Central kitchen

I had a chance to attend a unique session of food tasting at Central Kitchen.  This opportunity came about as my sister in law will be getting married this summer and will be having their food catered to their location.  The place we went to is not actually a restaurant but a place that had three tables where you can do taste testing on the food that they will be serving.  They run through your meal on that evening and you get to dictate as to how you want your food served on the day of your event.  Before I go any further, I just want to give my sister in law her future husband a special thank you for taking us for dinner on this evening. 

As a typical 10 course Chinese wedding meal, the first meal to arrive was the Crispy Roast Pork.  They prepared this dish by lining up three rows of crispy pork.  Presentation wise it was indeed very nice.  The pork itself was tasty and crispy.  There was not a lot of fat in the pork.  Afterwards we were told that one could have an entire pig instead. 

Crispy Roast Pork

Crab Claws

Bean dish with Scallops and Shrimp

Shark Fin Soup

The next dish was the crab claw.  Again presentation was very nice.  They shut the lights off so that they could light a fire in the centre of the dish.  As for the crab claw, the meat was fairly soft and a strong taste of crab was certainly evident.  With a little vinegar, it certainly made it a nice dish to have. 

The next dish to arrive was a bean dish with scallops and shrimp.  The seafood was nice steamed and tender.  The scallops and shrimp were indeed very fresh. 

The next to arrive was the shark fin soup.  Now as most of you shark fin soup is banned in Toronto…but not till September.  However although there was plenty of shark fin in the soup, the soup itself was not as good.  The chicken stock was not strong enough and as a result it was actually quite bland.  They said one can add vinegar or pepper to spice it up however personally this is one dish that should be a stand alone and taste well on its own.    

The pea sprouts and king mushrooms arrived next.  I was actually looking forward to the vegetarian dish since if one is familiar with these ten course meals, they usually have a lot of seafood and meat in them and the vegetables are a welcome treat.  The pea shoots were done with garlic and tasted very good.  The mushrooms were nicely cooked and blended very well with the pea shoots.  Not to mention, the manager again reiterated that this dish contained no MSG in it.

We went next with the tilapia fish steamed with green onions.  After taking my first couple of bytes of it, one can easily not mistaken the strong “ground” taste to it.  The manager told us that most Chinese people don’t like this type of fish because they swim in the deep sea and sometimes have that “deep sea” taste to it.  Unfortunately a bass fish was not served so we had nothing to compare it to.  The manager said we would have a choice between the two however without even tasting the bass, I would select the bass by default. 

The lobster was good but not extraordinary.  It was made with garlic and green onion however the dish was no different than any other lobster dish that I had tasted in the past. 

Pea Sprouts and king Mushrooms

Fish

Lobster

Crispy Chicken

Outside of the rice and noodles, the last dish to arrive was the crispy chicken and shrimp chips.  The skin was pretty crispy and there was plenty of white meat.  However as good as was this dish, there really wasn’t anything different with this dish compared to other crispy chicken meals. 

Overall it was a descent meal however as stated in a few times in this session, there really wasn’t anything spectacular about the food.  This company caters to a lot of weddings and special events but to be honest with you, there really wasn’t any wow factor in the food that would make you want to drastically change the way they make it. It wasn’t spectacular, it wasn’t bad, it was simply ordinary.  For that, I give them a 3 out of 5. 

Central Kitchen
50 Weybright Court Units 7&8
Scarborough, M1S 5A8

Mr Congee Chinese Cuisine

Inside Bridlewood Mall, there is a new congee restaurant known as Mr. Congee Chinese Cuisine.  It only opened up very recently and it was packed during a weekday lunch hour.  The restaurant looks like similar to many of the Congee Queen restaurants in Toronto however I do not believe there is any connection between the two. 

Once inside, the staff was nice enough to give us a booth since we had to bring our daughter with us.  They were also very courteous, offering us a booster and even a plastic children set of utensils. 

After we settled into our seats, we decided to order the Duck in Noodle Soup, Fresh Geoduck Clam Congee and Beef Rice Noodle Roll. 

Fresh Geoduck Clam Congee

Duck in Noodle Soup

Beef Rice Noodle Roll

The food arrived rather quickly despite having a packed restaurant. The duck, with its flaming red colored skin was juicy and not too salty or fatty.  The soup base was acceptable although personally a bit more salt to spice up the flavor would not have hurt.  The noodles were perfectly done.  Overall it was decent dish. 

The geoduck clam congee was also decent.  One can certainly taste the geoduck in the soup.  A wee bit of white pepper into this soup also enlightened the dish.  There was certainly nothing wrong with this dish. 

