Paramount Chinese Seafood Restaurant

Formerly Lucky Plus, the chinese restaurant on the corner of Rupert and 22nd is now known as Paramount Chinese Seafood Restaurant.  Not to be confused with Golden Paramount in Richmond, this is a totally new crew.  We had stopped by for Dim Sum earlier this year but I just never got around to posting about it.  Now on my second visit, I was able to order more dishes and yes, now I'm going to put my 2 cents in about the place.  Just like before, they have free underground parking available, but it fills up fast and for some reason, the elevator needs a key card to operate.  Seating is a bit tight, unless you score one of the booths by the window.  They are pretty busy, so best to grab a reso.

For our food, we got a bunch of the usual items including the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumpling).  Rather than the standard 4 dumplings, they give you 5 here.  They were pretty good with a medium-thick dumpling skin.  It was translucent with a nice chewy bounciness that was soft. Inside, the shrimp filling was juicy and plump with the desired rebound texture.  Seasoning was good too where I could still taste the natural sweetness and aroma of the shrimp.  I did eat it with hot sauce though.  

Of course now I need to talk about the Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) too.  These were rather large with a good mix of bouncy pork, fat and shrimp that had the buttery snap texture.  However, I feel that they didn't mix the filling properly as one of the dumplings was inundated with fatty gristle.  I had to spit half of the filling out because I couldn't chew it.  Other than that, the dumplings were good having enough seasoning to calm the pork flavour down.

Both times I've ordered the Beef Meatballs and I would say they beat the heck out of the meat to the point there is no meat texture.  These were so fluffy that it seemed like there was more air than meat.  However, I can see how this could be appealing to some people who want something easy to chew and not being too heavy.  For me personally, I would prefer the meatball to have more density and some natural meat texture left.  Flavourwise, they did taste good and of course with some Worcestershire on the side too.

Employing the same airy and buttery beef, the Beef Ribbon Rice Noodle Rolls were pretty much a uniform texture.  Almost fluffy and soft with only the slightest chew, the rice noodle was really good.  However, there was a lack of beef weaved into the mix, hence, it was mostly noodle.  For the beef that was in there, it was the same as the beef meatballs as mentioned.  It definitely needed some soy since there was a lack of meat.  For the more typical version, we also had the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll (on a separate visit) and it was good.  Although the rice noodle wasn't the thinnest, it was still buttery soft with some elasticity.  There was a good amount of bouncy and seasoned shrimp inside.

On the same visit, we went for the Steamed Pork Spareribs.  Yes, these ate just as good at the picture would imply.  The dish consisted of meaty rib pieces that were tender with the classic bouncy chewiness.  These were the beneficiary of the ample minced garlic, which added aroma and impact.  It was also well-seasoned which was salty enough without being salty.  Also liked that there wasn't too much moisture on the bottom of the plate.  Some tapioca starch helped create a glaze of sorts that added silkiness to each bite.

Both visits yielded my favourite dish, Steamed Beef Tripe and Tendon.  As you can see in the picture, the portion size was generous.  Cut into large pieces, the tripe was tender with an appealing chewiness.   The tendon was soft with its classic gelatinous texture.  Every piece of tendon was the same texture, unlike some versions where we have some melted and others tough and chewy.  In terms of seasoning, the dish was plenty savoury, sweet and garlicky with a small dose of pepperiness.

One of my favourite Dim Sum dishes is the Bean Curd Skin Roll.  I try to order it whenever I can, but often it isn't everyone's cup of tea.  This one was good with a chewy, yet delicately fried (and then subsequently steamed) bean curd skin.  Inside, the pork filling was meaty with whole chunks and some fat as a binder.   There was some carrot and celery mixed into it and were soft, but still vibrant.  I thought the rolls were sufficiently seasoned enough so it wasn't just pork flavour.  For myself, I always dip it into Worcestershire sauce.

