Wei's Kitchen

The other night we scampered over towards First Markham Place in Markham Ontario to try out Wei's Kitchen.  This restaurant is located outside the actual mall on the west side of the mall. There were about eight of us and we went decided to share about 7 dishes altogether. 

The first thing to arrive was a ginger, meat and vegetable soup.  As an appetizer and starter, I could certainly attest that this soup was very, very good.  The ginger gave this overall dish a good zing and the meat that they used was not greasy thereby it did not make the soup oily when drinking it. 

Shrimp Vegetable

Next to arrive was a shrimp vegetable dish.  The shrimp was nicely cooked and were fresh and tender.  The celery and the beans were nice and crispy.  Just like the soup, I found this dish to be rather pure and not as salty as some might think.  It was quite refreshing and great for people who are conscientious of their cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Mix Mushroom

Next to arrive was the mix mushroom fungi dish.  There were at least two different types of mushroom mixed in this dish.  The chefs used a light sauce to mix with the mushrooms thereby not taking away the true taste of the mushrooms.  It again tasted quite “light” and although one could argue that extra flavor could have been added, on this night it was probably just about right. 

Meat Ginger Soup

We also ordered a salt-cooked chicken.  This was very tasty as it also came with its own sauce that one can dip it in.  The outer skin was just cooked to the point where it was lightly crisp.  The great thing about this dish was that they kept the meat nice and juicy.  Quite a pleasant surprise although we had prior knowledge this chicken dish was going to be pretty good. 

We also ordered a duck which was mixed with a sweet BBQ sauce.  This was quite different from some of the other ducks that one would order at a chop-suey place.  The sauce was sweeter however just like the chicken, they were able to keep the meat juicy and moist so again I certainly had no quarrels over the dish.

Salt-cooked Chicken

The next dish to arrive was a fried lotus root. Again this was mixed with what appeared to be a light soya sauce.  The roots were nice and crunchy and the flavor was very nice.  Again not too heavy on the MSG which was what I really enjoyed about this dish.  Again there are no significant complaints here. 

Overall, it was a good night and we were certainly quite full by night’s end.  They also served a nice hot sweet dessert soup to finish off the night.  Service was good and the food arrived rather quickly following our order.  I think everyone was quite satisfied with all the dishes and there are plenty of free parking outside.  If you are health conscious and are concerned with MSG, this might be the place for you because it certainly was not heavy in flavor.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.  

Wei's Kitchen

3229 Highway 7, Unionville, ON L3R0J5
Phone: (905) 947-9388

369 Shanghai Dim Sum

A couple of weeks ago we decided to head out to 369 Shanghai Dim Sum and grab some Chinese dumpling and noodles.  This place is located in a large plaza on the corner of southwest corner of Kennedy Road and Highway 7 in Markham, Ontario. 

When we got in, there was a table waiting for us.  They brought us a couple of high chairs as we had a couple of kids with us that day.  We had to mark on a piece of paper what we wanted so we went with some Dan Dan noodles, Hot and Sour Soup Noodles, Fried Pork Chops, Meat Dumplings and some Chinese Steam Buns. 

Hot ans Sour Soup

All the food arrived quickly as the service was quick despite how busy the restaurant was.  The Dan Dan noodles were amazing.  Some places have this dish caked in peanut butter and sesame sauce however this place had just a minimal amount of peanut sauce and mild to moderate amount of spiciness to its noodles.  The level of spiciness was just enough to give you a perfect amount of zing to the taste buds but not overwhelm it to the point where you could not enjoy the rest of the meal. 

Dumplings

Fried Pork Chops

Next to arrive was the Hot and Sour Soup noodles and just like the Dan Dan noodles, again it was not the most spiciest tasting noodle in the world.  Where some places would have it extra spicy, these guys make it so that it is still spicy but not overwhelming.  Again it was nicely made with the soup not being too hot nor too sour. 

Glutinous Rice Rolls

The fried pork chops also were very nice.  The small pieces made it easy for one to it.  The meat was not deeply fried as minimal batter was used in the frying. As well, this dish comes with a hard boiled egg cut in half as well as vegetarian food. The only thing I didn't like about this dish was just the overall dryness of it all. Taste wise however, it was a little salty but tasty. 

Chinese Steamed Buns

Dan Dan Noodles

The dumplings were quite big and the inside of the dumplings were juicy.  They was certainly a mild amount of soup inside each dumpling which made it that much tastier.  The meat inside was nicely cooked and the dumplings were nice and hot when served.  A must have if you are here at this restaurant. 

We also ordered some Glutinous Rice Roll which is basically ground pork wrapped in sticky rice which is wrapped by seran wrap.  By doing so, it keeps the pork and rice nice and moist so that you don't end up having to chew your head off trying to eat this dish.  Again a very nice meal to have as it is quite filling.  

The Chinese Steam Buns were the last to arrive and this "twisted" figure bun was very very good.  Mixed with some condensed milk, it provided an excellent "dessert".  It was quite filling and smelled delicious.  It is always one of my favorite dish as it is quite pure and tasty.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience to be in.  The place is not that big so go early so that you can find a table and a parking spot.  I would say it definitely brings out the best of Shanghai food here.  Overall I would give this place a 4 out of 4. 

Shanghai Dim SUm 369
8380 Kennedy Road
Markham, Ontario

(905) 305-7713

Golden Prince Seafood Restaurant

The other night we went over to Golden Prince Seafood Restaurant in Markham.  This restaurant is located in a quite plaza and the end of a residential neighbourhood.  There is plenty of free parking all around and usually there is no wait time for tables. 

