds.  As I needed a measurement that was non-standard, they needed to be cut.  We started by asking one employee where the blinds were and he directed us to the wrong aisle.  Another employee tried to cut them for us and screwed up so badly he had to throw them away.  Finally, a lady named Susan assisted us.  Not only was she extremely accurate, but she offered a lot of useful advice about hanging blinds and measuring for them.  It would be nice if all big box store employees were this good, especially after dealing with staff who don't know enough to even direct a customer to an entire section.

I was here this fall for an outpatient procedure.  The staff was pleasant enough, except for one bitch at a window who did not say much when she was asked for direction until we finally knocked and she grunted "go over there."  The nurses were very good though.

But this facility is disgusting.  An absolute pigsty which looks much worse inside than it does outside.  It is being replaced by a new state-of-the-art hospital in Downsview but will be kept open as a trauma centre.  I hope they have the brains to gut it first.  

Additionally, this place has the dubious distinction of one of the highest rates for unexpected inpatient deaths in the GTA.