Last night we went out for Chinese New Year. I had Chinese Pork, Bok Choy and Noodle Soup on the menu in honour of Chinese New Year but then I got invited out. So out for Chinese food I went!
I had investigated Chinese Restaurants in the area around Christmas time when we spoke of doing Chinese again for Christmas Eve. In the hustle and bustle of preparing for Christmas, picking up dinner instead of making it on Christmas Eve is a wonderful idea. However we used the same place as the year before in Halifax, the Silver Dragon which we drive right by on the way home from the Christmas Eve service at my Nana's church. It's really good but out of the way from here for regular take out. I do keep a copy of their take out menu in the car so I can order their seafood noodles for take out when I'm over that way!
So for Valentines Day/Chinese New Year we tried Fan's Restaurant. I'd read a couple of reviews and it seemed like a safe bet. The place was pretty busy but it was Chinese New Year after all. There were a few Chinese people eating in the restaurant. It's always a good sign if you see some folks of whatever nationality the restaurant is actually eating in the restaurant.
I started with a Tsingtao, a beer from China. I always like to drink a beverage from the nation whose cuisine I'm eating. It's a natural match. They claim to specialize in Northern Chinese Cuisine. The menu items were not named like I'm used to. I didn't see Almond Guy Ding or chicken chow mein or items like that but instead the items were more simply named. The menu was quite large and very overwhelming but I find that in most Chinese places. We settled on the dinner for 3 and, as usual, ended up with way too much food. They didn't have egg rolls, just spring rolls which were quite tasty. They were also quite greasy. They arrived at our table immediately after placing our order. Which was great because we were hungry.
Next was soup. The wonton filling in the wontons in the soup was perfect. We followed that with Ginger Fried Shredded Beef, Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin, Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables with Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice. It was all quite tasty. I don't like the deep fried Sweet and Sour dishes we typically get around here but this one was well done. I like to go with some basics the first time I go to an ethnic restaurant before I venture off to dishes that aren't familiar to me. It gives me a better idea of how good the restaurant really is. Fan's definitely peaked my interest to try other items on the menu. The only complaint I had is that they brought each dish out separately with time in between. So we got our Fried Rice and then a few minutes later the Stir Fried Veggies and then we were waiting for the rest before digging in. We ended up starting to eat the first 2 main dishes while waiting and then adding the final two main dishes to our plates as they showed up. It would have been really nice to have gotten them all at once.
One item on the menu that is part of their claim to Northern Chinese Cuisine is the Peking Duck. I'd really like to try it. They also do Dim Sum during lunch time on Saturday's and Sunday's. I'd love to go back and try that. They recommend reservations so they must do it well to be that busy! Overall it was a good meal and if you're craving Chinese this is a good spot.
Tonight is Spanish Paella from my Olympic's Menu. Buen Apetito!
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