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Jul 24, 2009 06:13 AM

Best congee and fritters?

I frequent Congee Star on Don Mills south of Lawrence. Its pretty good and their fritters are tasty.
We usually get the duck, chicken and egg congee (not into offal or other typical congees).

Just wondering if there are any other congee recommendations and why you would suggest it over Congee Star?

I'd prefer to stay in Toronto, so nothing north of the 401

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  1. I love the fish congee (ask with peanuts on top) or the pork and hundred yr egg congees at King Noodle. They make the fritters every day and often run out of congee on weekends.

    12 Replies
    1. re: chocabot

      Is each congee type made from scratch and flavoured accordingly or is there one giant unflavoured pot from which all bowls are derived, with seasonings and proteins added right before serving? I've only had it a couple of times in China, where it was served for breakfast and was quite plain. When I make my own at home I'm sure I'm throwing all kinds of unorthodox ingredients in because I like big flavour. Bottom line: are the congees at Congee Star and King Noodle full of flavour or are they quite mild?

      1. re: 1sweetpea

        All the congee places use the same mildly flavoured congee base, which is cooked in one giant pot, to derive other bowls with different toppings. Better congee places use better cooking ingradient for their congee base including pork bone, fish soup, conpoy... to cook for 3-4 hours. Some places also provide congee which is completely or almost completely plain. I think Congee Star provides the plain one as well as the one with toppings. From my experience, Congee star and King Noodle provides "ok" congee.

        1. re: skylineR33

          Could you recommend some better than "ok" congee?

          1. re: szw

            I like My Kitchen at Leslie and North of Hwy 7, inside the same plaza of Chili Secret. Their steamed plain cheung fun with sesame, hoisan and red chili sauce is good from freshly made. But don't order the shrimp/cha siu cheung fun. Lots of choices for congee (with the same congee base). It is a better one in Toronto.

            1. re: skylineR33

              skylineR33, how would you rate the dough fritters and/or the rice noodle roll wrapped around the dough fritter at My Kitchen, if you've tried them? I'm interested in trying their congee and I heard they have fresh yao ja gwai.

              1. re: lsk

                Yes, the yao ja gwai and ngau lei so are good.

              2. re: skylineR33

                so my next problem: i have a disdain for fish/seafood. don't ask - its almost 3 decades with zero desire to eat fish.

                so i want to avoid congee cooked with fish.

                1. re: atomeyes

                  I doubt any congee places mentioned here in Toronto use fish soup in their congee base, so don't worry, and even if other congee places elsewhere use fish soup in theie congee base, the taste is subtle.

            2. re: skylineR33

              Hay skylineR33! Have you tried the 'individually' cooked congee at your parent's famous Chinese supermarket 'Foody Mart' at Steeles and Warden? I was surprised by the quality considering its from a food court inside a supermarket! They have ' Thousand year egg with salted pork' and ' Dried Bok Choi with pork spare ribs and dried mussels'. Very homemake like!. Great deal too!

              Yes, My Kitchen is pretty good. Love the freshly made 'Cheung Fun'! Love to smother them with sesame and Hoisin sauce.

              As for fritters, lsk. Have you tried the freshly made ones from the congee/noodle place in the food court of the Milliken T&T store? One can see how they were individually made through the open kitchen window.

              1. re: Charles Yu

                Hi Charles, no, I have not tried the food from that food court.

                1. re: Charles Yu

                  Yes, I've tried them along with the jin deoy and ngau lee so, but not with the right accompaniments, e.g., congee or fresh soy milk, so the experience felt quite incomplete and very heavy on the stomach.

                  I heard there's a restaurant inside the Market Village close to the Steeles facing entrance that also makes fresh yau ja gwai along with congee, but I'm not sure of the quality.

                  1. re: lsk

                    Its called "Sam's Congee Delight" in Market Village.....their Congee is so-so....nothing special....yeah the Yau Ja Gwai is fresh.....