The Royal Chinese Restaurant

A restaurant that we dine quite often and order take out from is The Royal Chinese Restaurant.  It use to be located near the railroad tracks however due to track expansion, they had recently moved to a new location located a couple of blocks west of the tracks. 

Although I don’t usually do takeouts on my blog, I think it would be a disservice not to mention these guys as we eat there quite or order take-out from them quite often.

Tonight we went with their signature Spicy clams, Ox’s Tail, Salted fish and diced chicken rice, Tong Choy in Fermented Bean Curd, Fried Rice Noodles with Beef and a Pork Neck Meat and Mushroom Vegetable. 

Ox's Tail

The spicy clams at this place are pretty much their signature dish.  I have to admit back in the days, this dish was much more spicier and even though it is more tamer, the clams are still quite delicious.  They also sprinkle some grounded up meat (I believe it’s beef) to make it a “meaty” dish.  Truthfully it was kind of hard to eat this dish on its own as it’s too spicy and salty so we usually eat it with a bowl of white rice.

However if you don’t like white rice, the salted fish and diced chicken is an attractive alternative.  The saltiness of the fish eliminates the blandness of the rice.  The chicken provides just the perfect amount of small protein in this dish.  Here at this place, they sure know how to make a tasty rice dish.

Spicy clams

The Tong Choy in Fermented Bean Curd served as our main vegetable in for the evening.  For those who are worried about salt levels and spiciness may want to avoid this dish.  Since they use fermented bean curd as the main spice or sauce, it is sure to add a bit of kick to the vegetables.  However if you are into the spices, this is one vegetable that one should go for. 

The Tong Choy in Fermented Bean Curd

Not everyone was into rice so we got a noodle as well that evening.  An order of Fried Rice Noodles with beef was also ordered that night and proved to be a great choice.  The beef in the noodles were nice and soft and there was just the perfect amount of soya sauce in the noodles.  It was not overly fried and therefore the noodles were not completely dry.  Although many restaurants serve the same dish, these guys sure not how to make so that one is going for more afterwards. 

Soft Pork Neck Meat and Mushroom Vegetable

The last two things we ordered were side dishes.  One was the Soft Pork Neck Meat and Mushroom Vegetable dish while the other was the Ox’s Tail.  The ox’s tail is not quite the tail part but the rump.  The dish is made with a beautiful gravy type beef sauce and mixed with some rather large green onions.  Although it was not one of my favorite dishes, it certainly was still quite good. The Pig Neck Meat was delicious.  The meat was soft and tender.  Mixed with a little garlic and mushrooms, one could say this was one of the more purer dishes on their menu.  I actually loved this side dish as it complimented the rest of the dishes very nicely.

This restaurant is highly inexpensive as the meal was roughly $17/person.  For the quality and the authenticity of the food, that price is more than reasonable for any one individual.  They also serve a complimentary soup whether you order take out or dine in.  With lots of free parking, I would highly recommend making reservations or get there early as they are busy seven days a week.  Overall I would give them a 4 out of 5. 

The Royal Chinese Restaurant

4128 Sheppard Ave East

Scarborough, Ontario

416-298-7897

Rusty's at Blue restaurant

Food for Thought went out of town recently up to Blue Mountain, Ontario to take part in some outdoor activities.  We stayed in at one of the inns near the resort and decided to dine in at Rusty’s at Blue Restaurant which was located right inside the village.  Despite it being on a busy weekend, we were able to make reservations and were able to get our seats on time despite having a group of ten there that evening.  After a quick glance at the menu, my family and I went with the Full Rack of Rusty’s Ribs while my wife went with the Fire Grilled Atlantic Salmon.

Full Rack of Rusty’s Ribs

All the food arrived at the same time despite being such a big group.  There were about 2 racks of ribs on my plate.  I also had side orders of French Fries, coleslaw and steam vegetables to go with my ribs.  They used a special BBQ sauce to marinate the ribs and that was quite evident on the meat.  The meat itself was a little over-cooked that evening.  Where some places would have the meat fall right off the bone, the meat was actually quite stuck to the bones. Although the BBQ sauce was satisfactory, the meat was unfortunately a little bit chewier than we would have liked.  A little bit of cutting was required in order to separate the meat from the bone.  The exterior of the second rack was burnt pretty good and was not actually edible. The fries were satisfactory however I was told one could have had this substituted for sweet potato fries which might have made this a more decent meal.  The vegetables were simply steamed and no extra additives were added to enlighten their flavor. 

