4. Tai Leung
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Tai Leung is located on a second floor walk-up overlooking one of the nicer stretches of Decarie. It's qaint, tucked out of the way, has an adorable foyer with a bubbling water feature and beautiful asian-tile ceilings in a deep red color, and ample natural light. The soft pop playing quietly in background also adds to the ambiance. Unfortunately, the rest or the decor is very stark, with its white wall, glossy pale ceramic tiles, and lack of tablecloths or decorations. This place could be such a destination if they only warmed it up a bit!
The Service
The woman at the cash was incredibly friendly, very polite, and offered me an entire table to sit at as they were not very busy. As a matter of fact, there were only 2 tables seated that evening, though the woman at the cash confided that Wednesday is one of their slower nights. To my delight, upon ordering my soup, I was asked if I wanted shrimp, pork or a combo - because, as it turns out, they make the wontons to measure for every order! I knew right away that I'd be in for a real treat, and didn't mind the 10 minute wait one bit if it meant freshness.
On the downside, Tai Leung is a cash only establishment and doesn't have an ATM on site, so come prepared. Also, they do not deliver, which is pretty rare for casual restaurants in Ville Saint-Laurent. That being said, you can call ahead for takeout.
The soup ($2.95 for the samll, $5.50 for the large)
Upon discovering that the wontons were made to measure, I opted for a large with a combo of both pork and shrip for $5.50. The broth was golden and had the most pleasant aroma wafting off of it. It was salty but not overly so, and intensely flavorful with an unexpected, slightly bitter (yet rather pleasant) aftertaste of Bok Choy, which added depth to the flavor. I'm not sure if everyone would like this oddity, but I found it wonderful. The pieces of Bok Choy also added nice texture, with its firm white stem and soft green leaf that left me wanting more.The broth itslef contained some scallions, but ufortunatley, not enough for my taste (though I'm sure they'd be happy to add more upon request).
The show-stopper was definitely the made-to-order wontons, which sported wrappers so thin and translucent you can see filling inside them, which I absolutely love. Also, the wrappers were delicately twisted/pinched instead of folded, so there was no extra bulk. Finally, the wrapper-to-filling ratio was excellent, and the shrimp/pork filling was tender, flavorful, and had a lovely pink and white color. You can really tell that the filling is fresh. This soup was absolutely delightful!
Rating
Soup: 4 out of 5 stars - the bitterness might be an issue for some, and I wanted more scallions
Service: 4 out of 5 stars - warm, friendly, and fairly fast considering that the wonton dumplings were made fresh
Ambiance: 3 out of 5 stars - the foyer and ceilings are gorgeous, but the lack of décor makes the place feel cold
Skip to:
5. Fu Lam Buffet, Wok and Grill
6. Winner and reviews by others
7. Complete listing and maps (includes link to menus)
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