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| - It's amazing how I never really got the opportunity to eat here after all my years living in Scarborough. It's definitely a popular spot for breakfast and lunch with how you're inevitably going to see throngs of hungry diners anxiously waiting outside. However, this usually occurs during the morning and early afternoon hours, so you should be safe mid-afternoon onward. Nevertheless, if you crave a good Chinese breakfast like I do and will need to soldier through the waiting time, then it's a saving grace that the workers have developed an efficient system to go through the lineups. Specifically, you will get a number for your group and when a table with enough seats frees up, a worker will call out the number of the next group that best suits that table size. The numbers go in consecutive order, so it makes it easy to gauge how long you will have to wait for a table. Plus, the restaurant has an in and out type of atmosphere, so, even during peak hours, you should be able to get a table within 15 minutes.
The highlight for me here are the prices. They range from 1.5-6.5 dollars per dish, making Sam's Congee Delight even more affordable for breakfast/lunch than McDonald's. If you're a light eater who can be satisfied with a 2 dollar rice roll dish or a heavy eater who loves ordering multiple dishes for variety, then this is a glorious hole in the wall for cheap eats.
The caveat, however, is that the quality of the food is nothing outstanding. Despite the fact that they make their rice rolls, dough sticks and congee in house to the point of even showcasing their cooking process through windowed screens, I felt that the depth of flavour was average. These were my orders and my thoughts:
* Congee with Beef Slices and Congee with Pork and Preserved Egg: I combined these two because their base tasted the same. I believe they most likely use the same broth for all their congee varieties. There was not enough meat/egg for my liking, and you mostly taste the green onions and ginger bits. 3/5
* Chow Mein with Bean Sprouts: For just over two bucks, this dish was a steal as it was big enough to share. However, it was horribly dry since it was served without any sauce. 2.5/5
* Rice Roll with Shrimp: You get a standard plate of three rice rolls. They pre-add the soy sauce, which I didn't appreciate as I love adjusting the amount of soy sauce I use. These rice rolls were softer and thinner than what you get elsewhere, which complimented the chewy shrimp very well. There was nothing special, just your plain Jane shrimp rice rolls. 3.5/5
* Rice Roll with Beef and Dough Sticks: I was excited to try this dish beacuse it was heavily recommended on Yelp. However, much to my disappointment, there were barely any beef slices and it honestly felt like I was chewing on soggy dough sticks drenched in soy sauce. 2.5/5
* Sweet Dough Cruller and Red Bean Cruller: I combined these two because the crullers were almost identical. Unfortunately, the bean one wasn't filled with paste and instead only had a smidge of paste on the outside. As such, you could hardly tell them apart based on taste. They were crispy and fresh, so they had a good texture. They were also semi-sweet, so they didn't really cut it for me as I have a sweet tooth. Again, they were nothing special. 2.5/5
* Black Sesame and Meng Bean Soup and Black Sesame and Peanut Soup: Strangely enough, their sweet soups are on the thicker side. By that, I mean they were REALLY thick. It felt like cornstarch was dumped in during the cooking process. Unfortunately, this thickness resulted in a texture that was utterly off-putting and it seemed to have diluted the flavour. It was like eating bland ''goop''. 1/5
* Beef Brisket: This was one of the more expensive items at 6.50 dollars. The beef was tender and the sauce was flavourful. Portion-wise, you get a medium sized serving, so the price to portion ratio isn't exactly enticing. I would have loved it if it was cheaper because this was the best dish that my party tried. 3.5/5
Overall, Sam's Congee Delight is your average Joe taste-wise. You can't beat the price, so it's a great spot for those who are on a budget. However, don't expect to get a mind-blowing, gastric experience here.
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