Mandarin - Etobicoke (Chinese/Canadian)

Mandarin is located at 1255 The Queensway in Etobicoke, east of Kipling. Reservations are recommended as even on a weekday lunch I had to wait over twenty minutes. AYCD pop $2.50. As with all other Mandarins it has a well-decorated interior with plenty of customers. I visited in February (took a while to get around to writing it up!) and of course there were New Year special items so I tried them first.

Har go shrimp dumplings were very good. Xiao long bao soup dumplings were delicious with soup broth inside; I have had this before at other Mandarin locations. Vegetable bun was all right but a bit dry. Mini stuffed bags (didn't catch the name) were delicious with a nice mushroom filling, and yes the string is also edible.

On to the regular dishes, grilled steak very good, tender, and well seasoned and I very much appreciate it being out for the lunch menu as some other Mandarins don't. Unfortunately the pork shiu mai were not fresh, and had a strange urinous flavor that I did not like at all. Grilled chicken was good and well seasoned, although it also had a slightly strange flavor, but not enough to overpower it. Grilled sausage was just delicious with no caveats. Peking pork was good in a sauce much like General Tso's chicken sauce. Steamed fish was good with a delicate flavor with a tiny hint of mushroom. I like the baked salmon better than I did from the other location as the sauce was not excessively sweet. Black pepper beef was quite good and another welcome addition to the lunch menu.

Spring roll was good but definitely cooked from frozen. Egg roll was alright but had a slight burnt peanut oil flavor towards the end. Golden fried chicken wings were fresh, moist and tender. Kung pao chicken was pretty good, and quite spicy with whole roasted chili peppers in the sauce. Wonton soup was good, with tender savory wontons in a light broth. Chicken corn soup was delicious and savory and I enjoyed it. Boston clam chowder was good. Hot and sour soup was good but not as traditional as most other places.

As with the other Mandarins, there is a small sushi bar. Disposable chopsticks are used, so I bring my own. Soy sauce was green-lid low sodium, was not salty and was fresh and good. Lemon chicken roll was tasty. California roll was good although it lacked tobiko. Cucumber roll was good, and chicken teriyaki roll even better, with the sesame seeds complimenting the teriyaki sauce. Spicy salmon roll was not bad, but was not really spicy or particularly flavorful. Salmon cream cheese roll was very good, with a generous dollop of cream cheese, as close to a Philadelphia roll as is required.

For dessert, red velvet soft serve ice cream was wonderful especially with cherry topping. Coconut cream pie was good but pretty much like what is available in supermarket freezers. Nanaimo bar was good. Cherry and blueberry cheesecakes were both good. Traditional goji berry jelly was good but could have been a bit more flavorful. Spicy chocolate (special), chocolate cookie dough, mango sherbet, Captain Cyclone, sugar-free cappuccino (there are several sugar-free desserts which is nice) and salted caramel ice creams were all fresh and good. Sugar-free cheesecake was good if a bit plain. Rice pudding was excellent and made with care in individual bowls topped with a raisin and cinnamon.  Weekday lunch was $18.99 and most items justified this price although the pork shiu mai I hope has been addressed. As with all other Mandarins I/we have visited, everything else was very fresh which is important for the old-school steam tray buffets where this can be too easily overlooked.

Rating: 7.5-8/10