Wonton Hut is a wonton noodle shop located inside the Markham Town Square plaza at Highway 7 and Warden. Situated between a Cora's and McDonald's, Wonton Hut caters to anyone looking for an honest, authentic bowl of noodles. On a cold, rainy March afternoon a bowl of wonton-mein was certainly inviting.

Wonton Hut's concept is very simple: choose a type of noodle (egg noodle, vermicelli or rice noodle) in your choice of either soup or lo mein (soup on the side). Next, choose any combination of toppings such as classic shrimp wontons, beef brisket, marinated sliced beef, dace fish ball and cuttlefish ball.

I put in an order for a wonton, beef brisket and dace fish ball in egg noodle soup ($6) and within a few minutes my piping hot bowl was presented in front of me. I immediately grabbed my spoon and tasted the broth. To my disappointment, it lacked the depth of flavour that I could remember from a few bowls I sampled in Hong Kong and was fairly linear in taste. However, the inclusion of fresh scallions and yellow chives was a nice touch as they added a nice sweetness and texture to the dish.

The noodles were cooked perfectly (slightly al dente from the first bite) so I didn't want them to linger too long and continue cooking in the steaming hot broth. There was a distinct absence of alkaline flavour which is usually associated with how springy the noodles will be. The balance between having the best noodle texture while minimizing alkaline flavour is an important part of wonton mein and Wonton Hut fares well in this department.

Wonton Hut also offers the classic condiments: red vinegar, homemade chili oil ($5 for a jar to go), white pepper and soy sauce. I opted for a spoonful of chili oil and a hint of vinegar which brings my noodles right where I want them to be.

As for the toppings, the beef brisket was soft, tender and untrimmed to my delight. The chewy, fatty bits of beef tendon attached to the brisket should never be missed. Going on, the dace fish balls had a nice firmness and bounce as I bit into it and the addition of green onion inside created excellent texture.

Lastly, the namesake wontons were filled with large shrimps, a bit of pork and compiled in a wonton wrapper of average thickness. I'm of the opinion that a wonton should never have to be eaten in more than two small bites and Wonton Hut does indeed meet that requirement, managing to set themselves apart from the baseball sized wonton trend that plagues GTA Chinese establishments. A nice crunch in each bite with the fresh shrimps left me quite satisfied.

Wonton Hut's choice to specialize in making an excellent single bowl of noodles commands respect. In an area where a bowl of wonton mein is so easy to acquire, their attention to quality certainly puts them near the top of my list for best wonton noodle in the Toronto area.

Writing by Bryan Chang