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Whenever I see a new Chinese restaurant open up shop (in particular, one with Cantonese Dim Sum service), I quickly visit it for lunch and then subsequently go back for dinner not too long after. Usually, there are 2 separate chefs for Dim Sum and dinner. Hence, the food can be very different in style and execution. So after a relatively decent Dim Sum experience at New Mandarin, we made reservations to go for dinner on Father's Day. Unlike the seating in the VIP rooms for Dim Sum, we were situated in the main dining room for dinner. However, much like the last time, the seating was far too tight where there was nowhere for the staff to go once everyone was seated.
We ended up going for a set menu with a few extra dishes. It started off with the 3 Item Combination Platter consisting of sliced beef shank, marinated jellyfish and sliced pork hock. This was a dinner for 6, so the portion sizes were a bit smaller. With that being said, it wasn't very big even with that consideration. Execution-wise, the items were quite good. I found the jellyfish to be appealingly chewy while still soft. It was impactfully marinated where the sesame oil and white pepper really came through. The beef was tender where the braising liquid completely penetrated. Gelatinized, the pork hock had a good rebound texture. Next, we had the Swallow's Nest & Seafood Pumpkin Soup. Despite its colour, the soup did not taste like pumpkin (which is a good thing because it can be too pungent). There was a general lack of bird's nest but the seafood was plentiful and prepared well.
Usually, set meals tend to include the smaller lobsters and crabs for their shellfish dish. Not here as the Lobster with Supreme Broth was absolutely massive. Just picking up the claw was difficult. In addition to that, it was prepared properly with bouncy moist meat that was sweet and briny. There was just enough sauce to coat each piece and flavour the included bed of wonton noodles underneath. I liked how they didn't charge extra for the noodles since it is not a surprise to pay anywhere from $5.00 to $10.00 for it elsewhere. From there, we moved onto the Marinated Half Free-Range Chicken served with ginger and green onion condiment. About that condiment, it was legit where it was mostly ginger with only a bit of green onion. As for the chicken, the skin was beautifully gelantized including an appealing layer of gelatin underneath. The meat was tender with the classic free-range chicken chewiness.
There used to be a time when the fish course would be rock cod, but that is far too expensive and over-fished, so we had the usual Steamed Tilapia with onion, cilantro and sweetened soy. I'm personally not a huge fan of tilapia because it can generally be rather mushy and bland. Well, this was acceptable where the fish was cooked just enough. It was somewhat flaky and moist while the soy did offer up the necessary flavour. For our veggie dish, we had the Braised Pea Tips with lily bulbs and wolf berries. Other than the lobster, this was one of the bigger dishes offering up tender pea tips that were still crunchy. Being cooked in a broth, they were very mild tasting (but that is the point). The addition of lily bulbs added a firm texture as well as another layer of sweetness to the dish.
We ended up adding a couple of dishes for the kiddies including the Sweet & Sour Pork and Scrambled Eggs & Prawns. Made with pork belly and served with a bevy of fresh fruit (dragon fruit, cantaloupe and honey dew), the sweet & sour pork was quite good. Due to the use of pork belly, the meat was tender with a wonderful rebound. We found the sauce balanced with a good tang and sweetness. The dish could've been a bit larger in portion size, but it wasn't too small either. Surprisingly, the scrambled eggs and prawns was decent in size and sported a good amount of large prawns. They were meaty with a moist snap. Unfortunately, the eggs were a over done with parts that were seared too much. Hence, the silkiness of the egg was intermittent and inconsistent. Seasoning was on point though.
Lastly, we had the Seafood Fried Rice topped with fried garlic. If I had to compare it to a recent version, this was much better than the one at Golden Restaurant. There was much more wok hei which meant the rice was caramelized, nutty and chewy. Also, there was plenty of seafood strewn throughout the rice. Lastly, the seasoning was sufficient enough and the fried garlic on top helped with the aromatics. It was agreed by everyone at the table that the food was above average. Prices are on the higher end, but the class of restaurant reflects that with nice decor and generally good service. However, a big issue was the lack of servers where we couldn't get most of our requests filled. It was a challenge to even get the bill. This is a real issue that they need to address.
