| rev:text
| - Made in China doesn't pretend to be what it isn't. It is cheap, fast, simple Chinese-based food. If you walk into this place expecting authenticity, then I'd say you have no experience with authentic Chinese places, because no authentic Chinese place aimed specifically at Chinese people would decorate like this.
Most of what I've tried in this place is actually quite decent. The menu contains a vast variety of dishes, and many of these are very competitively priced. This is one of those places where you can get a meal for $5 to $8 including taxes, and the portions and variety are both substantial enough that you'll feel like you're getting more food than if you spent the same amount at McDonald's or Tim Horton's.
The General Tsao's Chicken is extra spicy, but you actually get quite a bit of chicken for the price, and the dish is attractively arranged, which is unusual for cheap Chinese food. I quite like the Double-Cooked pork as well.
Seating is not the greatest, with all the seats on the side having these inexplicable "trenches" right behind the seat so that you can fall backwards into them. The tables also feel cramped. It's probably part of the intended design; the murals out front, the lighting and the entire decor suggest that they're trying to evoke a communal kitchen, . The fact that it's probably intentional doesn't make the decor any easier on the eyes or any more comfortable on the buttocks. I've gone to Mao's Kitchen in Los Angeles, which has the same aesthetic but much more comfortable seating, lighting, and overall appeal.
One of the big minuses at Made in China is the bathroom. Not only is it one of those downtown Toronto basement deals which make you feel like you're walking into a meat locker, but this bathroom is so dark and cramped that it feels extra seedy. Cleanliness is somewhat above average, but this bathroom setup has an unforgivable flaw: Men and women have separate stalls, but have to share the same hand-washing area. It's a major privacy flaw.
Made in China is a pretty decent spot for its location. If you want cheap Chinese food and don't mind travelling a bit, I'd suggest going to Chinatown on Spadina Ave., where you can get the same approach -- lots of food, $5 to $8 -- at Goldstone or Canteen. However, if you're looking for a quick, inexpensive meal around Dundas Square, you can do a lot worse than Made in China.
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