Come For The King

The casualties of gentrification include laundromats and neighbourhood Chinese-Canadian restaurants. The admittedly dingy China Ocean supplied myself with beef with blackbean sauce and other no-fuss dishes for years. With its closing, replacement stores bistro bar Briik and now cannabis vendor Green Merchant did not improve the area. Now, King's Chef (formerly House of Ann, formerly House of Cheung) is the only such resto left on Bloor between Lansdowne and Yonge, a stretch of road that otherwise has hundreds of other businesses.

So before both the restaurant (and myself) disappear from Toronto, I ordered a lunch dish from the location on Thursday. Despite its modest price, the shrimp with mixed veggies dish ($11.50) was a "galaxy of prawns". In fact, as I kept digging (and eating) into my order, more would surface. There were 20 or so large shrimps by the end. Along with the stir-fried veggies and liberal application of hot sauce and soya sauce from the packets, this was quintessential "big-city living (eating?)". Sure, these places are (used to be?) everywhere in even the smallest North American town. But walking by to pick up your order, that's urban, baby.

My fortune said: We must overcome difficulties rather than being overcome by difficulties.