The Good:
- Above average food
- Nice decor
- Service was good when we got it
The Bad:
- Expensive
- Seating is far to tight
- Not enough servers, was really hard to get anything
Despite our meal at Wild Mountain, most of our eats in Sooke consisted of burgers, fries, pizza and other fried food. So prior to our ferry back to Vancouver, we stopped off in Victoria for some Dim Sum. I do understand that Dim Sum may not be any lighter or healthier than the aforementioned eats, but there is something comforting about it. That also partially explains why I put up with average-to-substandard Chinese food while on vacation. This time around, we steered clear of the hit-and-miss Don Mee and went up the street to Golden City on Fisgard.
Walking into the place, it was like a time warp back to the late 70's and early 80's complete with paper lanterns. However, we did order from a modern checklist much like the ones we find in Vancouver. To get away from fried food, we started with the Deep Fried Dumplings and Spring Rolls (LOL). Despite the complete lack of filling in the deep fried dumplings (and when there was any, it was mostly pork fat), the outer shell was on point. Just thick enough with glutinous rice flour, it was sticky and soft with a crispy exterior. It wasn't too greasy either. Although the spring rolls were advertised as shrimp and chive, the filling was all pork and some veggies. That didn't mean it wasn't good though as the pork was moist, well-seasoned and bouncy. The spring roll wrapper was light, crunchy and easy on the grease.
As per usual, we ordered some Rice Noodle Rolls in both Shrimp and Donut. Just a touch on the thicker side, the rice noodle was marginally doughy, but overall, quite good. There was a decent amount of elasticity and the noodle was relatively soft. I enjoyed the large whole shrimp which were meaty with a sweet snap. As for the salty donut, it was large and extremely crunchy. Not sure if they refried it or not, but it was on they greasier side. Whatever the case, it was a whole lot better than being doughy and soft. Normally, when we order XO Daikon Radish Cake, it arrives in small deep-fried cubes. Not this one, as they took big irregular pieces and stir-fried them with XO sauce, green onion, sprouts and egg. I've seen this done before, but with smaller pieces. Ultimately, this was not bad with soft daikon cake that was mildly spicy and briny from the XO.
Onto some steamed items, we got the classic Ha Gau (Shrimp Dumplings) and Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumplings). Impressively large, the ha gau were more than acceptable. The medium thick dumpling skin was on the doughier side, but still had some elasticity. Inside, the shrimp filling was on the denser side, but still texturally appealing with a moist snap. In terms of seasoning, it was on the milder side, but the sweetness of the shrimp did come through and we did end up dunking them into hot sauce anyways. The siu mai were appreciably better than the ones we had at Don Mee (gross...) where the pork filling was in chunks rather than ground up. It was more meaty than bouncy in texture, but the flavours were all there including the shrimp.
For Costanza, he loves tripe and normally doesn't get to eat any with his family (they don't particularly love it). So with both options available, we got the Bible Tripe and the Honeycomb Tripe. Starting with the bible tripe, the pieces were bite-sized with very few smaller bits at the bottom. They were tender with an appealing chewiness and snap. The classic ginger and green onion flavour came through without being salty. As for the honeycomb tripe, they strips were fairly large. Texturally, it couldn't have been anymore perfect being soft and buttery while retaining the classic bite. The dish was well-seasoned with hits of garlic, slight spice, sweetness and saltiness. Both types of tripe were also not gamy which meant they had been cleaned and prepared properly.
Another solid dish was the Bean Curd Skin Roll or phonetically pronounced "Seen Jook Guen". Although a bit pale, the bean curd skin had been fried enough so there was a chewy texture while being delicate enough. Inside, the pork and veggie filling was moist and tender. It was well-seasoned as well with a good balance between sweet and savoury with a mild pork flavour. Again, that didn't really matter as we dunked it into copious amounts of Worcestershire sauce. Without trying to make a joke, the Beef Meatballs were very large in size... However, they were also a bit too dense for our liking. There needed to be a bit more baking soda and starch to make these fluffier and more airy. However, it wasn't as if they were bad either. The meat was still tender and mildly seasoned with just the right amount of green onion.
