Monday, December 9, 2013

Review of Wang Li Si Fang Cai - Northern Chinese/Mongolian Restaurant at First Markham







Dish 1:  Classic Sichuan Spicy Hotpot

What's in it?
- spam (they printed this as "meat" on the menu)
- pig blood jello
- tripe
- intestines
- white fish
- tofu
- bean sprouts

Verdict:  I liked it. It wasn't anything new, but on a cold winter day, this dish hits the spot!

Hardcore authenticity level: 10/10. Come on guys, pig blood jello and intestines?  Ha ha ha, leave the white friends at home for this one.


Dish 2: Chinese Yam with Black Fungus and Chinese Broccoli

What's in it?
- everything in the name of the dish

Verdict:  I didn't like this dish. The Chinese Yam had a slimy texture that reminded me of my trip to Japan where I experienced the dreaded delicacy called, "natto".  Although the yam was nowhere as slimy as Japanese natto, it was still pretty difficult for me to ingest. I felt queasy after.

Hardcore authenticity level: 10/10: Chinese yam is slimy and is definitely an acquired taste.  Because of this, I give it a full grade on the hardcore scale.


Dish 3:  Chinese Curry Chicken

What's in it?
- chicken (but not much meat - think of chicken wings chopped up into four pieces. That would be the size of each morsel)
- potatoes
_ okra (surprisingly, not slimy at all)
-Green pepper

Verdict:  I liked it. It wasn't anything new, but it was one of the best Chinese curry dishes I have had in a long time. My friend's mom makes a chicken curry dish I love. This was on par with that.

Hardcore authenticity level: 7/10
In the end Chinese curry chicken is interpreted so differently by so many different regions and chefs that I don't know what is authentic and what is creative.  The same confusion applies here.


The little Chinese bread sticks were complimentary. Weird. I never ever received any dish as "service" from a Chinese restaurant, but maybe this is the Mongolian hospitality kicking in???  Anyway they were just average.  Nothing special. Glad I didn't pay for them.

Overall would I go back?  Maybe for the curry chicken...but is it worth it for $11.50?  Time will tell.



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