Showing posts with label glutinous rice balls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glutinous rice balls. Show all posts

Miss Fu in Chengdu 付小姐在成都 (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, June 15, 2024 by

Miss Fu in Chengdu. I don’t know who this Miss Fu is, but she sounds like a cool person I’d want to know. If the restaurant’s food is any indication of her personality, she’s spicy and you should be careful… if you cross her, you may get a skewer in the back.

Serving Sichuan dishes, I warned them that my tolerance for spice was only a medium level. And in case it was too much, I kept a large mug of peach slush ($4.99) on hand to cool things down.

You’ll find heat in plenty of the dishes including the deep-fried tofu with garlic sauce ($5.99). Served super hot, they cubes were crispy outside and soft in the centre, soaking up the spicy soy sauce. They were delicious, just watch out as the sauce will squirt out during the first bites.

Despite the sparse amount of sauce covering the dandan noodles with ground pork sauce ($8.99), it was hot! Containing the Sichuan numbing chili, they heat quickly builds on the tongue and after two bites I had to take big slugs of the slush. It’s surprisingly spicy for being listed as a one chili dish on the menu, the chilis not even mentioned in the description – it’s simply listed as containing ground peanuts, sesame, preserved mustard greens, and green onions. You’re warned now.

The noodles did pair nicely with the smashed cucumber salad ($7.99), where the chunks of skinless field cucumbers were tossed in a salty sesame oil with just a hint of chili sauce. It’s cool crunchiness even lasted until the following day.

What Miss Fu is known for is their skewers, arriving in a hot metal bowl and cooked through (this is not a hot pot restaurant). They’re served two ways: in a combo ranging from $24-$26 with enough food for two people or a la carte where you select from four soup bases ($7.99 - $8.99) and add on individual skewers ($0.99 - $2.99).

Of the two we tried, the seafood skewers in chicken broth with a medium level of heat was my favourite. The spices were just enough to flavour and cover the shrimp, fish tofu, fish cake, and lobster balls we had without it being overwhelming. Admittedly, the fish tofu, cake, and lobster balls were run-of-the-mill varieties you’d often find in supermarkets, but they were still tasty.

For those who’d rather stay away from anything spicy, the tomato soup is a great alternative. We opted to pair it with beef skewers, creating a classic tomato and beef combination.  If you order the savoury tomato soup, I suggest getting a bowl of rice to smother the thick soup in.

The beef slices were too tenderized for my tastes and the beef balls lacked flavour, but the cheese ball was interesting with a doughy exterior that’s like a fish ball filled with a creamy white cheese.

Miss Fu substituted the “spicy sauce” in the pork wontons ($7.99) with a neutral chicken broth studded with dried shrimp. It was lovely, having a creaminess that reminded me of the soup from fish noodle restaurants. The wontons are better than the ones you’ll find at the chop suey restaurants – much bigger and plumper.

Despite being stuffed I couldn’t help but have a handful of the glutinous rice balls with black sesame paste ($4.99). Tossed with soybean powder and slathered in a brown sugar syrup, they were pops of flavour and a great way to end the meal.

I’d imagine the restaurant gets busy during weekend dinners, but it was quiet during our Friday lunch, so our server had plenty of time to converse with us the explain the dishes. Given this was my first experience with Sichuan skewers this extra bit of attention was greatly appreciated. Miss Fu, I’ll be sure to give you a call next time I’m in Chengdu. 

In a nutshell... 
  • Must order: seafood skewers, glutinous rice balls with black sesame paste, deep fried tofu
  • Just skip: beef skewers

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in the mission statement, I will always provide my honest opinion. 

How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 5441 Yonge Street


 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

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CLOSED: Dim Sum Queen (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2019 by

Aside from being an opportunity to gather friends and family, dim sum is also an excuse to gorge and indulge. Steamer-after-steamer and plate-after-plate of the small bites get placed on the table… just as quickly, it seems, things disappear. Who can keep track of what actually gets eaten?

