Review: Dinner @ That's Italian Express, Richmond Hill

That's Italian Express is one of my in-law's favourite restaurants, so we've been here several times already.  I've always found the service to be exceptional, and although I'm not too big a fan of Italian food (I know, I'm weird right?), I've always enjoyed dining here.

Out of the appetizers, the Mini Arancini (mini rice balls) was definitely my favourite   The veal shank, which was a special for the evening and not in its regular menu, was fall-off-the-bone tender, and accompanied by a a rich savoury mushroom sauce.  All that's missing is a side of mashed potato or polenta so I can mop up that delicious sauce.

What was ordered

• 5/5 Exceptional
• Veal Shank
• 4/5 Very Good
• Mini Arancini (mini rice balls)

Summary

• Overall experience: 4.5/5
• Food: loved the veal shank with its fall off the bone tenderness.
• Service: exceptional.
• Seating environment: cozy restaurant with less than 10 tables.

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Review: Dinner @ Richlane Chinese Cuisine (百福名廚), Richmond Hill

Richlane Chinese Cuisine has a rather odd layer for a restaurant.  It is made up of 3 floors, which I suppose is good when you need a semi-private area for small functions.

We were seated at the main 2nd level dining hall, and ordered 2 set dinners for four (we were a group of 8).

Richlane is known for its shark's fin soup, and the soup was good with lots of shark's fin.  I know shark's fin is a bit of a controversial subject due to the well documented unethical catching and release of sharks, so I normally would only have it on special occasions. 

The rest of the dinner menu is decent.  I wouldn't say it's over-the-top great, but it is not bad either.  Our total bill for 8 was only $180 with tax and tip - now that's a good value.

What we ordered

• 5/5 excellent
• Shark fin soup
• Crispy chicken
• 4/5 good
• Sweet & Sour Pork
• 3/5 average
• Fried milk
• Satay stir fry beef
• Fish fillet with veggies

Summary

• Bottom line: great for shark fin soup.  average food otherwise.
• Score: 4/5
• Address: Richlane Mall, 9425 Leslie Street, Richmond Hill (Leslie & North of 16th)

Shark Fin Soup

Sweet & Sour Pork

Fried milk

Stir Fry Beef

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Review: Dinner at Chi Star House 華星餐廳, Richmond Hill

Chi Star House (華星餐廳) is one of those small Chinese mom and pop shop that somehow is always packed with patrons.  We ate here on a Saturday night, and had to make a reservation beforehand, or  else there won't be a table for us.

When we arrived, the first thing that struck me was the number of "extensions" they have for most tables.  Add a small table and 2 chairs to a 4 person booth, and now you can seat 6!  I sure hope they haven't gone against any sorts of fire code regulations.

Anyways.  For the 6 of us we ordered 6 dishes. The general feel for me was that it was simply way too oily.  I can feel the oil oozing out of my face, which mustn't be good for my arteries!

I can't give a recommendation for this place because of the greasiness and because I don't like how they added extra capacity to the point where seating wasn't comfortable.

Dishes

• shredded salt baked chicken - recommended
• diced beef tenderloin with black pepper sauce
• steamed ground meat pancake with salted egg
• fish fillet with green beans
• fish with black bean sauce
• steamed egg tofu with shrimp

Summary

• The bottom line: mom and pop Chinese diner decent for a quick casual family dinner.  I would recommend this place only if the kitchen cuts back on their over generous use of oil.
• Score: 3.5/5
• Address: 9021 Leslie Street (Leslie & Hwy 7), Richmond Hill

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shredded salt baked chicken - recommended

fish fillet

beef tenderloin

fish

steamed egg tofu with shrimp

shredded pork pancake

Review: Dinner @ Abruzzo Pizza, Richmond Hill

The Bottom Line

Decent busy family Italian diner in Richmond Hill with generous portions. Great for a casual family night out.

What to Order

• Excellent: Pizza, Pasta
• Average: Garlic Bread

The Restaurant

We decided to dine at Abruzzo Pizza on a Sunday evening as we had some errands to run in the area beforehand. Abruzzo is highly ranked on TripAdvisor, so we're curious to see if the buzz lives up to the name.

When we first pulled into the parking lot, the sign made it look like a pizza take-out place (much like Pizza Pizza or Mama's). The parking lot also has limited spacing, and since it was raining that evening, we were lucky to get a spot.

The somewhat in-your-face red sign exterior does not give enough credit to the beautiful interior. Once inside, you're greeted by a scene of packed happy loud customers. 

After scoring a seat (we had to wait for about 5 minutes), we ordered the garlic bread, pizza, and the pasta.

The garlic bread came first, and although it was tasty and flavourful, I thought it was a tad pricey at for the amount that was given. However, that was made up by the generous portions of the pasta and pizza. The amount of toppings on the pizza was amazing.

All in all, it was a very satisfying meal.

Summary

• Score: 3.5/5

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Review: Golden Court Abalone Restaurant banquet dinner, Richmond Hill

The Bottom Line

Despite good service, the food was a let down. Skip the dinner, come here for dim sum instead.

Overall rating

• Overall rating: 5.3/10
• 2/5 for food
• 3/5 for value
• 1/2 for ambiance
• 2/2 for service
• 0/1 for hitting the spot

Time to Spend

• 2-3 hours

Recommended Dishes

• Roasted Suckling Pig
• Crispy Chicken
• Japanese style fish tacos
• Dessert: chrysanthemum Jelly

The Restaurant 

It was my grandpa-in-law's big 90 birthday, and as Golden Court is one of his favourite restaurants, we went ahead and made reservation for the typical 10 course Chinese feast with the immediate family and close friends.

It was a nice spring day, and we arrived at the plaza at 6:30pm and managed to snag a parking spot (if you have been to Chinese strip malls in Canada, you will understand what a mad house it is in the parking lot on weekends).

We walked into an extremely busy restaurant, it seems to be the "happening" place for birthday parties and such. We were quickly seated at a table near the back, after navigating amongst a maze of partitions separating the various parties.

While waiting for the food, I watched in amusement as a couple walked in, obviously on a date, sat down, and before ordering, got up and left. I could tell by their gestures with the servers that it was simply too noisy for them. If you're out for a romantic date, Golden Court is probably not the place for you. 

Despite the restaurant being worn, as evident by the clearly scratched lazy susan glass and the paint wearing off wooden trims, I surprisingly did not mind. It somehow felt that it fit into the overall feel of the restaurant. Loud, no-fuss, down to earth kind of a hang out place.

The Food

I've been to Golden Court half a dozen times before for dim sum, but this being my first dinner experience here (let alone a banquet menu), I was somewhat intrigued.I have to say, the dim sum food was better than the banquet menu. The meal started off well enough with a crispy suckling pig, but then quickly went downhill with a flour dense shrimp, overcooked abalone, and in general, overly salty and greasy food.

The only dishes I enjoyed was the suckling pig, the interested japanese style fish taco, and the definitely the fragrant chrysanthemum jelly. The almond cookies were tasty as well, with a nice chewy texture.

In all, I would come back for dim sum, but not for dinner.

Golden Court Abalone Restaurant

270 West Beaver Creek Rd,
Richmond Hill, Ontario. L4B 3Y9.
http://goldencourt.ca/

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