been here twice, once in august 2007 and once in september 2008. not a big fan of this place.

dishes that we ordered in september:

炸醬麵 - for myself. the whole thing is OK but the meat in the sauce is really tough.
牛肉腸粉 - my brother orders 2 for himself everytime but i'm not a big fan of cheung fan so cannot comment.
白灼鴛鴦蚌 -also for myself. it's tender and fresh enough but tasted very plain. but then again it IS poached.
窩貼 - good. we ordered 2 plates. crisp skin, piping hot filling.
jade vegetable dumplings - for myself again. good but portion was small...

i don't dislike this place but cannot say i am a fan. personally i go here because my brother likes it and it;s convenient.

One of my favorite bakeries in town. Very excited to visit upon my return home.

Why I love Don Q:

They go to a deeper level when it comes to ingredients, i.e.. Not using flavoring, but the actual ingredients as the product is named. Eg. Using pumpkin puree and pumpkin seeds in pumpkin bread, adding extra custard in the cinnamon roll, being generous with the raisins in the raisin bread, using lots of spinach and cheese dice in the spinach and cheese bread…

So anyway, here are some products I tried in May 2011:

Original cake
Moist and pleasantly spongy texture, with a sweet vanilla flavor. My favorite sweet item from Don Q. I used to like the coffee flavored cake more, but it is usually drier, and I opted for this one because the coffee cake has noticeably shrunk in size – it’s now more of a cupcake than cake!! X(

My absolute favorite premade sandwich in the world:

Don Q’s Crab and Egg Salad Sandwich

They are so ooey-gooey, with Kewpie mayo, bursting with sloppy eggy and sweet-and-savory crabstick goodness!!
Maybe I’m biased because I grew up eating them, but they are so sinfully rich and good. And it’s cheap relative to the bakery items at Don Q.

Cinnamon roll

Rich buttery bread base, with cinnamon glaze gluing the bun together in the middle. What’s special about the cinnamon rolls at Don Q is their custard topping, which actually goes great with the bread. I like the cinnamon rolls here because it’s not sickly sweet like the ones from Cinnabon. Recommended!


Custard bread

Cute disc shaped dense butter bread, topped with a dollop of custard and dusted with shredded coconut, which adds a nice hint of coconut smell to it. Good size for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Bean jam roll

A more airy and soft bread base (as opposed to buttery and dense like the cinnamon or custard bread), with lots of sweetened adzuki bean swirled in, and topped with a butter/sugar mixture which, when baked, becomes a streusel topping. A sweet treat with an Asian twist!

Butter raisin bread

Soft, airy bread with a hint of milk flavor, topped with egg wash. Lots of plump, sweet dark raisins in the bread. Great with a cup of coffee (or tea).

Chestnut bun

With chestnut puree filling. The filling has a deep chestnut taste to it – seems very authentic as it has a solid texture, like smashed sweetened chestnuts.

Pumpkin bun

With pumpkin puree and topped with pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin scone

A dense, crumbly biscuit with pumpkin seeds and bits of pumpkin, and not too sweet.

Spinach and cheese French bread $12

One of their signature items. I’ve had this many times before and it’s still that good. I like it because it has lots of cheese and chopped spinach, albeit a bit on the dry side. I usually like it with some cottage cheese, but it’s still good on its own.

Onion ham and cheese bun $12

While I’m not a big fan of savory bread, I wanted to try it because it looked so attractively plump and luxuriant! The bread was soft and pleasantly buttery, with a mixture of sautéed onions, ham and melted cheese swirled into it. Try heating it up so it’s just warm and even more soft before consumption.

Milk bread $10

A disappointment; nothing to write home about. Not even that “milky” in flavor, taste or smell. No wonder it was one of the last things left in the shop at 9.20PM!

English sliced bread $12?

A good bread for making sandwiches with, because the texture is soft enough that it’s enjoyable to eat, yet it won’t tear easily if you like a big hearty sandwich.

Overall. Don Q is a wonderful bakery in terms of location, food quality, hygiene and service.

Came on a wednesday night to celebrate my dear mother’s birthday. This restaurant is another old time family favorite.

Dining area is very comfortable, ambiance is great and the place is not garishly lit. Adequate space and ample room to accommodate big parties. Also a child-friendly restaurant with comfortably well- cushioned high chairs! For 8 people we ordered:

Vegetarian goose rolls

julienned carrots and mushrooms are cooked and wrapped around rehydrated tofu skin sheets and then smoked. Golden bauhinia mostly serves Cantonese dishes but this shanghainese appetizer is a pleasing starter that should stay on the menu.

