Tasty Village

Tasty Village is yet another spot the crew has visited several times over the years. Although most of the fare is good enough to come back for, we’ve had a few “misses”. One big “miss” last time around was a batch of under-cooked Sui Mai (Pork and Mushroom dumplings). That put a bit of a scare into some of us. It’s been several months since that visit, so I figured it was time to give them another shot.

Tasty Village is located on the same little strip-mall as No. 1 Beef Noodle House. Alongside New Hibiki Sushi and Michaelangelo Pizza, this can be a bit of a parking nightmare. Luckily, we had our act together and showed up good and early. Seems most of the parking craziness is over on the No. 1 BNH side of the lot leaving a load of free parking for us!

Since our last visit, things seem to of improved some at the Tasty Village. Right away one could tell they’ve been spiffing things up a bit. The room seemed fresher, somehow. There’s a glossy, new plasma screen and the menus are of the bright & shiny variety that seem to be popping up all over town.

Their new Dim Sum menu has a bunch of the usual suspects but is missing some big-time favorites. There’s no sign of Sui Mai (interesting), Har Gow, Wu Gok (Deep-fried taro balls) or even Rice Rolls. Oh, well. At least there’s a good variety left to choose from.

The Spicy Dumplings were, for me, of the extraordinary variety. Soft, pillowy pockets of minced pork drenched in just enough chili & peanut sauce. Some would call the saucing excessive, but it’s exactly how I like these served. Absolutely packed with flavour.

The Shrimp & BBQ Pork Fried Rice is simple, fresh and clean. No excess of oil, salt or MSG. Just right.

Similarily, the Singapore-style Vermicelli has a good lightness yet full of the requisite flavors. Well-cooked noodles, crunchy veg, fresh prawns and a nice bite from the curry. Almost on par with Wen Xin’s version.

Spicy Ginger Beef. It has been quite a long time since I’ve had Ginger Beef this tasty. Great texture, not over-fried. Every bite still crunchy with beef cut thick enough to retain some tenderness. The sauce, nice and tangy…singing with chili and oozing garlic. Another plate of this wouldn’t of hurt a bit.

Another great example of how things are looking up at Tasty Village are the Yóu Tiáo (Fried Chinese Donuts). Hot and real fresh. Alas, there are no Rice Roll Donuts to be had.

The Pan-Fried Dumplings are of some damn good quality. These were prepared by experienced hands and cooked expertly. Many times these are jammed together on a plate and tend to tear when served. These are stuffed with juicy pork and scallion…the dough, tender and crisp every bite. Exceptional potstickers.

As I said, there’s usually one or two “misses” at Tasty Village. Today’s was the Beef Pancake. Their version was a thick, stodgy pancake so loosely rolled that the ingredients fell out when picked up. An absolute fail. What made up for it was a big, complimentary bowl of Wonton Soup. We thought they made a mistake, at first, so nobody touched it. When the bill arrived and we realized we hadn’t been charged for it, most of us were too stuffed to enjoy it. It was one of those rare, kind gestures that makes a return visit most likely.

Things have certainly improved at Tasty Village. So many well made dishes has made this a spot I’ll be patronizing much more regularly.