| rev:text
| - Once upon a time, Eglinton West was home to a plethora of Chinese restaurants, old and new.
Dedicated old-school sinophiles had their choice of sweet-and-sour superstars at all price points. From House of Chan (really more of a steak joint, with prices to match), to China House, to Ken Fong (an exciting discovery, since it co-opted much of the late, lamented Lichee Garden's menu), to Tasty Chinese hard by the subway station.
House of Chan moved East following expropriation for an LRT station. China House was torn down to build condos. Ken Fong is now a turnkey sushi joint and Tasty was taken over by a mostly empty philly cheesesteak shop.
But if you walk just past the Allen, and a few blocks up Marlee avenue, Licheng remains.
If you're like me, and love a good greasy spoon, Licheng is promising from the outside. A bold yellow-and-red sign welcomes visitors, promising the usual regional cuisines. A banner draped over the parking lot/patio promises cheap lunch specials, which have become less cheap over the past two years.
I ignore the fact that most summer evenings, said patio is hogged by a rowdy, hard-drinking crowd.
I also ignore the fact that during the day the space itself is clogged by lonely drinkers nursing small dishes of dried chow mein noodles alongside their Domestic Bottles.
One hungry day i venture in for lunch. I order off the special menu-chili chicken, wonton soup and an egg roll.
An old, bald, squinty man at the next table tells me how he's a functional alcoholic.
I learn a lot about functional alcoholism during this meal. From his description, I wonder it it's actually a thing.
The soup arrives first. Like most of its kind, the broth tastes primarily of salt and soy and msg. It goes well with the tale of broken dreams unfolding beside me. Also with the few slivers of barbecue pork at the bottom of the bowl.
The egg roll is crispy and greasy. It has ruplured just a bit, meaning some of the insides have gone rock-hard.
The chicken is battered and coated in a decent, slightly sweet but mostly hot sauce. It would be great if the bird itself were just a bit more tender. The rice on which it is served would be great too, if it were just a bit warmer.
Maybe a drink would help.
I leave, and decide I'll order in next time.
On the plus side, my wife is a much better dining companion. On the minus side, the food is that much worse.
How and sour soup arrives hot but muddy in flavour. Moo Shu and General Tao chicken are undone by more rubbery chicken-dark meat only-I don't know if it's so lousy because of over-or-under cooking...I'm in no hurry to conduct further investigations. Or to go back.
I opt for that drink, to wash it down before the leftovers (plenty of those) get binned.
Eglinton West is a neighbourhood in transition. I only hope a new Chinese place transitions there permanently.
In the meantime, anybody know what the Tasty guys are up to?
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