28 Days Later

On Saturday, I headed up to Richmond Hill for a Muen Yuet dinner, a celebration of a baby's first month. This particular feast also included a naming ceremony. I was leery of the distance but the combination of Toronto subway and York region buses was pleasantly quick (for public transit). Not surprisingly, Emperor Fine Chinese Cuisine sat in a strip mall surrounded by subdivisions.

Because of various dietary and other food concerns, there were actually 3 different menus depending on your table. I sat at a family-friendly one. The downside was no exotic dishes like duck but the upside was speed of service, to cater to cranky tykes. There was a recent article that interviewed the latest-it chefs in Toronto. They all marvelled at the speed of a Chinese restaurant's kitchen. Emperor was no different: dishes for all tables came out fast and continuous.

All were delicious, nicely seasoned, and tasty. A few were really just filler such as the mixed veggies, sauteed beef and spring rolls but were done well. The wonton soup had plump shrimp dumplings and a light broth. I'm always in awe of good fried noodles and rice; must be the authentic high-heat wok set-up which is impossible to replicate at home. The highlight for me was the fried chicken and the lobster. A whole bird was fried with impeccably crispy skin. The blander white flesh popped with a sprinkling of seasoned salt. I'm not usually a fan of lobster Chinese-style but this was a good dish. The sauce was mild and not too clingy allowing the lobster, toothsome and not over-cooked, to shine. There were a lot of food left but as I was heading to another event, I couldn't take any leftovers with me.