Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
filled with Asian produce. At the corner of
Spadina and Dundas, the very heart of Chi-
natown, the sprawling
Dragon City
shop-
ping mall gives you a quick shot of its flavor,
with stores selling Chinese preserves (cut-
tlefish, lemon ginger, whole mango, gin-
seng, and antler) and other food; the food
court here features a full Pan-Asian spec-
trum of Korean, Indonesian, Chinese, and
Japanese cuisine.
If finding a good meal in this Chinatown
is a daunting task, it's only because there
are too many choices. (Add the more recent
Vietnamese and Thai contenders and you
may be more bewildered than ever.)
Despite the sometimes-kitschy plastic Bud-
dha decor,
Happy Seven
(358 Spadina
Ave.;
&
416/971-9820
) is widely acknowl-
edged as one of the best kitchens in China-
town—and as you'd guess from the number
of fish tanks around the dining room, sea-
food dishes are its specialty. Portions are
extremely generous. Seafood is also promi-
nent on the Cantonese-style menu down
the street at the veteran
Lee Garden
(331
Spadina Ave.;
&
416/593-9524
), but they
also serve some brilliant tofu dishes, and
the signature dish is fork-tender “grandfa-
ther- smoked” chicken with honey and ses-
ame seeds. There are always long queues
out in front of
Sang Ho
(536 Dundas St.;
&
416/596-1685
), where the lovely dining
room has several teeming aquariums;
check out the daily specials on the wall-
mounted boards.
If casual, cheap eateries are more your
target, try
Goldstone Noodle House
(266
Spadina Ave.;
&
416/596-9053
). It may look
like a hole in the wall, but for flavorful classics
like fried rice, salted fish, barbecue pork, and
noodle soups, it's a winner. For wonderful
authentic northern Chinese buns, noodles,
and dumplings, the tiny basement-level
cafe
Mother's Dumplings
(79 Huron St.;
&
416/217-2008
) can't be beat.
(
Toronto International (30km/19 miles).
L
$$$
Le Royal Meridien King
Edward,
37 King St. E (
&
800/543-4300
or
416/863-9700; www.starwoodhotels.com).
$$
The Drake Hotel
, 1150 Queen St. W
(
&
416/531-5042;
www.thedrakehotel.ca).
