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| - Toughie, this...How many stars, and what kind of review. With only two other reviews (one paid, possibly, and the other, borderline nonsensical - SORRY!), I feel like I'm playing God with the future of a business I hardly know, and thereby the lives of folks unknown. But what of my call of duty as a Yelper?
If I may, I'll just tell it like it is: facts over fancy frivolous frothing of the mouth/pen/keyboard.
We're in town on a somber note anyway: next Wednesday marks 10 years after Dad left us, and even as we continue to celebrate his life, there's no hiding the sad tears, past and present: tears from missing a man I love and admire, my only superhero.
Our desire, having checked into town (into a very nice Hilton in Missisauga), was to just rest up:, i.e., not wander too far afield, not get too fancy. Yelp helped me locate something half a mile away; 3 stars on 2 reviews means only one thing... Do I gotta do it myself?
Upon entry, my suspicion (based on reading the 'nonsensical' review) was correct: this isn't a 'Chinese restaurant' as much as a Chinese take-out. There are 4x4 plus 2x2 tables, but the prominent display of two huge red pizza-delivery-type warmers sitting on one of the tables tells me that they do indeed live by pick-up and delivery. Still, don't judge them by THAT, right? Ya gotta do what ya gotta do to stay alive. Who's to say they don't have a budding (Chinese) Bocuse hiding in that kitchen, Paul?
Dream on.
Taking a look through their 'regular' menu sent me quickly to the 'specialty' section - these are pricier, and I'd hoped, better selections.
Here's the blow-by-blow.
ROYAL MIX PLATE ($14.99) This is your 'standard' seafood stir-fry, and decidedly the better dish. Scallops were good-sized, plentiful, and fresh-/sweet-tasting. Shrimps were almost as good: 21-26, I'd say, and 5-6 in number, just like those lovely scallops. Only knock is that the shrimps weren't de-veined. Chicken chunks and slices of char siu (Chinese BBQ pork) also filled the space, but they didn't do the dish any favors. The char siu did not taste daisy-fresh, and the chicken is more for the taste of North American palates. We Chinese leave the white meat to all the kids until their taste-buds knew better (and even then): the favored parts are the dark meats of legs and thighs. As well, we'd never really do a stir-fry unless we first coat meats with a combo of oil, soy (or fish sauce, or other such sauces), and corn starch. This coats the meat and gives it the silky texture that we call 'smooth'. They didn't do that here. Accompanying were some bok choy, slices of carrots, under-cooked onions and virtually uncooked mushrooms, and a few sprigs of snow peas: a bit of a mish-mash, you might say.
BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH SNOW PEAS ($17.99) As the most expensive item on the menu, this one set high expectations. Still, having been 'burnt' by claims of 'beef tenderloin' turning out to be tenderized unidentified cuts, I verified that this is, indeed, beef tenderloin. It turned out to be two slices of what LOOKS like beef tenderloin, with a hint of a beefy taste, but the meat was chewy for tenderloin, and not all of it could be blamed on over-cooking. I joked that this steer was a body builder that fortified its innermost loins with vigorous daily exercise routines. Man, this guy worked HARD in his lifetime! The accompanying vegetables were almost the same as the first dish, with perhaps a few more snow peas. AGAIN, the onions and mushrooms are barely cooked. Such a shame. Have these guys tasted what sliced or diced mushrooms in a hot wok with the proper seasoning can be like? A lost opportunity, for sure. Unlike 'regular' NA Chinese restaurants, rice is extra at $2.45 for a portion that's good for two.
If I owned Goldenview, or any restaurant, I'd prepare food that folks can't WAIT to come back to savor, or else I don't know that I want to be running a restaurant. Yes: many a fortune has been made on mediocre and undistinguished fare. Those are businessmen/women. If you take PRIDE in your food, you've got to aim higher.
At which point, I'm reminded by the morality tale in a movie called Big Night (Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub, Isabella Rossellini).
Sad but true.
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