We live in a west-end part of Toronto that, unfortunately, has few options for Chinese Food.I'm not talking about chicken balls, sweet and sour sauce and Egg Foo Young. While places like Panda Express and Mandarin are good, there are times when an Asian family (in our case, Canadian-Chinese and Filipino), needs some tastes from, well....childhood. (Mine and my husband's, that is)That craving came up for my husband this past weekend, and (to my joy!) decided to have a family dinner at Dynasty House, which we have proclaimed as "Our Family Restaurant.'Dynasty House is about a 20 minute drive from where we live, and my husband and I can say with honesty that it's one of the most traditional, best-tasting, and most affordable Chinese restaurants that West Toronto has to offer.It's certainly not a fancy place. It's the corner space of a plaza at Black Creek Road and Lawrence, which also houses an Asian grocery store, Pizza Hut, laudromat and some small offices. When you walk in, you feel as though a Dollarama may have exploded in there at any given season, what with the Christmas balls hanging everywhere, silk flowers scattered, and even a "Happy Wedding" sign splayed across their red velvet main wall.(They actually host small weddings there and will simply block-off a part of the restaurant for the party. We've actually dined there when a wedding was taking place. Really.)The barbequed duck and chickens are on full display. The fish tanks are filled with cloudy water, crab and grouper, all ready to be scooped out and...be your dinner. (A great show for the kids, by the way, provided they don't get creeped out seeing their dinner being scooped out with a net, and then hear a loud bang in the kitchen!) Yes, the washrooms could probably use an upgrade and an industrial scrubbing, but my Chinese Canadian husband says that he would take his Foodie mother there for dinner and if you know my husband and mother-in-law, it says A LOT.The menu is vast and could be overwhelming, but luckily there are photos for those of you who need to "see" what they are ordering. The service is good - we've never had a bad experience, despite the fact that we come with our two "dynamic" boys.The food? Delicious. My kids devour the Chicken Chow Mein and spring rolls happily. The sizzling steak (also a great show), is my favourite and never disappoints. My husband always over-orders and now we have leftovers for at least one more day.Dynasty House is casual, family-friendly (translation: LOUD), and the prices are reasonable. They really do serve delicious food. It's certainly not a fancy place, and the atmosphere isn't for everyone, but if you can overlook your surroundings, I can tell you that you won't be disappointed.Order the sizzling steak. It's sooooooooo good.
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