For some larger dishes, we got the Wok-Fried Flat Rice Noodles with Beef. Portion size was on the smaller side, but considering this was dim sum service and it was priced at $12.95, we were fine with it. If we talk about execution, this was pretty legit. As evidenced in the picture, there was more than enough wok heat (or wok hei) to create caramelization and smokiness. The dish wasn't overly greasy and the noodles were not clumped together. The ample amount of sliced beef was also fried up nicely as well as being super tender. Also priced at $12.95, the Sparerib and Chicken Feet Hot Pot Rice was expensive. At the very least, it was a big portion where the ribs were tender and well-seasoned. I didn't particularly like the chicken feet as the cartilage underneath the tender skin was hard. I found the rice to a bit too wet, but not a bad dish overall. In fact, Golden City wouldn't be out-of-place in the Lower Mainland, let alone Victoria. Sure, the decor could use a refresh, but it kicks Don Mee's rear end if we had to compare locally.
The Good:
- Legit Dim Sum
- Nice people
- Decent selection
The Bad:
- The 70's called and want their Chinese restaurant decor back
- Some items were pricier than usual
As much as I would love to blog exclusively the best restaurants in Vancouver and around the world, it is not completely practical. First and most importantly, I need to save for my kid's college fund, so eating it all away is not exactly responsible (but oh so delicious!). Second, eating like that gets a little much, unless you are some eating assassin like Mijune. So when we were in Sooke, it was agreed that we would do one inexpensive meal that didn't involve visiting a restaurant. We ended up picking up a couple of pizzas and 2 lasagnas from the nearby Pizzability.
I think this had to be one of the first times I've picked up pizza from the second floor, hence it was rather warm when we entered the place. Gotta give it to them, they were organized and efficient as everything was ready including little containers of Parm and red pepper flakes. We got one each of the Cheese and Meatlovers Pizza. So the pizza crust was not greasy, which was a good thing. However, it was also rather dry and cardboard-like. We did like how it was crispy, but the denseness and dry texture was not that appealing. There could've been a bit more tomato sauce in our opinion. The cheese pizza was pretty basic, but the meatlovers was impactfully spicy due to the plethora of sausage. Again, liked how it wasn't too greasy, but the crust was a downer.
Usually, takeout pizza joint Lasagna can be a feeble attempt consisting of noodles, sauce and some cheese. Surprisingly, we found cottage cheese and meat within the lasagna. This made it much more hearty and varied in texture. Like the pizzas, one of the lasagnas had added Italian sausage and that made it really robust and spicy. Furthermore, they did not skimp on the mozzarella cheese either. I actually liked the Italian sausage lasagna as it was good for what it was. Probably one of the best pizza joint versions I've had ever. That pretty much made up for the average pizza. Yet, who am I kidding? For the price, the food was more than acceptable and did the job especially for the kids. Not great pizza, but good enough for a quick simple meal.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Surprisingly decent lasagna
The Bad:
- Crust a bit too dry
Sometimes simple food is all it takes to keep everyone happy. Of course, that excludes fast food, not because of it being unhealthy, but rather, it isn't something new (especially on vacation). So we didn't get too fancy nor too far away from our hotel for lunch as we made our way to nearby Mom's Cafe. This place gets high ratings and is also recommended by the locals. Furthermore, it really satisfied the "family-friendly" criteria (even though our kids are completely at home eating practically anywhere).
Despite not really wanting to eat a burger, my son took one for the team (not that much of a stretch) and got the Bacon 'n Cheddar Burger with fries. Keeping in line with the theme of the place, the burger wasn't complex. It was straight up with crispy bacon and melted cheese on top of a thick meaty patty. It wasn't exactly juicy, but not dry either. It was well charred though. He was happy with it, but it wasn't as good as the one we had at Westcoast Grill. For my daughter, she went simple and had the bowl of Salmon Corn Chowder with corn, tomato, carrot, celery, onion, cream, black pepper and paprika. This was on the thicker floury side rather than being creamy. It was definitely sweet with some fishiness. This was acceptable, but could've been less thick and it could've used maybe a bit more tang/acidity to lighten the richness.
I had the Baron of Beef Dip partially because Costanza had a really good one at Route 14 the night before. Again, keeping with the theme, the version here was much more simple and straightforward with shaved roast beef on a French roll. The beef was tender, albeit more lean and meatier than the sous-vide version from Route 14. The side of garlic herb au jus was rather generic, but did the job softening up and flavouring the bread. Costanza ended up with the 2 Piece Cod 'n Chips. For a non-fish 'n chip joint, this was a solid effort. The crunchy batter was light and not dense at all nor was it greasy either. The fish itself was moist and flaky. As for the fries, they were rather typical albeit fried properly. I would've liked to see fresh cut double-fried Kennebec fries, but these were fine. The accompanying tartar sauce was creamy with a bit of tang. It could've used more white onion though.
