Accompanying my Dad on his yearly fishing trip to Lac Seul, there is a tradition of eating out on the last day in Dryden. This year, the choice was Ho Ho. And I flat out loved it. Being from Toronto, I've eaten at tens of both authentic and Canadianized Chinese restaurants in my years. This was by far one of the best that I've ever had in the Canadianized category.
We were seated in a quiet corner booth directly under a large AC register which was pleasant since it was about 40 degrees outside and we had been under the sun all day. The ambiance is quaint, warm and cottagy. The waitress was prompt to take our drink orders and allowed us the appropriate time to make our menu decision.
To keep things quick and simple, we ordered the "Platter for 4". Soon after, our consomme arrived with a side of crispy noodles. It could have been hotter, but it was a fine starter. And then the mains began to arrive, one after another after another. I thought perhaps they misheard our order and were serving the "Platter for 8". Nope.
Every single dish was excellent. Crispy Wontons with plum sauce, sweet and sour ribs, lo mein with a generous amount of chicken, beef and shrimp within, chicken balls where the chicken pieces inside were as big as golf balls, breaded shrimp, crispy chicken wings, BBQ pork slices, chicken fried rice AND steamed rice, and I think I have forgotten one or even two... everything was very tasty and fresh and the portions were beyond generous. And all of this was just over 50 bucks. Plenty (more than half) came home with us.
I can't *quite* say that it's worth the 26 hour drive to Dryden from Toronto, but if you're ever passing through (or if you live there and have only read the previous review), do yourself the favour and get some Ho Ho tonight. read more