The beef rice noodle roll was probably the most interesting part of the three. Unlike its dim sum counterparts, this restaurant chose to fry the outer parts of the roll.  (sorry for the blurry picture).  This gave the exterior part a crunchy feel.  Inside the roll, they added some mushrooms with the beef which gave it a more vegetarian taste to it.  Finally with a little soya sauce, this dish was ready to be consumed.  The only thing I didn’t like about it was the heaviness of it.  Whether it was the fact that the roll was fried in oil, or the beef itself was fatty, we were only able to finish half of this dish due to the amount of fattiness in it. 

The whole lunch was acceptable.  If they can figure out a way to soak up some of the oil on the last dish then it would have made it a very nice afternoon.  To me, there was just a tad too much grease on the rice noodles.  Good idea, just needs to make it more health friendly.  However, they did earn bonus marks for having a caring and courteous staff.  I give this place a 3 out of 5. 

Mr. Congee Chinese Cuisine

2900 Warden Ave
Scarborough, ON M1W 2S8

(416) 551-3223

 

Miu Garden Restaurant

 

They always say you will always remember where you were when Michael Jackson died.  For me, I will always remember where I was when I first heard the news that Whitney Houston had passed away.  I was having a ten course meal over at Mui Gardens in the heart of Market Village when our phones were buzzing with the information. 

Meat and Seafood Platter

This dinner was in celebration of Chinese New Year.  We waited a couple of weeks later in order to have this dinner as we wanted to avoid the crowds and have a more comfortable meal where we would not be rushed out of the restaurant. 

First to arrive was the meat platter.  It had various meat including pork, jelly fish and duck.  The meats were all a decent starter meal.  There was plenty of meat and it served all ten of us at the table.   

Next to arrive was the broccoli and mushroom platter.  There was also some seafood mixed in the dish.  There was a mushroom sauce poured over the dish which gave the dish a nice flavor to it.  The broccoli was nicely cooked and the mushroom was pretty tasty from the sauce. 

Mushroom and Broccoli Vegetable Dish

Shrimp Claw

Next to arrive were the shrimp claws.  Yes you heard right shrimp claws.  I don’t know why it was what it was.  I thought we were eating crab claws but this is certainly the first time I had shrimp claws.  The shrimp ball meat was a little mushy.  The meat actually fell out of the ball.  Taste wise it was about the same as the crab claw however the texture is definitely quite different.  Personally if we’re paying this much money for a ten course meal I would prefer to have crab claws. 

Next was the chicken mixed with ginger and onion sauce.  This was somewhat shocking.  Not so much the chicken but what and when arrived.  There was almost a twenty five minute wait from the last meal to this one.  The waitresses just brought it over and told us while holding onto the chicken that they ran out of Crispy Chicken and Shrimp Chips. 

and that this is all they had left.  We basically had no choice but to take it.  Certainly didn’t see them give us a discount for screwing this one up.  At the most they could have asked us what substitute we want not take it or leave it with this chicken.

The lobster was okay.  I think everyone was a little shocked still with the last meal.  The lobster was well cooked and laced with garlic and green onions.  There was nothing really spectacular with this meal even though it was lobster.

Chicken

Lobster with Green Onion

Next to arrive was the bok choy, mushroom and abalone dish.  Oddly the sauce poured on top was very similar to the mushroom sauce used in the second dish.  The taste was very similar.  The abalone was tender and tasted alright.  No complaints here. 

Last to arrive was the fish.  They served two fish were covered in soya sauce and green onions.  The meat fell off the bones and the meat was juicy.  The fish was fresh and again there were no complaints here. 

Abalone with Mushroom and Baby Bok CHoy

Fish

The meal concluded with the typical rice and noodles and dessert.  The dessert was really funny because they served us sponge cake and red bean cookies.  The dessert was definitely not something worth waiting for.  I had never been served sponge cake for dessert before.  It was like they couldn’t even run down the hallway to grab some oranges at the local supermarket.  What was equally odd was the fact they were pushing a trolley around selling frozen lobster, mushroom and other various vegetarian products.  Again this was another first for me as they rarely happens during dinner time.  I don’t know whether it is a real smart marketing ploy or if business was that slow that they need to scrounge an extra 20 bucks from you.

Overall, it was a so-so evening.  I really can’t say that it was A-class performance when you run out of Crispy Chicken and Shrimp Chips.  It seemed somewhat cheap as they cheaped out on the chicken and with the shrimp claws.  And to see them pushing a trolley around selling stuff made things look bad.  I have been here for dim sum before and it was okay so tonight was somewhat disappointing.  Overall I give this a 2.5 out of 5. 