The salmon arrived on a layer of mashed potatoes which together was situated on top of some steamed vegetables.  I found the salmon to be a tad bit dry although one could argue that that is what a grilled salmon is.  For me, I prefer the inside of the salmon just a little bit softer and juicier to give it that bit of contrast.  The salmon in this case just felt over-grilled and dry overall.  The mash potatoes were decent as were the vegetables. 

Fire Grilled Atlantic Salmon

Overall it was so-so dinner.  They even had troubles switching the channels on many of the televisions in the room.  It took the waitress about 40 minutes to switch to the hockey game that evening.  Some people at our table couldn’t even watch the game where others had to watch it through the reflection of a mirror.  With Collingwood being ten minutes from the mountains and with plenty of options to choose from, it might not have been such a bad idea to head into town and try something from there.  For $24.95 and $21.95, I would have expected the food to be better than what was presented.  Overall I would give it a 2.75 out of 5.

Rusty’s at Blue Restaurant

150 Jozo Weider

Blue Mountain, Ontario

705-445-2718

Shangri-La Banquet Hall

Although I have been to this place for numerous weddings in the past, this was actually my first time attending Shangri-La Banquet Hall for dim sum.  Located in the heart of Markham, this banquet hall has been in existence for at least ten years hosting various events including weddings and special engagements.

Rice Noodle

The place was about three-quarters full when we got there.  As we sat down, we chose our dim sum on a piece of paper and passed it over to the waiter.  There were no carts being pushed at this place.  We ordered about 16 items and as in the past, I will only highlight the best and worse of the dim sums as it would be impossible for me to go through each and every dim sum that we had ordered.

Deep Fried Dumpling Pork

Siu Mai with Conpoy

For starters, the one main dish this place is known for is the Spy Cuttle Fish.  This dish consists of spicy squid tentacles that are lightly deep fried in a batter.  The tentacles were unfortunately a bit chewy.  They were a little cold as well and it was a little hard to grasp the true taste of this dish.  Although it was classified as a specialty dish, I personally didn't really find anything special about it. 

Shrimp Dumplings

My personal favorite was the Shrimp Turnip Cake.  At most other dim sum places, the turnip cake is often fried.  However this came like a pudding in a bowl.  The texture was similar to a very smooth mash potato.  It was actually quite good and one can certainly get a good taste of the shrimp mixed with the turnip.

Bean Curd Vegetable

Another dish I found it to be above average was the Deep Fried Dumpling Pork.  The four dumplings came in their unique plate that had a spot for each one.  They were not overly greasy which was pretty good and all four were nicely fried.  The pork on the inside hit all the right spots. As well, the skin of the dumpling was not overly thick and was well proportion with the amount of pork on the inside.

Ribs Honey

Another dish that I will give a fair shake was the Beef Tripe with Ginger.  The tripe was nice and tender and it was well marinated where the sauce melded well with the tripe. 

Shrimp Turnip Cake

We had also ordered Shrimp Dumplings, the Siu Mais with Conpoy, Dumplings with Cordyceps, Rice Rolls, Egg Yolk Tart and Bean Curd Vegetable to name a few. However the food here was not bad but not great either.  For the price they charged per item I was expecting it to be more fancier, tastier or more unique.  I certainly did not get that feeling with the majority of the dishes. The average price for each dim sum dish was like 4 to 5 dollars.  I think that for such a grand place their dim sums need to kick it up a notch and have a certain uniqueness to them.  Otherwise I would give this place no more than a 3 out of 5.

Shangri La Banquet Hall
50 Esna Park Drive
Markham Ontario

905-475-6571

Gal's Sushi

Normally I don't do take outs for my blog but I am willing to make one small exception this time.  We have been ordering take out from this place almost on a monthly basis because the sushi and sashimi is just that good so I thought it was worth while for others to try it if they had not done so yet.

Gal's Sushi is located on the southwest corner of Warden Ave and Highway 7 in the Markham area.  These guys also have a dynamic website at www.galsushi.com should one want to look at their menu.  There were five of us and we went with the TBC3.SIL Combo and the TD2 Unagi Donburi special.

The TBC3 is just a code that they use.  The SIL combo is more or less their sushi and sashimi combo.  The fish that they served included uni, hamachi, toro, salmon, spicy scallop, rainbow and dynamic rolls.  My personal favorite was lobster salad and spicy scallop sushi.The lobster salad was quite good as the goods sat subtly on top of the sushi.  The "topping" was just a tad bit watery but the taste was definitely there.  When one eats it, one gets a sense of richness and enjoyment.  The rice in the sushi was also pretty fresh and not mushy.  The spicy scallop was quite enjoyable as well as it was spicy and the scallop was very fresh and tasty.  The sushi actually felt like it was melting in my mouth as I was eating.  The fact that they also use hamachi and toro makes this a worth while platter to get.

