The Sugar

Had a dinner combo: soup, dessert, rice and spare ribs for ~$ 7. Everything was delicious, especially the soup. I’d say the food is great value at the least!
My only complaint is the service. I never got a drink refill, l and a guy at the table next to mine had to get up to get a drink refill after repeatedly trying to get the waitress’ attention.

I went there with 4 friends a mine, and we all had a good time there. Both their desserts and hot meals were very very good that a guy who wasn’t supposed to eat that late at 10:30pm but still ordered an appetizer and a hot meal. I especially love their beef noodle soup, stewed pork w/​rice, and fried milk dessert! The service was great and prompt, we didn’t have to wait long to be seated and served. Overall, great restaurant to go to catch up with friends :)

Went for dessert on a Mon night. They missed 2 of 6 orders, and when we reminded them about the 2 missing orders, they missed 1 out of the 2. After reminding them a second time and more than 30 mins of waiting, the crêpe arrived and it was dry. Bubbles in bubble tea were old, stale. We’ve been here many times before and food+service was ok, this must have been a one off bad experience.

This is another one of those restaurants I live across the street from so I’ve eaten here many times before. The menu isn’t too bad but I can’t bring myself to buy another fruit dessert because they are something easy to prepare and costs quite a bit at 31 kitchen. Oh right, they also changed their store name from «The Sugar» to «31 Kitchen.» Same owner, menu, and prices though.
I usually order the combo specials ($ 6.99ish depending on whether you want rice or noodles and such) which included a bubble tea and a small dessert. No complains about the food or the pricing for the combos.
The store went through many interior changes throughout the years and right now they have booths which I like sitting in. It is dim-​lit, not too bright or too dark, and I personally enjoy the lighting. It doesn’t feel like a restaurant you’d go with your whole family, but more for younger people to go with friends or their partners.
The restaurant also offers free wifi. :D

2.5 to 3 stars.
My friend wanted somewhere to go for a girl to girl conversation over chinese dessert and i had heard of this place by another friend so off we went. It was a sunday night and surprisingly super packed. The tables here are really huge, like big squares really and they’re spaced out quite far so you don’t feel cramped.
I ordered the sago/​black jelly w coconut milk which came to my table sans black jelly. I thought it meant there was sago and black jelly but apparently it was one or the other. I never specified and the server never asked so I guess they felt like a sago night. The sago pearls weren’t cooked long enough in my opinion… still too much chew.
My friend ordered the fried popcorn chicken and a waffle w fruit and ice cream. Good amount of fried chicken and the waffle came out w a mountain of ice cream, whipped cream and various sliced fruits adorning it all.
The servers were quite nice and attentive. there is nothing really wrong w this place and for the area, it serves it’s purpose but I think I would head up to hwy 7 dessert places for the extra 10 min drive.

I’m surprised at how badly review this place, i personally like it for several reasons. Though i think i might know why it’s rated badly. I speculate it’s because the food and environment/​store is not authentic. I went with my sister, her bf, brother and my bf and they all liked it a lot. My sister’s bf had their ramen and he thought it was delicious. The rest of them had waffles and they liked it too. I had the 5 flavour sweet dumplings and i thought it was really good, it was consisted of chocolate, taro, sesame, mango and one more that i don’t recall anymore. The seating space is pretty good, easy to fit a small group of people. It also opens late. I personally like the fact that they have both asian and white deserts that people can choose from. I also like how they include normal dinner food choices besides desert.

