New Congee Queen

There is a new Congee Queen in town and it's literally across the street from where I live.  Having said that, even though this is my first blog about this place, we have actually been there on 4 separate occasions alreadyand this place has only been opened for 2 weeks.

We went there with a couple of our friends and decided to order a few dishes to share.  We went with the Chicken, the Snow Pea Leaves in Goji Berry with Congee, the Shrimp with Egg Sauce Rice dish, Rice Noodle Roll and Fried Vermicelli with Shrimp and Chicken in Home Style. .

Rice Noodle Roll

Chicken

The first thing to arrive was the Rice Noodle Roll and unfortunately this was one of the worse dishes ever. I get the fact that the place was packed and lined up all the way outdoors however there was no excuse really on  why such an easy dish to make was so hard to stomach.  It came with some soya and peanut sauce however no amount of sauce could save this dish.  It was mushy, "diluted" as if starch was missing and just had bad texture all around.  Very disappointed with this dish.

The chicken was next to arrive next and this was more satisfying.  There was plenty of meat on the chicken unlike some of the other places where we have eaten before where there was no meat at all on the chicken.  It was well cooked and quite tasty and the ginger and onion sauce was satisfactory.

Shrimp with Scrambled Egg Sauce Rice

Fried Vermicelli with Shrimp and Chicken in Home Style

Next to arrive was the Shrimp with Scrambled Egg Sauce Rice.  Now, I am not a huge egg fan of any sort so it was difficult for me to really judge the quality of this dish.  There was definitely a very strong egg taste to it.  It almost seemed like there was like 2 or 3 yokes  used to make this dish.  I  personally thought it was too strong of a taste of egg as it even overwhelmed the shrimp taste however my fellow peers thought that this was definitely one of the best dishes all night. 

The shrimp and chicken fried vermicelli was next to arrive and to me this was one of my favorite dishes.  The vermicelli was not over fried and there was enough peppers, shrimp, chicken and egg that blended well with the rest if the vermicelli.  It was not oily and not overly salty either.  Just a nice simple dish to serve with the rest of the food.

The last to arrive was the Snow Pea Leaves in Goji Berry with Congee.  Congee alone is boring and bland but added with snow peas and suddenly this is a congee that is a must have.  For those who love congee but can't stand the blandness in it, this is one dish that one can try.  Although it is one of the more expensive items on the menu, it certainly warrants a go.  

Snow Pea Leaves in Goji Berry with Congee

Dessert

After we finished our meals, we were given dessert by the waiters.  Now I haven't been to a Congee Queen in quite some time but this is the first time dessert was served and it was good!!!  It was a mixture of beans and grass jelly and it was not overly sweet but just sweet enough that it left a lasting impression.  The dish was lukewarm and it was not thick and gooey like a red bean dessert soup.  I loved this dessert and I hope that this not just a grand opening promotation.

Overall, my first visit inside this new Congee Queen was descent.  Subsequent meals were satisfactory.  I suggest that if you were to order take out that you place your order by phone and then pick it up as this would save you a ton of time and if one is coming during peak hours that you get there early or be prepared to wait.  I enjoyed my stay at Congee Queen.  It certainly is comparable to the other Congee Queens in the GTA.  Overall I give it a 3.75 out of 5.

Congee Queen
3850 Sheppard Ave East
Scarborough Ontario

416-321-8288