The Unagi Donburi was also very very good.  For $11.99, one gets a good bowl of rice, five pieces of eel, some potatoes and some jelly.  Value wise I think this pretty good because one gets two to three more pieces of fish compared their competitors and their sweet and sours potato extras are delicious and quite filling.  (I was unable to snap a picture prior to consumption)

Overall, this is a very good place to order out or perhaps to eat in.  Some of my friends who have eaten in at this place says this place is definitely very very good.  I certainly can second that.  I would recommend Gal's Sushi to anyone who is a huge fan of sushi and sashimi.  Overall I would give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Gal's Sushi
3621 Hwy 7
Markham, ON
905-305-7753

Fancy Chinese Cuisine

Sometime last month we were treated to dim sum by a "future brother in law" over at Fancy Chinese Cuisine Restaurant in Markham.  We were given a VIP seat in the back of the restaurant as the main part of the restaurant was packed like crazy.  I have been to this place many times before and every single time, there is no parking and there is always a line up to get into this place.  This day was no different at all. 

Beef Rice Noodle

What turned out as a simple dim sum day turned into somewhat of a feast.  We were treated to not only some very good dim sum but to some very special rice and noodles here at the restaurant.  As tradition with all my previous blogs on dim sum, I won't go through every single dim sum that we had here that day.  Instead I will just mention two or three of my more favorite dishes that I had that morning. 

Shrimp with Rice

Snow Peas Leaves

With respect to the dim sum, the best dim sum I had was probably here was the pork "Siu Mei".  The meat was very juicy and although this is usually quite a fattening dish, the siu mei here was one of the best as it was not as fattening as some of the other places I had eaten and the taste was superb as it was perfectly flavored.  A must have if one is here at this place.  We also had the usual shrimp dumpling, tripe, BBQ pork buns and sponge cake and all of them were more than above average. 

Siu Mei

Crab

The specialty dishes really takes this restaurant to the next level.  The shrimp on baked rice and the crab were my absolute favorite.  The beauty of the shrimp rice specialty was that the shells of the shrimp were already cracked open  Although some would argue that this would cause the shrimp to lose its taste it was actually quite delightful in that one did not have to get their hands dirty while eating this rice.  The shrimp itself was still quite juicy and not as dry and bland as one had thought.  A very creative dish where the tenderness of the shrimp was retained and that the rice was not dry but nice and fluffy as well.  The crab was also very very good.  Who would have thought we would be eating crab as the first meal of the day?? However here it was and it was very tasty.  The crab was steamed to perfection with some ginger and green onions.  There was plenty of meat and there was plenty of membrane in the crab. 

Tripe

Sponge Cake

Overall, this is a very good place to eat.  As mentioned earlier, BEFORE I met my potential future brother in law (wink wink), we had been to this place many times before and each time no matter what time of day it was, one would always have to wait because it was always very busy.  In other words, one needs to get there early or else be prepared to wait. The staff I was told has been together for almost 20 years so this is definitely a very experienced group.  Highly recommended for anyone looking for a good dim sum place with very good prices.  Overall I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Fancy Cuisine Restaurant
7750 Kennedy Road Unit 4
Markham Ontario

(905) 475-2822

Fortune House Restaurant

The other night we went out to Fortune House Restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday.  There were about ten of us and being on a weekend, reservations were in order.  We got there right at six and our table was ready to go.  Oddly that evening there were quite a lot of kids present and the restaurant actually ran out of high chairs for the two kids that we had that evening so we had to settle on getting a booster instead.  This place boasts some of the best authentic Chinese seafood so we decided to go check it out.  It was a good thing that we made reservations because shortly afterwards there was a huge lineup at the door.  Tonight we decided to order some baked oysters, pigeon, a couple of vegetables, a fried rice, seafood and ox tail. 

Pigeon

Snow Peas with Garlic Sauce

All the food arrived rather quickly despite it being a very busy night for them.  A complimentary vegetable and meat soup was also given to us as starters.  The baked oysters were one of the first to arrive and it was very delicious.  The oysters were nicely cooked and a nice seafood sauce glistened on top of the oysters.  Highly recommend eating this dish while hot as eating lukewarm or cold will certainly decrease the taste, the value and the experience.

Fried Squid and Shrimp

Ox Tail

The shrimp arrived next and it too was good.  The shell of the shrimp was still attached to it and there was a soya sauce like dip that went with it.  Although it was a little messy separating the shell, the shrimp was definitely fresh and there was no sign of mushiness to it.

