Late Night @ Lam Chu Kee 林柱記

Update Feb 28, 2011: This restaurant is now closed.

One of our favorite Cantonese late night places is this place. It is located in Continental Centre on Hazelbridge.

Late night dinner is called “Da Lan” (打冷) and you basically order a few dishes of (fatty) dishes to share and usually comes with AYCE congee.

My mom told me that “Da Lan” comes from the Cantonese word for shiver, and that people usually go have this type of dinner when it’s cold and they’re shivering. Anyone know if this is true?

They have a late night menu which offers a variety of popular Cantonese-style late night choices. At this restaurant you get free congee when you order a minimum of $20.

First up we had Clams pan-fried in Black Bean Sauce. We order this everytime and it is a popular Cantonese dish late night or not. The clams were fresh, fat and yummy. This is the small size and it costs $6.99.

Next is the Deep-fried Spicy Chicken Knee. I know, I know, it sounds gross, but it’s really good. The knee is mostly cartilage so this is a crunchy, tasty dish. Despite the amount of jalapeno peppers in here, it is not insanely spicy, just the right amount. Extremely yummy! We usually order this too. This costs $5.50.

Another deep-fried dish?? Yes! That’s the beauty of late night dinners! Not at all healthy but hits the spot just right.

This is Deep-fried Spicy Quail. Taste-wise it is prepared the same way as the chicken knee. As quail is a small bird, there is not much flesh and the bones are quite crispy too. However because of the flavor this is still very good.

This is a good choice to pick to satisfy the $20 minimum. This only cost $2.95.

We DID pick one healthy thing. This is Spinach with Salted Duck Egg and 1000-Year Egg. This is quite popular for late night too. There are also cloves of fried garlic on top and these are really good if you like roasted garlic. This was about $5-6.