Review of Golden Duke Chinese Cuisine in Markham

Website:  No website, Yelp review 
Address:  8284 Highway 7 E. Unit 3, Markham ON
When I visited: April 2014, 4 adults, dinner
Rating: $$, 3.5

After a short-lived buffet in the same space, Golden Duke (fine dining) Chinese Cuisine has taken over. The restaurant is right by our family favourite Congee Queen, so it took a little push to get me to try this restaurant. The proximity is close to Markville Mall and in a plaza close to Elegant Chinese restaurant and Harvey’s.

The decor looks typical of many Chinese restaurants with a touch of elegance with pretty linens and chair covers. With reservations, we were quickly seated at our table with the requested high chair I mentioned on the phone. As the night progressed, the service remained consistent and attentive. This was a nice change of pace compared to many Chinese restaurants.

As their menu had many set dinners, we decided to go with the dinner for 4 for $65. The dinner came with soup of fish maw and shredded chicken, diced steak with garlic, baby bok choy with bean curd in supreme broth, and stir-fried garoupa and vegetables. Plus, dessert was on the house. For less than $20 a person, this is a great deal for the amount of food and quality. The diced steak was tender and full of flavour!

As my family loves duck, we had to order the Peking duck, although the set meal would have filled us up. The duck was a bit fatty but it was delicious. What I appreciated was that the restaurant provided generous portions of wrappers, hoisin sauce and garnishes. I often find restaurants stingy when it comes to giving out enough sauce and wrappers for the table.

At the end of our meal, we were given a voucher to come back for a free Peking duck if we spent over $60 a table. That is a great deal given that the Peking duck is almost $40 before tax.

Overall:

The food is comparable to other Chinese restaurants in Markham and Richmond Hill.  However, what stood out was the friendly service and reasonable prices for a fine dining establishment. Another positive note is that the restaurant also serves dim sum, which is on my radar to try out.