Beloved by design
New Uniqlo T-shirts and tote bags pay tribute to three long-standing Scarborough restaurants. Here’s what makes these three eateries so special
Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo is known for its graphic tees depicting everything from Mickey Mouse to Andy Warhol’s silkscreened prints and Keith Haring’s funky figures.
To commemorate the opening of its Scarborough Town Centre store, it’s selling three special tees and tote bags, each celebrating a longstanding Scarborough restaurant on the Sheppard Avenue East strip in Agincourt.
“Food places bring people together. They hold a lot of memories, your cherished moments — that’s the hold these places have on people,” said Bianca Alongi of Casabianca Art, whose watercolours of Toronto landmarks led to Uniqlo asking her to create a design depicting Markham Station restaurant.
“The social-media reaction and messages I’ve gotten just shows (Uniqlo) chose really well with these staples,” said Toronto food illustrator Tanya Mu of TonTon Art, who was commissioned to paint Perfect Chinese Restaurant and Mona’s Roti. “The food scene and culture in Toronto is big because it’s good. You have everyone around the globe coming here and bringing their authentic recipes.”
Only available at the Scarborough Uniqlo, this collaboration is the latest attempt to bring the rest of the GTA up to speed on Scarborough’s role as a culinary powerhouse. For many area residents, these places are a second home. For newbies, here’s why they’re so beloved.
Perfect Chinese Restaurant
Before Markham and Richmond Hill became the go-to areas for Chinese food in the GTA, Agincourt was where the Chinese community gathered in the late ’80s and ’90s (it was also home to North America’s first indoor Chinese mall). Many of its restaurants have closed, but since 1984, Perfect Chinese Restaurant (4386 Sheppard Ave. E.) has been open 24 hours a day, serving a giant menu including dim sum, $20 wok-fried lobsters and Peking duck from morning to, well, morning and beyond.
For night owls, it’s the place to hit up when the bars and clubs close. For students, it’s one of the few sitdown restaurants where a gourmet meal can be had for less than $20. For retirees, it’s a ritual to read the paper and order a basket of siu mai in the morning. Or, if you’re a regular, it’s where you can sing karaoke in one of the private rooms at 11 a.m. on a Wednesday. For my family, it’s the spot to visit after leaving the airport, knowing the kitchen will be open no matter how late the flight was.
“We’re not just a restaurant,” said Marry Cen, who’s been the manager for the past decade. “We’ve had weddings, anniversaries. We have seniors who book the karaoke rooms or play mah-jong. We might not be making a lot of money on the food, but it’s part of our culture to keep the prices low so we have a place for anyone in the community to come to.”
Although it’s one of the older Chinese restaurants in the GTA (the sturdy metal chairs alone have been around for 40 years), the place has kept up with its changing surroundings. As a large Southeast Asian population moved into the area, Perfect added Thai dishes. When more Chinese businesses either closed or moved north (and the adjacent Dragon City Mall started to decline), the restaurant expanded within the Mandarin Shopping Centre, turning empty storefronts into karaoke rooms and reception halls.
“People know we’ll always be here no matter what,” said Cen. “That’s what keeps them coming back.”
Markham Station
The spacious diner at the corner of Sheppard Avenue East and Markham Road owes its odd name to a planned transit station that never materialized. Founder Perry Panagakos kept the Markham Station name when, in 1988, he converted a Steak N’ Burger (a now-defunct restaurant chain) he managed into a ’round-the-clock diner at 5117 Sheppard Ave. E.
He decided to open all hours to compete with a Denny’s that used to be down the street, said Panagakos, who runs the diner with longtime business partner Jim Psihopedas. “We went head-to-head, and we’re (still) here and they’re not,” he says. “We’re more than a breakfast place. Our roots were burgers, steaks and souvlaki.”
It’s still a reliable place for a plate of juicy chicken souvlaki so flavourful, the tzatziki is optional. The Early Train, a three-egg breakfast special, comes with bacon, ham or sausage and home fries, roasted potatoes or rice for an inflation-busting $10.
“We kept to the basics, and 90 per cent of the menu has been the same,” said Panagakos’ son Jacob, who manages the Richmond Hill location of Markham Station that opened three years ago. “My dad started up Markham Station when he was 22 and he hasn’t stopped.
“There’s so many different cultures, especially in Scarborough. But it’s great to see the newer population appreciate Markham Station’s food. We’re going to make sure it’ll stick around for another 30 years.”
Mona’s Roti
Scarborough has no shortage of acclaimed roti spots, but one of the most popular is Mona’s Roti (4810 Sheppard Ave. E.), where customers can look behind the counter and into the open kitchen. Its namesake owner, Mona Khan, is among those rolling out hundreds of parathas and dhalpuris for wholesalers and walk-in orders alike.
Khan started her roti business in Marabella (now San Fernando), a town in Trinidad and Tobago, during the ’70s. In the ’80s, she and her husband moved to Toronto to start a family, bringing along her rotimaking expertise.
“When I was five or six, I remember my mom making hundreds of roti at home for local Caribbean restaurants,” said daughter Reesa Khan, who manages the takeout shop. “She’d be up at 5 a.m. making the dough by herself. It became too much to do at home. Word spread, and instead of supplying four or five restaurants, she was at 10, 15, 20.”
Mona took over the lease from one of the shops she supplied and opened the brick-and-mortar Mona’s Roti in 2003, cultivating a devoted following. The boneless chicken roti remains the most popular order, but the vegetarian roti is the sleeper hit for offering an array of mix-and-match curries and slowcooked veggies (my choice combo is spinach, pumpkin and mango).
“There are customers that remember me as a five-year-old,” said Reesa. “There are people who remember picking up rotis from the house. There are even people who used to go to the restaurant in Trinidad and followed us to Scarborough.”
Piping hot and kissed with dots of smoky char, the flatbreads continue to win over diners after all these years.
“The key is my mom. Mona is there every day making sure everything is in tip-top shape,” said Reesa. “It’s a lot of pressure when it’s your name on the sign. Even though she’s turning 75 in May, she’s still there and still going.”
“I can’t sit still. I have to be busy,” said Mona, as she worked a batch of dough in the kitchen. “I feel good when I come in here, and I want to be here every day. You have to be hands-on and have a staff that wants to be here. I’ve had people who have been here for 10, 12 years, and since we opened.”
For Reesa, to be on a merch drop alongside two other restaurants she considers Scarborough royalty is an honour.
“Markham Station and Perfect Chinese are the after-party places to go to with your friends. To be included with (them means) we’re up there with them.”