Step into this restaurant on a busy weekday for lunch and you are instantly transformed. It's on the lower level along King Street and away from the noise. We did not have a reservation. There is a small sign along the street in case you get lost as this restaurant is abit hidden.
I have never had my order brought to me so quickly. I had lunch with a co-worker around 13:00pm on a Thursday afternoon. It took about 5-7 minutes before flavourful steaming food came out. I ordered the Kung Pao. Presentation was definitely fusion based hence the theme of this restaurant. On a white square plate were a large single spring roll, steamed white rice, a small salad and a bowl of sweet and sour spiced chicken.
The rice was served in a cute little brown bamboo weaved basket that also had a cover. I noticed that the salad had about three pieces of boiled eggs on top. I did not appreciate that. It's either you put an entire egg or you don't. It seemed odd as it was just three tiny pieces. The salad was iceberg lettuce tossed in a delicious sauce. The flavours I cannot decipher but it reminded me of a Thai peanut sauce despite the white colour. I enjoyed the spring roll. It was steaming hot. Golden and crispy it was stuffed with vegetables such as carrots. I paired this with the packets of plump sauce that was available on the table. The spicy chicken was presented in a rice paper bowl that was edible. It was about 1 1/2 cup of vegetables and chicken in the bowl. The steams made me want to dive in without regard for the hot temperature of the dish. The bowl was crispy on the top. I could not resist breaking a piece off to taste it. The chicken was tender but not spicy at all. It was accompanied with red and green bell peppers that were cut to the same size and white onions. I found a large piece of onion with a piece of the head attached. The vegetables and chicken were steeping in flavourful juices and topped with roasted cashews. They were unsalted. In the end, the bowl sucks up the juices and makes eating the bowl delicious. The star of this dish were the four dried red chillies. I obviously ate all four. Again not spicy at all.
Chopsticks were too large. However, they provide a fork in case you can't use them well (quite handy on their part if you ask me). Dressings on the table were the standard soy sauce and chilli oil. I tried the chilli oil on its own and it was not the least bit spicy. I like spicy so I may be bias here. The bill came with fortune cookies of course.
They have a lunch special menu which I recommend ordering from as food is alittle on the pricey end here. The lunch special is at the back of the menu. There was a nice calming atmosphere with music playing in the background. I liked that it was the right amount of lighting to give a nice business feel to the place. I liked that the air conditioning temperature was set perfectly as it was a hot day. We were seated immediately upon walking in which is always a bonus. You can always tell alit about a place from the state of the washroom. It was a beautiful washroom that was clean and modern. It goes without saying that the restaurant on a whole was clean, spacious and breathable. I think this is hardly the design for restaurants downtown. This pale cuts it.
Overall, this is definitely a place worth trying. Service was good. I would visit again.