My First Chinese Restaurant Post: Bayview Garden

Some of my friends tell me that I don't blog about Chinese food enough. They question whether I even eat Chinese food when I'm out. The thing is, I do! I eat Chinese food all the time when I'm out with my parents. Not as much with friends or on my own because for Cantonese food, it is all about ordering dishes to share. So eating out with one other person, or even two, won't give you much variety (same idea as dim sum). And as to why I don't blog about it? I don't know. Maybe I take advantage of it because I'm Chinese and Chinese food to me just doesn't seem all that interesting? Or maybe I haven't been to a restaurant yet in Toronto where their food impressed me so much that it gives me the motivation to look for other ones that are just as good? Or maybe there's a lack of good Chinese restaurants in Mississauga (where I live) so expectations become non-existent? Whatever the case may be, whether it's one, or all of the above, here is my first Chinese food post =)


Recently, a restaurant emerged in Mississauga called Bayview Garden. This restaurant is probably the most decent restaurant in Mississauga so far. I figured if I am going to blog about Chinese food, might as well start with a good one. Hopefully the quality of the food lasts though - a lot of Chinese restaurants start out pretty good in Mississauga, then quality tends to deterioriate after a year or so. 


A side note: this restaurant has no affiliation with any Bayview Gardens that may already be in existence or was once in existence in Markham / Scarborough / Richmond Hill. Chinese restaurant owners are not very creative when it comes to English names, so English restaurant names are sometimes replicated, that is why I only remember Chinese names (only possible if you're Chinese ^_^).


I've combined pictures of two occasions here. The first one was with the fam, where we ordered a set dinner.

Although not included in the menu items, a lot of Cantonese style Chinese restaurants serve free soup at the beginning. Soup is almost a "must" for us when it comes to starting a meal; it acts to cleanse the palette and also a sort of "refesher" for all the flavours yet to come.

Baby Bok Choy in Deluxe Broth - Not much going on here, nothing too "deluxe" about the broth either.

House Special Steamed Free Range Chicken - Not too meaty chicken, but has a lot of chicken flavour.

Stir Fried Fish Fillet with Celery and Black Fungus - Love to dip the fish fillets in hot sauce.

Twin Lobsters Stir Fried with Ginger and Scallions - For lobster lovers.

Instead of ordering plain bowls or rice, the waitress high recommended this fried rice with scallops. It was alright.

Another time I went with the family and some family friends so more dishes this time. This is still a set dinner menu, but you get to choose from a list of many different dishes (up to 6).

Pork Chop with Onions - The sauce is sweet and ketchup-like, very good and tasty, goes well with rice.

Baby Bok Choy with Abalone Mushrooms in Broth - I like the mushrooms.

Deep Fried Bitter Melon - My first time trying this dish (I've actually never heard of it before). Turned out really good (confirms my theory that frying makes everything taste good, just like how maple syrup makes everything taste good haha). Suitable for people that cannot tolerate bitter melon by themselves.

Fried Shrimp, Fish fillets, and Squid with Pepper and Salt Seasoning - Another favourite of mine.

Crispy Fried Chicken with Prawn Chips - Thin and crispy skin is the key here, with fresh prawn chips.

Stir Fried Vegetables with Shrimp - Again, love to dip the shrimp in hot sauce.

All the above dishes were pretty good, especially the fried stuff =D Other than that, I'm really lost for words for some reason - I realize that I suck when it comes to blogging about Chinese food =(