ottawa foodies

This week I went after work and picked up some mixed dim sum packs near the end of the day. They were under $3 a pack and had a NICE combo of things such as radish cake, red bean paste bun, and crispy pork dumpling. I grabbed 3 packs and had enough for 2 good home feasts for under $10.

This is the cooked food I bought - sweet and sour shortribs (the one on the upper left), General Tao chicken (the one on the upper right), cold spicy pig ears (the one on the lower right), and cold marinated dish combo-A (the one on the lower left).

I like the spicy pig ears and marinated dish combo. For the hot food, I think they are okay for general customers. You can also add rice and noodles for 2-choice, 3-choice or 4-choice combo. This kind of combo will be welcomed by the university students. For me, T&T is running an efficient kitchen based on the same cookie cutter formula (deep fried and mix with a variety of sauces to finish up). I will buy the cold appetizers again. For the hot food, if they are on special price, I may buy them again sometimes later.

Tried the self-serve salad and hot food bar at the new Rideau Centre location for lunch and I was impressed. The flat rate of $2.19/100g means you can sample and browse across the entire spectrum of foods, while averaging out the under and over priced components on your plate. The price is very high for rice and potatoes but is extremely reasonable for beef and shrimp. The somewhat frugal portion here added up to a very appealing $7.18 after tax. It's easy to hit $15-20 if you load up on heavy things.

I found the Kale Caesar to be a delicious base layer. A quinoa salad was not great, but that wonderful yellow Israeli Couscous based one more than made up for it. General Tsao's Chicken was soggy and sweet, while the Butter Chicken was tender and tasty. Looking forward to sampling more of what they have to offer!