|
326-328 Spadina Ave., 2cnd-3rd floor This Chinatown locale occupies the second floor of Spadina's storied landmark, the yellow Hsin Kuan building, the approach guarded by two large ceremonial lions. The cavernous Cantonese seafood palace is not intimate but it has an open-spaced, modestly formal Chinese elegance reminiscent of ballrooms from a bygone age. Spotless aquariums house lobster, Vancouver crab, grouper and bass, so the food arrives fresh. Vegetarians be warned, virtually all entries contain meat or fish. It's best visited for impressive dim-sum, served 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, but it's good for dinner outings. The menu has a vast number of entries, over 150 in total. It's long on selected seafoods, with fully two pages devoted to shark's fin ($28) and abalone ($18) for patrons with heavy wallets. Appetizers are abundant but not cheap. The deep-fried stuffed crab's claw ($3.50) is succulent and delightfully light, and jellyfish ($5) is perfectly spongy-crunchy. The soups ($3.50) are almost meals unto themselves, served steaming hot. The rich, subtle zip of the Hot and Sour soup lends spice to delicately flavoured, moist and tender Chinese mushrooms. Creamy shredded duck meat "thick soup" carries the smoky, heavy taste of duck with ease, but its heaviness lives up to the name "thick". Many dishes attest to the Chinese notion that all things can be fried. The fried garoupa fish with sweet corn sauce ($9.50) is free of oil, and unlike most grouper the fish is meaty and tender, not pasty. The sweet sauce provides a simple complement. Hot pots ($9.50) are the stars of the meal. "Assorted meat and seafood" sounds generic, but the great variety in the bowl is surprising. Mushrooms absorb the syrupy seafood juices, and the pot of squid, scallops, crab, duck and chicken doesn't taste overly fishy. Avoid non-seafood entries. The steamed chicken with vegetables ($9.50) is rubbery, sour and has an unsavoury aftertaste. The best of the chicken is drained away; what remains is virtually inedible. The vegetables are sparse and lifeless, lacking flavour or texture. The serving staff is very efficient and attentive. It's better to eat in large groups of 3-4 or more. There's a special menu for group diners, with good deals to be had on otherwise out-of-range items. The seafood variety invites sampling, so sharing dishes around the table should be the rule. Most selections are best ordered in combination, especially the soups, with larger bowls being much cheaper per person. Pass over the meagre alcohol selection for bottomless pots of Chinese tea. |