Fung Wah

Fung Wah (Chinese, 3665 Dutch Village), visited December 20. We’re guilty of pretty much always ordering the same thing at Chinese restaurants – usually Sweet & Sour Chicken, Beef & Broccoli, Chicken Fried Rice and an Egg Roll. We’re most certainly missing out, but it’s what we know we like. So, that’s what we ordered from Fung Wah. But, you know, we were pleasantly surprised. Sometimes you can’t quite tell if it was prepared fresh or came straight out of the freezer, but this stuff tasted like it had just been prepared. The proportion of chicken to batter was perfect, there were plenty of carrots in the Beef & Broccoli, and there was plenty of food to save for the next night’s dinner. All in all, we were pleased. Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning.

C9 Combo from Fung Wah

 

Pinehouse

Pinehouse (Chinese, 5640 Spring Garden), visited October 29. What a hidden gem! This was a very different take on a breakfast combo for the Halifax Asian Food Festival – a teriyaki chicken Chasu Rougamo breakfast sandwich, Chinese-style hash browns, a hard boiled egg and some juice. Amazing value for just $8.99. Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning.

 

 

Teriyaki Chicken Chasu Rougamo from Pinehouse

Silver Dragon

Silver Dragon (Chinese, 2827 Robie), visited May 6. Due to COVID restrictions, we had no choice but to get take-out, although we enjoyed our few minutes of ambiance inside this quaint north end staple. You can't really go wrong with their combos, so we went for #9 (Sweet & Sour Chicken, Almond Chicken Ding) and #10 (Chicken Soo Gai, Beef & Broccoli), both also served with Egg Rolls and Chicken Fried Rice. There was more than enough for four meals. Verdict: 3.5/5 (70%) chance of returning.

 

Combos #9 & #10 from Silver Dragon

Look Ho Ho

Look Ho Ho (Chinese, 6420 Bayers), visited September 25. We were pretty hungry so we got take-out and forgot to snap a picture. We ordered the C4 (Egg Roll, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Chicken Chop Suey) and C8 (Egg Roll, Beef with Broccoli, Beef Fried Rice). It was your standard North American Chinese food – nothing spectacular, but it was decent and enough to fill us up. We were sad they didn’t include fortune cookies, but they scored points for giving us food in reusable containers. Verdict: 2.5/5 (50%) chance of returning.

Review #27 - China Town Restaurant & Lounge

China Town Restaurant & Lounge
Variety: Chinese
Address: 381 Bedford Highway
Date Visited: Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Orders: China Town Soo Gai/Chicken Fried Rice/Egg Roll & Beef & Broccoli/Chicken Fried Rice/Egg Roll, side of Sweet & Sour Chicken to share

Taste: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Portion Size: 9 + 9 = 18/20
Presentation: 8 + 9 = 17/20
Value: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Service: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Bonus: 1
Minus: -
Final Grade: 84% (Good)

(Scoring: 100% to 140% = Exceptional, 85% to 99% = Excellent, 67% to 84% = Good, 60% to 66% = Satisfactory, 50% to 59% = Marginal, 0% to 49% = Poor, -40% to -1% = Abysmal)

Notes: We recently moved off of the peninsula, so we decided to include non-peninsular restaurants in our reviews. On the way home, we stopped into China Town on the Bedford Highway (T had never been there before). Our three previous experiences in reviewing Chinese restaurants were met with decent yet unspectacular (Silver Dragon, Mr. Chang's) or less than stellar (Jean's) scores, but we had higher hopes for this place. The first thing that we noticed was the spectacular view of the Beford Basin (hence the bonus point). It added a wonderful ambiance. As for the meal itself, it tasted pretty fresh, there seemed to be some form of curry added to the egg roll batter which was surprisingly nice, and the rice did NOT taste burnt! One minor complaint was that some of the sweet & sour chicken balls had a bit too much batter, but overall, it was a solid experience, and we anticipate a return visit or two in the foreseeable future.

Review #25 - Silver Dragon Restaurant

Silver Dragon Restaurant
Variety: Chinese
Address: 2827 Robie Street
Date Visited: Thursday, September 15, 2011
Orders: Combo #12 (Ginger Beef, Szechuan Chicken, Chicken Fried Rice) & Combo #10 (Sweet & Sour Chicken, Beef & Broccoli, Chicken Fried Rice)

Taste: 7 + 7 = 14/20
Portion Size: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Presentation: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Value: 7 + 8 = 15/20
Service: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Bonus: -
Minus: -
Final Grade: 77% (Good)

(Scoring: 100% to 140% = Exceptional, 85% to 99% = Excellent, 67% to 84% = Good, 60% to 66% = Satisfactory, 50% to 59% = Marginal, 0% to 49% = Poor, -40% to -1% = Abysmal)

Notes: Nothing particularly special, but decent Canadian Chinese food. The Szechuan Chicken was a little watery and the oil used to cook the Chicken Fried Rice could stand to be changed, but everything else was good.

Review #10 - Mr. Chang’s Chinese Food Emporium

Mr. Chang’s Chinese Food Emporium
Variety: Chinese
Address: 1304 Birmingham Street
Date Visited: Saturday, September 11, 2010
Orders: Lemon Chicken/Beef & Mixed Vegetables/Chicken Fried Rice/Egg Roll & Sweet & Sour Chicken/Mixed Vegetables/Chicken Fried Rice/Spring Roll

Taste: 6 + 8 = 14/20
Portion Size: 9 + 9 = 18/20
Presentation: 7 + 7 = 14/20
Value: 7 + 8 = 15/20
Service: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Bonus: -
Minus: -
Final Grade: 77% (Good)

(Scoring: 100% to 140% = Exceptional, 85% to 99% = Excellent, 67% to 84% = Good, 60% to 66% = Satisfactory, 50% to 59% = Marginal, 0% to 49% = Poor, -40% to -1% = Abysmal)

Notes: Both of us were impressed at the start - the taste was pretty decent, but one of the meals got worse with every bite. The plum/lemon sauce was one in the same and tasted like very light lemon pie filling. The mixed vegetables were a bit soupy, and kind of tarnished the rest of the items. The egg rolls also left much to be desired. Good service, though.

Review #1 - Jean's Chinese Restaurant

Jean's Chinese Restaurant
Variety: Chinese
Address: 5972 Spring Garden Road
Date Visited: Thursday, April 15, 2010
Orders: Combo #1 (Egg Roll, Chicken Fried Rice, Jean's Sweet & Sour Chicken) & Combo #2 (Egg Roll, Chicken Fried Rice, Jean's Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls)

Taste: 4 + 3 = 7/20
Portion Size: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Presentation: 7 + 5 = 12/20
Value: 8 + 5 = 13/20
Service: 7 + 8 = 15/20
Bonus: -
Minus: -
Final Grade: 63% (Satisfactory)

(Scoring: 100% to 140% = Exceptional, 85% to 99% = Excellent, 67% to 84% = Good, 60% to 66% = Satisfactory, 50% to 59% = Marginal, 0% to 49% = Poor, -40% to -1% = Abysmal)

Notes: We both actually really like Jean's, and usually find it to be one of the better Canadian Chinese restaurants in the city. Unfortunately, the rice was awful and pretty much ruined the meal. Simpson's quote "It tastes like burning" was the first thing that came to mind - it truly tasted of cigar ashes. Given our previous experiences, we'll give Jean's another chance in the future. In the meantime, let's hope they fix the problem!