Viv decided on the Turkey Cranberry Sandwich with house-roasted turkey breast, lettuce, tomato, mayo and cranberry sauce. Although they state that it is house-roasted, the turkey seemed almost like deli-meat (to be fair, it could've been brined, then roasted). Nothing particularly wrong with that other than we were expecting something less processed tasting and texture-wise. The side of onion rings were crunchy for the flour-battered version. We much prefer breaded, but these were fine. Overall, Mom's did the job without much fanfare. Was it better than anything we had so far in Sooke? Well no. But that isn't the point of the place.
The Good:
- Solid simple food for the family
- Okay pricing
- Nice people
The Bad:
- Chowder was far too thick
- Turkey didn't appear to be house-roasted or at the very least, it was brined too much so all natural meat texture was lost
Not trying to stray too far from our hotel and also that it was something different than our hotel restaurant, we made our way to Route 14 for dinner. Named after the street that it resides on, Route 14 didn't look like much from the outside. In fact, we would've passed right by it and dismissed it as another bar. However, looks can be deceiving as the online reviews seemed to make it sound like a solid place for the entire family. We made a reservation and thank goodness we did as it was pretty busy.
In addition to the burger (yes, another burger) that I had ordered, we had the Salt & Pepper Wings too as an appie. Glistening with oil, these wings were indeed a bit on the greasier side, yet at the same time, they were super crispy. As for the meat itself, beyond the crispiness of the exterior it was juicy and tender (not dry at all). They were well-seasoned being salty enough and of course peppery. I got the side of blue cheese dip and it provided an extra layer of creamy sharpness to the crispy wings. My Route 14 Classic Burger wasn't as a good as the one from West Coast Grill, but was still solid in its own right. It sported a 6oz fresh brisket and chuck patty, cheddar, shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and special sauce on a toasted potato bun. I found the well-charred patty to be meaty and full flavoured with bits of onion strewn throughout. With all of the ingredients, the burger ate moist despite the lean patty. Being very crispy with little potatoness left, the fries were more like double-cooked frites.
Viv had the Chicken Club consisting of marinated & grilled chicken breast, maple smoked bacon, Camembert cheese, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayo on toasted sourdough. When it arrived, we were rather impressed at the size of the sandwich. However, we found quite a few issues with it. First of all, the bread was toasted rather aggressively and it ate dry and hard. Second, the bacon was overly firm where it was difficult to chew through (yet it tasted good). Lastly, the chicken was too thin where it was barely there and ate very dry. The best part was the melted and creamy camembert. My son opted for the 1/2 Rack of Baby Back Ribs with fries and slaw. These were pretty typical of non-BBQ ribs (they were oven-roasted), but done well being tender with a good amount of meatiness still remaining. As for the Dark Matter BBQ sauce, it was more sweet than tangy or smoky. There could've been a lot more of it too.
Seeing how she always orders the most expensive dish when we go out to eat, my daughter didn't disappoint with the crispy pan-seared Lois Lake Steelhead Trout with prawn & crab spring rolls, leek soubise, sesame sauce, asparagus and mushroom & bean saute (for $27.00). I kid you not, the trout was prepared better than most fine-dining restaurants I've visited. The skin was crispy and well-seasoned while the fish was medium-rare. Buttery, delicate and moist, the fish was perfect. We were surprised to find 2 large spring rolls on the plate (would've been worth $10.00 as per the appetizer) which meant the rest of the dish was only $17.00. Good value. They were really crispy and packed with fluffy crab, veggies and sriracha cream cheese. Yummy. For the rest of the plate, we found it a bit muddled and too busy. A simple side of veggies would've sufficed.
