Tag Archives: chinese

Fortune Garden

Fortune Garden Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoOur boss took us to Fortune Garden for lunch. We ordered a bunch of dishes to share. It’s a mid sized restaurant with a very simple boxy layout. Since we’ve returned several times, this posts included review from several visits.

 

idearabbit_fortunegarden1 idearabbit_fortunegarden2Tea is not complimentary! I didn’t know the first time, but the second time we went with 2 persons, it was $1.60, so not sure if it’s $1.60/pot or $0.80/person.
idearabbit_fortunegarden10Steamed Scallop and Prawn Dumplings $5.75

Yum!! I love this! So did my co-worker. The prawns and scallops were juicy and plumpy. A big thumbs up. Would love to just order a bunch of these, lol.

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Xiaolongbao $5.75

Served in a small bamboo steaming basket, there were 4 pieces of dumpling inside. Unlike some places that don’t seem to have enough juice inside, this one was pretty good. One who loved them also complimented on them.

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Fortune Garden Special Chow Mein $14.25

A fairly large portion with lots of plumpy, fresh ingredients. I LOVE crispy chow mein, and it’s surprisingly hard to find as not every Chinese restaurants offer them. This had to be one of the best ones. Not too salty – perfect for me. I would love to order just this for my ‘take-out’ lunch for myself next time. The second time we ordered though, there weren’t that much sauce, and it wasn’t that crispy. My boss was disappointed the second time.

idearabbit_fortunegarden8Rice Flour Roll in Soy Sauce $6.75

My co-worker liked this one after trying it for the first time. Simple, but filling, and with some added chili sauce to spice it up a bit, it’s pretty good. She always orders this every time we go back.

idearabbit_fortunegarden5Greens

Every Chinese restaurant has this dish, and every time, I wish I had knives to cut them into bit-size pieces. Still, the veggie is great. Nothing special as it’s just steamed without added flavouring, but it’s nice to take a break from the overly savourly dishes. It also goes great with just about every sauce from other dishes.

Lunch Menu below: (sorry for the flash in some areas!)

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Taste: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot

Kirin Seafood Restaurant at CitySquare

Kirin Seafood Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - ZomatoKnown for high quality Chinese food, I was excited to try this place for our co-worker’s farewell feast. It was the first time that I had been to a restaurant where they placed seat covers on each chair. Kept the coats on our seats clean and maybe protect it from greasy smells.

Service was excellent. My co-worker told me that when the hot water and tea pot were separate, it meant that they were a Cantonese restaurant. We were all offered individual hot wet towels to clean our hands. Every time our plates became full and ‘used’, it was replaced with a clean one. The interior was decorated nicely and the lively atmosphere created excitement for the food to arrive.

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Covers on seatsidearabbit_kirin_citysquare4

Even the tea pots have nice place mats.idearabbit_kirin_citysquare3 idearabbit_kirin_citysquare2

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare13 The main was the Lobster. It was difficult to eat as the shell was on it… I suppose this is how it is in Asian dishes, but I’m not a fan of using the hands and trying to peck at it like some vulture with the chopsticks in my other hand, especially for a high-end restaurant. I know that Sheepie isn’t fond of this style either, but I guess it’s the culture. For that reason, I picked up parts that had the meat already exposed and very little shell to pick through. It had a creamy sauce which were quite bland. The lobsters came mixed with noodles. Even though I love noodles, this felt almost like having linguine in a really bland alfredo sauce. I am not sure if it’s the clash with the idea that it reminded me of Italian food, that I didn’t really find the flavour captivating, or I’m starting to find that maybe I don’t lean towards noodles in really thick sauce (like Korean’s Jajangmyeon), I didn’t eat much of it. idearabbit_kirin_citysquare15However, the lobster was plumpy, and there were quite a bit of good chunks of meat. The co-worker who was leaving loved it as he was a huge lobster fan.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare10Spring Rolls $5 (2 rols) were crispy and average.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare11The deep fried flaky spring rolls were creamy, yet light in flavour. Despite my comment for creamy sauce above, I did very much like the contrast of the crispy outer case and the creamy inside. Very good! (sorry I don’t know the exact names…I didn’t order them, and I’m still not good with Chinese cuisine names… T_T If anyone knows, please let me know! Thanks!)

