Two Penny Chinese - Calgary

I came with a group of seven last night though we did book a table ahead of time. Parking was horrendous to find close to the restaurant, so we had to park about three blocks away. Walking in heels that far was not the best but not much can be done about it. Three tables were pushed together to accommodate all of us, but spacing was pretty decent so it didn 't feel cramped. Food was great! Do note that most plates are meant to be shared (unless of course you like your portions large) hence the prices outside the 'smaller plates ' menu. I ordered the ginger beef, steamed rice, and a pulp fiction drink for myself. Ginger Beef was $40, which in truth is quite pricey than what I expected, but it was very delicious! It 's 12 oz slow cooked short rib, topped with shredded green onions, fried garlic, and surrounded with a rich sauce. The meat was very tender in the middle, with a satisfying light crunch where it 's been seared outside. The waitress serving us did mention that it would be best to order a bowl of rice with it because it is very rich, so I followed her suggestions and ordered a bowl of steamed rice. It was a generous portion for one person. The pulp fiction drink was a bit disappointing because you couldn 't taste the lavender in the lavender soda. Overall a bit of a weak drink where the orange juice taste overpowers everything else, but more watered down because it 's fresh squeezed juice and not the more sugary variety you get from the grocery store. Not too sweet, still refreshing, but only ok. For dessert I split a white chocolate baked yogurt with a friend. The yogurt base had a custard-like texture, and topped by a strawberry coulis, milk crumble, and dotted with basil infusion. The basil taste threw me off more than I thought it would at the beginning but the desert was still pretty good. Even though the restaurant was busy our waitresses were very attentive to us. Overall positive experience!

This place may be a hit or miss for some, but this one is a big hit on me; despite the price to food portion ratio. All of the food menu items I ordered were just right for me, but it may be too salty for some. I highly recommend their Mapo Tofu Char Siu Pork (lots of meat inside). Update: April, 2019 had a change in their menu and tried the beef Curry fried rice and it was just the right season and overall taste and texture. It is similar to a Biryani for me. The atmosphere and decorations were definitely my type, modernized tradition while maintaining key elements to remind you of China. I would go back again to try other menu items.

The only reason I’m not giving this place a five star review is because of the service. We were seated for 45 minutes before we even spoke to a server. Even the host noticed, and came over and asked us if anyone had started some drinks for us and then took our cocktail order (thankfully). Other than that I adored the food, the dishes were presented nicely and we ordered an obnoxious amount of food so we were lucky to get to try a lot of different things! One small nitpick would be the egg rolls, the shell is so good that the filling does a disservice to it. The filling was pretty bland

I loved how it felt upscale and fancy without having to assume we needed to be extra dressed up. The food is definitely top quality, the decor and high ceilings make it so special. The staff were so approachable. I felt comfortable here : Everyone was super pleasant and laid back, taking extra detail to make sure we had everything we needed! The service was freakishly fast and soooo delicious. I would recommend this to anyone! 10/10

Visited the restaurant for the Chinese new year and had the set menu. interesting Chinese eating and it was pretty good. slower service was the biggest problem. we waited 15 minutes or more just to get our desert (mango pudding prepared before the time). I could go back to try elements from the regular menu.