Gung "Ho" Fat Choi

Recently, I and a bunch of my coworkers ventured out to a local Chinese eatery for dinner to celebrate Chinese New Year. Truth be told, I had been quite skeptical of this restaurant's culinary finesse, as I have visited it many times during lunch and have only experienced their "lemon chicken" and other greasy fares (dishes who usually appeal to the more Western crowd).

This time surprisingly, I was proven wrong. For once, the quality of the ingredients and great service overcame the bad image that lingered from my previous meals. With 20 of us in tow at about ($15-$20) per person, we were treated like royalty at "Mr. Ho Wonton House." Although this restaurant cannot be compared to other higher end competitors (like SSW, Granville, or Kirin), it has its proper and decent place in the standings under the "Local budget Cantonese eats" category.

Two dishes, out of about seven, stood out. Steamed scallops with black bean, soya sauce, and green onion, and lobster in cream sauce with noodles. The size of these scallops are twice or triple the size of the store bought deshelled variety. Steamed with a little bit of black bean sauce and sweet soya sauce and accompanied by a sprinkle of young Chinese green onions, the sweet, spicy concoction brought out the freshness and sweetness of the scallop, while minimizing the salty flavor of the sea. Taken out at just the right moment, the scallops maintained its moist consistency throughout without being overdrenched in water or being too chewy from overheating.

Although the cream sauce lobser dish as a whole does not make it to my recommendation of dishes for Mr. Ho's, I would certainly recommend ordering any lobster dish from the restaurant. With 2 tables of 10, the restaurant was able to find two 2-3 pound lobsters (that's really rare for a local budget eat). I was very surprised at its quality. When the lobsters were served, we were all shocked at the sheer size and good quality meat. This proves that food quality does not always cost you an arm and a leg.

Happy Lunar New Year! (next time... hotpot)