Presented in a large portion of large and plump segments, the Steamed Chicken Feet was really good.  Sometimes, we find chicken feet that are pretty shrivelled up from the deep fry.  These were super plump with soft cartilage and fat underneath.  Tender and soft, the skin and cartilage was easy to separate from the bone.  Much like the tripe and tendon, the flavours were savoury, sweet and garlicky.

As always, we got an order of the Shrimp Spring Rolls, even though the kids were not around.  Good decision though as these were also well-executed.  They were fried until golden and super crunchy with minimal greasiness.  Inside, the shrimp filling was not overly dense, but still packed in there.  Hence, we got plenty of the sweet shrimp crunch along with the garlic and seasoning.  They were also served piping hot, which made a big difference.

One dish we always get is the XO Daikon Radish Cake.  I'm not a huge fan of the pan fried version as it can often be pale-looking, in need of an actual hard sear.  For this version, it is cubed and deep-fried, then wok-tossed with XO sauce, sprouts and peppers.  This was solid with the daikon cake being crispy on the outside while soft and fluffy on the inside.  Good natural daikon flavour accented by the cured sausage.  I wished there was more spice from the XO sauce, but it was still tasty.

Occasionally, we order the Stuffed Eggplant with shrimp paste.  Not sure why we don't do it every time as it is Viv's favourite dish.  Well, this was a good version of it as the pieces were quite large.  Furthermore, there was more bouncy and sweet shrimp paste than eggplant.  As for the eggplant, it was fully cooked while not being totally mushy.  There was even a bit of crispiness on the outside.  However, the starch-thickened black bean sauce was rather weak and diluted.

On the other hand, we rarely order the Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings) at Cantonese Dim Sum since it is a Shanghainese specialty.  We have rarely stumbled upon a good one and this was no exception.  It featured medium-thick dumpling skin that needed more elasticity.  Inside, there was some soup, but it wasn't the right flavour missing the shaoxing wine and ginger hits.  Meat was tender though and not gritty.

The one bigger dish we tried was the Chicken Clay Pot Rice.  They really overloaded this thing with well-marinated chicken.  Bone-in, the pieces of chicken were tender and buttery.  Once again, they were spot on with the tapioca starch, as it held onto the marinade with each piece of chicken.  As for the rice, it was dry (in a good way) and nutty.  Sure, there wasn't any socarrat, but I appreciated that the rice wasn't soggy.

Both times, we had the Baked Egg Tarts to end the meal.  I found the edges to be sufficiently golden brown where they were nutty and crispy.  The layers were discernible and shattered nicely when bitten into.  The egg custard was silky and only sweet enough.  Overall, both times we had Dim Sum at Paramount, it was pleasant and well-portioned.  Service was great, but a bit hard to flag down at times though.  Would return.

The Good:

- Above average Dim Sum

- Large portions

- Free parking

The Bad:

- Service is good, but hard to flag down when busy

- Seating in the middle is very tight

café de A

Since I was picking up my car from DRX down on Hammersmith Way, I felt it was an opportunity to try out the new Hong Kong-style cafe that replaced Danny's Wonton in Ironwood Plaza.  I actually made 2 visits here since both times, there was only 2 of us.  Coincidentally, the second visit was when I dropped by DRX once again for their 10th anniversary car meet.  I guess this is where I'll eat from now on if I have to go to DRX!

The one thing I want to discuss right off the bat is the service.  When they aren't busy, it is proficient and decent.  Some servers are friendlier than others though.  But once it gets busy, then you will be lucky to flag anyone down.  That was the case for both visits.  Onto the food, we started with a choice of soup and for myself, I had the Cream of Ham & Corn with a side of garlic toast.  This was pretty typical, but good nonetheless.  It was semi-thick with the sweetness of milk and of course the corn.

For our first dish, we had the classic Baked Pork Chop Rice.  It was a decent portion where the fried rice base was dry (in a good way) and nutty.  It was the perfect recipient for the tomato sauce.  I found it to be rather mild-tasting in need of a bit more tanginess.  Possibly a bit more tomato paste in conjunction with ketchup would do the trick.  The viscosity was on point and the smattering of real shredded cheese was welcomed.  The pork chop itself was thick and tender while not being dry.

