Casa Imperial

My cousin’s wedding was this past Sunday in Toronto, so since a good number of my family (extended and immediate) were all in the same place we went out for a big family dinner the following night. My family is Chinese so when it comes to “formal” family dinners, more often than not it will be Chinese cuisine. For dinner on Monday we went to Casa Imperial for some Chinese fine-dining. From the outside it does not look like a Chinese restaurant at all, let alone a restaurant. The restaurant is housed in a historic Victorian-Style house and the interior is a wonderful mix of european and asian decor. For years the building operated as an Italian restaurant and I’m not sure when it changed ownership and Casa Imperial was born.

Before I begin showing pictures of our 11-course meal – yes 11 courses –  let me share some snaps from inside.

1st Dish

Suckling Pig – The gold/yellow looking thing on top is a flashing light that was there for show.

2nd Dish

Sauteed Scallops, Conch, Sugar Snap Peas, & Celery

3rd Dish

Wintermelon Soup – A favorite amongst everyone, this soup is cooked inside the wintermelon. The melon is carved out and put back inside the hollow melon in chunks, along with soup, duck, shrimp, sea cucumber, and chicken. Beautiful presentation!

4th Dish

Filet Mignon and a tomato. I was busy talking and forgot to take a picture before the server dished this out!

5th Dish

Crispy Chicken

6th Dish

Lobster

7th Dish

Fish (Grey Sole) & Sugar Snap Peas

8th Dish

Snowpea Tips & Abalone Mushrooms

9th Dish

Fried Rice

10th Dish

Vegetarian Noodles

11th Dish

Pan-fried Noodles

Dessert

Red Bean Soup, rice balls covered in coconut and filled with a red bean paste, and little pastries filled with lotus paste.

My favorites dishes were the suckling pig, the wintermelon soup, and the dessert! Just looking all these pictures is making me hungry. Good thing it’s almost dinner time!