Barbecue pork (char siu)

Pork meat was tender and somewhat fatty but not overwhelmingly so; sauce was mildly sweet and thinner than usual

Wok-fried groupa fillet

The groupa was very fresh with subtle umami; meat was cooked just right so it was firm without being tough. Wok frying brought out flavor and crisp texture of the broccoli.

Scrambled Eggs with crabmeat, fish maw and beansprouts

This is a classic dish that combines different flavors well, I personally like it with steamed white rice. Eggs are well separated and blended well with the other ingredients, tender bits of fish maw lent a chewy, jelly-like texture and the crabmeat. A sophisticated way to upgrade comforting scrambled eggs.

Deep fried fish cheeks with spring onions

Deep frying resulted in a crisp outer layer, enrobing the delicate fish cheek flesh. The dish also smelled pleasantly strong of garlic and spring onions, but you need to really suck the bones to relish the flavors as fish cheeks don’t have a lot of flesh.

Garlic fried whole chicken

This is one of their award winning dishes. Again a highly fragrant dish – the garlic permeated through the thin crisp skin into the tender meat.

Pigeon lettuce wraps

Ground pigeon meat was very finely chopped and well blended with a variety of ingredients – fried wonton crisps, water chestnuts, shitake mushrooms, and a cuts of battered fried duck were thrown into the mixture. Flavor was good but I found the dish a bit greasy with all the deep fried mix-ins and stir-frying of the pigeon meat. A little is good enough.

Lye noodles (a casserole)

We always order noodles to celebrate birthdays. Usual lye noodles served in a chicken broth with choy sum.

Seafood, mixed vegetable and vermicelli casserole

With medium sized shrimps, sliced groupa fillets, bay scallops, cuttlefish, garnished with conpoy (dried scallops).

Oysters fried with garlic and spring onions

My favorite dish of the meal. Fatty (as in fleshy and big!) oysters were quick fried with whole spring onions and slices of ginger which complimented with the fishy umami of the oyster meat. There was abit of sauce which would go well with plain white rice.

Almond sweet soup

Smooth and not overwhelmingly sweet, served at the right hot temperature.

Mango pudding

Served chilled with evaporated milk. Did not eat it but apparently it was creamier than usual. Perhaps they used less gelatin and more cream in the mango mixture.

Deep fried fritters “dan san”

Not as commonly found these days, we just had to order it when we saw it on the menu. The fritters were almost paper thin and melted right when I put it in my mouth. The syrup glaze was too sweet but I liked the black sesame garnish.

Egg tarts

Traditional puff pastry was delicately light, the best part was the warm eggy smelling and tasting custard – best dessert of the meal!
Service was commendable, waiters were obviously well trained, polite and efficient.

Chose Peking Garden for a farewell lunch as it has been an old favorite among our friends.

Restored recently (2 years or so) and the decor is stylishly traditional Chinese. Dining area is spacious and can accomodate big groups. Service is attentive and above average.

I especially liked the appetizer dishes of cold pickeled cucumbers, marinated firm tofu and edamame. The unusual variation is a good start to a fine authentic Pekingnese meal and goes well with black tea.

Ordered:

1. Yang Chun Mian (thin noodles with shredded chicken in broth)
Fine white noodles (like somen) in a mild broth that we ordered for the child who seemed to enjoy it and finished it quickly.

2.Golden salted egg yolk shrimp
Giant tiger shrimps, shelled and deveined, battered in salted egg yolk and deep fried, garnished with raw Chinese leeks and petals. Shrimps were plump and firm to the bite.

3, Dried beancurd and chicken in broth
The broth was a lot like the noodle soup base, with slightly more flavor. The finely julienned beancurd and chicken makes the dish a delicate pleasure. Although previously dried, the beancurd was pre-soaked well enough to be soft, not chewy nor dense.

4. Shanghainese fried noodles
Thick white noodles (a lot like udon) fried with a savory sauce that gave the noodles an orange color, with lots of shredded pork, and julienned mixed vegetables. A hearty and warming dish with a hint of toasted sesame oil, very freshly fried from a hot wok.

5. Glazed tiger shrimp
My favorite dish in this meal. Glaze was sweet, smooth, sticky with the right kick of freshly ground chili (you can tell from the red specks) which was perfect for mixing with hot steamed white rice. Cooking the shrimp in high heat (ie. deep frying) makes it curl into the shape of a ball and results in a juicy, succulent texture. Shrimps were fresh to begin with, which again gave it great texture and taste.

6. Braised tofu with shrimp roe
A sauce with subtle umami from the shrimp roe. Silken tofu that pairs well with white rice.

7. Omelette-topped vermicelli and vegetable stir fry
A variety of vegeables is used: alfalfa sprouts, woodear fungus, napa cabbage, carrots, shitake mushroom; however the stir fry with vermicelli was a bit greasy.

