Restaurant review: Five Guys Burgers & Fries (Scarborough)

Like many Canadians, I have the habit of visiting fast food chains not available in Canada while visiting the United States. This means that when a U.S. fast food chain decides to set up shop nearby (or, of course, if a new Canadian fast food chain is started), it calls for a trip there, especially if I have not previously had the chance to try them out in the States!

The latest U.S. fast food chain coming north is Five Guys Burgers & Fries. The recipient of many awards, it has grown from its first location in Virginia (opened 1986) to over 750 today. One of the newer Canadian locations is in 810 Warden Avenue in Scarborough:

Stepping in front of the cashier, I was already impressed by the staff. They are so happy and clearly glad to be working. Caitlyn, who took my order, explained thoroughly the distinctive characteristics of each menu item. I decided to get a Bacon Cheeseburger (2 patties, with lettuce and tomato as my customized toppings, $8.49), Regular Fries ($3.49), and a Regular fountain drink (free refills, $1.99):

The burger was excellent and well worth the short wait for it to be made upon ordering. You can really taste the freshness in the meat, and the grilling was perfect in that the taste and texture (crispiness) of the patty was just right, with nothing coming across as burnt. With the bacon nice and crisp and the cheese done right as well, it was one of the best burgers I ever had.

Just as Caitlyn told me, the regular order of fries was indeed a lot. They are of the soft variety, which was not my preferred type (I prefer crispy). Unless you specifically enjoy this type of fry, it would not be a good value. For my next trip I plan on having a hot dog with my burger instead.

Bottom line, great people and excellent burgers, but skip the fries.

Restaurant review: New City Restaurant

(Menu at the end of review)

New City Restaurant (新城市餐廳), located at 8392 Kennedy Road, is a Hong Kong style diner (Cha chaan teng) that I go to quite often. It is a busy restaurant especially during lunch and afternoon tea hours, but the good food and great service makes any wait well worth it.

Here, I would like to highlight the two items that I consider New City to be the best in the Greater Toronto Area, Hainanese Chicken Rice and Ham and Egg Sandwich. To get better versions of these two dishes require a plane ride to Asia!

New City serves Hainanese Chicken Rice as part of a set meal including soup and hot drink for $7.25 (add 75 cents for cold drink):

What I like most about the chicken is the excellent taste and texture, but at the same time it is always properly cooked. In some inferior places, the lower quality is compensated by undercooking the chicken and serving it cold, hoping the customer would not notice the deficiency. Since New City serves the highest quality chicken, there is no need to choose between food safety and taste: you are getting the best in all aspects.

The rice is also perfect, with the essence of the chicken’s flavour fully infused within. Since no corners were cut during preparation, there is no clumping of the rice that one may experience in some other places.

Soup choices are the usual Hong Kong style diner options of Russian vegetable soup or the daily cream soup. New City’s Hong Kong style milk tea is smooth and full of flavour, although some may find it to be a bit on the strong side. They may find the iced version to be their preferred choice.

The Hong Kong diner style Ham and Egg Sandwich is one of the best dishes in the world. However, not all diners make their sandwiches with the perfection of flavour and texture as New City does, and it is rare to find another place that puts in the excellent quality and quantity of ingredients. A Ham and Egg Sandwich by New City ($3.20) is clearly the best in the Greater Toronto Area, and even better than the majority of diners actually located in Hong Kong.

New City is a restaurant I return to over and over again, with good reason.

Please see below the take out menu for New City, correct as of 9 June 2011. More options are available while dining-in.

I used to listen to Z103.5, but no longer.

I used to listen to Z103.5 but now I listen to KISS. 92.5 on the FM dial has better personalities and music.

Where to get the best currency exchange rates in Hong Kong (cash)

Currency conversion is an essential “to do” for international travel, and getting the best rates can make a difference in travel costs. In Hong Kong, the most important rule is to avoid exchanging money at the airport as much as possible, as the rates there are among the worst in the entire city. If you have absolutely zero or very few Hong Kong dollars, only exchange enough for your immediate transportation and survival needs, until you can visit a better money changer in town. I also recommend that you get one of the tourist products from the MTR (mass transit) that provides unlimited travel on the system, so there will be no additional transportation costs for visiting an in-town money changer. The “Airport Express Travel Pass” is especially worth looking into, and there may be a discount for purchasing that online or onboard a Cathay Pacific flight.

In-town, the best currency exchange rates in Hong Kong for cash can be found, in my experience, at Ngau Kee Money Changer (牛記找換) located at 1 Cleverly Street in Sheung Wan, between Connaught Road Central and Des Voeux Road Central. From Sheung Wan MTR station take exit B or C, or take the tram to Western Market (if you do not have an MTR unlimited travel pass). Indeed, that section of Cleverly Street is filled of money changers, so feel free to compare rates. However, my experience is that no one offers a better exchange rate than Ngau Kee.

