| rev:text
| - when this place first opened, they had the best congee and the best singaporean-style "lor bak go" (pan-fried diced up turnip cake). it was pre-911 back then, and i always insisted to get a take-out order to take home w/me, on the plane. it was THAT good.
my memories still linger, so every time i visit toronto i ask to go there again. but, years later, i was told that their "lor bak go" isn't as good as before, and the place gets very busy (i.e. less service). and it is true. one time, my take-home order looked nothing like "singaporean style": it had a slightly orange color in the sauce, and no crunchy pickled veggie found. the cake itself was a bit slurpy. it was just very out of range and disappointing.
even so, their other food items (ex. congee, noodles & rice) are of good quality. i remember them having these large-bowl orders of congee that cost what feels like $20+ per bowl, for at least 3-4 people to share. probably cost less than a small bowl, but, who doesn't want their own bowl of congee w/their own favorite ingredients in it?
bc i mainly go there for their "lor bak go", naturally i started to go much less since this signature dish of theirs (at least to me) doesn't taste the same anymore. regardless of that, last time i visited toronto w/friends (in nov 08), i still tried to introduce them to the good food there, but who knows they're not open until 9/9:30am or later? for a congee (breakfast) place???? business must be good for them. and it probably is, seeing all the people lined up at the door at peak hours. don't know if they take reservations, but if you have a larger party (say, 6+), you may want to try making a rsvn, or be prepared to wait for quite some time.
price-wise, it really depends on what you eat. you can probably fare under $10 (or around, after taxes) with a mere order of congee/noodle/rich dish, maybe plus a shared side dish with a partner. but chinese food is all about ordering a few things to share, so by average, around $15/pax is just about right.
|