8. Pork and vegetable pockets
A dish of wok-fried ground pork, diced mixed vegetables, including pickled greens and mushrooms, is served with 4 baked sesame pockets. The sesame pockets were light and slightly crisp; pork and vegetable mixture was very finely diced and had satisfying savory flavors. A crowd pleasing dish.

9. Whole roasted Peking duck
Thinly sliced, roasted just right to give a crisp skin that is not too smokey and carcinogenic. Served with very thin white flour tortilla-like pancakes, raw leeks and cucumbers, and hoisin sauce for dipping. Some cuts were higher fat and oil content, resulting in a richer, smoother and more moist texture, but the leaner cuts were fine.

10. 酒酿圆子 Mochi dumplings in rice wine broth
Dense, small glutinous rice balls in a slightly sweet broth with Osmanthus. A delicate sweet ending.

11. 楊枝甘露 Pomelo and mango cream soup a la mode
A sweeter soup with rich coconut cream and satisfying bits of pomelo and ripe mango meat, topped with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Overall, a highly recommendable restaurant for many occasions, especially to entertain overseas guests with a picky palate.

Came with a friend for dinner after hearing several good reviews about it from other friends.
Appetizers:
A range of pre-made salads of different cuisines, including Spanish chorizo salad, German potato salad (but not warm), and Italian zucchini salad. You can also make your own salad with different raw vegetables and dressings.
2 soups to choose from every day; one Chinese and one western. I tried the Hungarian goulash with a small piece of wholegrain baguette, among one of the 4 different types of bread in the bread basket by the carvery. Perhaps the bread would be better if it wasn't placed directly under the very bright light, which may have dried them out!
Chilled seafood was served next to the salads - I had two types of crabs, and the Alaskan (white with red spots) was definitely better than the Canadian; the meat was much more moist with much umami; whereas the Canadian was dry, rough and lacked flavor. Seafood overall was very fresh.
A cheese and smoked meat platter was also on display, with smoked trout, tuna etc. The marinated smoked salmon (pictured) was fatty and just savory enough.
Sushi and sashimi bar
Mostly nigri sushi, including raw jumbo scallops, grilled eel (unagi), and pickeled mackerel (saba); sashimi bar had lots of choices. Meats were fresh; my favorite was the raw jumbo scallop sushi.

Chinese dishes
Yangzhou fried rice, stir-fried crabs with garlic bulbs and ginger, stir fried scallops; all of which were good. - scallops were big and juicy; seafood was cooked just right so the meat is juicy, had a good mouth feel, not tough; the stir-fries were not greasy at all.

A noodle bar with a choice of leafy greens, noodles, and proteins like shrimp, house-made wontons, fish and pork balls. I recommend the wonton, which had plump shrimps, tender pork, and soft cuttlefish paste. Served in a choice of spicy or chicken broth.

International dishes
Two Indian curries - one vegetarian, with lentils and potatoes, one with duck - was served with freshly-fried (looks like it) papadums, and a very wet tandoori chicken (with lots of sauce)
European dishes: chicken cordon bleu, cream sauce pasta (with meat) and seafood florentine: I only had the seafood florentine, and really enjoyed the cream-based sauce with the spinach and fresh (not canned!) straw mushrooms. The seafood however was a bit tpough perhaps from overcooking, as it was a baked dish; perhaps it's been cooked twice; which is also a reason why I hardly ever bake seafood.
Made-to-order crustacean counter had mussels, venus clams and conch. I ordered conch and they gave a very generous portion; it was a bit disappointing as the conch was very tough and tasted very bland.
They also offer raw oysters but you need to ask for them. They offered me one, and as you can tell form the picture it was very small.; I didn't bother ordering any more. But it tasted fresh.
Given the limited space, the dessert bar actually took up a sizeable part of the buffet. 3 different cakes were prepared,; the chestnut was among the best. Different puddings, tarts were also laid out; I enjoyed the steamed egg white which was very rich and creamy, and just sweet enough. My favorite part of the dessert bar was the ice cream counter which serves Movenpick ice cream (my favorite brand the world over); with lots of choices - other than vanilla chocolate and strawberry, maple walnut, caramel, stracciatella (chocolate chips) and 2 sorbets were also available, with toppings like chopped oreos, m&ms and mini marshmallows for you to garnish.
Service was good - staff was polite and fast but it took them some time to get the bill.
Seating is very comfortable albeit a bit cramped. The whole area is actually quite big (I think it takes up the entire floor) but the buffet tables are cramped.
At this price the quality overall is better than expected. A good buffet in a convenient location.