Address: 4733 Steeles Avenue East
Type of Meal: Dinner
Like most
foodies I love a good meal, but all too often delicious dishes come with hefty
prices. So, for day-to-day lunches and dinners there’s little that’s more
affordable and satisfying than a bowl of pho or a stir fried noodles.
My go to
place for noodles and congee will always be Congee Wong, but with so many
options throughout the GTA offering comparable eats it’s generally location and
price that’s more important than name. One bargain chain you should know about
is Kenny’s Noodles, where they offer a congee and noodle set meal for only
$26.99!
The congee (a
Chinese savoury porridge made from rice) is a “super-bowl” size with shredded
chicken and abalone (a type of shellfish). We were pleasantly surprised with
the sheer amount of sliced chicken and abalone that was in the bowl. Some may
find it a tad salty but I found the congee had a great flavour to it and was
perfect.
A tried and
true favourite, the meal comes with a dish of stir fried beef rice noodles. Although
not the best I’ve had, Kenny’s was decent with the noodles retaining their chewiness,
well covered with soy sauce and combining well with crunchy bean sprouts and
fresh green onions. It would have been nice to have the noodles cook a bit
longer to allow the “wok’s essence” to develop; what I generally appreciate most
about this dish is the aroma that permeates off the noodles and the essence of
Kenny’s was rather muted.
Next is a
dish that, in my mind, is the Asian equivalent of polenta fries - stir fried
turnip cake with XO sauce. These cubes are plump pieces of turnip laced dough,
stir fried so that it develops a crispy crust but soft throughout. Kenny’s
sauce was less “XO” and more chili oil so it lacked that rich scent which
normally comes with XO sauce, but still quite delicious and had a nice kick.
With pieces of chicken and shrimp mixed in with the turnip cake this could be a
meal in itself.
Last but not
least, a decent portion of poached vegetables with oyster sauce is included
with the combo. During our visit, the vegetable was gai lan (a.k.a. Chinese
broccoli) a leafy green vegetable with a crunchy sweet stalk. I’ve recently
learnt that oyster sauce is actually made from oysters – well really their extract
or essence. However, most of the sauce is comprised of sugar and salt making it
taste closer to a sweet and salty caramel.
What really
impressed me with Kenny’s Noodles was the service. Most congee restaurants are
about price and speed, but at Kenny’s we had such a friendly and attentive
waitress. She offered us a second bowl (allowing one to hold congee and the
other noodles) so the dishes retained their distinct flavours and came by to
whisk away empty dishes.
The meal
above was more than enough to satisfy three people, possibly four if you’re not
too hungry. Although Kenny also offers Cantonese dishes and Chinese-style café meals,
their noodles and congee definitely offers some of the best value. The combo
above is such a low price that it leaves enough money for foodies to pay for
the new norm - $15 cocktails and $150 tasting menus.
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
