Kitchener-Waterloo Restaurants : Chinese : Crystal Palace

Name: Crystal Palace Chinese Restaurant

Delivery: YES

Delivery Fee: $5 (a recent change)

Website: Link

Phone Number: 519-888-6828

Location: Downtown Waterloo (get there with iXpress)

Review: I admit that I kind of like this place. I wouldn’t touch most of the menu because they tend to use too much bad and old oil in everything (especially in their noodles). However, there is one exceptional redeeming quality about this restaurant: they serve really good Dim Sum. Dim Sum is the Cantonese term for an array of appetizers that are customarily eaten with morning/afternoon tea. You may have tried dim sum before in the form of shrimp dumplings (ha gao) or phoenix paws (a funny English translation that secretly means chicken feet).

I personally enjoy dim sum very much and, in Toronto, there are no shortages of dim sum restaurants.In K-W, you have to hunt a bit more but I have found 2 locations: Crystal Palace and Cameron. I may write about Cameron in the future but my short review of that restaurant is: they use really bad quality oil that’s probably been re-used for months (much worse than Crystal Palace), their dim sum is more expensive than Crystal Palace, and they have shorter hours.  While I would recommend Crystal Palace for food (if you know what you want and its not on the menu, you can even get them to make it for you… but expect to pay a premium) I would not recommend Cameron.

Be aware, if you’re ordering from Crystal Palace, they stop making dim sum around 9PM.

The Bottom Line: Easy to get to, student discounts (10%), and a pick-up discount (15% over $30). Nice place to go if you’re looking for some nice dim sum.

3.8/5.0

 

Kitchener-Waterloo Restaurants : Taiwanese : “Taste of Taiwan Home Garden”

I’ve had the opportunity to eat at a number of locations across the K-W area in what started as a quest for good Chinese food. I started my adventure by (what else?) searching for restaurant recommendations on Google. Although that provided me with a good starting point, I felt that many of the resources were incomplete or outdated. Therefore, I’ve decided to start my own review list of good eats with an emphasis on good taste, bang for your buck, and home delivery availability.

This list will not only focus on Chinese food and it will be updated as time permits.

The first place I would like to recommend is:

Name: Taste of Taiwan Home Garden

Delivery: YES (orders over $25)

Delivery Fee: $0

Website: http://www.tasteoftaiwan.ca

Phone Number: 519-886-3999

Location: UWaterloo University Plaza (close to the TCBY)

Review: You get great value for the amount that you’re paying. Not only are they a lot cheaper than most of the other Chinese restaurants in K-W, in this case, cheap prices doesn’t translate to cheap quality. Most Chinese restaurants in the city (except for a handful of exceptions) serve “Canadian Chinese” food; this restaurant does not. The first time I ate at Taste of Taiwan, I was shocked at (a) how much I was served (b) how cheap it was (c) how good and authentic it tasted. (For those curious, I ordered the Taiwanese Style Stewed Beef combo for $7.49 and I still highly recommend it!). Warning: I’ve sampled more of their menu (approx. 20% of it) and not everything on the menu is good. For example, I really wouldn’t recommend their braised beef noodle soup.

Not only is the food good, the service is also pretty good. Everyone on staff is very friendly and I’ve never seen anything but a smile on their face. Currently, the restaurant is still gearing up and is in the process of expanding their menu.

Menu prices range: $4.29 to $8.49 at the date of this editing (Dec. 13, 2008).

The Bottom Line: Good food, good prices, and they deliver! If you’re in the mood for pretty authentic Chinese/Taiwanese food, try this place sometime.

3.5/5