Smash Kitchen serves up comfort food with a slight modern twist. Found in an old plaza, the deceptively restaurant packs its menu with offerings like mac and cheese, crab cakes, and pizza.

The Ahi Tuna Wontons ($14) brings to mind a beautiful flower with seared tuna, peanut dressing, and a crunchy salad base.

The Seafood Cakes ($15) are some of the densest and most satisfying crab cakes I've ever had. Each cake is packed with blue crab and tiger shrimp, and drizzled with a rich horseradish aioli.

The Korean Fried Broccoli ($6), broccoli cooked in a seasoned tempura batter and then garnished with scallions and sesame seeds. The slightly sweet ketchup that coats the dish evokes a mild gochujang flavour.

The Monster Burger ($18) is a fantastic combination of two patties AND tender brisket, among a smorgasbord of cheese, onion rings, caramelized onions, as well as a fried egg.

The Lobster Mac & Cheese ($22) is served with a lobster tail and prepared with lobster rose - the whole dish is herb-crusted and delicious. It's a heavy entree so one that's probably best shared.

Smash Kitchen runs a special every Sunday night called the Family Platter. An omakase of sorts, the chef selects various ingredients and prepares a large feast that changes weekly.

For $65 we get ribs, fried chicken, corn, sausages, and pulled pork macaroni & cheese.The chicken has a sweet maple syrup glaze and really packs in the flavour.

The patio out back is something of a rarity in Markham. It's a great place to down some of Smash's signature drinks like the refreshing Strawberry & Mint Mojito ($8).

Also worth a try is the over-the-top Fire Cracker Caesar ($12), which comes with Clamato, vodka, pepperonicini and a fried bacon-wrapped tiger shrimp.

Smash also features some excellent white or red ($8 each) sangria that makes a light accompaniment for a meal.

Dessert? They have that too. The Deconstructed Carrot Cake ($7) is served with cashew brittle for textural contrast and topped with crème anglaise.

The mini donuts ($7) are my favourite and come infused with caramel and cinnamon.

Posted by Darren "DKLo" Susilo. When not writing for blogTO he can usually be found tweeting here or delaying mealtimes indefinitely by posting pictures here . Photos by Hector Vasquez.