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House of Gourmet
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese [Edit]
484 Dundas St WToronto, ON M5T 1G9
Neighbourhoods: Chinatown, Downtown Core
(416) 217-0167
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 8 am - 2 am
Fri-Sat 8 am - 4 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
47 reviews for House of Gourmet
Review Highlights
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"remember to try the SINGAPOREAN STYLE FRIED TURNIP CAKE." In 2 reviews -
"Best wonton noodle soup around, that's all you need to know..." In 3 reviews -
"Ordered: #62 BAKED PORKCHOP ON RICE, $7.50, This is def my..." In 1 review
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45 reviews in English
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Review from Yi Z.
4/12/2012
There are a million items on that menu and we were completely overwhelmed. It was actually pretty clean for a place with such high volume of traffic.
We got some jelly fish, porridge and fried noodles. It was nothing spectacular but it was cheap. -
Review from Antonia W.
Toronto, ON
4/27/2012
Several of my friends that live and play downtown like this place a lot and I can see several reasons why :
- it's cheap
- the menu goes on for pages and pages and into another menu
- it's fast
Having been there twice now, I find this place does the job for what people want in this area. I actually wasn't too impressed with my first visit here with a friend. We had ordered a beef dish, a plate of green veggies and a plate of scallops. From what I remember, it just felt like all the sauces were so tapioca starchy and that really turns me off.
When another friend suggested going here, I was tempted to say noooooo but I bit my tongue and figured I could choose something else anyway with their billion item menu. I played it safe this time and ordered fish and shrimp congee and their turnip patties. I admit, I like these simple dishes a lot better! Congee was $6 for a huge bowl full of plenty of sliced fish. The turnip patties were surprisingly good too. I love when they make it nice and crispy all around. Almost as good as Congee Queen's version, which is the best I've had so far in Toronto.
We started out with a group of 4 people and slowly grew to 8 over the night (with food ordered throughout the night) but we sat in the restaurant from 7:30 til midnight without anybody harassing us about leaving so that's a big +1. Service is prompt and friendly. and they kept our tea filled all night as well.
I'm in no rush to come back here but I'm not opposed to it anymore as I'm sure I could find some more dishes that I would like. -
Review from Zachary G.
Toronto, ON
2/21/2012
My girlfriend and I went here having high hopes as it is one of the highest-rated Chinese restaurant on Yelp outside of Markham. I walked away with the same feeling I get after visiting pretty much every Chinese restaurant in the city - meh.
We started with the hot and sour soup. I felt like I have had this soup a million times before and it is never that impressive. We also had the beef strip congee and I definitely enjoyed it. It felt like more of a breakfast food than something to eat with dinner but that may just be my tendency to associate a porridge-like soup with the morning.
While the first part of the meal was average, the second part was underwhelming. The braised duck in chili sauce was dripping in a gelatinous, goopy and oddly flavoured sauce. The duck itself was was well-cooked but you could barely taste it in all that sauce. The fried squid in black pepper didn't really seem like a complete entree. It was something that you might want to eat if you had drank a few pints but we didn't want to eat an entire plate.
This leads me to my final thought. The menu is a joke. I know this is standard for Chinese restaurants but how the hell is a non-Chinese person supposed to reasonably wade through 500 menu items? The restaurant would be far better off highlighting their specialties so that the typical restaurant-goer can walk away satisfied that they didn't make a bad choice simply because they were picking at random -
Review from Yvonne T.
The restaurant's in Chinatown survive on 1 of 2 principles - its either dirt cheap or its damn good. This restaurant has been around for over 15 years, and has recently gotten a face lift.
In terms of cleanliness (at least that meets the eye), this is probably as good as it gets for Chinatown.
Barbecued meats and a full view of wontons in-the-making welcome you into the restaurant. Strangely, there seem to be more larger tables than smaller tables. This leads to a lot of "communal dining" or "dap toi" in Chinese where you may be sharing a table with strangers.
Service here was actually quite good. The servers were swift, and were always around should you need something.
They have quite a variety of items on their menu ranging from your everyday Cantonese dishes, to dishes you'd find at your HK style cafes.
With my wisdom teeth acting up, I settled for a bowl of Sliced Fish Congee and some Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls served with Hoisin, peanut and soy sauce.
