Chinatown

[SteelTown]

I thought I create a thread since it appears Cannon Street from James to Bay St is emerging as Hamilton's Chinatown.

To further demonstrate this it appears T&T Supermarket bought a lot on Park and Cannon and will build a Supermarket, suppose to open Spring 2010. There's a sign about it on the lot.

http://www.raisethehammer.org/index.asp

[thistleclub]

My superficial observations? North side from Park to Bay seems mostly Chinese: Crystal Dynasty, Gold Lion, Kim Hoa Chinese BBQ (I've heard that "Hoa" is Chinese-Vietnamese). Then there's the Banh Mi shop on the NE of Cannon/MacNab, which is Vietnamese. South side from Park to Bay is mostly Vietnamese: T&T/B&T (Tan Thánh/Ben Thánh).

[emge]

I'd LOVE a Korean BBQ (the type with the grills in the table) to open up near there too.. if there is one I haven't seen/heard of it in the neighbourhood.

as a (rather silly) little aside on the topic: After living in North York for a few years, and my husband having had many Asian roomates during university, we've both become very particular about our rice and soy sauce... rice is simple, but our brand of soy sauce took a few months to find when we moved here! we finally found it in the little grocery on Locke near Main.

[thistleclub]

There was a cute little family-run Korean place on Cannon just east of James sometime in the early '00s, but they didn't last that long. Hwa-Gae. Sign's still hanging there, I think. Wasn't a BBQ joint, though. They did stuff like man doo, gyol mun, dup bap and chigae.

[NorthEndRules]

There is a Korean BBQ place on Jarvis across from the Ticat store. I think it's a reno of some kind of bank as there is a large safe like room in the middle of the restaurant. It's called Barami Bune.

I'd LOVE a Korean BBQ (the type with the grills in the table) to open up near there too.. if there is one I haven't seen/heard of it in the neighbourhood.

as a (rather silly) little aside on the topic: After living in North York for a few years, and my husband having had many Asian roomates during university, we've both become very particular about our rice and soy sauce... rice is simple, but our brand of soy sauce took a few months to find when we moved here! we finally found it in the little grocery on Locke near Main.

[thistleclub]

Baramibune is nice. Another in that neighbourhood, although not as good, is Dae Bak. King East near Ferguson.

There's also Cho Sun OK at Queen and Napier. (Or maybe that should be past tense. Haven't been there in a while.) Pretty much mediocre as I recall.

Once was a Korean BBQ/Hot Pot place at James and Augusta. Not sure what happened there.

Also, if you're building a Chinatown, what about James North from Rebecca to Vine?

[matt602]

Ben and Than is some good eats. Only place in that 'hood that I've eaten at, and still do. (just haven't gone to other places)

[LikeHamilton]

Cannon & Park Street development.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/3526/img7320.th.jpg (http://img168.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img7320.jpg)

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/8905/img7319.th.jpg (http://img168.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img7319.jpg)

[matt602]

Not really all that interesting architecturally but I suppose any development in that area is a positive.

[SteelTown]

It's a good urban development. Close to the sidewalk and parking at the back.

[AndyLHoang]

Looks like another Asian supermarket is coming to Hamilton! The corner of Queen St. and York Blvd. will be home to Ben Thanh Supermarket. If I remember correctly, these were the original owners of Tan Thanh Supermarket on Cannon, back when it was called Ben Thanh.

[SteelTown]

Looks like construction is set to begin soon....

115 PARK ST N HAMILTON
643.70 m2
New Construction
$830,000.00

[ihateittoo]

For korean foods, there is also Hoya which is one of my favourite all round restaurants in Hamilton. Cho Sun Ok is still open and good. They have the grills but they are portable and not embedded directly in all the tables. Also the Korean grocery store "Grace" at York and Locke has great selection and is cheaper than imost other korean groceries I have vistied in Toronto and Montreal.

[emge]

I wonder if the new Cho Sun OK location on King E (former Hunan House) is going to have the grills right in the tables? I would LOVE to have one of those in Hamilton.

[SteelTown]

New addition to Chinatown, former vacant land.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/Appster/ChinatownHam.jpg

[markbarbera]

Question: Why is a neighbourhood with mainly Vietnamese and Korean businesses being referred to as Chinatown? There really isn't much of a Chinese presence in this neighbourhood at all.

[emge]

Eh, I wouldn't get too bent out of shape. I understand that frustration, but it's probably because this thread was started when T&T Supermarket opened on the stretch -- and because it's always more common to call areas Chinatown than Koreatown or another moniker, no matter what the actual mix is ;)

[markbarbera]

Where is the T&T supermarket? I can't for the life of me place it. I thought it was only rumoured to be coming and never did.

[emge]

My apologies, the supposed opening for it in Spring 2010 is what opened this thread.

I admit I don't go on that part of Cannon that often anymore, but I don't think there's a T&T open there yet... I used to go to one in Toronto and I don't recall seeing one open here yet.

[flar]

T&T just opened in Ottawa a few months ago. It's massive and located way out on Hunt Club at the edge of the city, basically a Wal-Mart of Asian groceries and other items. It was extremely busy when I went there once to check it out. I've been wondering how Ottawa's actual Chinatown is holding up against it.