We also had another usual HK-style dish in the Baked Portuguese Chicken Rice.  This was quite good as the sauce also had the desired viscosity where it was just thick enough without being goopy.  It was creamy and aromatic from the coconut cream/milk and had that hint of curry.  Nice sweetness that was not over-the-top.  The pieces of chicken were tender while the potatoes were deep-fried first which prevented them from falling apart.

They also have Chinese BBQ available and we got the 3-Item Platter with BBQ Duck, BBQ Pork and Roast Pork.  Gotta say this was all legit.  By virtue of being the pork belly, the roast pork, was juicy, buttery and tender.  It was nicely dry brined where the salt penetrated the meat while the crackling was crispy and light.  The BBQ duck had a nice lacquer colour with crispy skin.  The meat was moist and tender where the star anise brine was present.  Lastly, the BBQ pork was also good being sweet and savoury with a moist texture.

On my next visit, I had to go for another typical HK-style cafe dish in the Spaghetti Bolognese.  This was decent with al dente pasta topped with enough meat sauce to coat.  It was thick and rich with a mild tang and meaty notes.  I could get the natural sweetness of the onions as well.  Once again, the melted real shredded cheese added nuttiness and of course, stringiness.  

Also tried their Clubhouse Sandwich and it as fully-loaded with bacon, fried egg, ham, chicken steak, cheese, lettuce and tomato.  Of course it was served on toasted crustless white bread.  Things were prepared properly with crispy bacon and juicy chicken.  The Cavendish fries in the middle were fried perfectly until crispy.  Overall, the food at café de A is competent with a few real stars (BBQ and the Clubhouse).  Would come back if I'm going to DRX.  However, the service does give me pause.  Not that they are rude or anything, but it just gets difficult to flag someone down when it gets busy.  That delays getting things packed and the bill.  I think for their benefit, they might want to get people out the door more quickly too as they do have lineups starting around 11:00am.

The Good:
- Competent food with some highlights
- Lots of parking (unlike many other Richmond restaurants)
- Fair portion sizes

The Bad:
- Service is fine when not busy, but when it is busy, it is hard to get any

i-Cafe Express (City Square)

For the longest time, i-Cafe resided upstairs on the Southwest corner of Broadway and Heather.  If you have been around for awhile, you will remember that location was Jukebox Johnny's in the 80's.  Now we find i-Cafe as a food court stall in City Square right beside Dumpling King.  They are now known as i-Cafe Express and I really do think this concept lowers the overhead with less staff and of course, less retail space.  They have most of their favourites on the menu while offering a slightly lower price point.  I was able to take out once and eat in another time for this blog post.  

On my first visit, I took home some of the Hong Kong-Style Cafe essentials including the veritable Baked Pork Chop Rice.  This was a decent portion consisting of the necessary fried rice base topped with a good amount of fried pork chop on top.  The pork was tender and meaty without too much fat.  The abundance of sauce was quite textbook being thick from the roux and exhibiting a balance of tanginess and sweetness.  This was a competent version of the dish.

Another classic dish that needs to be included is the Spaghetti Bolognese.  Depending on the version, it can get pretty close to the Italian dish.  This one here was certainly meaty and was the beneficiary of the sweetness from the onions.  Lots of depth and richness from the creaminess added to the sauce.  There was enough of it too that it coated all of the al dente spaghetti in the tin container.

So the Curry Beef Brisket may not be as vital as the previous 2 dishes when assessing a HK-Style Cafe, but it is a menu staple nonetheless.  This one was actually decently spicy with a good amount of earthy curry hit.  The coconut milk/cream provided plenty of creaminess and aromatics.  The beef itself was quite tender and so were the potatoes.  The side of rice was a generous portion.

On another visit, I actually sat down to eat and went with 2 dishes.  The first was the Laksa that was stuffed to the top of the plastic bowl with bouncy noodles and coconutty broth.  I wished it had more spice and brininess as it was aromatic but bland.  However, the plethora of components made up for it as I was eating for awhile to actually make a dent.  I liked the little details were there such as the soft-boiled egg (not cooked to oblivion).

