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Food & Drink

What’s on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham’s Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe

By Caroline Aksich| Photography by Caroline Aksich
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What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe

Name: Hutaoli Contact: #1-3760 Hwy 7 E., Markham, 365-608-5333, hutaolitoronto.com, @hutaolitoronto
Neighbourhood: Markham Owner: Kaitlyn Zhang

The food

Hutaoli is one of the latest Chinese chains to open a Toronto location. The popular spot for spicy Sichuan plates and live music is offering Canadians all the mega mainland hits. A few of the dishes, though, have been tweaked a bit—not because the chefs thought Toronto palates needed coddling, but because certain ingredients (like the cheese used on the durian pizza) weren’t available here.

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
This shrimp-and-chili plate is one of the few dishes that’s only found at the Toronto Hutaoli location. $21.

 

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
This eggplant is lightly battered then deep fried. $14.

 

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
Okra with soy sauce and wasabi. $9.

 

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What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
Fresh durian is cooked down before it’s blended and used as the sauce on this cheese-topped pie. $18.

 

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
This piquant jellyfish dish has some serious sting. $10.

 

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
Cauliflower with Chinese bacon. $16.

 

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
Sliced beef and tongue in chili sauce. $11.

 

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
This pickled-cabbage fish soup is piled high with chilies, and gets some added spice from Sichuan peppercorns. $31.

 

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What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
This is the signature Hutaoli dish. The chicken is marinated for eight hours in a blend of 12 spices before going in the oven. The bird arrives to the table—in a cage. It’s then sprinkled with crushed peanuts and pulverized with a wooden mallet. $19.

 

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
Commence pulverization.

 

The drinks

Signature cocktails, some beer and a selection of worldly wines (bottles of which are priced around the $50 mark). Instead of pop, Hutaoli serves fresh juices and house-brewed iced teas.

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
The Flaming Lips is found at all Hutaoli locations. The rose petal- and sugar-garnished flute is filled with a mix of lemon, vodka, and black currant and raspberry juices. $11.99.

 

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
A mojito. $11.99.

 

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What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
The signature sangria is made with red wine, Triple Sec, melon liqueur and a blend of juices (pineapple, apple, orange). $11.99.

 

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
Imported beers include Fruli. $9.

 

The space

Hutaoli is basically the Chinese Hard Rock Cafe: a restaurant chain that fuses music and food, with a stage anchoring every one of the 400-plus locations. The 200-seat room is decked out in faux greenery: fern chandeliers, ivy-festooned walls and wildflower-filled jugs. A random assortment of tchotchkes like vintage TVs, bird cages, lanterns and Grecian-style busts, give the 6,300-square-foot room a quirky, Alice in Wonderland-like air. Chairs upholstered with images of suit-sporting anthropomorphic hares and harts add to the Lewis Carroll vibe, while two cottages hanging from the ceiling (made to look like traditional ’60s-era Chinese houses) complete the surreal aesthetic.

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
There are poems scrawled all over the place: on bowls, plates and projected onto the floors. The poets include popular Chinese bards such as Li Bai and Yu Li, as well as translated stuff from Victor Hugo.

 

What's on the menu at Hutaoli, Markham's Chinese version of Hard Rock Cafe
Here’s some live music.

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Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.

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