Jennifer K is right when she said that this is the only Chinese dessert place in the area. It is also the only bubble tea shoppe in the area. and I live in this area. Which means I’m bound to see someone I went to school with every time I visit here. Many. many awkward moments.
First, the name of this place has changed from ‘The Sugar’ to ‘Kitchen 31′…or 35. thirty something. The owner remains unchanged, staff are the same, décor untouched.
This place is capable of producing the same variety of drinks and food as Destiny’s tea shoppe, and that’s rather impressive for such a humble space which used to be a cracked out Coffee Time. It is clean, good lighting, and always packed on weekends with unintimidating patrons. The service is fast, which is again impressive considering they make all the fancy drink orders for the Congee Wong just a few doors down as well.
Food that is cooked here basically come in generic portions, and is mediocre at best. But the milk. butter…something something… which look like tofu cubes are down right delicious. It’s so rich and luxuriously flavoured. And that basically sums up this place. So you’d think I’d be here all the time. But I’m not, because it’s so scary coming here!
I run into everyone I don’t want to ever run into here. People in high school who I never talked to and felt guilty about ignoring, people from my old Chinese church that I boycotted, girls I kinda hit on back in grade 12 but never really dated. There was this one time where I was here with two of my girlfriends and I was telling them about this girl named Melinda whom I has a crush on during Chinese school, and then I sat up straight only to see Melinda looking at me with her huge eyeballs in the booth next to mine. I ducked my head so fast I karate chopped the table, and remained submerged with my bubble tea until she left. It’s like the twilight zone here!
I don’t care much for bubble tea, but my Asian genetics kicks in every once in awhile, and it is required that I get myself a taro whatever whatever to go. When I come here, it’s like I’m a celebrity avoiding the paparazzi. Face scarves, big shades, hipster clothing.
I should learn how to use a blender.

I’m so sad, I used to love this place. But now it’s not called The Sugar anymore since they’re starting to serve more set meals as opposed to Chinese desserts.
The place has undergone a few renovations, and every time I come back (6 month intervals), it always looks different. This time around I was looking forward to some delicious desserts and was happy to see the place so busy on a Thursday night.
The new seating arrangements work better for the restaurant and the desserts are about the same as I remember, but the menus are in serious need of a reprint. The ones that came to our table had the laminate peeling off. When we realized it wasn’t a dessert menu, they came back with the right one and just looking at the sorry thing on my table made me consider leaving right then and there. It had no cover, it was tied together with string, and the pages that had long since torn at the punch holes were taped on, some upside down.
While I love love love Chinese desserts (it’s one of the few things I long for when I come back for a visit), I don’t know if I can continue coming here. It clearly isn’t made for desserts anymore, so I’ll find me a different place. Thanks for the good times, The Sugar, but this is a breakup.

3.5 stars, not quite a 4.
The Sugar is a weird place with a weird array of menu items.
— It has traditional Cantonese dessert, such as herbal essence jelly, mango freeze (mango cubes), etc.
— It has traditional Cantonese food, such as steamed rice meals (metal, not bamboo, steamer), road side sharks fin soup, etc.
— It has traditional Taiwanese food, such as stinky tofu, stinky hot pot, taiwanese sausages, etc.
My friend and I ordered
— steamed xo sauce pork neck rice: a little bland, and came with a bowl of cooked lettuce in soy sauce…
— stinky hot pot: really good, with intestines, pigs blood, enokie mushrooms, fish balls, and fish cake
— mixed vegetables and tofu dry pot: it was okay
— herbal essence jelly in coconut milk: awesome
— mango freeze: she said it was awesome
The décor is nice, the service is unfriendly.
Would I go back? I might, especially for dessert. The food isn’t too bad, but it’s not something i’d crave.

Décor nice, food so very, very disappointing. Completely agree with some of the other comments, save your taste buds. Should you happen to be hungry next to this place, go home cook some rice and pour soya sauce on it, trust me it’s no different and likely will taste better!
Ordered the curry shrimp papaya hot pot. So many things wrong, nothing like the picture in the menu for one, rice not crunchy at all, no sauce, shrimp way over cooked and shrivelled. Other dish was a beef hot pot, bland and burnt.
How is this place associated with Congee Queen and Congee Wong???
Perhaps this is more a dessert place, however will never know ‘cuz I definately won’t be venturing back.
Not recommended.

Maybe I chose the wrong thing, but I just had a sweet almond soup tonight and it was disgusting. It was so thick, and it wasn’t because of the almonds … it tasted more like a lot of corn starch, mixed with a bit of almond (possibly powdered from a can), and sugar. I think I had 2 spoonfuls.
On the other hand, my friend had a wonton soup noodle. I took one wonton cuz he felt bad for me, and that was pretty good. The shrimp was really fresh!