The fish congee is not heavily MSG-ed or heavily salted, which is actually a nice change. However, I did find that their congee was a bit on the bland side. Nothing a sprinkling of salt couldn't fix.
The rice noodle rolls were very smooth, but a little bit on the soft side. Oversteamed much? But they are still one of the silkiest rice noodle rolls I've had in the city.
I also ordered a bowl of Beef Brisket Lo Mein. This dish comes with its usual accompaniment - a bowl of broth-based soup. The lo mein itself was not particularly flavourful, but the beef brisket was absolutely delicious. The flavours of the five spice, anise, soy sauce and whatever else they used to marinate their brisket was YUMMY! The brisket was nice and soft and I would definitely order this dish again.
At the end of the day, we left stuffed for $17, including tax and tip.
While I was savouring my meal I noticed their lobster and crab specials. Two lobsters for $26. Their crab and lobster also come with 5-6 different preparation/sauces. I will definitely come back to try their Curried Crab!
Cash only.Listed in: Dining and Nickeling, "Chow" Away
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Review from Jasper C.
York, ON
Updated - 3/16/2012
I did notice the aforementioned "face lift" done to the dining room (upgraded cash area; new floor tiles and paint job) on my last visit, and the food was also much better than what I recollect.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/12/2012
Solo diners be warned: table sharing is a norm at his busy spot. I find the fast food menu items… Read more »
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Review from jocelyn l.
11/20/2011
Like a cliffhanger that leaves you panting for more, House Of Gourmet (someone might have forgotten to mention to them that their name isn't exactly grammatically complete...) made us vow to come back to try their other cheap and tasty dishes.
Rundown:
- Shrimp Dumplings in soup: I had them withhold the noodles; just wanted a big bowl of shrimp dumplings which were Amazing! Perfectly done...dumplings were not soggy or too soft or mushy. Huge chunks of shrimps. Soup was tasty. @$3.99, this dish is unbeatable
- Singapore-style Pan Fried Turnip Cake: I grew up eating this dish, so i have high expectations. They did it pretty well here...but not 100% authentic. The pieces of turnip cake were a lot bigger than what the dish normally would be (honestly, about 4-5x bigger than what it should be).
Most importantly, it's missing the crunch that usually gives this dish texture: Preserved radish (chai poh). Without the chai poh, the texture of this dish is pretty one-dimensional
It also doesn't have the slightly crispy glaze on the turnip cake...they should have left it a little longer in the wok
But don't get me wrong...everything else about the dish was pretty good taste-wise.
@ $5.50, the dish is pretty good. I'm not sure i'll order it again though, unless i'm really craving S'porean food
- HK Milk Tea. Wow. They really need to add condensed milk to this drink. It was too bitter and tasted a little medicinal?
Overall, a great and affordable meal... will be back to try other dishes; the menu is extensive! -
Review from Justine H.
Toronto, ON
Restaurant: House of Gourmet
Cuisine: Chinese
Location: Chinatown
Address: 484 Dundas St W
Price Range: ~$10
1: Poor
2: OK
3: Good
4: Very Good
5: Excellent
Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 3
Extra information:
*Famous for BBQ and Congee
*Lunch Special 11 to 3
*Fresh Seafood and Peking Duck special at Dinner
*Only accept Visa over $20
House of Gourmet is another Chinese restaurant located at corner of Dundas and Spadina. This restaurant is crazy busy during lunch time so get there early!
If you are not Chinese, I recommend you go with a friend who speaks Chinese since ordering might be a little difficult for you. Chinese ladies who work here will, 1) assume you are Chinese if you are Asian 2) speak really loud and fast. They are very quick and efficient (always at a Chinese restaurant) but don't expect a laid back meal at this place.
First page of the menu has smaller menus/appetizers such as congee, toast, sandwiches, eggs&omelette, snack and baked rice dishes (my fav!) Make sure to look around you and check out their Special menu on the wall.
Ordered: #8 HOUSE SPECIAL SPICY BEEF NOODLE SOUP, $6.50, This noodle soup was off of their Special menu on the wall. It had good 6-7 pieces of good quality beef brisket on top as well as some Bok Choy and Green onions. Noodles were more so like udon type and it went really well with the soup. It's called Spicy Beef Noodle Soup but it's not spicy at all! We actually asked for some hot sauce and added to the soup and it was perfect.
