Ever since the lifting and/or relaxation of government imposed Covid restrictions. I have had my fair share of ‘dine-out’ Chinese food experiences. In general and understandably, certain quality has deteriorated due to staff attrition and movements caused by the pandemic. However, fortunate for discriminating foodie like myself, there are still quite a few rare and cherished exceptions that managed to hold on to their laurel and consistencies. O’Mei, The One Fusion and Starchiva to name a few.
Tonight, taking advantage of visiting friends from abroad and hoping to add more worthy choices and candidates to the above distinguished captioned list, I decided to lead our party, trek all the way across town, to try out this long forgotten gem - “ Casa Deluz “……and Man!..was I glad we made this special trip?! Eight months into 2022 and IMHO, this was one of the most memorable, stand-out and enjoyable Cantonese meal I have had this year!
Our 7 courses dinner consisted of the following ‘ super-generous portion ‘ dishes:
- Peking Duck 2 ways:
- Crispy skin wrap with spongy, pillow like Bao ( a la David Chang?! )
- Lettuce wrap with stirred fry diced duck meat and mixed vegetables
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Pan seared Angus steak cubes sauteed with Maggi sauce & roasted potato nuggets
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Sweet and sour Pork with Pineapple
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Fried Ling Cod filet with premium Top Soy glaze
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Wok-fried giant lobster with salted duck egg-yolk coating
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Braised winter-melon stew with sun-dried shrimps and scallops,
fish-maw, Shitake mushrooms in ‘ Shan-tong ‘ broth -
Complimentary cold and hot desserts
Wow! What an impressive array of utterly delectable offerings! Some of the dishes were so tasty and good, they actually managed to entice a few well-deserved ‘ wows! ‘ from some of us! Though each individual dish all possesses its own stand-out ‘yummy characteristics’. However, for me, the undisputed star-of-the-evening was definitely the Pan seared Angus beef cubes with roasted potato nuggets! Perfectly caramelised and seared to medium rare, the taste and aroma were absolutely mesmerising and addictive! The potato nuggets were a perfect side-kick, soaking up all the delicious sauce and juices! Without a doubt the best tasting beef dish I have had this year!
Lobster was executed to near perfection as well. This version can easily rub shoulders with some other best rendition in town like those from O’Mei, Starchiva and Casa Victoria. Talk about finger licking good!
The braised winter-melon stew was an explosive umami bomb. Delicate, refreshing, sweet and flavourful.
Fish was fried to super-crunchy-crispiness with the interior still moist and juicy! Each piece is coated with just the right amount of sauce/glaze.Testimony of the chef’s skill.
By GTA standard, the Sweet and sour pork and the Peking Duck were also top-notch.
What an amazing and memorable meal!..planning another visit next Tuesday already! This time, the difference will be, someone in our party will be treating us to another bottle of fine wine!! Yummmm! Cannot wait!
