somemale

Sorry to go a bit off-topic here, but how is Hashimoto compared to Sushi Kaji? I went to Sushi Kaji a month ago and was planning on just going back there. I am a bit skeptical and doubt I would find anything better in the Toronto area.

Living in Toronto we are blessed with delicious Chinese food everywhere! I lived in NYC for 3-4 years, and trust me, you can't get a decent chinese meal anywhere! The few dim sum places that do stand out for me are: Lai Wah Heen - Again like everyone says, good if you got the cash and want something a bit different (fine dining dim sum?!). However for those of you who have been to Hong Kong and eaten at Victoria Harbour knows that theres no way Lai Wah Heen can even compare! Pearl - It is expensive for what you are eating, but its at Queens Quay and has a nice view of the lake, so expect to pay a lil more. Great quality dim sum though. Sam Woo - If someone where to ask me what the 'best' dim sum place in Toronto is, I would say here. Its not too expensive, its not too noisey and hectic as other places. It's just great dim sum. Had 1 or 2 service issues in the past, but there's no way that would stop me from coming to this place. The dim sum is too good.

Having lived in Hong Kong for about 12 years (88-00), there are certain places that I MUST visit every time I go back. I thought I'd share some of these places in this thread. *last trip to HK was for a week back in March2006 Victoria harbour seafood resaurant (read above post) Chuk Yuen Seafood restaurant - Not sure of the exact address, but there are a few branches for this place. My favorite is definitely the Happy Valley location, It's right opposite the race course, close by the tram station. This place is interesting as it offers Free OJ or SugarCane juice, weird but kinda cool. I wouldnt really recommend anything else here except for Seafood. It has live tanks where you can go out and pick which items you want. The only thing that is a MUST when you come here is the Cheese Long Ha (lobster). Its basically a creamy cheese/butter sauce (very thick) stir fried lobster. A lot of other places, even here in North america, try and do this kind of dish. No where comes close to this place. Conrad Hotel Nicholinis Sunday Buffet - One of the more expensive buffets in HK I believe, close to $500HKD per head, but this place is really something special. The selection isnt the largest, but everything is high quality. There is also a menu where you order a 'main course'. Im usually too full to order this, so I usually just get it to go (they aren't supposed to let you, but if you ask nicely it shouldn't be a problem). Delicious Kitchen - Again since I don't live in HK anymore I forgot all the streets! But its in Causewaybay opposite what used to be Daimaru. You recognize this place cause there is a sign outside which is a Cow/Bull dressed in an apron holding the menu I believe. This place is always my favorite because of the Pai Gu Cai Fan (sweet pork cutlet, vegetable rice). Its basically a version of the Taiwanese dish, but for some reason they always seem to do it really well here. Not too expensive, about $30HKD. The pork is always done just crispy enough on the outside and very tender on the inside. The rice is neat because they steam it with a vegetable(bok choy?). Apologies, but I need to cut this short now. Will try and add more later. Writing all this and thinking about these places really puts a tear in my eye! Damn I miss HK!

Having been to both locations many times, I have come to this conclusion: Citic Centre for Dim sum/yumcha Sun Hung Kai for dinner. Although I don't live in HK anymore, I always make sure I visit Victoria everytime I am there, at least twice. The food is incredible, the service is there to match especially for a Chinese restaurant). IMO, you will not and can not find a better xie fen xiao long bao anywhere! People have brought me all over Shanghai to the "best xlb places" and still nowhere compares. Even the original ding tai fung in Taiwan wasnt that impressive after eating at Victoria. There is a great article in the NYTimes about this restaurant, will post the link if it still works. Although it can be pricey compared to other restaurants in HK, I highly recommened this place to anyone who visits HK. Truely one of HK's gems.