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| - Located in a plaza in the southwest corner of Kennedy and Hwy 7, there is a huge population of Chinese and the entire plaza is always packed. New City Restaurant is no different. I've actually been coming here for years (well before I began Yelping) and is a reliable place for me when it comes to Cantonese comfort foods. So I thought that it's time to help put this place on the map.
New City is relatively a small restaurant (typical of plaza/strip mall businesses), the tables are separated by only enough space to place a seat. Carefully carved out aisles are strategically created so that servers can reach your table and serve your food, but no thoroughfares exist. In short, no one maximizes patron space (while still adhering to Fire Codes and evacuation safety standards) better than the Chinese! Booths line the perimeter of the establishment with tables in the centre. Typical of Chinese restaurants, they have tables that are small and round (normal seating for four in most North American restaurants) in which they will have no qualms with seating a party of 6-7. Servers are always on the move, and all of them cover the entire dining area (tips are shared among all servers on shift). You need to make the effort to flag one down when you need them... it's a cultural thing, you'll get used to it.
The entire menu is listed on four laminated cards. Most dishes are less than $10, and the portions may appear small, but they're more filling than they look. We ended up deciding on the following:
Special Baked Meals (Light Yellow Card)
D. Baked Portuguese Chicken (rice)
M. Baked Seafood with Cheese (spaghetti)
Chef's Recommendations (Blue Card)
3. Curry Beef Brisket on Rice.
Chinese-French Toast (not on menu). Taiwanese style toast (thicker than Texas Toast) with peanut butter in between, and a generous square of butter on top. Served so that the butter melts before your eyes... This will probably be the most expensive sandwich you've ever ordered in your lifetime, but it's worth it! Salty, sweet, crispy, and soft all at once, your taste buds will be firing on all cylinders and provide an explosion of flavours in your mouth. 4 stars (the dish could have had a little more peanut butter on it).
Portuguese Chicken. Not a Portuguese dish, rather a Cantonese one popular in the Macau area of China where many Portuguese have immigrated to (yes, there's a population of Portuguese in China, and they speak the Cantonese, Mandarin, and Portuguese fluently!) This is my favourite among all the baked dishes. I always get it with the rice, and have never once been disappointed. Chicken and potato a rich creamy sauce covers a bed of rice and is baked. Flavours of cumin and tumeric are evident and not overpowering. At New City, their rendition includes onions and bell peppers, which gives additional elements of flavour, texture, and colour. 5 stars.
Baked Seafood with Cheese. The seafood assortment consisted of fake crab meat, squid, and shrimps. The cream sauce was white and creamy with flavours of chicken and mushroom. The spaghetti was cooked beyond al denté, which is typical of the dish. I did not partake, but the rest of my family likes the dish and their ratings rounded out at 3,5 stars.
Curry Beef Brisket on Rice. The curry came it's own bowl and rice separately on the plate. The brisket was tender and the curry leaning towards brown, which is odd for a curry, but it was still decently flavoured. Since everyone has a different tolerance for heat, it's difficult to reveal how spicy it truly is. In attempt to compare it to something more common, say a bag of "Flammin' Hot" Cheeto's (despite the flavour being nothing alike), the Cheeto's pack more heat. I still rather enjoyed the dish. 3,5 stars.
The meals came with a drink (that's right, for less than $10, you get a meal and a drink!). You get a choice of soda pop, coffee, tea, or soy milk. We went for YinYang (Cantonese: YuenYeung, Mandarin: YuanYang), a metaphor for Coffee Milk Tea (coffee being dark, milk tea being light - the Yin Yang is the harmonious balance of light and dark). Despite the beautiful metaphor, light prevails over darkness here, the drink is really 3 parts coffee, 7 parts milk tea. This is not on the menu (just ask for it). On par with other places that serve it. 3 stars.
These types of establishments with the high noise level and cramp space, is not designed for comfort and a pleasant dining experience. They're designed for the hungry traveler, looking to satisfy their belly with minimal damage to their wallet and be on their way. These places are revenue generating machines, and people like me are not deterred, rather we're eager to help support the restaurant's quest for high turnover rates. Their Hong Kong style dishes are delicious and consistent, which makes the addiction even stronger, and the fix is never disappointing. 4 stars.
If you would like to experience more, come dine-with-me.yelp.com I'd love to have your
company... Bon Appétit!
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