Miu Gardens

4390 Steeles Avenue East  Markham, ON, Canada
(905) 477-3822

Pho Metro

Tonight we went out for dinner at Pho Metro which is a somewhat new Vietnamese pho noodle restaurant that opened in the heart of Scarborough.  This restaurant pretty much has all the typical Vietnamese type foods however I was in the strong mood for some rice noodles so since we had never been here before and it was a restaurant that one of my readers had strongly recommended from before, we decided to venture into this restaurant for the very first time. 

There was plenty of parking out front and what intrigue me the most was that they had a giant size television broadcasting the Leafs game.  Tonight, I ordered the rice noodles with tripe, raw beef and tendons. 

 

Pho with raw beef, tendon and tripe

My wife’s noodles and mine both arrived at the same time and both within 7 minutes.  (sorry for the blurred picture) The soup base was pretty tasty.  It was a tiny bit salty but the green onion soup was within limits.  Adding a bit of hot and oyster sauce it gave it that little bit of extra zing to it.  The rice noodles were fully cooked and quite smooth.  The meat for some reason was a little chewy.  I know one will ask were the meats not raw?  Maybe I had placed them in the soup for too long?  Possible, however the meat was all stuck together, possibly frozen together, which may or may have not contributed to the toughness. 

I know I could have ordered more but with just the two of us we both wanted something warm and quick.  Next time we will definitely try the spring rolls.  I heard that they were pretty good here.  It was an alright first experience.  Not too sure about the meat however.  The price was reasonable.  17 dollars tax and tip included for 2 medium size bowls of pho.  For tonight I give Pho Metro a 3.25 out of 5. 

Pho Metro

2057 Lawrence Ave E
Scarborough, ON M1R 2Z4
(416) 750-8898

South Asia Malaysian Cuisine

Tonight we went for some Malaysian food over at South Asian Malaysian Cuisine.  This place had recently relocated from down the street into a much newer mall in Scarborough.  It specializes in many Malaysian dishes but most notably curry dishes.  

We had reservations at 7:00 pm and they did not disappoint.  Our tables were ready and our multiple servers were more than happy to help us out.  We decided to order 6 dishes as there were 6 of us at the table plus our little one. 

Our first dish was the curry dip with roti.  We had to order three dishes because each order only came with one piece of roti and a bowl of curry.  The curry was excellent. Not too spicy but spicy enough that it will give you a slight zing.  My only complaint is that one could not just order a plate of roti.  I found it to be a bit of a waste since one piece of roti barely dented the bowl of curry.  If you do choose this dish, feel free to order a bowl of white rice to soak up some of the curry. 

Green Beans

Roti with Yellow Curry Chicken

 We also order a yellow curry chicken.  The dish was nicely done in that the chicken was juicy and not overcooked.  The yellow curry was the same as the roti curry so it was great compliment to the chicken. 

The green curry beef was next and this dish was spicy!! If you want something with a zing to it, make sure you try any of their green curry dishes.  We could have gone with the chicken again but we decided to go with a little variety and decided to go with the beef instead.  This dish in my mind was probably even too spicy for me.  If you love spicy foods, this is one dish you must try. 

Next one to arrive were the skewers.  There were four different types including the shrimp, beef and chicken.  All were very juicy and the meats were very soft and tender.  The meat was not chewy at all and all were perfectly marinated.  The skewers also come with their own special dip. 

The next dish was a bit of a combo dish.  It was called the Okura with Sambai and Coconut Gravy.  This dish had some curry chicken, sweet cucumbers, peanuts, marinated fried fish on eggs and rice.  Although we all shared this dish, this is one dish that one can have on their own for dinner.  It has a bit of everything and surprisingly it was quite tasty.  Everything surprisingly complimented each other well and the fish was an interesting addition.  It had a bit of a sauté flavor to it which made it a pretty good dish to have. 

Shrimp, Beef, Chicken Skewers and Spring Rolls

Okura with Sambai and Coconut Gravy

We finished the night with a couple of vegetables of which one was green beans in shrimp paste.  The beans again tasted very good.  It was not too salty and it was a perfect vegetable dish to have to offset all the curry meat on the table. 

Green Curry with Beef

All in all it was an excellent night.  There was constant staff presence and they were helpful every step of the way.  The new place certainly felt cozier but it was clean and that says a lot.  As I said from the onset, the only disappointment I had was the lack of roti to dip the curry in.  A lot of good curry went to waste.  My only suggestion is that they should have a dish of just roti only.  Otherwise it certainly is one of the best places to have curry.  A must go if you enjoy spicy curry foods.  I give this a 4 out of 5.

South Asian Malaysian Cuisine

3700 Midland Ave
Toronto, ON M1V 5B5

416 291 3892