This new restaurant doesn’t quite measure up. People who live in this area and Markham are used to great Chinese cuisine. In this case the food was average, the service substandard and the menu misleading. It’s not the server’s fault if the steamed soup filled dumplings with ground pork(item 207), a northern Chinese classic, does not contain any soup. It’s not the server’s fault if the stir-fried Chinese broccoli with garlic(item 163) is not gai lan but basic broccoli, it’s not the server’s fault if the BBQ bullfrog(item 188) is under cooked, but to not provide basic eating implements when serving food is simply unwelcoming. We had to poach our chopsticks, napkins, and bowls from other tables, which presumably is what other patrons did to ours. The NCE featured peking roast duck(item 102) is something that can better be prepared at home with duck purchased from a BBQ meat store. $ 31 gets you a plate of duck, and side plates of cucumber, green onions, sauce, and wraps that stuck together as one and had to be hand peeled. It was a lucky draw who ate one or three fused together at any time. It was plenty for four people but as the signature dish, presentation was underwhelming to say the least. Definitely not to be tried again would be the fried fork fillet slices with sweet and sour sauce(item 136), this is more of a Canadian-Chinese dish that was oily and cloyingly sweet, with no vinegar or bell peppers to add balance. The best dish was the stir-fried white shrimp with salt and pepper(item 84). They were large crispy, head on shrimp, more deep-fried than stir-fried, with a balance of salt and pepper. The Yangchow fried rice(item 226) was a good second with a generous serving and plenty of shrimp. The kitchen staff appeared from our view to be orderly and clean. The ambience is modern and tries to be upscale but the service is disorganized. The management needs to determine if the menu should be corrected to reflect what the kitchen actually prepares, or vice versa. The menu should be proofread by someone proficient in both Chinese and English. We did make an effort to explain the discrepancies and the under cooked food to the server. Again not his fault. I hope he was brave enough to report the issues to the kitchen team. This place may be worth visiting again in six months time. Maybe by then the front of house may have sorted out table service, and the kitchen may have figured out the formula for great food. In the meantime, while it’s very convenient to get to, there are other places in the area who can provide better value, service, and food.
Angelo B.
Place rating: 4 Toronto, Canada
This part of town(Yonge and Finch/Steeles), doesn’t have many good Chinese restaurants(I think there’s only a few congee places and maybe one or two others), so this is a nice change. The food at NCE is quite good, especially if you live in the area(saves a drive to Markham). Tried a couple of things: –the Peking duck was nice. I believe its one of the specialities here. It’s one of the better Peking ducks that I’ve had in Toronto –The skewers are okay. Not as good as other places(eg Yang’s, or even 3 Guys at Yonge/Finch), but still decent. –Noodles were good, and with a decent amount of meat If this place was in Markham, I’d probably give it 3 stars. But given the competition in the immediate vicinity, I think 4 stars is fair. I will definitely return.
Winnie T.
Place rating: 4 Toronto, Canada
Excellent Peking Duck! There are two options for the duck on the menu. Both options come with pancakes, sauce, cucumber, and green onion. The only difference between the two options is an extra plate of crispy duck skins(the best part of the Peking duck). For $ 3.99, you can also ask them to make a big bowl of soup with the duck bone. Very good deal. I tried their lamb skewers and sausage skewers. Lamb skewers were okay, but the sausage skewers were bland. I wouldn’t go to this restaurant for skewers. I also tried a spicy pot dish and a noodle dish. They both were very good. The restaurant is located next to Sleep Country. There’s an over flow parking lot at the back.