When Dim Sum Queen opened in the neighbourhood, I had my doubts about its authenticity. From the outside, it looks nothing like a traditional Chinese restaurant and even the name seemed dubious. Yet with the limited dim sum options by my place and the fact that they accept reservations (!), we tried and we conquered (the steamers and plates that is).

Dim Sum Queen does not offer an early bird special, instead, dishes are always charged at the same rate: M ($4.50), L ($5.30), and XL ($6.50). While they don’t have any dishes sized as small, there is a fair selection at the medium range (for example, most of their buns). I'd opt for the BBQ pork (M) ones over the pan fried pork and vegetable (M) as the filling is much tastier. While the BBQ pork is stuffed with large pieces of meat in the traditional sweet sticky sauce, the pan fried buns lacked flavours and needed more vegetables. Moreover, weren’t fried long enough to develop a nice crust.


In general, a lot of the pan fried items could use more time in the pan. Their grilled turnip cake with preserved meat (M) was actually made really well with tons of ingredients and big chunks of turnip, but its lukewarm temperature couldn’t do it justice. The pan fried chicken pot sticker (L) was rather run of the mill, but with the right crunch against the soft filling, it could have been better. Out of all these types of dishes, the pan fried chives shrimp & cake (L) was the tastiest, maybe because its thinner wrapper requires less time on the flattop.


The wrapper on the shrimp dumpling har gow (L) is thicker than I typically like, but the shrimp was well-cooked so it retains its sweetness. For tables with odd numbers, the shrimp and snow pea leaves dumpling (L) may be a better choice as you get a similar shrimp filling but it’s balanced by the vegetables to give it an extra texture and flavour element.


While the pork and shrimp dumpling siu mai (L) doesn't look quite as nice as competitors (lacking that pop of colour on top), it tastes just as good. Dim Sum Queen is made for those who don’t eat pork as they also offer siu mai in tangerine beef (M) and chicken shitake (L) alternatives. The chicken has a similar texture but milder taste and I rather like the slight earthiness from the mushroom. Meanwhile, the beef is in a paste form and has a springy texture – similar to the steamed tangerine beef balls but denser.


Dim sum wouldn’t be the same without an order of rice rolls, the BBQ pork (L) was tasty and contained enough filling. For something different, the vegetarian spring roll version (M) uses a crunchy deep fried spring roll, which makes for such a great contrast against the soft silky wrapper.


While the steamed sticky rice with meat in lotus leaf (L) could use more filling, for what was there, it was flavourful. 


A bowl of the shrimp dumpling in soup (L) (sometimes known as Shanghai dumplings in other restaurants) is also great during the cold weather as they’re steamed in the bowl arriving piping hot. The plump shrimp are further enhanced by crunchy black fungus slivers.


Dishes that should be taken off the menu are the green onion pancake (M) and red bean pancake (M). The dough is much too dense, especially for a green onion pancake that’s normally known for the flaky layers. Moreover, the filling in each is so sparse that they really don’t taste like much.


On the other hand, dishes you should order are ones consisting of a sticky glutinous flour exterior that’s deep fried. The sesame seed and lotus paste balls (M) made fresh so they’re piping hot. What makes them stand out is the glutinous dough – it’s rather delicate so it’s not too dense but still has a lovely crispy crust. In the sesame seed ball, you bite through to be greeted with a lotus paste that’s thinned so it has a silkier texture but still a nice amount of sweetness.


For a savoury version, the deep fried meat & shrimp dumplings (M; 2 orders shown below) is similar but instead filled with bits of pork, mushroom, and shrimp.


While I wouldn’t say every dish at Dim Sum Queen is a hit, what I love that you’re able to visit on a whim and not have to wait. On busier days (think holidays), they still let you book reservations so it’s a great option for larger tables. Having been twice, on busy and slow days, the food and service quality remained consistent.

 So, I take back my initial judgment. Maybe their name, signage, and dining room doesn’t look like a typical Chinese restaurant, but their food tastes just as authentic. 

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 3241 Yonge Street


 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

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