Ordered: #62 BAKED PORKCHOP ON RICE, $7.50, This is def my comfort food from Chinese restaurants. I believe this is more so HK cafe style food so I was surprised to find it here. When it first came, I was weirded out by the bright neon red color of the sauce cause usually it's more so orange'ish color. This came with 3-4 pieces of large porkchop pieces with few bones inside. But even after you cut out the bones, this dish is def big enough to be shared by 2 girls. Underneath all the porkchop pieces and the sauce, it's all fried rice. Not much goes into the fried rice except carrot pieces and eggs but it's so good with the sauce. The sauce was tad too sweet for my likings and it reminded me just a little too much of sweet and sour sauce but it was still very delicious.
The bill came to $30.51 for 4 adults.
Summary: This will be my go to place for Baked porkchop on rice dish if I ever miss Vancouver and their HK cafe food :) -
Review from Peter L.
10/13/2011 2 photos
We ordered two wonton/dumpling mein soups. The broth was light and not too salty. Simply the BEST shrimp wonton and shrimp dumplings I've ever had! Fresh, huge and extremely YUMMYTASTIC!
Their beef and egg rice plate and the fish fillet with corn plate were OK.
The shrimp was so good, we forgot to take pictures!
Service was efficient and fast. -
Review from Hideki K.
12/8/2011
In general, I am underwhelmed by the food in Chinatown Toronto. I find the Chinese food in the suburbs (Mississauga, Markham, & Richmond) to be tastier.
I had dinner at House of Gourmet two nights ago. A plus is that they are open til late (2am/4am). Their appetizer selection was lacking. It's a Cantonese restaurant with roast meats, is clean, and does have non-Canto dishes.
I tried a Sichuan-style spicy eggplant with minced pork, which was just okay. I wasn't craving anything Cantonese at the time. -
Review from Linh N.
Calgary, AB
8/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
We went here for a late night snack. Let me just tell you, the salted fish fried rice here was hands down the best I've ever eaten. The rice grain was cooked to perfection and just a look at it sold us because the rice was covered with a lot of egg. You would think that would make the rice mushy but it was the total opposite. The flavor and salted fish portion was just perfect. I licked every grain of rice off the plate. It's insane because you can see all the grease dripping with the massive amounts of oil being used. So bad for you but sooo good at the same time. The ung choi was decent, would of been better if there was more bean curd flavor. Apparently the congee was delicious too.
I don't give 5 stars often but this one truly deserves it! -
Review from Thomas H.
8/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
(revised to 5 stars) Recommendations:
MUST TRY: Singapore style fried turnip cake
- Chicken and Eggplant
- Satay beef/chicken in sizzling hot plate
- chicken/beef with black bean sauce on rice noodles
- bbq pork on chow mein
- bbq duck
- spicy calamari
- chicken with coconut and taro sauce in hot pot (a weird one, reminiscent of a certain bodily fluid, but tasty)
budget options:
- egg noodles in soup
- wonton noodles (with whatever)
I've found this to be the most dependable and consistent option in chinatown. And it's quite cheap. They have a happy hour period which has a discount on their already cheap food.
It's not a glamorous spot, but it really seems quite clean (backed up by no health inspection failures), which is an important consideration in chinatown.
Tons of options here. The menu is actually a bit too long. There are 2 menus and it's pretty confusing. (see my recommendations above)
House of Gourmet is extremely versatile and very fast. The service is normally quite fast.
If you're eating alone, it can be a good place to meet others, as you'll probably be seated at a sharing table when they're busy.
Bonus: Open til 4AM on friday and saturday. -
Review from Tanya A.
Toronto, ON
1/22/2012
We went to this restaurant last night for Chinese New Year. I'd found it based on reviews from this site and a couple of others, and all the positives made it seem a good bet. Any lingering doubts I had quickly vanished as we entered the crowded restaurant. To say it was busy would be an understatement! I am so glad we called ahead to book a table, and we were seated within minutes.