Ngau Kee’s storefront on Google Streetview.

(“Ngau Kee” refers to a bull. With a rich agricultural heritage, “bull” is a common traditional Chinese name for men, as in “he is a strong as a bull”.)

Macau travel agency review: private tour with Gray Line Tours of Macau Limited

While Macau is known for having the best casino resorts in the world, it is much more than glitzy gambling venues. Recently I had to arrange for a half day tour of the city for a larger group of senior citizens, which meant that a private tour (i.e. our own hired vehicle and tour guide) was the best choice. The challenge I had was to find a reputable travel agency to handle the request: while anyone arriving in any of Macau’s entry ports would be greeted by assorted middle-aged men wearing shorts and sandals offering “cheap tours” and “discounted transportation”, the quality and safety of these offers are highly questionable.

I started my search at the most obvious location, the list of travel agencies licensed under the supervision of the Macau Government Tourist Office. Checking out websites, I found that Gray Line Tours of Macau (澳門錦倫旅行社) is one of the few agencies that conduct inbound tours. I also discovered that Gray Line is the Macau Government Tourism Office’s Appointed Travel Agency for its “Macau Highlight Tours”, attesting to Gray Line’s quality and reliability.

I booked a five-hour city tour on a 20-passenger minibus, with pick up at the Taipa Ferry Terminal and drop off at the Venetian Hotel Resort. Other tour vehicle options are by Mercedes Benz sedan or by minivan. The first challenge came when we were able to go on the ferry that departed half an hour earlier, so I had to move up the time for pick up by half an hour. Since the agency office had provided me with our tour guide’s mobile phone number in advance, it was not a problem to contact him and relay the request. Understanding that this request was to be met in a “best effort” basis, nonetheless the guide and the vehicle were able to meet us immediately upon our clearing immigration formalities.

Both the guide and driver were highly courteous and professional, and the vehicle was clean and well-maintained. The guide was knowledgeable in matters related to the history, geography, and significance of all tour highlights, and clearly answered any questions we had. He also gave good recommendations for our lunch in local cuisine (on our own). Also, the guide and driver remained flexible to our immediate customization requests: as it was a hot day, we decided to focus more on indoor (air conditioned) venues and just drive past some of the outdoor venues. The guide also provided us with discounted tickets to the Macau Tower, which was much appreciated.

The price I paid for the tour was HK$2500 ($322.65 Canadian/U.S., processed by Gray Line’s Hong Kong office), paid by Visa or Mastercard at least 5 days before the tour. Tour prices are dependent on the type of vehicle and the length of the tour. Cash tips for the guide and driver are extra and were cheerfully given. Gray Line provided an excellent tour experience, and I highly recommend their tours when visiting Macau.

Hong Kong private transportation/limousine service review: Trans-Island Limousine Service Limited

Hong Kong has an excellent public transit system, but when one needs to move a bigger group of people it is often more convenient to look into private transportation/a limousine service. This is especially true if luggage is involved.

Recently, I had to arrange for transporting a larger group of senior citizens from Hung Hom train station to Happy Valley, then on another day from Happy Valley to the airport. As multiple taxis for each trip would be a logistical nightmare and a hassle to keep the group together, I looked for a reliable vehicle hire service. After some research, I chose Trans-Island Limousine Service (環島旅運有限公司), a leading company in providing private transportation services. As they also provide coach services between the airport and various hotels, as well as between Hong Kong and various mainland China cities in Guangdong province, they are a reputable company with an excellent safety record (in contrast to the casually-dressed men touting “cheap van transportation” in Hung Hom train station, whose record is questionable).

Various vehicle types are available through Trans-Island, including Mercedes Benz sedans, Bentley sedans, minivans, 23-passenger minibuses and 45- passenger coaches. Wedding packages are also offered. For our trips I hired 23-passenger minibuses. In both cases the vehicles were well maintained and clean, the drivers were courteous and professional, and the trips were safe and comfortable. The drivers provided much assistance with the many pieces of luggage that we had, which was much appreciated. Dispatch was only a phone call away to ensure that meeting up with the minibus was smooth and without problems.

The price I paid from Hung Hom train station to Happy Valley was HK$600 ($77.51 Canadian/U.S.), and the price I paid from Happy Valley to the airport was HK$1214 ($156.44 Canadian/U.S.). Prices are dependent on the exact pick up/drop off locations, and payment is by major credit card at booking. Cash tips for the drivers are extra and were happily given.

Whenever private transportation/limousine service is needed in Hong Kong, I highly recommend Trans-Island. I will contact them again when I need such service again in the future.