You may remember our friends E & A from our Q Haute post. Like us, they are fans of a variety of food. One of their favourite spots, and now one of ours, is Great Taste Chinese Restaurant. On 2nd Ave in Chinatown, this brightly lit, surprisingly modern restaurant is a block from the river walkway. Good thing, too, because you'll definitely have to walk off your food after a great meal!
We started our feast (and 'feast' really is the right word) with soup dumplings! If you haven't heard of soup dumplings before, welcome to the weird and wonderful world of dumplings filled with soup. That's right, they're FILLED with soup, not swimming in soup! The soup is inside a steamed dumpling, along with juicy pork. You need to carefully pick up the dumpling, bite into a side to slurp the soup and then enjoy the dumpling with a vinegar sauce. What a fun experience! So much fun, in fact, that we ended our meal with another order of them for "dessert"!
Up next was the Beef and Cucumber roll. Tender beef, crisp cucumber and a whack of BBQ flavour were tightly packed in a flaky pancake. P loved the beef (surprise surprise) and V loved the buttery pancake wrapper. This dish was fresh and rich at the same time. A delightfully unique addition to our incredible meal.
We just had to balance our meal with some greens, but this isn't your obligatory salad. The House Special Salad, and Cucumber with Garlic and Chili packed a punch like everything else at this restaurant. The House Special Salad, in particular, was a flavour machine - it was tangy, salty, spicy, and sweet. Leave no taste bud behind! The Cucumber with Garlic and Chili was a wonderful combination of cool (cucumber) and hot (chili). Both these salads can hold their own in a menu full of stiff competition!
Now on to our mains. The Preserved Pork Belly was literally the most tender piece of meat we have ever had in entire lives. We kid you not. Get off your computer or phone and get this in your belly now! It melts the second it hits your mouth, and comes in a mystery salty pork flavoured sauce. Pork Belly on its own is already an epic cut of meat, but eating it preserved like this is a real treat!
We also had the Fish Fillet in Chili Pepper Soup. This is not something we would typically order, but we're so glad E & A ordered it for the table! This dish featured one of the most unique spices around, the Sichuan peppercorn, which creates a tingly numbing sensation! This perfectly compliments spicy food, adding a layered complexity to the heat. Pro tip: Don't eat the chili peppers! They're meant as flavouring for the soup. Focus instead on the tender pieces of fish, Chinese mushrooms and bean sprouts. This soup was an adventure for the palate. Don't be intimidated by all the spices. Considering what was in it, it had a surprisingly balanced flavour profile. Try it!
In addition to all the food above, we got 3 more dishes. I know what you're thinking, we must be pigs! In our defense we fully intended to take home leftovers. To our surprise, we ate everything and had nothing to take home! So yes, maybe we are pigs. But we're happy pigs! We ordered the Chinese Water Spinach in Garlic Sauce to make our meal a bit healthier and more garlicky! We also got the Shrimp and Egg Fried Rice Noodle. While not the most photogenic dish, it complimented all the different flavours at our table. Finally, we had the most familiar dish for us Canadians - Deep Fried Pork in Sweet Sauce. While this isn't something we usually order outside of Manchu Wok (fine, now you know we lazily eat at food courts too), it was delicious! The breading had a nice crunch, the pork pieces were generous and the sauce was full of gooey goodness.
This was an incredible meal full of unique dishes, flavours, textures and experiences. What more can you want?! Well, you can always want more! We will definitely be back for more.
V's Final Word: This is a spot to go with friends and family! There are so many dishes to try, and most of the tables have Lazy Susans! It's the perfect spot to wear your stretchy pants and go on a food adventure. Be bold and try things you normally wouldn't - you won't regret it!
P's Final Word: I grew up with many Chinese friends in Vancouver, and going to their houses for dinner was always a treat when their parents did the cooking. The most memorable dishes used the numbing Sichuan Peppers. I haven't had them since those days, and it was so delightfully nostalgic to have them here. Great Taste really has some of the most authentic Chinese food around!
Price Range: $140 for an incredibly filling meal for four (most people would have had some leftovers)
Website: http://greattastecalgary.com
Address: 123 2 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0B2