Costanza and Elaine shared the sous-vide AAA Roast Beef Dip with crispy onions, dijonaise on French bun with beef jus. Now usually a beef dip is a beef dip, but this one was really good. Since they sous-vide the beef first, it was super tender requiring very little chewing. The toasted bun was soft and really complimented the beef (some places have firmer buns that overwhelm the beef). Loved the crispy onions where they added both texture and an extra hit of sweetness. Lastly, the jus was not the run-of-the-mill powdered stuff as it was meaty and natural tasting (not salty). They also got the Island Mussels with chorizo sausage, roast garlic, shallots, lager & cream and garlic toast. Portion-wise, this was very generous with plump buttery mussels in an aromatic cream sauce that had only the mildest hint of spice. Not sure why they served us rye bread as garlic toast though. This weird garlic toast and the sandwich were the only real blemishes to relatively good meal. Lots of choices (including fancier dishes) for the whole family at reasonable prices.
The Good:
- Don't judge a book by its cover, there is good food to be found here
- Friendly service
- Family friendly
The Bad:
- Sandwich wasn't good and rye bread as garlic bread???
- Wings were greasy
As a rule, I normally do not dine at hotel restaurants while I'm on vacation. Sure, there are the occasional gems to be found (therefore, I do eat at those places), but more interesting eats could be found elsewhere. However, there aren't that many dining options in Sooke, so we felt that convenience and predictability were the name of the game for lunch. Furthermore, we could get a $10.00 discount since we were staying at the hotel and if we decided not to get daily housekeeping. Yes, we took the $10.00 discount...
So we arrived as they were changing over to their lunch menu, but 2 of the kids wanted breakfast. My son had his go-to dish being the Traditional Eggs Benny with 2 poached eggs, layered Canadian back bacon, housemade Hollandaise sauce and country-style hashbrowns. As evidenced in the picture, the free-range eggs were beautiful and runny. The hollandaise was more buttery than tangy being rich and silky. He liked how they used real back bacon rather than ham. For Elaine's son, he had the Classic Breakfast with 2 eggs, andouille sausage, toast and country-style hashbrowns. This was pretty large in portion size as the split sausage was meaty and well-seared. Nothing amiss here and reasonably-priced at $13.00 (especially at a hotel restaurant).
My daughter didn't want breakfast and had the Pacific Fish & Chips with 1 pc snapper coated in pakora batter, handcut fries, sumac raita, slaw and a cup of chowder. For me, this was a rather interesting twist on a classic dish. Since they employed pakora batter, it was a bit thicker, yet ultimately crunchy and spiced while the fresh snapper was flaky and moist. Replacing the usual tartar sauce with a sumac raita, it really changed the flavour profile. Beyond the tang of the yogurt, the cumin really came through with a pronounced earthiness. The cup of chowder was very creamy and was chock full of veggie and clams. Elaine and myself ordered the Mountain Burger with a hand pressed patty, caramelized onions, smoked cheddar, applewood bacon, devil’s relish, lettuce and garlic aioli. This was surprisingly awesome with a well-charred lean patty enveloped by a tangy tomato relish and sweet onions. A bit firmer than usual, the brioche bun held everything together with what was a tasty burger (a la Samuel L. Jackson).
Viv and ended sharing the burger which meant we ordered a few more items including the Spiced Calamari with broken nori, togarashi, fried jalapeños, wasabi and yuzu crema. Okay, we loved the creativity here, but the dish was a miss for us. Beyond the tender strips of squid, the batter was wet and not crispy at all. Furthermore, the greasiness of the whole dish was exemplified by the nori as it was not appealing at all. This could've been good, but it needs to be tweaked. On the other hand, the Steamer Pot consisting of 1/2 clams and 1/2 mussels was good. The shellfish was buttery and prepared properly. They weren't as plump as the ones from Wild Mountain though. We chose the chorizo and lemongrass cream sauce which was rich and fragrant with a touch of spice. Loved the seared bread on the side, it was so crispy and soft. It was perfect for soaking up the broth. As you can see, the food at the West Coast Grill was more than acceptable and surprisingly reasonable in price. Loved the water view as well.
The Good:
- Beautiful decor and located right on the water
- Above average eats
- Reasonably-priced
The Bad:
- The calamari was not prepared properly
- Strangely, not enough parking for all the guests of the hotel and restaurant
While looking over the candidates and winners of the annual Vanmag's best restaurants, I noticed that Wild Mountain Food & Drink won for Victoria. Although located in Sooke, I guess it still qualifies as being in "Victoria". Low and behold, guess where I was schedule to be during the May long weekend? Yep, we would be staying at the Prestige Oceanview Resort that happens to be just steps away from Wild Mountain! Of course I went ahead and booked resos for the highly coveted tables there as the restaurant isn't very big. That also meant we had to eat at 5:00pm since that was the only reservation left for the May long weekend.
