122 Preston (at Somerset)

May's Garden
Hot Pot at May's Garden
May's Garden
May's Garden
May's Garden
Foods from May's Garden
Comments

2019 Jul 1
Have driven by this place many times but tried it for the first time today. This is the 9.99 lunch special with lemon chicken, mixed vegetables and fried rice. Can’t really complain about anything at that price and huge portion but the fried rice was very bland and lemon chicken sauce wasn’t to my taste which is more my fault than theirs, haven’t had lemon chicken in years and forgot how sweet the sauce is. Would definitely eat here again, they also have 7.99 lunch specials.

2018 Aug 27
Had a really nice dinner here last night.

I particularly recommend the cumin chicken as long as you don't mind the chicken still being on the bone (we didnt) - it was amazing, and it's not a dish I've ever noticed before in other restaurants.

Also ordered was an eggplant and potato vegetable dish and a noodle and beef dish, both were also quite good (especially the eggplant one).


2013 May 24
Tried May's for the first time last weekend.

We had tried to get into another place but the wait was too long so we settled for May's.

After wanting to enjoy dim sum, we weren't particularly keen on the a la carte offerings but we stayed put and ordered.

I'm glad we did!

We ordered off their lunch specials menu. Everything is priced at $6.95. The value is incredible!

We ordered the rice with stewed beef and Chinese greens, as well as the noodle soup with pork, cabbage and pickled veggies. All specials come with the choice of soup, spring roll or drink. I got the hot & sour soup while other person got the spring roll. Both were really good!

My little one loved the spring roll and ate a lot of my rice dish, and also the noodles.

The portions are immense!

The tastes were really familiar. The dishes are what you would get in China, or at my parent's house. Total home cooking!

I would definitely return.

2012 Mar 18
This review is a little dated - I visited in February last year - but it is more recent than the last review posted here...

Overall, I had a pleasant dining experience with cheerful, helpful service. The menu there is very interesting and there are lots of dishes I would like to try. I will definitely visit again sometime.

Dishes: Kung Pao Chicken and Boiled Shrimp and Pork Dumplings

Rating: 3 Stars

You can read my full review here: sybaritica.me

2010 Mar 6
My previous experience at May's Garden was good so I thought that I'd give them my business again.

The restaurant was quiet but I was marvelling over a table enjoying "Hot Pot" which I have yet to try.

I ordered Beef with broccoli,chicken with fried noodles, salt and pepper squid, tofu and treasures soup and a couple of egg rolls.

Again, everything was solid. The beef was extremely tender which was nice and the chicken dish contained a fair amount of white meat. These dishes were both very reasonably priced.

The soups was well done and the small serving($6.50) will serve several people.

I'm debating whether or not the salt and pepper squid was priced a bit high-$11.95 for a hamburger sized styrofoam container full. The portion was well prepared and only contained squid (no peppers, onions etc). I know that squid are a cheaper seafood than say shrimp. However, I imagine that the cost of the frying might drive the price up.

I will definately order from May's again.

I noted that the restaurant's decor was nicely spruced up for the New Year.


2009 Dec 27
Sometimes I want to pick up Chinese food and am turned of by the congestion and lack of parking on Somerset. Then I realize that May's Garden is out of the congestion and they have a decent parking lot located behind the building. Sold!

I've ordered here a few times and have been happy with the product. The pricing is quite reasonable and so are the portion sizes.

The soups that I have tried have been very good with nice homemade broth- Wonton and Tofu with treasures. Each full of ingredients.

Spring rolls and egg rolls were both impressively meaty.

Although I don't typically order this, I had an urge to order Lemon chicken. Theirs was very flavorful- I can taste that some of the skin is left on the chicken when battered. They also use dark meat, which can be more flavorful but esthetically less pleasing.

I was pleased to see that my shrimp with flat noodles and shrimp with egg on rice were made with slightly larger shrimp that most other places order. My experience has been that when ordering shrimp dishes not listed under "seafood" ie. Shrimp fried rice, the tiniest shrimp are used.

I ordered Salt and Pepper squid but was given salt and pepper shrimp by accident. This wasn\t a big deal as I was trying to decide between the two. These were nicely done and reasonable sized shrimp.

I tried an order of the pork and shrimp dumplings. These were good clearly handmade and not unlike the ones for purchase at Dong Ling across from Market 168.

I like that May's Garden has a broad menu to suit all tastes. They also have lots of specials listed on a white board in the restaurant and some amazing looking photos of their dishes.

The decor is fairly simple with Chinese accents. The space is not large but there are bigger tables to accommodate groups. Washrooms were quite clean which is always a bonus.

2009 Aug 6
With more authentic Northern cuisine available in the city, it is easy to forget this old favourite. I had gone for a recent visit at May's and was pleasantly reminded of how friendly the owners are, which is more than one can expect from most Chinese restaurants.

We ordered one of the dinners for four, which was more than enough for the three of us, with enough to take home for a full lunch the next day. The hot and sour soup was full of bamboo shoots and wood ears, with good black vinegar, and was pleasantly clear and easy on the cornstarch. The fish fillets in spicy hot broth was garlicky with just the right amount of chilies, all stewed over a generous layer of napa cabbage. The five spice beef and daikon stew was hearty and flavourful, just the kind of comfort food we were craving for. The KungPao chicken was good too, with a generous toss of peanuts. Steamed rice was included, as were cold slices of watermelon and fortune cookies to finish off the meal.

To top the evening, the chef/owner actually recognized us even though we hadn't visited the restaurant in months, and offered us lamb bones for our dog. Now that's customer service. There will always be new and exciting places to try, but May's will always be a personal favourite, like an old dependable friend that we sometimes take for granted.


2008 Sep 6
I went here for lunch alone today. Lunch special is reasonable for $6.95 and included hot and sour soup. There are a couple of veggie options on the lunch menu which is nice.

After going to both here and Ging Sing I'd rather go back to May's. Ging Sing is incredibly clean, but it is also not that busy. May's has a bit of character and a nice view onto Somerset (whenever they finish the construction it will be even nicer).

Will try again and see if it is consistently good.

2008 Jul 14
I came here for a quick supper alone. Had a small bowl of Chicken and Fish Maw soup, a plate of Yu Choy stir-fried with garlic, and some boiled shrimp and pork dumplings. It was all right, but I've had tastier elsewhere. The dumplings were only slightly better than the frozen ones I boil at home and the steamed rice was kind of mushy. The stir-fried yu choy was fine. The fish maw soup was actually quite nice -- with lots of pepper.

May's Garden has a parking lot, which is convenient especially during the current heavy construction on on Preston and Somerset.

I didn't notice Xiao Long Bao on the menu. Have they stopped selling them? I forgot to ask.

2008 Mar 28
I really have to start bringing my digital camera when I eat out.

We tried the jumbo salt and pepper shelled shrimp dish. It's very good! The shrimps have shells, are lightly battered and deep fried. You can eat everything, including the shells which become crunchy. I really enjoyed it and will have it again.

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2008 Jul 21
Here's May's seperate Hot Pot Menu.

For a clear copy, send me a message, at my profile, with your email address and I'll send ya the full size scan.

BTW: Had lunch special there today.... Hot and Sour Soup with Kung Pao Chicken on Rice. Not too shabby.

May's husband, the head chef, is really friendly. He'll come out of the kitchen and talk to diners, at a drop of a hat.





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