canucklehead

Dim Sum at Lai Wah Heen was excellent - at $35 for one not too crazy pricey. The gods were in the details - tremendous jasmine tea (softly floral and subtle), the best XO sauce ever (large hand cut pieces of dried seafood), and smooth as silk service. Har Gow filling was good, but the skin was a little thick, lobster cheung fun was chock full of fresh scallops and pieces of lobster (but it felt like there was lot of MSG in the seafood paste), and the pastries filled with pork and shrimp were very fresh and crisp. The suprising standout was the tapioca pudding with strawberry compote - lush and light at the same time. I could smell alot of truffle oil coming from the table beside me - and I was intrigued by how such a strong flavor would work in delicate Cantonese food. Alas- I was on my own and getting a giant bowl of lobster/truffle/ noodles was going to be wasteful (I did not finish my lunch as it was). Definitely worth a visit.

Thanks for the link. Very interesting reading. I am thinking of trying Lai Wah Heen for dim sum lunch. I have generally heard good things - and this is the closest place for me in Downtown.

Endy', mkjr - thanks for the heads up. Can't find Amy Pataki's review online (torstar website only holds articles for 2 weeks) - but it would seem like one night at Susur should be sufficient.

Just had lunch at Thuet's and it was superb - but STEEP. $60 for one after tax and tip - but no booze. The kobe bavette was excellent and the shallot sauce must be one of the richest demi glace's ever. The portions were pretty huge and I should have done what the table beside me did - order two starters (still pretty pricey - soup of the day was $16 for carrot and chestnut puree). What about Czehoski? It opened to such a buzz and the room and menu looks interesting - but I there is very little discussion about it. I've got Susur lined for Thursday and may give Lee a check just to compare and contrast. I am posting here as I don't want to hijack the 'Splurge' thread.

I wonder if Dona Cata may have it? They have a small selection of groceries. Also - you may want to give Whole Foods a call - the stock a suprisingly large selection of latino food products.

It's my client's choice to do so, unfortunately. The weather's been great and my client's offices are at King and Spadina - so I may sneak off for lunch to Thuet's. And I hope to hunt down the best pizza in TO - something that is non-existent in Vancouver.

Thanks for the pointers - very much appreciated. I think that we have already lined up Susur and Colborne Lane sounds particularly interesting. Toronto Life recommends Doku15 - but it may be a little too fusion. Once again thanks for the help!

I am also in Toronto for the next two weeks (flying back to Vancouver on weekends) - all these recommendations sound great. What would work best for people who, though enjoy fine dining, may find multiple courses and tastings too much food (older people). In fact - what would probably work best are smaller plates (as is popular in Vancouver) - but not quite a tapas bar.

He has a little column in today's Globe on spotted prawns.

Paul B - I was going to recommend the same place - but I think they have moved. They have a branch in Chinatown - but the name has slipped my mind also!

A few of you recommended Silver Palace on Main Street (orginal Sun Sui Wah location) - and thanks for steering me right. Had dim sum there today and it was very good! 10 dim sum items - avg price was about 3.25 - pretty good sized portions too. Had two dishes I've never tried before - braised duck tongue (good!) and braised duck feet (bad!). Ha!

Is the pasta place you are talking about Anducci's? - the portions are unspeakably huge! If you are up to trying Korean, Insadong (they have deep fried chicken wings with a sweet & spicy sauce that are pretty darned tasty) on North Rd and Lougheed. A little further away is Honwoori on Imperial and Kingsway.

Had the last of the King Crab of the season last night at SSW in Richmond (pretty sure they will have crab over the weekend). Best I've had this year. The crab was served three ways, and we also had roasted squab, braised Chekiang ribs, and pea tips with abalone mushrooms. Everything was really well done. Had virtually the same menu at SSW Main St - and the Richmond branch so much better. I was chatting with Richmond branch Manager and was suprised to learn that there is very little cross pollination between the two branches. They take guidance from the ownership, but each team is free to run things as they see fit. I think the crazy competitive Richmond market keeps things at SSW Richmond at a higher standard.

sorry that I can't offer any comparison. But my informant who originally directed me to Sun Sui Wah says she likes the Richmond location better *shrug*. ← It is markedly better. Good choice

what kinda special we talking here Canuckle? ← $13.80 a pound - done two or three ways. I know other Chinese restaurants may be cheaper - but for this kind of stuff, I go to the big guys to make sure everything is okay.

HSG Kingyo Guu Sun Sui Wah is still having their King Crab Special

Great photo's! Looks like you did some serious eating (urp!). Good to see you enjoyed yourself.

What knobs. Unbelievable that this still happens.

What's the pricing? Have you had the Blue Goose BC Free Range Cattle @Whole Foods? It would be interesting to compare.

Not the service staff - certainly the Chef has moved over. And the Wind's service staff looked pissed that they left marooned at the now doomed new enterprise. I over heard the new xlb wrapper ask (in Cantonese!) as to should'nt the dinner rush have already started - to which the waitress replied that the rush seems to start later and later now. Doooooooomed! All kidding aside - I hope the new Wind owner can still make a go of things.

The menu at Wonderful is virtually the same as the old one at Wind - but there is a stronger emphasis on larger dishes rather than dim sum items. You'd think that the buyer would be more careful - but word of mouth is already at work - at 5:30 - Wind was completely empty, while Wonderful was almost already full and I could see that their reservation book was packed. But I think that Chen's xlb are the best.

Caitlin - Kirin is very good at bringing freshness to old standards. Aspargus and Scallop rice rolls, Prawns/Pea Tip fried tofu rolls, and their deep fried Smelts are highlights - they always have a seasonal dim sum sheet with good things.

I looooove the Black Forest cake... and the fact that Thomas Haas makes one is getting me all giddy. Also - Bon Ton on W Broadway will make a Black Forest cake on special order. And that birthday cake at Mosaic is good - and really cheap. You can feed like a 100 people for $5.

Went to Shanghai Wind tonight - and the owners have done it again! They have sold everything lock stock and barrel to a new team. It was immeadiately noticable - the xlb are not the same (not a good thing). They have moved to the old Bread Garden location on Cooney and Lansdowne - under the name of Wonderful Shanghai Restaurant. Things are definitely more upscale and they should give service impaired Top Shanghai a run for their money.

Stopped by NTB and got 1/2 dozen of their apple tarts. Man - do they rock! Not too sweet, no cinnamon - all apple and flakey pastry. Best warm from the bakery - they need to be warmed up a little when they get cool.