So we made the really long drive of 30 seconds from the nearby Prestige Oceanview Resort (we should've walked) were seated next to the window with a view of the water. We started out with a few snacks including the Albacore Tuna Tartare with preserved lemon and borage atop a slice of Hakurei turnip. This was super simple, but really fresh and delicious at the same time. At first, I thought the softened turnip would mean a lack of texture when combined with the buttery tuna. It definitely was the case, but the little bite still worked as the tuna was the star especially hit by a balanced amount of acidity. We also had the Halibut & Spot Prawn Ceviche served on a prawn tapioca cracker. Now this had an airy and super crunchy textural contrast to go with the sweet delicate prawn and meaty halibut. Again, the acidity was "spot" on (bad pun I know) by allowing the ingredients to shine.
Another snack that caught our fancy was the Crispy Polenta Fritters with dill pickle dip. More like polenta "fries", these were served piping hot. As such, the exterior was not greasy at all while being crispy. On the inside, the polenta was on point with its classic soft creaminess that was also dense enough to remain intact as a "fry". Trying to achieve that balance isn't as easy as it sounds because I've had one too many polenta fries that was either too mushy or too firm. Tangy, creamy and briny, the dill pickle dip was a nice compliment to the polenta. Originally, we weren't going to get the Red Fife Wheat Bread, but my son seemed a bit disappointed (he loves bread), so we added it just for him. Good decision as the crusty bread was soft and airy on the inside. It came with a creamy bee pollen and honey butter that had only a hint of sweetness.
The kids weren't super hungry so they ended up with half-orders of the 2 available pastas. My daughter had the Risotto of Grains with mushroom cream, fresh oyster mushroom, asparagus, arugula and smoked pork hock (extra $3.00 for half order). There was a lot going on with the "risotto" where the grains were firm and chewy. As much as it was a cream sauce, it wasn't as heavy as it sounded or appeared. Naturally, there was the classic mushroom earthiness at play as well as the mild smokiness of the tender pork hock. It was surprisingly not salty, which allowed everything else to be noticed. For my son, he chose the Handmade Ricotta Cavatelli Pasta with smoked Sooke chicken breast, asparagus, spinach, green olives and Grana Padano. Also with a lot going on, the pasta was firmly al dente while the sauce was pretty cheesy. The ample amount of chicken was tender and lightly smoky. I felt that they put just enough green olive in for effect that didn't overwhelm the dish.
Viv decided on the Quadra Island Clams as here main dish ($17.00 as an appie, $31.00 as a main). Buttery and super plump, the clams were steamed in an XO-humpback shrimp broth with housemade salami, komatsuna & winged kelp and Wild Mountain bread. This was an outstanding dish as the flavours were so impactful while balanced at the same time. The briny broth had some spice and plenty of natural sweetness (as well as umaminess). The clams couldn't have been prepared any better, so good. For my main, I went for the Pemberton Flat Iron Steak with smashed root veggies, broccoli shoots and red wine jus. I added a pat of Washington black truffle butter ($3.00) for good measure. Oh man, the steak was fantastic being nicely seared and prepared a perfect medium-rare. It was rested properly where the juices remained within the meat. Super buttery tender, the properly seasoned steak was further amped by the truffle butter.
As for dessert, Viv and I shared the Poached Rhubarb & Citrus Curd Tart with mint. Rustic-looking, the tart shell was firm, buttery and texturally consistent throughout. I found the citrus curd to be creamy and on point in terms of viscosity. There was a good balance between tang and sweetness. Interestingly, I thought the bits of crunchy rhubarb to be a distraction from the excellent tart itself. It did provide a different texture as well as a brightness to the tart, but it was unnecessary in my opinion. For the dishes we tried, it definitely confirms, in my opinion, the win for Wild Mountain as "best of Victoria". Mind you, out of the contenders, I haven't tried OLO, so that will be up next.