The Sugar is the only choice for Chinese dessert in the area so if you in the area and want to satisfy your Chinese desserts craving you kind of stuck with it.
I can understand why the service is lacking on a weekday lunch hour since there is only 1 waitress who taking orders, making drinks and desserts and delivering the orders from kitchen.
The Lingzhi Essence Jello ($ 5.99) is quite sizable compare to the one served at Herbal Harmony but it is lacking the intense Lingzhi taste. wondering it there is hardly any in it?
The Coconut Fresh Fruit Sago ($ 4.79) is a nice surprise. Though it is a little too sweet for my taste but it is loaded with FRESH FRUITS! no canned varieties. that is an extra 0.5 stars. The sago are a little crumbled together but is quite acceptable.
Have not try any cooked food on the menu. But I think The Sugar really try to hard to has so many varieties, you do sacrifice quality over quantity. Since there is so many eating place in the same plaza why don’t they just concentrate on making better Chinese desserts instead?
They accepts Cash only!

Their mango freeze with sago is really good. Most of their drinks are really good. It’s a hangout place for teenagers. Their new decorations make it very private for groups of friends. Their set dinners are worth the cost. It’s a Chinese dessert place for hanging out with friends.

I use to come here a LOT with my friends because it’s possibly the only thing close to the area where we all live.
I came here again with a friend after 2 – 3 years, and I thought to myself, «What was I thinking?!»
First off, never order a meal here. It’s not worth its price for the quality. I ordered myself a side of takoyaki (again — in relation to the search of the best takoyaki). Gosh, the takoyaki was horrible. What was I thinking?! It was full of batter, and the squid taste was just awful. Not only that, they topped it off with TOO much sauce. I was not impressed.
The popcorn chicken was surprisingly a lot better than Go For Tea. However, still was not fully satisifed.
The drinks were okay. I can’t recall what my friend ordered — it was some sort of hot celestial tea. I ordered myself a hot red bean black tea with tapioca.
Gosh, that was bad too. There was all this powder reminants at the bottom of my drink in the end. Not only that, the tapioca was hard and not very chewy.
Was very disappointed. Time to find a new place to go to in my area!

There’s not much choice in the area in terms of chinese dessert places, so I think they’ve gotten a niche here.
I would never get dinner here, as it started out as a dessert place (it’s called the sugar), but I think they added the dinner foods for more variety in case you can’t get into Congee Wong.
I have to say that the food has deteriorated a little since it opened, but it’s still good, and my staple place to go with I’m at my parents place in North York.
I like the glutunious rice balls and how there are 5 different flavours (note:smaller than it used to be), the fried milk pudding, and the golden sago. The black sesame soup is also okay here — thick and not watery. You can also get bubble tea, but they give you free barley type tea.
The only thing missing from their menu is the egg or milk pudding (dun daan) I’m not sure why they don’t make it.
I find the service could be inproved a little, and the attitude of the servers. and some cushions on the benches please!!! But otherwise I like it.

This place is just ok overall, although drinks are generally impressive, food is also not bad, but service-​wise, it fails! Other details can be refined.

I wonder how this restaurant stays open… or how long it will remain open… We went to Niagara Falls for a long weekend and decided to take a day trip to Toronto. Knowing that there will be many awesome Chinese restaurants in the area, we decided to order small meals and try as many restaurants as possible.
The Sugar was the 2^nd restaurant we hit, right after Congee Wong (next door). Wow, what a discappointment. At first glance, I was excited to try this restaurant after reviewing their menu posted on their window. It looked like a hip Chinese café with dessert drinks and some Taiwanese snack dishes to me.
We ordered one of the lunch combos offered which features a sweet tea with boba, minced pork rice, and a little dessert cake (bite size). We also ordered a 3-​cup chicken and a tofu wha (flower) dessert.
The only thing I enjoyed was the small (1 bite), free dessert cake that came with the lunch combo. I never knew someone can mess up minced pork rice. I mean, there are good ones and decent ones, but I’ve never had, in my more than 30 years of trying Chinese/​Taiwanese food, bad minced pork rice dish… until that day. The rice was… long grain, loose, not hot enough and not flavorful. Comes with a tired/​dry looking half a soy sauce egg and didn’t come with marinated/​pickled raddish (which often would be included).
The boba sweet tea was terrible. Basically sugared water with very hard boba. The 3-​cup chicken was more like kung pao chicken… we walked out leaving more than half of each dish and not even bothered with a take-​out box.