We ordered a combo meal which included tofu and sweetcorn soup, crispy peking duck - first served with pancakes and plum sauce, then again with beansprouts and ginger. We also had house special fried rice, Eggplant and shrimp in a spicy sauce served in a clay pot and beef tenderloin with chef's special sauce. Each dish was delicious! The rice had everything from chicken and pork, to squid and shrimp in it and the eggplant was soft and buttery with perfectly cooked shrimp. The service was fast and furious, but polite. It was very noisy and loud, but on a night like that it was to be expected. It wouldn't have made a great place for a romantic meal, but as a family with 2 kids and a baby, it was perfect. The meal came to less than 80 including tip - bargain!
Oh, and the toilets were clean :-)
We will most certainly go back -
Review from Baby P.
Toronto, ON
7/22/2011 1 photo
This is probably the restaurant I frequent the most in Chinatown, but for some reason never felt compelled to write a review until today. Sure, I like their extensive menu choices and the spacious seating. Service is generally friendly and price is good. This is the default restaurant for my family and I when we just want to grab something quick. My dad usually gets the fish congee which comes in a huge bowl. The congee is usually an excuse for me to order the cow tongue donut or the fried dough.
So why did I finally want to yelp about this place? Because today I tried their popular Singaporean-style fried turnip cake! My friend had previously told me it was good, but she didn't tell me HOW good! It's a very simple dish - turnip cake fried with pepper, egg and a shrimp thrown in for good measure. For a price of $5.25, I can have this every week!
The other common dishes - wonton noodle soup, bbq rice, congee, etc are good too, but the Singaporean-style fried turnip cake is a real stand-out.
This place is an excellent example of a well-run restaurant - it's always busy even though the seating area is one of the larger ones in Chinatown. They've got a lot of menu choices yet everything is done to a certain standard. The staff is generally friendlier than other restaurants of the same caliber. Renovation was done here recently, resulting in a cleaner, classier look.
remember to try the SINGAPOREAN STYLE FRIED TURNIP CAKE! -
Review from Diana H.
North York, ON
1/17/2012 4 Check-ins Here
One of the best places for shrimp wonton soup with noodles.. And it's cheap and great food..
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Review from B M.
Scarborough, ON
12/25/2011
This is THE place in Chinatown for cheap, delicious eats. Service is quick and no-nonsense, the portions are generous, and the food is delicious. Their menu has a lot of variety and the food is consistently good. They do Chinese fast food (wonton noodles, fried rice, etc.), Hong Kong style breakfasts, and dinners. Some things I recommend getting:
- The Yeung Chow fried rice. You can get this at tea time for $4 with a milk tea, but the portion is a little smaller than the menu option. Still, it's consistently delicious. The yeung chow fried rice here is the standard against which I hold all other places to.
- The wonton noodle soup. Big, juicy, delicious wontons. Can't go wrong.
- The (I'm not sure how to translate exactly) clear-soup (ching-tong) beef brisket noodle soup. This is the only place I've been to around the GTA that makes beef brisket noodle soup this way. Other places have a thicker, chunkier brisket -- which isn't bad -- but I like the House of Gourmet version more. The brisket in this disk is thinly sliced, not Pho thin, but thinner than other places, and the soup is less salty. I get this dish most of the time I go to HoG. Best of all, it's only $4 or so.
- The fried rice noodles with beef (dry style?): . You can get this at a lot of places, but rarely is it ever as good as it is here. This is also on the tea time menu as a slightly smaller serving with milk tea, but again, it's still really really good.
I order these 4 things about 80% of the time I go here, but HoG has a lot more to offer. Try different things because it's hard to go wrong at House of Gourmet. -
Review from Clarissa S.
2/12/2011
This place serves the Chinese food from my Canadian childhood memories.
I grew up in Scarborough as a wee one and was torn away from my beloved GTA home for California, where sadly, subpar Chinese food reigns supreme.
After spending years searching for Chinese food that satiated my childhood cravings (only coming close in Vancouver) I finally stumbled across this place on a visit to Toronto with my family.
It was like a delicious Proustian experience for me and certainly proof that Canadians just do it better. -
Review from Kent P.
2/27/2011
@Robert K. and I needed some quick Chinese before the Yelp Elite event at Augusta House (nbd) and stumbled upon this spot.
