Where chef Eric Chong eats Cantonese fried noodles, chicken shawarma and Wagyu beef tacos in Oakville

Chef Eric Chong is busy these days, bouncing between his two restaurants, R&D and his new tasting-menu spot, Akin. He’s currently working on a brand new 10-course dim sum–inspired tasting menu (as well as some bar snacks for walk-ins) at Akin while also sneaking in some travel and charity work. “I travelled to Lyon to support Toronto chef Keith Pears, who was competing at Bocuse d’Or. And here at home, I’m participating in Chefs for Change and a gala dinner for Hong Fook, to celebrate the rich tapestry of Toronto’s Asian community.”

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When he’s not cooking in one of his two kitchens or for an event, he’ll venture back to his hometown of Oakville to eat at the restaurants he grew up with and to check out new favourites. “As a kid, I was surrounded by a diverse food scene that played a big role in shaping my love for cooking,” he says. “The town has always had a strong Asian food presence, including great dim sum spots and family-owned restaurants serving authentic flavours that reminded me of my parents’ cooking.”

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He adds that the lakeside suburb also has a robust Italian community. “Oakville’s Italian restaurants were a gateway to incredible pasta, pizza and traditional dishes that made me appreciate the cuisine,” he says. More recently, he’s watched the city’s fine-dining scene explode. “Upscale fare here has really evolved, bringing a new level of culinary excellence to the area. For me, supporting Oakville’s food scene means celebrating the diversity, culture and passion behind it—something that has always inspired me as a chef.”

Here are a few of Chong’s favourite Oakville restaurants and what he orders at each.

Cynthia’s Chinese Restaurant

2460 Neyagawa Blvd., unit 1, Oakville, 905-338-1818, cynthiaschinese.com

“When we’re craving Asian cuisine and don’t want to make the drive to Richmond Hill, we have Cynthia’s, which specializes in Cantonese and Mongolian dishes. It’s been around forever, and it’s a gem. Sure, it’s a little kitschy décor-wise, but the food is legit. More importantly, my granddad, who doesn’t speak English, feels at home because it’s one of the few places in Oakville where he can converse with the servers.”

Go-to dish #1: Sizzling garlic beef

“There’s a lot of MSG in this, so it’s rich in umami. Contrary to popular belief, MSG isn’t bad for you. In any case, you can really taste the black bean sauce in this, and there’s a ton of garlic too. The beef has been velveted in cornstarch and baking soda to make it ultra-tender. It’s a great spicy dish to enjoy with a bowl of steamed rice.”

Go-to dish #2: Cantonese fried noodles

“This dish usually isn’t served in a bowl, but honestly, I think that’s the secret to getting this perimeter of crispy noodles and softer central noodles. And that’s exactly what you want—the textural best-of-both-worlds noodle situation. The best part is that there’s no rationing with the toppings: there’s a mountain of them. It’s abundant in vegetables, beef, chicken, shrimp and squid. It’s the perfect chow mein. There’s a lot of umami, it’s spicy and it’s super savoury.”

Go to dish #3: Salt-and-pepper fried seafood

“The oil they use to deep-fry is always new, and this shows in the quality of the shrimp, scallop and squid in this dish. Every bite is succulent and moist on the inside and lightly fried on the outside—especially compared with other spots that often fry it to shit. The combination of Thai chilies and Szechuan peppercorns gives you this umami taste along with an addictive tingling sensation on the tongue and back of the throat.”

Adonis

497 Pinegrove Rd., Oakville, adonisrestaurant.ca

“The Khouri family have owned and operated this spot since 2006. It was conveniently a five-minute walk from my childhood home, so it was my go-to shawarma spot when I was a kid. My mom loves it here, and my grandad loves it even more. For someone who would usually defer to Asian cuisine, this was unique yet approachable for him. Meals here further deepened our family bond over food. In fact, when I made weekend visits home during my university days, I’d always drop by and pick up shawarma for the two of them. For special occasions like birthdays or Christmas parties, we order the kebab platters, which are always a crowd-pleaser.”

Go-to dish #1: Adonis shawarma

“The upgrade to a large size here is essential. This stuff is gold. The chicken is ultra tender, and there are these bits of crispy, caramelized skin in every bite. The sauce is packed full of Mediterranean spices and punchy garlic, but it’s still balanced overall. And I love the unexpected tidbits of pineapple mixed throughout. It’s that little bit of sweetness and acidity that provides relief from the richness, so you can dive right back in.”

Go-to dish #2: Mezze platter (hummus, baba ghanouj, ful medames, tzatziki, tabbouleh)

“This is very much a choose-your-own-adventure situation here, and it’s obviously ideal for sharing. The hummus—my favourite dip of the platter—is super garlicky. The baba ghanouj is creamy, smoky and spritzed with some lemon, perfect to smear onto their pita. The tzatziki is refreshing and cooling, and it pairs nicely with the kebabs. The ful is hearty and dense, and the tabbouleh is the welcome lightness needed to balance everything else out.”

Go-to dish #3: Baklava ice cream

“This dessert features pistachios and shards of their house-made baklava crumbled over vanilla ice cream. It’s sweet, creamy and crispy—and a delightful way to end a meal here.

Hexagon

210 Lakeshore Rd. E., Oakville, hexagonrestaurant.com

Go-to dish #1: Bluefin tuna carpaccio with salt-baked celeriac, umami mayo, black truffle and house sourdough

“It’s very delicate and clean, and the fish is ultra fresh. There’s no fishy taste, and it’s so refreshing.”

Go-to dish #2: Steak tartare with Jimmy Nardello pepper conserva, kosho bagna cauda and house sourdough

“This is extremely well balanced, especially when you pair it with the crisp sourdough. The textures are so incredible. Chef Rafa really allows the ingredients to speak for themselves. The beef taste shines through and isn’t masked by the dressing. And in the same vein, you can taste the quality of the sauces on top, particularly the fermented pepper notes.”

Go-to dish #3: Aged duck (from the tasting menu)

“Wow, the duck has such a concentrated flavour—it’s because it’s dry-aged for two to three weeks. The meat is incredibly tender, and the skin is perfectly rendered and crispy. The ratio of skin to meat is also exactly right. The skin itself has a beautiful lacquered shine and is like thin glass. This is absolutely sublime.”

Go-to dish #4: Snake River Farms Wagyu Zabuton with house-made Sonora flour tortillas, bone marrow salsa and grilled onion

“It’s a very upscale build-your-own-Wagyu-taco situation here. They get the meat from Snake River farms, and it’s just so juicy. This is honestly one of the best tacos I’ve ever had.”

Go-to drinks: A cocktail trio

“The cocktail program is spearheaded by bar manager Kevin Nitcheu, and the range and depth of flavour with each drink is so thoughtfully conceived. The Daydream Cocktail features rum, passion fruit, yellow chartreuse and St-Germain. It’s super refreshing and effervescent. Mindy’s Secret Party is gin, tequila blanco, oloroso sherry, blood orange and toasted coconut. It’s a party in your mouth, smooth and lush, and it reminds me of Black Forest cake. And the Charming Chairman is made with scotch, baijiu, shiitake scent, lapsang souchong and mole bitters. This is bold and intense. It’s a punch in the face—in a good way.”