I originally wasn't going to finish my second item in the Chow Kway Teow, but it was so good, i finished it too!  It was a good sized portion that was the beneficiary of solid wok hei.  Hence, there was smokiness and caramelization.  The noodles were nicely chewy while not clumping together.  Seasoning was adequate being a bit spicy, a bit earthy and plenty savoury.  They didn't skimp with the ingredients too.  Solid dish.  Overall, the food at i-Cafe was like it was before - solid and dependable.  I like the concept of them being in a food court as it lowers their operating costs and hence, the prices are reasonable.

The Good:

- Dependable decent HK-Style cuisine

- Reasonable pricing

- Decent portion size

The Bad:

- Well, being in a food court, you lose the restaurant experience, but you would find something like this at Aberdeen Centre as well

- The Laksa could be more flavourful

Mala King Hot Pot

You just know when something gets super popular, there will be copycats.  Now, I'm not trying to say that in a derogatory manner.  In fact, as things evolve, newer versions of the original often become better and come up with new ways of doing things.  We've all seen that with bubble tea and its never-ending metamorphosis from what it was in the 90's.  You'd think that the market would be saturated (well, maybe to a degree), resulting in a collapse of sorts.  Well that hasn't happened.  Now take the DIY hot pot craze that started with Big Way locally.  There have been a slew of imitators but Big Way itself was a copycat of something that started in Australia.  We have the latest one in the GVRD in Malaking Hot Pot out in Surrey.  The name seems to mirror Malatown out in California.  So everything is a mish-mash of everything else.  Jackie and I checked out Malaking to see their version of this current craze.

Located in the former Pho Tam spot (so sad its gone), Malaking's setup is pretty typical of the genre.  Upon entering, there are bowls and tongs ready for you to pick your items.  There is a varied selection including seafood, meats, veggies, tofu products, meatballs and noodles.  Like I've said before, do not load up on meatballs, things with shells and heavy noodles.  You might have a nasty surprise in terms of cost otherwise.  But if you stick to lighter items, you can have hearty bowl for around $20.00.  You proceed to the counter and have your bowl weighed, then pick a broth (which is included).

In case you didn't only want to drink water with your hot pot, there is a selection of drinks available.  We sampled a few of them including Mango Slush, Avocado Slush, Piña Colada Slush and Thai Iced Tea.  You can choose your sweetness and add things like coconut jelly and pearls.  I really liked the piña colada as it was fruity and aromatic.  Nice tang on the mango and the avocado was smooth.  Of course the Thai iced tea   was sweet, but it was still balanced with enough tea flavour.  Right next to the counter is the Sauce Lab where you can create your own dip.  Pretty standard ingredients here.  They have self-service to go containers and paper bags underneath.

We sampled a nice selection of their broths including the Classic Ma La Tang.  Unlike some versions I've had at other places, this one was definitely spicy, yet not mind-blowing.  It had a nice viscosity where it wasn't thin.  There was some pleasant sweetness to compliment too.  I normally do not combine seafood with this, but I did this time and it was good.  The brininess of the razor clams, scallops and abalone paired well with the spicy broth.  The buttery snakefish was especially good with the spice.

Another delicious broth with aromatic creaminess along with some spice, the Laksa paired well with seafood (as expected).  The combination of the natural sweetness of the seafood and the broth made each spoonful delicious.  Soaking up the broth, the non-fried noodles were properly cooked where it had some chew left.  I think the fatty beef we had in this was good, but maybe some chicken would pair better with this broth.

The most impactful broth, other than the spicy mala, was the Japanese Black Garlic.  Resembling a rich tonkotsu ramen broth, this had the silkiness of collagen and fermented pungency of black garlic.  This was the best example of their 8-hour broths as it showed depth and thickness.  This an excellent compliment to the meats I chose (pork and beef) as well as mushrooms, veggies and quail's eggs.

