Daisy Garden

Oh isn't this a blast from the past!  The original Daisy Garden burned to the ground 7 years ago and honestly, I didn't expect it to be resurrected.   This place is part of my childhood as I remembered my parents taking me regularly for wonton noodles, congee and BBQ meats.   So it is definitely with nostalgia that I suggested that we check the completely new space out with, you guessed it, my parents!  To complete the circle of life, it was my turn to bring my kids out to Daisy Garden.  Wonder if my kids will bring their kids?  Oh I am thinking too far into the future...

So dealing with the present, we were pleasantly surprised with the modern and inviting decor of the new Daisy Garden.  Their menu still had all the favourites including the Sui Kau Noodles and Wonton Noodles. We got them both and the broth was a bit disappointing.  It definitely had all of the aroma but had little depth and needed much more salt and shrimp shell flavour.  Noodles were good though being cooked properly with an appealing chewiness.  Although the wontons were on the smaller side, they were good consisting of mostly shrimp.  The texture was on point with a buttery snap.  As for the siu gau, the addition of wood ear mushroom provided more crunch and there was a bit more pork which made it meatier.

Of course, I had to get a bowl of Congee and decided on the pork liver and meat ball (although this also contained pork stomach and pork kidney as well).  I found the congee itself to be properly thick with a nice viscosity.  It was enough to coat a spoon but not too thick where it was pasty either.  There was a decent amount of meat where the liver was tender.  In terms of seasoning, I thought the congee was much more home-style where it was rather mild.  I really didn't mind that as we can always add more salt and white pepper.  We got a side of Salty Donut to go with the congee and it as money.  Light, airy and crunchy, it was none too greasy either.

To complete the trifecta of required eats at a restaurant like Daisy Garden, we got the Three BBQ Meat Combo Plate.  Our choices included BBQ Duck, BBQ Pork and Roast Pork (we asked for no wing for the BBQ duck where they honoured the request without extra charge).  I would say the BBQ duck was the best of the bunch with rendered crispy skin.  The meat was tender and well-seasoned as well.  The BBQ pork was a rather fatty piece, but that also meant the meat was tender and gelatinous.  It was also well-charred and nicely sauced with the classic sweet glaze.  We weren't that impressed with the roast pork as it was dry and rather bland.  On the other hand, the crackling was crunchy though.

Another fan favourite we ordered was the Pan Fried Rice Noodle with Sliced Beef.  Some people consider this dish as much of a measuring stick as any other in a Chinese restaurant.  So this version lacked a bit of colour, but that was mostly due to the conservative use of dark soy.  Otherwise, there was a enough wok heat to create caramelization and keeping the noodles in one piece without using an obscene amount of oil.  I would've liked to see more seasoning though as the dish ate a bit bland.  There was a good amount of tender sliced beef though and that helped add a bit more flavour.

Our one rice dish was the Curry Brisket and Tendon with white rice.  We rather enjoyed this one as the curry had a balanced amount of coconut milk that made it creamy without being overly heavy.  The actual curry flavour was a bit watered down, but not unusual for a Cantonese version.  Each piece of brisket was fairly tender and some where a bit fattier.  I found the tendon to be a bit too soft and some were almost melting into the curry.  So in the end, this was definitely a walk down memory lane and it was worth a visit just for the nostalgia.  I thought that the food was fine, if not a bit on the pricier end given the portion size.  Not my first choice for this type of food in town, yet also not a bad choice either if you were in the area.

The Good:
- It has got that nostalgic factor for many people
- Nice welcoming decor
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Just a smidge on the more pricier side compare to competitors
- Food is decent, but there is better