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare6Squid Calamari was super crispy, though a bit chewy, and the portion was a bit smaller than other places I’ve been to.

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Green beans had a delicate, but richer flavour. However, I did agree with one staff that it was way too salty. It would go great with plain rice.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare12The Pancakes weren’t rubbery, and it was fresh. Cut up into pieces, which made it easier to eat.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare7Rice Roll $5.38 were smaller in portion compared to other Chinese restaurants, but were quite tasty.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare9Shrimp Dumplings were hot, tasty and delicious.

idearabbit_kirin_citysquare8Fresh greens! I do have a pet peeve of how this dish is severed everywhere. Most often, it’s hard to chew off a bite from these… I wish they’d cut them into 3 sections, allowing for better table manners. Other than the Flaky Spring Rolls, nothing really jumped out at me. One staff told me that it was much better before and that she wasn’t that impressed this time.

With many other pretty good Chinese places that I’ve discovered for much cheaper, I don’t think I’d return with my own wallet.

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot

Lin Chinese Cuisine

Click to add a blog post for Lin Chinese Cuisine on ZomatoFor lunch, I was craving some Chinese, so I remembered walking by a sandwich board (yes! they work!) whenever I pass by that area. So I thought to give the place a try.
I ordered the Beef & Broccoli under the Lunch Special menu. All sets are $7.99 and comes with rice and your choice of soup; either Hot & Sour or Chicken Corn. I looooooooove hot and sour, but my stomach can’t handle spicy stuff the past few years, so I opted for Chicken Corn.

idearabbit-lins1I went in, and the place was really busy. There were 4 servers running around taking orders and maneuvering the dishes to the tables. The lady took my order, and my total  came to $9.40. I thought there was some mistake, but the gentleman after me also ordered something off the Lunch Special menu and the staff also told him $9.40. GST as far as I know is only 5% – that’s 40 cents. So I wonder if their pricing has gone up to $8.99 instead and their menu hasn’t been updated for some reason. Otherwise, the only explanation I could come up with is that there is a 13% tip or service charge added. If anyone know why, please let me know. I will like to inquire about it next time. I know it’s not a huge difference, but still.

idearabbit-lins2 idearabbit-lins3Either way, it was a good price. The sauce for the beef and broccoli was very tasty and really went well with the white rice. The beef was soft and tender. I really don’t like fatty meat, and I was worried there might be with a cheap dish, but the beef was quite good. With the high cost of meat (especially beef) these days, I was happy with the price, portion and quality. The soup was really good, and I really liked the smoothness of the egg.
I was really stuffed at the end, and quite satisfied. I would definitely go back again for lunch. So close to my office. I would however, next time call ahead so I don’t have to wait there long…it’s busy, so give it at least 15 minutes. The lady kept shouting Chinese to me, actually, the first time, I didn’t even know she was talking to me cuz I thought she was talking to the other staff. They’re multitasking, so I had no idea. Every time she did, I looked at her with a blank expression, finally, she remembered that I don’t understand Chinese.
The sandwich board is pretty worn out, and it’s a bit of a hole in the wall, but the interior isn’t too bad. They have about 3 steps at the entrance, so it’s not wheelchair accessible unless you have someone able to help you – though it is tight, space wise too.

Second Time

idearabbit_lin4This time, I ordered the Shanghai Style Chow Mein $10.99. Again it was a pretty good portion and tasty.

*Note: Actual prices are higher than indicated on Zomato or their take out menu.

Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot    Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrotcarrot

Atmosphere:  carrotcarrot   Service:  carrotcarrot
Location: carrotcarrotcarrot