We were ushered into the back VIP room when we got there.  The boss was nice enough to give us a back room.  We decided to order 4 dishes for the night including sweet and sour pork, roasted crispy chicken immerse in oil, snow peas in garlic and a pork bone congee.

Sweat and Sour (sweet) Pork

Garlic Snow Peas

The sweet and sour (more like sweet) pork is very good here.  They make it slightly different compared to other places I have been.  Other places are made in the bright orange sauce that is common in our places.  Here they don't use that sauce.  It's almost a honey garlic sauce that they use.  As a result, the pork is crunchier.  It tastes very good as it is not as "cake-like" with all the sauce. The texture is very similar to popcorn chicken.  Definitely a must try for anyone visiting there. 

The next dish to arrive was the roasted crispy chicken immerse in oil.  The waitress said it was one of their specialty at their restaurants.  The difference between this crispy chicken and the ones from other places is the chicken is immerse in oil to make the chicken meat very juicy and then the chicken skin is still fried to make it crispy.  It makes the meat less dry and the entire chicken very juicy.  For someone who hates eating dry meat, this is something very nice.  People may be weary of the oil however it is not as if the oil is dripping as one is eating.  The fact that the meat is very juicy and the skin is still crispy makes it a very contrasting tasty meal.  It also comes with traditional fried salt in case the chicken is not salty enough for you although truthfully it was flavored enough. 

Pork Bone Congee

Oil Immerse Crispy Chicken

The pork bone congee was amazing.  There were five big pieces of pork bone in the congee.  The meal it self was salty enough and the bones itself provided more than enough flavor.  Some people will choose to add a bit of white pepper to add extra flavor although truthfully there is more than enough flavour rom the pork bone already. 

Finally the snow peas mixed with garlic was comparable to the other ones that I have eaten in the past.  Nothing spectacular but certainly was a nice complimentary dish and refreshing from all of our meaty dishes. 

Overall it was a descent night.  We were all full and desert was sweet tofu on the house.  Total cost was about $70.00 tax and tip included,  Strongly recommended if you just want to come out with your family and have a simple but descent meal.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.

Golden Prince Seafood Restaurant
4855 14th  Markham, ON
L3S 3L6

905-513-9233

Rodney's By Bay

My daughter's godfather and godmother decided to take me to Rodney's By Bay for the celebration of my birthday.  We all love raw oysters and seafood and since we had never visited the new Rodney's in the heart of downtown Toronto, we thought it would be a great idea to do it.  We had been to the old Rodney's before located on the west side of downtown Toronto however we decided to go to the new one at Bay and Adelaide. 

Raw Oysters

We made reservations to be there for 6:45 pm and it was probably a very wise decision.  The place filled up very quickly and people who showed up without reservations were turned away at the door. 

Crab Cake

Amongst the four of us, we went with three dozen raw oysters, crab appetizer, tuna tartares, fries lobster poutine and seafood ravioli.  The raw oysters arrived first and we went with a combination of east coast and west coast oysters.  We chose Raspberry Points, Mallepeque, Lameque, Village Bay and Kusshi oysters.  As well we went with a special order of Kumamoto oysters which cost more because they are from Japan. 

Seafood Ravioli

The oysters were opened before us by one waiter.  After opening them, he placed them in an ice basket to make them colder.  After ten minutes of chilling, the waiter brought them out for us to eat. It is hard to really tell you which one is good as it is of course different from one person to the next.  Truthfully the Raspberry Points and the Kumamoto oysters were my favorite.  The Kumamoto was creamy and very tasty.  Then again all the oysters were very tasty and were quite fresh. 

Tuna Tartare

The crab cake arrived next and it was made on top of a salad.  The salad had a slight mixture of vinegrette sauce added to it and with the addition of the crab cake, it was certainly a refreshing appetizer.  The crab cake held together pretty good and was not overly flaky.  One can certainly taste the crab meat inside of it.  It also came with 4 pieces of crab immerse in a cup full of ice.  The meat was tender, fresh and chilled to perfection.   

The seafood ravoli was very rich in taste. Made in a curry sauce, this dish contained 4 raviolis in it.  Although the raviolis were tiny, they were packed with seafood and it was amazing.  It was not sticky at all and the curry sauce, albeit mild, provided that extra zing to this dish.

Next to arrive was the tuna tartare.  This was absolutely amazing.  I probably could have ordered 4 or 5 of these on my own.  It was just that good.  The first one was just a regular tuna tartare.  The middle one was immerse in sesame oil and the last one was marinated with jalapeno sauce.  All three were absolutely amazing.  It was probably one of my most favorite dish.  

Lobster Poutine Fries

The last thing to arrive was the lobster poutine fries.  I had never had a dish like this before.  I pictured this dish to be very heavy since many poutines are thick, heavy, most likely high in fat and/or very cheesy.  This lobster poutine was from it and surprisingly was very good. Although it probably has a bit of fat content to it, one certainly can not seem to taste it when one is eating this dish.  It actually had a very light taste to it.  I don't know whether it was me but I really couldn't stop eating this dish.  Normally when I eat fries or poutines for that matter, I usually stop after about 10 fries however this was so good that I really couldn't stop. 

Overall, it was one of the best night's ever.  Certainly for those who are budget conscious, it is not for the faint of heart.  The food was amazing and I would recommend it for anyone out for a special night.  For some reason, I think this place is better than the one on King Street.  I think it provides slightly more variety although that could be open for debate.  Overall it is definitely another must go.  I give it a 5 out of 5.

Rodney's By Bay
56 Temperance Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

416-703-5111