We also ordered an ox tail bowl next.  Certainly the sounds of it may discourage some to even try this dish but it really is not a bad dish at all.  If one can eat liver or kidneys, one can eat tail.  This dish came in a hot pot as it was still sizzling when served.  Again it's one of those dishes that one needs to eat while hot. It had a bit of a rubbery texture to it but the dark sauce they used made this quite a fascinating dish.  It was quite enjoyable and one should give a try regardless of what body part it came from.

Shrimp

One of my favorites of the night was the Chinese pigeon.  It was beautifully glazed and the sauce was well marinated into the bird.  The meat was juicy and tender and the meat was nicely cooked.  Certainly a must have if you do come to this restaurant as they certainly know how to prepare it properly.

Oysters

A couple of vegetables also landed on our table soon afterwards.  The usual garlic mixed snow peas was a favorite but tonight's other big dish was definitely the cuttlefish mixed with vegetables.  The cuttlefish was extremely fresh and very, very tender.  It was almost borderline crunchy but the taste was definitely there.  Mixed with some beans, celery, mushrooms and carrots this was definitely one of the must haves of the night and I would highly recommend anyone who is a seafood lover to give it a try.  

We also ordered a fried squid and shrimp dish which almost resembled "chicken McNuggets".  The batter they used however was far from it. It was not overly oily and one can certainly taste the fresh seafood inside of it.  It is a good alternative for those who do not want to have a live fish for the evening. 

Cuttle-Fish Mixed With Vegetables

Finally the fried egg and onion and pork rice was the last to arrive.  We decided not to order any white rice so this was the rice for the evening.  A little dry despite all the ingredients but pretty good rice nonetheless.

Rice with Pork, Eggs and Onion

Overall it was a satisfactory evening. Service was pretty good as they made sure all our tea and refreshments were always full.  Plenty of free parking outside however I would strongly recommend making reservations on a weekend evening.  Price wise it was about twenty dollars per person so it was quite reasonable.  As well on a side note, their dim sum in the morning and afternoon I heard was pretty good as well.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.

Fortune House Restaurant 
2598 Birchmount Road
Scarborough Ontario

416-292-1260

Market Station Asia

The other day we went over to Market Village to pay a visit to Market Station Asia for brunch.  We were able to get a seat right away and were given four menus of food to choose from.  After taking about ten minutes to go through their entire menu, I went with the Tender Beef and Enoki Mushroom Ramen Noodle Soup while my wife went with the Shark Fin Combo Soup with came with Hainanese Rice. 

Tender Beef and Enoki Mushroom Ramen Noodle Soup

After ordering, the waitress came back to me saying that "they were sold on ramen" and that I would have to choose from one of two other types of noodles.  One was udon and was an unknown noodle.  I went with the unknown simply because I always have udon and had absolutely no clue what the unknown was. The meals took about ten minutes to arrive.  During this time, we were also served with small pieces of chicken as an appetizer. 

Hainanese Chicken Rice

The Shark Fin soup arrived first and yes one is correct when saying, don't expect any real "shark fins" in a place like that.  We didn't however I found the soup to be overly salty.  There was no other way to describe it.  The Hainanese Chicken with Rice came shortly afterwards.  The chicken was soft however there were only three pieces of chicken. The pieces of chicken were juicy however the sizes of the chicken were rather large.  If you ever eat larger pieces of chicken, one will know that the meat is not as smooth but rather chewy and this was the case with this meal.  The rice was interesting to say the least.  Most places would have fragrance rice served with this kind of chicken but for this time around, the rice was yellow and was quite dry.

Complimentary Soup

The Tender Beef and Enoki Mushroom Noodle Soup was actually pretty good.  There was also a large mushroom in addition to the enoki. The replacement noodles "looked" like thick rice noodles and in my mind was a suitable replacement even though I would have preferred to have ramen instead.  The soup base was nice and the beef were cooked.  Halfway through, my wife actually wanted my meal instead of hers, so me being me, I did a switch with her.  The meal also came with a complimentary soup and an ice cold drink.  This meal was $8.99 while the shark fin combination was $12.99.

Shark Fin

Overall, I like my noodle soup more based on value.  I've eaten a lot of Hainanese Chicken Rice Dinners and personally I thought that this was satisfactory at best.  For $12.99, I would have expected quality.  The noodle soup I thought was fair and reasonable.  Staff was nice however it took a while for any one of the four waitresses to come get my bill because they were too busy fixing their hair.  My final score would be a 3 out of 5.

Market Station Asia
Unit B59
4390 Steeles Avenue East
Markham, Ontario

905-305-1268