This is my second visit to Ho Ho BBQ. Since my beloved Pink Hong moved up to Woodbine and Hwy 7, I was searching for a new Chinese BBQ joint for those special family dinners and occasional cravings.
Last time I was here, I remember the wait being long and food being just average. This time, the wait was super long (almost an hour) in a crammed storefront with line up out the door and the food being average....again.
Of course the long wait can be attributed to the fact that it was a Chinese New Year's eve and everybody was out trying to get their BBQ items. However, let's be honest here. The folks at Ho Ho may be nice but they're not the most efficient bunch. We were packed in their small store like sardines with 1 or 2 patrons leaving every 10- 15 minutes. Really? What could be taking so long since all the food is cooked and all the staffers had to do was to pack the food and cash out. Since I did not want to go to another place, I waited....and waited.....and waited some more until I finally got my roast pork ribs, a whole steamed chicken (free range) and char siu after an hour's wait.
The worst part of the ordeal was the food though. Roast pork was just ho hum compared to Pink Hong's; the skin was crunchy, not crispy. There is a difference. The meat was a little dried out. The "country style" steamed chicken was ok as well but I'm not sure if I would pay the extra $7 next time for this type over the regular steamed chicken. The skin was a little too rubbery for my liking and again, the meat, a little dry. The Char siu was the best thing out of my order with nicely charred and glazed pieces without the meat being over seasoned as you find at many places.
Still, I miss my Pink Hong and will be on the look out for another Chinese BBQ to raise to the occasion for our next craving.
Will I come back to Ho Ho? Not likely.