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| - That familiar feeling...
Mandarin has been a big crowd favorite, if one would ask a diner on the prowl with a group or a family out in Scarborough, the appeal is made quite evident and rightfully so, there's a fair bit of attention that goes into the food.
The favorite repasts are all here, fluffy, meaty, golden crisp on the outside chicken balls to that fried rice that reminds you of that beautiful ambiguity of the dishes through the ages and continents. The fried chicken, if you get it when it's just put out, is wonderful!
The salmon dish was not that bad, I tend to not crave salmon every once in a while, however on an occasion that it was served, I did try it. It goes fast, so while you're contemplating it, it will run out or get dry. The "tempura" shrimp is one of the nicest offering here, you can tell that they pay close attention, no underdone shrimp in deep fried coating here, nor did I find rubbery, overcooked shrimp.
A must have, at this location is the chicken curry. It shows a great level of restraint, there are nice tones of lemon and coconut in there, the chicken is cooked rather well and there's not too much of any ingredient to spoil it, that alone keeps me coming back. Consistency of the curry from visit to visit is sometimes spotty with salt balance (some times it's perfect, some times it's lacking a bit) however the act of adding the Spicy Eggplant to it on your plate more than makes up for it.
Let's speak of the staff at this location, they are the friendliest I've found at any chain restaurant I've come across in Ontario. Empty drinks refreshed and empty plates were removed at the right pace, max time for an empty plate was 10 seconds, well staffed! They're a friendly bunch, Mr. Bai is a wonderful manager, you can find him working front staff or helping waiters out on the floor, rather inspiring.
Of course, there are gripes, during crab leg offerings, if your timing does not coincide with the refresh time, you might find yourself waiting, a major put off. The aforementioned shrimp, they should be replenished as soon as possible, an empty buffet pan is not a good sight, especially when it lasts over 20 minutes.
There we have it, four stars, if the replenish issue is dealt with, this restaurant might just be the "Juggernaut of Scarborough"
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