Yan’s Cook

My go to place to eat at first Markham place. Reasonable price, good portion size and super fast. Food is always good and consistent

Food is super cheap and portions are large. Its a perfect place to get afternoon snacks if you are in the area. I have tried the sui mai (they are huge), soya sauce noodles, hot/​sour soup. They were not amazing but were very good for under $ 4
I haven’t tried their main dishes yet. They also serve quail, will be interested in trying that next time I am in the area.

We’ve been wanting to come back here for dinner ever since we were last in Toronto. Daughter ordered the beef with scrambled eggs. She preferred it runnier but the cashier said that they only do it scrambled. She liked it a lot. We also ordered bitter melon with fish and black bean sauce over rice. Fantastic! The bitter melon and black bean sauce make a nice combo! Both orders came with drinks. Finally, we also had the fish shu mai. That was a little overdone. Glad we came back here!

This review is only based on their dim sum items, I never actually bought a proper meal at this food court restaurant but whenever i do go to First Markham Place, I always get two items from here, their Fish Meat Siu Mai (Don’t know what they call in English) and Soya Sauce Rice Noodle Roll (coeng fun).
If you do go to First Markham Place, I highly recommend picking up some dim sum snacks from this place, especially the Fish Meat Siu Mai! They make theirs super HUGE and they actually taste good with spicy soy sauce. A MUST try if you decide to dine in at First Markham Place!

It’s definitely a good place for fast food Chinese cuisine IF you’re super hungry. I stress super hungry, because the portions in this place are simply unbelievable. I failed to finish one meal even with my grandma helping, and I was actually somewhat hungry that evening.
That being said, you get what you paid for. The prices are certainly on the low side and the quantity on the high side, but don’t expect quality. I mean, it is a fast food stall after all, and honestly for what it is it’s definitely more than satisfying for the average person eating lunch or dinner at First Markham Place.
The siu mai, however, is a must. One order is, if I remember correctly, 5 pieces. 5 large pieces, I should say. It’s not something you should have every single time since it’s so unhealthy, but at least once is more than filling.
Yan’s Cook is one of the busiest stalls in the FMP food court, and with good reason too. With so much variety, huge portions, and low prices, all these combined attract the average person looking for cheap, quick fill you up food court cuisine.

I went to Yans Cook to order two combos for my brother and I.
First is the sweet and sour pork over rice combo and the second sweet and sour FISH over rice combo.
I had advised the staff that I cannot eat meat and can only eat fish thus the sweet and sour fish.
When I took the food home, I found that there was pork in my sweet and sour fish, the chef was too lazy to cook it separately thus he cooked it all together knowing that I CANNOT eat pork.
I am very disappointed, I spoke Chinese and clarified many times so they all knew. There wasn’t anything else I could have possibly done to be more clear.
It is offensive and I felt like they took my dietary needs as a joke.
If you have any dietary concerns or preferences, avoid this place.

The hunt for a good Chinese take out food court booth started when I was tasked to bring Friday night dinner to a ski chalet. The objective was to impress my Canadian friends with delicious and large quantity of Asian food at a price that made their jaws drop.
I ordered and sampled from 3 food booths in total and concluded that Yan’s Cook has the best value of food in terms of deliciousness, freshness, best cooking, volume and pricing combination (Yap, I analyzed this to death).
Yan’s Cooks is a popular take out food booth. Due to the high turnover, its ingredients are fresh. The chef manages not to over cook every dish I have ordered so far; this is a testimony of his cooking skills. In terms of deliciousness, the dishes taste good, but I must admit that they are quite oily most of the times (like 90%). The food is not too salty per my taste. The volume and pricing are in line with other food booths in First Markham Place. BTW, the average price of the food court food at FMP is higher than most other Chinese malls.
In conclusion, I did feed my 3 friends with $ 35 of food, taxes included. And we had to finish the food in 2 meals.

We decided to grab something quick here before heading to the theatres next door.
Although most of the stores in the mall are closed at around 6pm the food court in First Markham Place stays open late until 10pm.
So we split a Satay Beef with flat rice noodle dish. Being aware that this is a fast food place where there’s little care in preparation, we specially requested if they can use less oil and Satay sauce.
The person taking the order said that the ho fan noodle is already oily. Huh? Well our request didn’t make it to the chef our dish was super oily and saucy. Unimpressed even for food court standards.
Cost was $ 5.75+ tax
The drink accompanying the dish was a nice cool refreshing soy drink but sadly it was the best part of the meal.

I spent a year out of Canada, and when I came back, all I wanted to do is head on over to Yan’s Cook (formerly Yan’s Wok) and grab Combo C.
Their sweet and sour pork, with wonton soup, and spring roll, might just be the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten. Unfortunately it’s only available during the lunch rush, Monday to Friday. Six dollars, for more food than you’ll be able to finish is always a great value.
There are still a number of options, which come with drinks (instead of soup) at similar price points. In fact, the sweet and sour pork is always on order — regardless of the date and time — it just doesn’t hold the same charming allure when you’re not ordering Combo C.
If you come during a busy time, be prepared to place your order, take a number, and wander First Markham Place for a little while, before coming back — claiming your food — and seeking out a table in the food court.

Definitely a review that’s been sitting in the works! This had been my go to Chinese food (beef friend rice) place as a child. Absolutely loved it and wouldn’t take any substitutes, I recognize that their food was nothing special but something about having the double space gave them some cred in my young mind.
It’s been a while since I’ve gotten Chinese fast food, but here is a place that you can’t go wrong for the price point! $ 5.25 for a large meal — definite hit =)

Although this might not be Martin or cousin Stephen Yan’s (both stars of their own cooking shows «Yan Can Cook» and the Canadian version «Wok with Yan» respectively) quality of restaurant, it is fast food after all.
For under 6 bucks, it’s a decent deal. The crispy chicken dish was on par with some of the better places I’ve been (see my pic). Had a decent serving of veg and the combo with the hot and sour soup. As long as you stay away from the battered deep fried meat with gloopy sauce (i.e. fake chinese food), I think you’ll be okay. My buddies curried brisket was decent, and I’ve had the soup noodles with brisket which was right on par with any other congee type place.
Love being to get some decent Chrysanthemum tea that’s not from a box or can, as you can’t get it brewed everywhere (though admittedly it’s probably instant).
It’s one of the busier stalls at First Markham place food court, so get here before the noon rush.

The food here is very salty, meat is griszly, and oily with msg. Only reason I cone here is for their chrysanthemum tea fir $ 1.00. That’s it.