The Good:
- Quaint house, nice setting by the water
- Carefully prepared simple menu
- Genuine and kind service
The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Small place, getting a table is difficult
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Whenever I see a new Chinese restaurant open up shop (in particular, one with Cantonese Dim Sum service), I quickly visit it for lunch and then subsequently go back for dinner not too long after. Usually, there are 2 separate chefs for Dim Sum and dinner. Hence, the food can be very different in style and execution. So after a relatively decent Dim Sum experience at New Mandarin, we made reservations to go for dinner on Father's Day. Unlike the seating in the VIP rooms for Dim Sum, we were situated in the main dining room for dinner. However, much like the last time, the seating was far too tight where there was nowhere for the staff to go once everyone was seated.
We ended up going for a set menu with a few extra dishes. It started off with the 3 Item Combination Platter consisting of sliced beef shank, marinated jellyfish and sliced pork hock. This was a dinner for 6, so the portion sizes were a bit smaller. With that being said, it wasn't very big even with that consideration. Execution-wise, the items were quite good. I found the jellyfish to be appealingly chewy while still soft. It was impactfully marinated where the sesame oil and white pepper really came through. The beef was tender where the braising liquid completely penetrated. Gelatinized, the pork hock had a good rebound texture. Next, we had the Swallow's Nest & Seafood Pumpkin Soup. Despite its colour, the soup did not taste like pumpkin (which is a good thing because it can be too pungent). There was a general lack of bird's nest but the seafood was plentiful and prepared well.
Usually, set meals tend to include the smaller lobsters and crabs for their shellfish dish. Not here as the Lobster with Supreme Broth was absolutely massive. Just picking up the claw was difficult. In addition to that, it was prepared properly with bouncy moist meat that was sweet and briny. There was just enough sauce to coat each piece and flavour the included bed of wonton noodles underneath. I liked how they didn't charge extra for the noodles since it is not a surprise to pay anywhere from $5.00 to $10.00 for it elsewhere. From there, we moved onto the Marinated Half Free-Range Chicken served with ginger and green onion condiment. About that condiment, it was legit where it was mostly ginger with only a bit of green onion. As for the chicken, the skin was beautifully gelantized including an appealing layer of gelatin underneath. The meat was tender with the classic free-range chicken chewiness.
There used to be a time when the fish course would be rock cod, but that is far too expensive and over-fished, so we had the usual Steamed Tilapia with onion, cilantro and sweetened soy. I'm personally not a huge fan of tilapia because it can generally be rather mushy and bland. Well, this was acceptable where the fish was cooked just enough. It was somewhat flaky and moist while the soy did offer up the necessary flavour. For our veggie dish, we had the Braised Pea Tips with lily bulbs and wolf berries. Other than the lobster, this was one of the bigger dishes offering up tender pea tips that were still crunchy. Being cooked in a broth, they were very mild tasting (but that is the point). The addition of lily bulbs added a firm texture as well as another layer of sweetness to the dish.
We ended up adding a couple of dishes for the kiddies including the Sweet & Sour Pork and Scrambled Eggs & Prawns. Made with pork belly and served with a bevy of fresh fruit (dragon fruit, cantaloupe and honey dew), the sweet & sour pork was quite good. Due to the use of pork belly, the meat was tender with a wonderful rebound. We found the sauce balanced with a good tang and sweetness. The dish could've been a bit larger in portion size, but it wasn't too small either. Surprisingly, the scrambled eggs and prawns was decent in size and sported a good amount of large prawns. They were meaty with a moist snap. Unfortunately, the eggs were a over done with parts that were seared too much. Hence, the silkiness of the egg was intermittent and inconsistent. Seasoning was on point though.
Lastly, we had the Seafood Fried Rice topped with fried garlic. If I had to compare it to a recent version, this was much better than the one at Golden Restaurant. There was much more wok hei which meant the rice was caramelized, nutty and chewy. Also, there was plenty of seafood strewn throughout the rice. Lastly, the seasoning was sufficient enough and the fried garlic on top helped with the aromatics. It was agreed by everyone at the table that the food was above average. Prices are on the higher end, but the class of restaurant reflects that with nice decor and generally good service. However, a big issue was the lack of servers where we couldn't get most of our requests filled. It was a challenge to even get the bill. This is a real issue that they need to address.