Seated as soon as we came in at a giant table and got our noodle soup with vegatables and shrimp wontons very quickly. It was acceptable. What I liked was how domestic beer was only $3! I splurged and got an import for $4.
Soup could have had more veg (I think it was only lettuce and three slices of carrots)- other than that, t'was nice.
three pats
patpatpat
ttyn!
-PAT.Listed in: aZN food ^__^ kekekek
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Review from Jennifer T.
6/15/2011 4 photos
While in Toronto, I decided to check out the Chinatown for dinner. I decided on House of Gourmet after looking at several places on Yelp.
This place had not 1, but 2 large and extensive menus! To be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the choices, but I decided to go with the "regular" menu instead of the "combination" menu. The former had cheap, and I mean CHEAP, noodles!
I ordered the roasted duck and dumpling noodles. I got 5 pieces of duck, but unfortunately, there wasn't much meat on each piece. The dumplings, on the other hand, were very good. There were way too noodles in my soup, but I usually find that this is the case for most restaurants I go, too.
My parents ordered an off-the-menu chicken and dumpling soup and a beef noodle soup. The chicken pieces had a lot more meat than the duck, but for the most part, the noodle soup was good but not great. The beef was delightfully more tender.
To share, we also ordered broccoli dish with curry sauce, which I found a little odd; there was also a little too much curry sauce. I had to scrape off the extra sauce. Overall, the food was good, but not the amazing.
The service was nice, and the decor was much better than usual Chinatown places. The owners actually put in effort into making their restaurant look decent with recessed lighting and some black panel-ed walls. -
Review from R A.
Toronto, ON
12/8/2010
I am judging this place solely on its General Tao, because its really the only thing I order when I go here. Amazinggg. Best Ive ever had, hands down. What can I say, when I like something, I stick to it.
A little too much glaze stuff on their veggie dishes, kinda makes me think of alien movies and slime...not great.
Usually super fast service, big tables that are great for groups and usually busy until about 2 am.
oh, and watch the servers if you order a pop, they like to put your straw in your can with their fingers. Eww -
Review from Jenny T.
2/28/2010
Denny Z. recommended this place to me and when I got there I realized that I've been before. This place is solid, the variety of foods they have is incredible. They have the regular authentic Chinese food as well as the Hong Kong style foods like macaroni and steak and stuff like that.
I might actually like this place better than Rol San because of the large menu. We had the fake bird's nest with veggies and scallop, a black been beef dish and chicken and mushroom rice roll - so good! I think if we go back, we would order different things (there's just so many things to try!).
We went late, but it was still busy. The waiters/waitresses were not intrusive and the service was fast.Listed in: My Favourite Places in the GTA, Late Night Eats
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Review from Kendra M.
Toronto, ON
12/12/2009
If you are looking for a wide selection of Chinese food that is quick, relatively cheap and tasty, House of Gourmet has you covered. The menu here is extensive, so you can get pretty much any combo of rice, meat, noddles, veg, etc that you desire.
The service is often very quick and the large dining room means that I've never waited for a table here.
My husband ate the tilapia fish cooked fresh from the tank. The tank filled with sea creatures might be something fun to look at (except for the icky eel on the way to the washrooms), but I personally would not recommend partaking of those offerings.
Recommended highly as a go-to restaurant in Chinatown. -
Review from Mike T.
11/3/2011
Great food at this restaurant that has a lot of variety on the menu. Late night BBQ is awesome if you are craving some roast and bbq pork.
The last couple of times I stopped by Chinatown, this is the first place we went to get a great late night meal.
However, it is kind of dirty with shady characters that always seem to hang out in front. -
Review from Marie B.
Toronto, ON
9/23/2009
Love Peking duck but live on a budget? Then this restaurant is for YOU! They have a great deal for dinner - Peking duck 2 ways + soup + 2 dishes from the menu for $42. Excellent deal. When I lived in the area, we used to go here all the time. They have a similar deal for lobster and crab as well.
You can't go wrong @ House of Gourmet! -
Review from KL M.
Toronto, ON
8/4/2010 1 Check-in Here
Probably one the largest menus I've ever seen, which is cool, but, at the same time, a bit overwhelming. I had no idea what to order, due to the quantity and similarity of items, so I just went with the combination menu.
