Chilli Chicken辣子雞
Dry, hot, vinegary. The single most ordered dish in Scarborough, and rightly.
Chinese · Wexford
Federick Restaurant
客家菜
Hakka-Chinese-Indian cooking, and the chilli chicken every Scarborough kid grew up on
ChineseWexford, Toronto$$Details being confirmed
The review
Hakka-Chinese-Indian cooking is Scarborough's own cuisine, and Federick is where most of the city meets it. Forty years on Ellesmere and the chilli chicken has not changed, which is the correct decision.
Chilli chicken is the order — dry rather than saucy, hot, sharp with vinegar, and the most-ordered dish in this half of the city. Manchurian cauliflower is the vegetarian dish that converts the table. Hakka noodles underneath everything else.
Honest notes: weekend dinner means a genuine wait, the room is plain and brightly lit, and the takeout queue tends to block the door. Come with six people and order across the whole menu.
What to order
Manchurian Cauliflower滿洲花椰菜
The vegetarian order that converts everyone at the table.
Hakka Noodles客家炒麵
The base layer of every order here. Do not skip it.
What works
- Hakka-Chinese-Indian cooking at its source
- Heat is genuine and not adjusted down
- Excellent value for a large table
What doesn’t
- Long waits at weekend dinner
- Room is plain and brightly lit
- Takeout queue blocks the entrance
Verdict
Chilli chicken, Manchurian cauliflower, Hakka noodles. Bring a crowd.