A group of local foodies met up with a couple of equally passionate foodies from out-of-town for a late supper, yesterday night. To add some fun factor to our meal, we decided to eat, way out west, at 'The Grand', so that we can compare its food with some of Markham/Richmond Hill's finest!
Often recognized for offering one of GTA's better quality Dim Sum, however, coverage of The Grand's dinner food & service by chowhounders was almost non-existence!
The place was artfully decorated, table well spaced and the ambiance - super quiet by Chinese restaurant standard, was great for conversation!
The six of us ordered the following dishes:
- Pan fried jumbo oysters with peppered honey glaze ( try comparing with the Emperor ).
- Zhen Jiang Vinegar Pork Spare Ribs in a clay pot casserole.
- Marinated Free-Range ' Concubine' Chicken ( try comparing with Judy's Cuisine )
- Braised Bean Curd rolls with creamy egg white / tofu and Tobbiko topping.
- Pea shoots topped with shredded Conpoy and Enoki mushrooms.
- Fried Glutinous sticky rice with diced Chinese wind-dried preserved meats and sausages ( try comparing to Judy's Cuisine )
Overall, the quality of the food was more than acceptable. Stand out dish of the evening goes to the bean curd/egg white dish. Very delicate and tasty. The oysters and chicken dish were good but fell a bit short when compared with their Richmond Hill's counter parts.The oysters were less crispy and overwhelmed by a slightly starchy glaze. The pork ribs were a disappointment lacking in both flavor and crunchy texture. Compare with Judy Cuisine's version, the sticky rice was bland, lacking in ingredients and cost 25% more!
Biggest surprise of the evening was the fact that no complimentary desserts were offered. Not even a slice of oranges or a fortune cookie!! :(
For those living out west, the Grand is definitely a very nice place to have some fairly high caliber Chinese cuisine. However, to me, I am more than satisfied with the current array of fine Chinese restaurants in the Richmond Hill/Markham area.
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