Kung Hei Fat Choi

Chicken with Chestnut

To mark the end of the lunar year, my colleagues and I went to the Mississauga Chinatown to celebrate with a New Year's Eve lunch on Thursday. It has been a long time since I've been here, but everything looks about the same: the red gates and golden roofs, the wall of dragons.

But Best Friend Restaurant is probably new in this location as its various plaques and certificates ("King of One Dish 2010") had primarily Markham designation. One wall had a 4 panel paintings of the epic Journey To The West (with the Monkey King) but done in a comic-book style. We settled down for a multi-course meal ($88.88). It took a while for the first dish, Chicken with Chestnut, to arrive but then they came in quick succession. The meat was so-so but I really enjoyed the dense and rich chestnuts.

The seafood chow mein noodles and the fried rice with chicken and fish (an extra $11.49) were tasty but typical. I was tempted by the stir-fried goat but it was a bit tough and gamey. Faring better was the steamed fish and the mix mushroom with tofu dishes, both were soft and tender. The two outstanding items were the lobster in szechuan sauce and the pork pettitoes. The lobster, covered in sweet sauce and ginger, was a bit messy to eat. Its bed of rice had soaked up all the wonderful flavour. The pork (trotters) looked a bit daunting, large and still on the bone, sitting in a dark stew. The extremely fatty skin cover also made it an unusual sight in your standard North American meal. But once you sliced it apart, the meat inside was juicy and tender. The skin was rich but mild, surprisingly lacking that strong, earthy fattiness flavour that could be a turn off. All in all, it was a satisfying way to usher out the old year.

Qu'est-ce que c'est cuisine indienne?

Tuesday night, I went down to the TIFF Bell Lightbox for the quintessential French New Wave movie Au bout du souffle (Breathless) as part of a Jean-Luc Godard retrospective. Unlike 3 years ago, the theatre was packed to see Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo), a charming Italian-French roue who professed that "between grief and nothing, I choose nothing." It was a wonderful 90-min immersion in 60s Paris: the bistros, the streets, the cars. But what makes the film so mesmerizing is the American student Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg). She is probably the uber-pixie with her large cat eyes, chopped blonde hair, and slim figure wearing a Givenchy dress.

Afterwards, I quickly headed over to Khao San Road. But the restaurant was also packed: every seat taken, even at the bar. Yet there was a line-up of about 10 people. Discouraged, I headed further north to Queen St. Luckily, one the "Cheap Eats" places that was inexpicably closed on Saturday was open. So I stopped into Saffron Kitchen for a bite.

Though they had dishes from both North and South India, I opted for the rarer Sri Lankan dish Kothu Roti ($7.50). Inside a bowl of chopped fried roti, you find a mixture of onions, green onions, cabbage, basil, and in my case  lamb. It was a filling meal but unfortunately, one of the blander versions I've had. Although I asked for spicy, it barely had any heat. Also, the distinctive South Asian flavouring is quite muted and lacking fragrance.

Sixteen Candles

On Sunday night, the cold had let up but the heavy snow started coming down. Instead of staying home to watch the Grammys, I headed over to Lula Lounge to see a capella group Retrocity. Tonight's was a "Sweet Sixteen" anniversary show and promised to feature a wide variety of 80s songs. As such, the members ditched their usual 80s costume for formal black and white, though there were sly nods including Rubik's cube key chain, lace gloves, and "window-blind" sunglasses.

The first few songs were particular fun for Retrocity as the original singers were sitting in the audience: Martha Johnson (Black Stations/White Stations) and Lorraine Segato (Parachute Club medley Rise Up and At The Feet Of The Moon). This led to a running gag where a singer would gesture out into the audience during a bridge: "And now ladies and gentlemen, George Michael". They didn't stick to the usual hits though there were plenty (I Need You Tonight, Everything She Wants) but sang quite a few "new" material: Pink Floyd (Comfortably Numb, Money), Crowded House (Don't Dream It's Over), The Cure (Close To Me). Of course, there were lots of major crowd pleasers. Their first set ended with Bohemian Rhapsody and they book-ended their second set with their 80s rap medley and Chaka Khan's I Feel For You. It was an evening of infectious music that would have been perfect if the sound mix was better.

Break Out

Sunday lunch is usually a vegetarian grain bowl or spaghetti and meatballs, with the occasional filling Indian thali platter every couple of weeks. I decided to see if the oddly named Habits Gastropub at College and Dovercourt could be added to this rotation. The room has a definitely lounge feel with dark wood interior, high chairs and tables. In the back, there is a stage to host local music a few nights a week.

I chose the Chef's Fave ($14). Today it came with shredded short ribs and bacon along with the standard poached eggs, hash, and chipotle hollandaise. Both the ribs and bacon were tender. The eggs and hash were all right. Overall, the dish had a sweet taste from both the maple-infused bacon as well as the sauce for the ribs. It was an average brunch and for now, probably won't be added to my regular rounds.