Ming's Cuisine

One could say that Ming's Cuisine is one of those upscale Chinese cuisine restaurants that very few people know about because it is tucked and hidden in a plaza in Richmond Hill.  However, those who have been there before know that once you eat there once, you will definitely want to eat there again.  The restaurant itself serves a number of special Chinese dishes but the area they seem to favor the most is the seafood side of the business.  On this wonderful occasion, we had decided to celebrate my mother in law's birthday at the restaurant.

When we got there, it was good that we had reservations as the place was pretty full when we came in.  The only thing that is very tricky is that the seats and tables are very close to one another.  People with strollers and walkers may have a difficult time navigating through some of their tight quarters.  Their menu was filled with wonderful selections however we decided to go with one of their special packages which had a little bit of everything in it.  In addition, we also order their signature Chicken in Wasabi sauce as we were unsure if we were going to be short one dish or not.

Once the special package was selected, the chefs went straight to work.  However before any of the main courses were served, they first came out with their appetizers which was a Deep Fried Diced Tofu with Fried Fish.  In addition to all of that, there were also some Grilled Taiwanese Sausages and what I will call a Chinese Salad to go with the meal.  The Chinese salad was different in that they used cold black seaweed  as part of the salad. It was certainly the first time I had it this way and remarkably with a bit of sesame oil, the salad was quite tasty.  The deep fried tofu was pretty good in that small fried fish accompanied the tofu on the outside.  That provided that extra bit of taste and saltiness to the tofu which made it extra good.

Deep Fried Diced Tofu and Fried Fish

The appetizers soon arrived and one of the first dishes to arrive was the Deep Fried Spare Pork Ribs.  This dish was presented in a long plate and had simple garnishes sprinkled on top of it.  The ribs themselves were very tender with each bite of the meat nice and soft.  There were no hard to chew pieces and there was virtually no fat visible in any of the pieces.  They were all very delicious to have with one's meal.

Deep Fried Spare Pork Ribs

One of my favorite dishes of the night had to be the Lobster meat fried in Salty Egg Yolk and Pumpkin.  This dish was absolutely fantastic.  For the cholesterol conscious people, this dish might be one to avoid or have only one small piece to have although personally, I had about 3-4 pieces of this dish.  Each piece of lobster meat was covered in large amounts of salty egg yolk and pumpkin.  By doing this,each fried lobster pieces gave one a pop each time you bit into one.  It was very, very delicious as each piece was nice and crispy and was loaded with meat and yolk.

Lobster in Salty Egg Yolk and Pumpkin

The only possible blemish of the night was the Chinese Broccoli with Sun Dried Fish.  Most Chinese people will like this dish because of its purity and that it was more or less the only vegetable to be served for the evening.  The broccoli also had some nuts and carrots sprinkled on top more for presentation although it provide that small bit of diversity in it.  Why I say it was a blemish was because the Chinese broccoli itself was a little bitter and for those who don't like vegetables with bitter taste in it, then this dish might not be best for you.  I personally like snow peas myself for vegetables and I'm sure that if asked, one could possibly substitute it for something else.

Chinese Broccoli with Sun Dried Fish

One of my favorite dishes for the evening was the Chicken marinated in Wasabi sauce.  I have never this combination before and as a chicken lover, I was eager to find out what this dish was all about.  The chicken itself is a simple steamed chicken.  What makes attractive or unattractive is that the skin gives it that bit of juicy flavor.  The amount of wasabi that they used is not that much so that it does not overwhelm the overall taste of the chicken.  Some people might find it spicy but I actually didn't find it spicy at all.  You can definitely taste the wasabi however one could still enjoy the chicken without having to grab a cup of water every two seconds.

Chicken in Wasabi Sauce

Another method for making the lobster was stir frying the lobster and putting vermicelli on top.  Oddly enough we never ordered any rice or noodles on top of the special package so this was our "rice" for the evening.  The lobster tasted very good but the vermicelli tasted extra better.  With just that bit of sauce added to the vermicelli, it provided just enough taste in that it wasn't overly salty and the entire dish had you salivating for more.  Although it didn't seem like a lot of vermicelli, there actually was enough for 7-8 people and for almost everyone to have seconds if they liked.  The lobster was brilliantly made with no complaints from everyone at the table.

Stir Fried Lobster with Maggie Sauce and Vermicelli

Steam fish was as perfect as one could make it.  With loads of soya sauce and oil, the main thing is to make sure that the fish is properly cooked and not raw and the chefs hit it right on the bullseye with this dish. Again there were no complaints with how it was made or how it tasted. Good job all around.

Steamed Fish with Scallion

Overall, a great place to have dinner and a great place to celebrate one's birthday.  The food was not overly salty and much of their deep fried seafood was not caked in batter.  Everything was more or less spot on and had the feeling of royalty when presented to you.  We were all very thoroughly impressed with their meal, and with their overall service.  The total price was $268 with a 10% discount if one paid in cash.   I certainly will go there again and I would recommend this to everyone to give it a try.  Overall, I would give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Ming's Cuisine
1 Spadina Road
Richmond Hill, Ontario

905-883-7688