Posted by Matthew Yanko in asian, restaurant review on May 28, 2007 at 2:47 pm

Keung’s Delight
7030 Warden Ave East, Markham
905-948-9000
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and beverages: $43

Chinese food is a staple of the Canadian palate. From the smallest town, to the largest city, surely a Chinese restaurant is near by. In these restaurants there are two types of people – the people in the know and those ‘not’ in the know.

For most of my life, I can safely say that I have not been in the know. What is the know? It is awareness of an ancient and diverse culinary tradition that stretches back thousands of years. When you consume good Chinese food, it is like consuming a piece of history that has been passed down for countless generations to the point where it reaches your table.

The ‘not know’ is the dinner for twos or lunch specials that we often get at Chinese restaurants. It is the Sweet and Sour Pork and the Chicken Ball. With these things alone, which by their own right may be good, there is no sight of the history or greatness of Chinese cuisine. And ultimately, losing sight of its diversity relegates Chinese Food to the likes of the sub-par pepperoni pizza or the corner stand hot dog.

To break this mundane and often far too prevalent connotation in my mind and possibly in the minds of many Torontonians, there is only one cure, to explore and take chances on Chinese food. Sure, that can be said about any food, but nowhere is this statement more applicable than with Chinese food.

Just such a place to expand one's eating horizons is Keung's Delight, a modern, approachable and yet quintessentially Chinese restaurant. At around dinner time the restaurant is bustling with people. There may be a wait in line, but the staff is efficient, and even if the line seems intimidatingly long, it moves quickly.

I found quite a few interesting things on the menu and ended up trying four. As an appetizer I tried dough fritters stuffed with mashed fish ($5.95). This was the only disappointing part of the meal. In principle it was a good idea, and maybe it was ill-prepared, because the kitchen staff must have been extremely busy as the restaurant was packed full of people. This dish was a deep-fried pastry, stuffed with mashed fish balls. The inside felt cold, and the outside felt like a chewy and bad spring roll. The dipping sauce was a variation on a Thai sweet chili sauce, but was too sweet and too spicy for the delicate, almost mineral-like aspects of the fish paste inside the pastry.

The main course was not disappointing, but rather very satisfying. First came steamed tofu with minced pork and peppers ($7.95), arriving in a bamboo steamer lined with banana leaf. This dish was excellent. It was salty and oily, with undertones of white pepper, chili spice and garlic. The topping was quite heavy, but was acceptable because of the light and soft moistness of the steamed tofu.

Arriving at the same time was the fried rice with boiled chicken in a clay pot ($8.95). The rice was first fried with taro, hints of ginger, sesame and coconut oil, and then it was baked in a clay pot until the rice at the bottom of the pot was a crispy golden brown. The chicken was boiled in a Chinese broth, and served on top of the rice with a side sauce of sweet rice vinegar, scallions and spicy ginger.

For the main meat dish I tried chicken in a wood pot ($9.95), which was a sweet and savoury stewed chicken dish. It was loaded with whole baby shallots, simmered to perfect sweetness, along with other aromatics. The sauces were full-bodied Chinese sauces, giving a sweet nutty, soya flavour. This dish was excellent, and balanced the more spicy and oily character of the rice and the tofu dish very well.

There were dozens of things to try on this menu that I have never had before, and when I find myself in this area again, I will be sure to stop by and try a couple new dishes. The service was quick, the restaurant was clean and comfortable and the presentation of all the dishes was generally very good. Overall, I can honestly say that for trying four new dishes, and having three be very good, it was not at all a failure, but a food exploration success. And besides, the price was right.