One broth that we though needed something extra was the one-note Coconut Curry Broth.  It was definitely creamy with the goodness of coconut milk, but it did not have enough curry flavour.  We decided to combine the Mala with it and boom, it was so much more impactful.  Maybe next time we'll just ask for Coconut Mala mix.  We went for a predominantly seafood forward mix of items and although it added more sweetness to the broth, it all turned out to be quite muted.

The last broth we tried was the Tom Yum and that was another fantastic option.  It really did exhibit all the great flavours in Tom Yum including lemongrass, the tanginess of lime and some spice from the peppers.  The broth was pretty concentrated and held up to the excess moisture released by the veggies.  It helped flavour the noodles as well as the meat.  I would say this was right up there with the mala and black garlic.

Of course at the end of the meal, we were served the complimentary Soft-Serve Ice Cream in a waffle cone.  Like everywhere else, this was not the creamiest soft-serve, but definitely appreciated after hot pot.  Overall, Malaking Hot Pot fits in quite nicely into the DIY hot pot landscape in the GVRD.  I think their broths are some of the best (Coconut Curry withstanding) where they are impactful and do not dilute with the moisture of the components.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Impactful broths that are concentrated enough to stand up to the moisture from the components

- Solid drinks

- Free parking (albeit very narrow spots)

The Bad:

- Coconut Curry broth needs more spice

- As mentioned, there is free parking, but those spots are incredibly tight

Swatow

Originally, we had visited Swatow back on our first visit to Toronto this year.  But on our return trip a few months later, we did another flyby to get a few more dishes for this post.  For those who are unfamiliar, Swatow has been around since the 80's and has been dishing up Cantonese classics for a casual meal or late night eats.  It may not be the latest and greatest, but any visit will be nostalgic.  Walking into the place, one can see that the decor has not changed much since it opened and they even have newspaper articles from yesteryear. 

On our initial visit, we decided to get an ol' standby with the Wonton Noodles.  So what I said in the opening paragraph rings true with this dish.  If this was still the 80's, this bowl of wonton noodles would've been the sh*t.  However, compared to places like Wonton Hut and Congee Queen, it pales in comparison.  The wontons themselves were small and the shrimp was a bit on the gummier side.  Serviceable, but not great.  As for the broth, it was light and respectable, but lacked the aroma and brininess of better versions.  Lastly, the noodles were still al dente, but didn't have that appealing chew associated with lye water.  Decent bowl of noodles, but others have passed this by.

Now on the other hand, the Black Bean Beef Fried Noodles was fantastic.  Featuring crispy fried noodles, this was topped with a flavourful black bean sauce that was salty and garlicky.  The ample slices of beef were marinated until they were buttery but still had a meaty texture.  As for the onions and peppers, they still had a crunch and were still vibrant.  Good wok hei on the components and the sauce.  Caramelized flavours and some smokiness.

We also had the Sweet & Sour Pork on steamed rice for good measure.  This was classic and had a viscous sauce that was balanced in terms of tang and sweetness.  There was enough of it to coat each piece of pork and for the dry chewy rice as well (this is the right texture for the rice).  I found that there were a few pieces of pure fat mixed in with some meatier chunks of pork.  They were tender with a medium-thick batter that was still crunchy despite being coated in sauce.

On our follow-up visit, we had a few of their popular dishes including the Fried Rice Noodles with Beef.  This didn't look anything special, but ate much better than it looked.  The thinner rice noodles were not clumpy and had a good smoky sear.  Despite being a bit pale (lack of dark soy), the taste was good with balanced saltiness with a touch of sweetness.  Noodles were not oily, as this dish usually is.  The bean sprouts were still crunchy while the slices of beef were tender and well-marinated.

I normally do not order General Tso's Chicken but apparently it is a fan favourite.  I can see why, because the chunks of chicken were large and had a crunchy batter.  Chicken inside was tender and moist despite being white meat.  The sauce itself had a good mix of salty, sweet, tangy and spicy.  It had a nice thickness that coated each piece of chicken.  One issue with the dish was the temperature of the chicken, it was not hot.  This leads me to believe the chicken was refried (it was par-cooked earlier).

