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| - I'm now convinced - this is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Toronto area. Not sure of the 'Fusion' label, which sometimes raises a red flag for me - they are every bit authentic Chinese as any establishments I can think of, the butternut squash soup we had tonight notwithstanding. My wife's sister and family played host to the pre-wedding bridal families, and we were blessed to be included. The Peking duck was tasty to the bone. Other acclaimed 'best dishes' include A) The dry-roasted free range chicken, crispy and flavorful; B) tenderloin cubes, made fresh and served fancy in a nest of vermicelli - we're talking real filet mignon cut and not tenderized round or other ersatz cuts, enhanced by a great mix of baby king mushrooms and bacon bits. How can you miss? C) grouper belly in a delicious melange of baby snow pea shoots, lightly fried bean curd balls, mushrooms - my personal favorite. But there was one false note: the steamed lobster with vermicelli, magnificently presented (I took a picture, but lost it) did not taste nearly as good as it looked. The lobster was perfectly just-cooked (meaning not over - VERY tricky to do), but it was totally overwhelmed by the chopped garlic the smothered every piece. When you steam a lobster, you want to be able to taste the natural beauty of it sweet succulent meat, but how can you do that when you can ward off vampires from 100 steps? What a waste and missed opportunity! But I shall overlook that. The crowd waiting to be seated tells me that I'm not the only fan. This may be my go-to place when we're here when money's no object. Remember the special soup I yelped about in the first review? The most expensive one is $198, but since it serves 10, it's just a wee bit more than what a great lobster bisque would be in a pricey french restaurant, right?
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