All in all, it's good and it's pretty cheap. If you go during rush hour, expect to be, well, rushed a little by the servers. However, with the food as abundant and cheap as it is here, one does not expect great service.
Can definitely recommend it as a takeout staple. -
Review from Jasmine W.
6/8/2010
OMG EXACTLY what i've been craving!! we heard raves about the chinatown here in toronto (if you've been to chinatowns in SF, NYC, or LA you'll be underwhelmed) and so decided to park, walk around, and eat at the busiest dinner spot in the area. raised by my cantonese dad, i have specific criteria that i look for when i crave wonton noodle soup, specifically bbq ducks and fresh noodles in the window! while asian legend (a block down also on dundas) has lots of "awards" on their window and quite a few people (some chinese even) dining there, prices were a little more expensive and the atmosphere wasn't like the family style spots i was raised on.
house of gourmet, on the other hand, was perfect. lots of cantonese people chatting loudly, a butcher chopping away at fresh duck and pork, fast service and surprisingly servers that can speak english! i got my shrimp wonton noodle soup for $3.99 and they aren't joking about the shrimp - the wontons were huge and basically stuffed solely with about 4 large shrimp and just a hint of extra stuffing. the noodles were chewy but a little more broken than i'm used to and the soup was sweet. forrest y ordered the sizzling beef and chicken satay for $9.99 and the portions were certainly generous! he had a large platter of tender beef, tasty chicken, bell peppers, pineapple, and onions immersed in delicious satay sauce. i think they charge rice extra per bowl but we didn't want to waste precious stomach space and left stuffed!
lots of locals but also some non-chinese tourists in the mix - i'd definitely come back here! -
Review from Melissa J.
Toronto, ON
12/4/2008
Yum, cheap Chinese food. Yes, I know the majority of places in Chinatown are cheap, but this place is CRAZY cheap.
When I went there, I saw we had just missed the "Lunch Special" but just after that, there was a "Tea Special" that was just as cheap. Not to mention the Breakfast Special, Dinner Special, and the board of "Specials" on the wall. I feel like everything is on sale all the time!
This place has great BBQ Pork and rice dishes....so good. But I would NOT recommend taking the risk on their Rice Rolls -- mine was really dry and tasted a bit off. I'd recommend King's Noodle down the street for Rice Rolls what will change your life.
If you are starving and want a bunch of food for under $5, this is where you need to be. -
Review from Jason S.
Toronto, ON
7/20/2011 1 photo
I've been to this restaurant a few times and it never disappoints. I'm a picky eater, but I wouldn't hesitate to try everything in their menu. Best restaurant in Chinatown by far!
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Review from Paul R.
Toronto, ON
5/16/2011
Best wonton noodle soup around, that's all you need to know, and that's what awards this establishment a 5 star rating. The other dishes are good too, and fairly well priced.. but definitely try the wontons.
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Review from Andie S.
Toronto, ON
7/1/2011
Props to anyone who can actually remember the full name of this place. Not sure it's a house of gourmet, but the selection is vast and the servers are patient. I had a wonton & Bbq duck soup which was good, but the duck was a bit sparse. There are some cheap options on the menu if you just want an inexpensive meal.
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Review from Jonas B.
Toronto, ON
12/18/2010
Bad congee... quite thin, sloppy preparation, inferior reconstituted mushrooms, salt soaked chicken, old oil in the fryer stays on the palate from Chinese donuts.
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Review from Robin D.
4/19/2011
Food is quite decent, just not a-m-a-z-i-n-g. I like it.
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Review from Summer B.
Toronto, ON
8/27/2011
I am a Hong Kong born Chinese, lived in downtown TO for the past 20 years and House of Gourmet is my favourite regular joint for fair priced and authentic Cantonese foods.
Here, the menu is extensive with hundreds of variations of noodles and rice dishes. I may not have tried every single item on the menu but I have confidence that 1) your dish will be tasty and 2) the portion will be generous here. In fact, most rice and dry noodle dishes I get here are at least 2 meals for me; always have leftover for dinner or lunch the next day.
