Out & About #251 | Foodie North

Have you ever heard of the "Eight Culinary Cuisines" of China? Based off the different preferences and needs of each region, cuisines were developed to better suit the tastebuds (and survival demands) of its inhabitants. (While I'm completely sure of the details myself, feel free to enlighten yourself by conducting some research!)

Being raised on Cantonese dishes that were largely simple and devoid of complex spices, I must confess that I really was never aware that other variations of Chinese food existed until I first encountered P.F. Chang's while on a trip south of the border. Not particularly keen of the odd Westernized twists on traditional classics, nor overtly enthusiastic about another trip to my regular Cantonese "greasy" diner, the opening of Foodie North in my neighbourhood was greatly anticipated and appreciated.

As the name indicates, the restaurant specializes in Northern Chinese cuisine. Common elements of the menu were cold, spicy vegetable dishes made with hot chilies, dumplings (steamed, pan-fried, or both), and steamed buns enveloping rectangular chunks of beef or pork with well-woven layers of fat. Trademark dishes such as Chinese Yam with Blueberry Jam (藍莓山藥泥) and Peking Duck were also present; the fact that the cost breakdown was further separated by "Regular Customers" and "Member Customers" was also very Dayali-esque.

An enormous amount of effort had been exerted to realize the grandeur that was Foodie North. The exterior was eye-catching, while the interior housed high ceilings supported by large, brick-decorated pillars, booths with long curtains, wooden benches for seats, an "open" kitchen area featuring a roof-like structure composed of slate tile replicas, and a plethora of traditional Chinese paintings and screens.
The restrooms themselves were also of very high interest to me: they replaced standard doorknobs with lion-adorned ring handles and even crafted the stalls with rivet-trimmed unfinished wood. The most creative aspect was the inclusion of modern elements such as automatic soap dispensers and air hand dryers; the implementation of modern technology in such a wholly tradition setting was contradictory, yet very refreshing.

On the note of contrasting elements, the inclusion of Presotea beverages on the menu also took me by great surprise.
We had wandered into the restaurant around 2:30 pm, amidst the heat of a series of nearing thunderstorms. The waitresses were exceedingly friendly - considering that this was a Chinese-operated establishment, I hadn't had the highest expectations for customer service so this also proved to be quite noteworthy. Immediately being seated, we were asked to place our orders as swiftly as possible as 3:00 pm was kitchen's last call for the afternoon.

Frankly, we wanted guotie, a type of dumpling also known as "potstickers" due to their method of cooking via pan-frying and steaming. Unfortunately, we were informed that they weren't available at the moment, and were asked to choose alternatives.
Being pressed for time, I opted to ask for recommendations instead of analyzing the vast selection of categories. This wasn't a common practice, so our waitress appeared a tad confused at first, but later began flipping through the menu and pointing to all of the dishes that were pictured on its laminated pages.

Ultimately, we settled for a Crispy Pancake with Chives and egg, a Stir-Fried Pancake with Pork, a single Black Truffle Xiao Long Bao, along with a Fresh Mango Grapefruit Slush from the Presotea menu.

Much to our delight, the Crispy Pancake arrived first. Resembling a hybrid of an impeccably well-toasted crepe and Shanghainese ma lan tou (馬蘭頭), this dish was unarguably my favourite of the afternoon. Skillfully wrapped within a warm, fragrant piece of thin dough was a heaping, ever-savoury mix of chives and scrambled egg. Comfort food at its finest, the 韭菜盒子 was an exemplary display of crispy delectable goodness.

Next up was the single serving of Black Truffle Xiao Long Bao. It carried a fairly hefty price tag of $3.99, but this cost was later found to be decently justified with an extremely juicy dumpling of pork, crab roe, and rich truffle aroma. The addition of a straw was also rather amusing.

Lastly, the Stir-Fried Pancake with Pork its way over. There hadn't been an image included in the menu for this item, though the waitress had stated that the dish was essentially a noodle dish. True to her description, the platter of pancake strips assumed an almost identical appearance to Cantonese stir-fried rice noodles (乾炒牛河). Upon closer inspection and gustatory examination though, its differences in texture and flavours were confirmed: the "noodles" were shorter, stockier, and denser, while the resulting taste likely yielded from dark soy sauce, scallions, and an incredulous amount of (vegetable?) oil. It was insanely greasy, thus demanding the constant consumption of hot tea. The dish earned the title of my least favourite of the three, but I probably would have enjoyed it a deal more if they had held back on the slickness.

A Fresh Mango and Grapefruit Slush had also been ordered. It was automatically provided in a plastic takeout cup, which was actually for the best since I couldn't even make a dent in our third order. As with all Presotea locations (with the exception of the horrid spot in Square One), the beverage was tasty and as fairly priced as bubble tea can be in North America. My dining partner-in-crime had also provided input that Foodie North's tea was more fragrant than that of other Chinese restaurants (ahem Summit Garden)

Foodie North definitely impressed for my first visit. I can only hope that quality and service persists throughout my future encounters as well.

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