Lastly, we went for the Black Bean Clams, which is a late night classic.  Almost all of the clams were open and not sandy at all.  They were plump and cooked just enough.  Lots of natural brininess from the clams that also flavoured the sauce.  I found the sauce to be a bit goopy but it had good garlicky and salty fermented black bean hits.  Overall, the food at Swatow is decent and represents a certain ol' school type of Chinese restaurant.  Good for late night, but there is certainly better now, such as Congee Queen.

The Good:

- Reasonably-priced

- Decent eats

- Decent portions

The Bad:

- There is better elsewhere

Congee Queen

Having just landed in TO and having to drop off our stuff at the hotel, then needing to make the Jann Arden concert at Massey Hall, we decided to go simple for dinner.  On our way walking to Massey Hall, we considered a few options, but ultimately went to an ol' Toronto Cantonese standby in Congee Queen on Yonge Street.  This local chain sports 9 locations and dishes up large portions of Cantonese classics at reasonable prices.  They aren't known for their service, but hey, I got mostly decent servers on both visits.

Yep, we came here twice with the first time, we had to get their namesake.  We went for the classic in the Preserved Egg and Salted Pork Congee.  At first, I was a bit skeptical of how they diced the egg.  It was in little bits strewn throughout the congee.  The same could be said about the pork.  However, that meant each spoonful was loaded with both components.  That ensured we had the umaminess of the egg with the saltiness of the pork at full effect.  The congee itself was really good being thick, but not too thick, until the last drop.  It was well-seasoned too without being salty.

Going for another classic, we had the Wonton Noodles.  This was quite good with the wontons being plump and large.  The shrimp filling was meaty and had good brininess and sweetness.  There was enough seasoning and a touch of sesame oil.  Nice firm snap texture from the shrimp that was appealing.  The wonton noodles were bouncy with a nice chew.  The one part that could've been better was the soup as it was not as complex and aromatic as Wonton Hut.

Arriving as a huge pile, the Stir-Fried Vermicelli with minced beef and chives in XO sauce was really good.  Despite being so light and almost fluffy, there was barely any greasiness.  That was the result of good wok hei where things were cooked quickly at high heat.  There was some smokiness and definitely caramelization.  Seasoning was on point with some brininess and spice.  Textures were all there too including the chewy noodles, tender meat and crispy veggies.

We ended up with one more item in the Crispy Deep Fried Tofu Bites.  Another properly executed dish where the silken tofu was deep fried without falling apart (these are rather delicate).  Beyond the appealingly crispy exterior, the inside was classic silky and soft tofu.  There was enough seasoning on the outside in terms of salty pepperiness that we really didn't need to dip it into the side of mayo.  In fact, I'm not sure if the mayo was really needed at all.

Near the end of the trip, we went back to try a few more dishes including the Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice.  Once again, it was an enormous portion.  Even though the rice was beautifully wok-fried with a nice nuttiness and slight smokiness, the texture was not as chewy as I would've liked.  Despite that, it was still solid and none too greasy.  One thing that could've been better was the seasoning as the rice was not as salty as we would've expected.

With another rice dish, we had the Roast Pork and BBQ Duck on steamed rice.  Gotta say that the BBQ meats were quite solid.  This was especially true with the Roast Pork as it was the belly and hence was super buttery and tender.  It was well-salted and ate well on its own.  The crackling was crispy and not overly hard.  One of the best versions of this I've had in awhile.  As for the duck, it featured crispy lacquered skin that had fairly well-rendered fat.  The meat was tender and moist.

Our last dish was the classic Sweet and Sour Pork.  The portion size was somewhat normal here, but each chunk of pork was not.  Look at the size of those things!  Also, since this fried from raw, the meat remained moist and tender.  Some places par-fry the meat and the second go around yields something too fried and dry.  The sauce was balanced with equal parts sweet and sour.  Overall, we quite enjoyed the food at Congee Queen.  It came in large portions and was reasonably-priced.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Large portions
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Service is hit and miss