Lion City
Where? Lion City (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) Map Menu
When? Friday May 6, 2022
Who? Nancy, Henry, Carmen, Alfie
Food Style? Malaysian and Singaporean
Hands down the best Singaporean restaurant in the Greater Toronto Area, Lion City is proudly run by two expats serving some authentic, delicious dishes. All the Malaysians and Singaporeans flock here for that taste of home and I am no different. It is a little bit out of the way, being in Mississauga, but since we often go hiking around the Hamilton and Niagara area, we have ample opportunity to visit on the way back to Toronto. The restaurant is in a plaza with lots of other great food, as well as Btrust Supermarket that occasionally stocks some delicious Malaysian goodies. Since there's a few of us, we'll order some dishes to share and some steamed rice on the side to soak up all those lovely sauces.
Dish #1
Char Kway Teow: Dry wok fried flat rice noodles, shrimp, Chinese sausage, egg, fish cake
My favourite noodle dish, this is full of that wonderful smokiness - wok hei - that the wok imparts when frying with a very high heat. I love the Chinese sausage and the crunchiness of the bean sprouts. I usually use this dish to judge whether a Malaysian restaurant has any standard or not, and these guys have done it pretty well.
Dish #2
Tamarind Fish: A saucy sweet and tangy stir fry
Tamarind is a wonderful, unique flavour commonly found in several southeast Asian dishes. It's sweet and tart, and pairs well with seafood. This dish has some kick and the sourness really comes through nicely, and the vegetables that come with it help to mellow out that intensity.
Dish #3
Sambal Chicken
I think this one is my favourite. It’s spicy and slightly sour as well, but super juicy. Okra is not really seen in many dishes outside of Malaysia but the nyonyas love using it, especially in curries. It's delicious with the sauce in this dish.
Dish #4
Kang Kong Belacan
This is hard to find due to its seasonal availability. My mother used to make this for us at home, the hollowness of the kang kong helped the chili and shrimp paste permeate all surfaces of the greens. The intensity of the belacan is just right and the vegetable is still nice and crunchy.
Dish #5
Beef Rendang: aromatic, fragrant slow cooked dry curry
Wow this one is spicy. It's a bit wetter than I would normally make it, and it's missing the secret ingredient that makes this go from a good rendang to a great rendang - toasted coconut. In saying that, the coconut flavour from the coconut milk does comes through sufficiently, but I’m almost tempted to say mine is better since I'm able to adjust the intensity and balance of flavours.
We've opted not to have dessert, but on previous occasions we've enjoyed their ice kacang aka ABC (ais batu campur), a perfect treat for a hot day in Malaysia but not so much for a chilly spring day in Toronto. In any case, I do love coming here and it’s so reassuring to hear that accent, though I can definitely hear my own accent starting to dilute.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:47pm on Tuesday June 21, 2022 :: 0 comments :: 