I am a noodle person and I usually go for soup noodles with beef brisket or some type of wanton/dumplings by default when I want a cheap and quick meal. Other things I normally order include rice with BBQ pork or roast pork, congee of some kind with fried breadstick/donut, any fried rice or egg noodle dishes, fried rice (I like the Malaysian seafood fried rice), fried Singaporean turnip/parsnip cake. The stuff on their lunch and dinner specials (displayed on your table) is of great value and pretty good too. From those menus, I liked the 'Portuguese' (coconut curry sauce) chicken, baked rice, any 'steak' items (I like mine cooked to medium rare). With these specials, you get the option of being served on rice or plain spaghetti, cream (chowder) soup or vegetable soup, and tea or coffee. I don't recommend tea or coffee as actually, they both taste pretty gross :) Regular Chinese tea you get when you sit down is much better. Otherwise, you can add $1 and pick any cold special drink from the menu e.g. Iced red bean coconut milk drink. Lobsters is always good too. Oh, and French toast for afternoon snack too. Like I said, most things are pretty good here. One thing I probably won't order is the BBQ duck as although it's taste and smells nice, I find there's not a lot of meat on these guys generally, more fat and skin than meat. I also won't recommend the baked tenderloin served with 'red sauce' as it's a oddly sweet ketchup sauce, unless that sounds good to you.
Also the service is good here. Although it gets pretty loud here with the staff always yelling out orders and to each other re. tasks to be done and rushing around quickly to get things done, each one of them is nice when you wave them down to take an order. I never feel any attitude and hostility like I feel at some other places (like King's Noodles on Dundas, I find the servers there grouchy and scary to talk too). Service is generally super quick (unless you order something like baked rice which take a bit longer to bake). Otherwise, it's probably an honest kitchen mistake and you can gently remind them and they will follow up immediately.
So generally, it's like a Chinese diner, good comfort Chinese food, fair and quick service, reasonable prices and portions. It's a great place considering the options here in the downtown TO area. I also like eating here because it's rather large, plenty of seatings, well-lit, well air-conditioned in the summer and well ventilated. They also recently renovated.
I highly recommend this place for casual and authentic Cantonese food in downtown TO or in Chinatown. -
Review from Jason K.
3/24/2011
- solid chinese eats
- it gives me a good feeling when a restaurant is full of people. and this one normally is. (especially those of the same ethnic background as the cuisine)
- if ever i have a craving for congee or roasted pork on rice, i'm here.
- oh and it's mad cheap - which is a nice bonus. i dig healthy competition. -
Review from Richard N.
Toronto, ON
5/8/2011
Enjoyed this tea house with the family today. Liked the food, ambience and service. The food was delish and arrived quickly.
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Review from Deanna W.
3/28/2009
Another alternative to King's Noodle and Goldstone for your HK bbq/diner cravings. This place is fairly clean and bustling with activity and throngs of hungry diners just like King's Noodle. The prices are good, they have tons of specials and they have a delicious spicy beef noodle soup that is worth trying in cold weather. The noodles are a little too thick but the broth is delicious-garlicky and spicy.
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Review from Emily Y.
8/9/2011
Lots of choices, good food, fast service, descent prices. This is the only restaurant in China town that we tried while visiting Toronto, but we liked it so much, we went back for a second night.
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Review from Rollin S.
Toronto, ON
9/15/2009
This place I go regularly. Food selection is great. Service is fast and efficient. Price is decent. Quality wise, they are usually pretty good and consistent. Just don't order their lunch specials take out - the portions and quality are disappointing. But dinning in is great. Best thing is that they open late (til 4am on weekends), and the atmosphere is clean, bright and roomy.
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Review from Elaine Y.
11/27/2009
MUST GO if you're in downtown craving for Chinese food. They have everything from congee to noodles to lobsters to roast pork. Their roast pork was reaaaally good, spicy beef noodle was reaaaaally good, and wonton noodle was reaaaally good too. And the price is cheap! What else can beat that?
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Review from David B.
Toronto, ON
6/19/2011
The place looks a bit barebones but the food is good and cheap. I can't recall what I had there but everything was pretty good. Service is fast as expected.
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Review from Raina D.
12/30/2009
It's always busy at the House of Gourmet. However, you never have to wait long for the food to come, even if you have ordered a Peking Duck! I'm a big fan for its duck though not so much for the doughy wrap. They know how to grill the duck to its perfection - crispy skin for wrapping and tender meat for stir-fry.
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