Their gimmicky chilled sweet and sour pork ($19.88) is what draws people in, and I'll admit it worked on me. As a huge fan of Stephen Chow the dish immediately caught my attention. In his film The God of Cookery, there's a cooking competition where one of the contestants serves sweet and sour pork encased in ice. The idea is that the cold rapidly hardens the sauce, creating something crunchy on the outside and hot on the inside. It's pure slapstick, and I've watched it more than once. So, when a similar dish popped up on my feed, the nostalgia hit instantly. At Son's, they take a straightforward approach: a plate of sweet and sour pork topped with a scattering of ice cubes. From what I remember, the movie version involved tossing the pork with ice to semi-freeze it, not simply serving it with cubes on top. As expected, the ice melts quickly, so you'll want to dive in right away. At first bite, the pork is crispy and slightly more candy-like than usual, but the difference is subtle. Once the ice starts melting, things go downhill fast. We ended up moving the pieces onto another plate to avoid them becoming cold and soggy. It's a fun one-time try, but not something I'd order again. In the dish are pieces that look like garlic cloves. Bite into one and you get a burst of tangy, juicy sweetness. They seem more like pickled shallots, and it's a surprisingly pleasant addition. While their menu offers razor clams ($26.88), you can also order stir-fried clams ($18.88) off menu. The portion is generous and enjoyable, but a bit too sweet, tasting more like sweet bean than black bean sauce. It's missing that punchy aroma and garlicky finish that usually defines the dish. The Typhoon Shelter seafood noodles ($19.88) are better described as stir-fried noodles with shrimp and pork. It's a letdown. Traditionally, this dish features a mix of whatever seafood is freshest, so it should feel abundant and varied. At the very least, a few pieces of squid would help justify the name. Despite its deep colour, the noodles lack flavour and wok hay, tasting like something we'd throw together at home... and I'm not exactly a great cook. Our table found their dry beef ho fun ($12.99 for lunch portion) more impressive. While the soy sauce could be distributed more evenly, it delivers better wok hay. The rice noodles are chewy, and the combination of green onion, red onion, and bean sprouts adds a satisfying crunch. It also comes with a complimentary daily soup that's piping hot and nicely seasoned. Their weekday lunch menu, ranging from $12.99 to $13.99 per dish, makes this a solid budget-friendly option read more

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An interesting version of Chinese comfort food with nostalgic vibes. The dishes are on the pricey side for Scarborough, but they have made efforts to make each dish slightly more interesting or with a twist. We had the seafood rice which came with black glutenous race, making the dish have a wonderful nutty flavor. Beef and broccoli was solid, and was served in a hot dish so it stayed hot throughout the meal. read more

Son's Dai Pai Dong - Seafood rice - Seafood Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

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The space has a wonderfully nostalgic charm, with so much attention paid to recreating that classic Dai Pai Dong vibe. It feels lively and full of character the moment you walk in. With just the two of us, we couldn't try as many dishes as I hoped, but the poached chicken, the stir‑fried vermicelli, and the sizzling shrimp paste broccoli with pork neck all came out tasting fresh, bold, and intensely flavourful. The seasoning leans savoury and punchy--the kind of food that really shines alongside a cold drink or an ice‑cold beer. Service had a relaxed, friendly energy, though it moved at a slower pace. I asked for some hot water to dilute the house tea and needed to remind a few different staff members before it arrived. Nothing unpleasant, just a more laid‑back rhythm to the service. This is definitely a spot that benefits from coming with a small group. The menu is built for sharing, and there are so many dishes worth exploring that it's easier to appreciate the variety when you have a few more people at the table. read more

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A fairly new restaurant with friendly and attentive servers that make the experience very pleasant. The food we ordered were served in piping hot pots, which adds to the enjoyment of the food. We really enjoyed our meal from start to finish. The overall atmosphere is comfortable and welcoming, making it a nice place to dine. Simple but satisfying, and definitely worth a visit. I would gladly recommend it to others looking for a reliable and enjoyable meal. read more

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I'm a fan of Son's Dai Pai Dong! Lots of variety on the menu, and some dishes are quite memorable. They're famous for their sweet and sour pork which they put ice in it to keep the pork extra crispy. They definitely achieve that crispiness, but I would caution that some bites were all batter and very little pork. I really enjoyed the seafood fried rice as well as the typhoon style fried chicken wings. They take reservations for 6+ people and I would recommend one because it does get quite busy on the weekends! Also bring cash because there is a surcharge for using credit or debit card payments. read more

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Newly opened HK Dai Pai Dong type of restaurant in Scarborough. New plaza, new interior with all the vibes. Got here right when it opened to have an early lunch and there were some hit or miss dishes. Unfortunately the day we came, they weren't able to serve any in house made beverages and only had bottled drinks. Bummer because milk teas and lemon teas are all a part of the entire experience. The food was good with some dishes better than others: Fried Squab 5/5 - May be bias here, but I love squab and I found that these came out perfectly fried/ roasted and was extremely juicy on the inside. Each order comes with just one squab instead of 2 like suggested on their menu. Sweet and Sour pork 4.5/5 - I was the most curious about this dish as the sweet and sour pork came on a bed of ice to make the exterior extra crisp! At first, I wasn't too big on the idea of having different temperatures of my food, but it grew on me the more I ate. It's still a bit odd that one piece of meat can be extremely cold, while the other piece is warm. However, the exterior crisp/ crunch is unbeatable. Braised Pork Belly 5/5 - So delicious and fatty! Loved that it came with a lot of pork belly pieces and a decadent sauce. Definitely order a bowl of white rice to have with this. Fuzzy Melon Soup 3/5 - I wasn't a fan of this probably because I wasn't a fan of the fuzzy melon. However, my friends loved this since it was refreshing and had a sweet flavour. Steamed Rice with Preserved Sausage 2.5/5 - I probably wouldn't get this again as it was just steamed white rice with sausage on the top. Didn't have much flavour and is a skip for me. Overall, I thought it was pretty good. Definitely want to come back to try other dishes like their fried noodles. read more

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Got their new year combo B. It was only 6 pm however they were already sold out of one of their dishes ( stir fried veggie with seafood) but allowed us to substitute with another dish. Place is newly opened so expect service to be slow. Could tell the staff were confused and just getting into the rhythm of things. However they were nice although we had to ask multiple times for tea, to order, napkins, etc. Food is nothing special tbh. The presentation is nice and I think most people come here just to try since it is a new restaurant in the area. I won't lie the interior is nice like a little Hong Kong style street. However I don't think the food is worth the price (higher end) for small portions. Had the sweet and sour fish, spicy shrimp, beef noodles in soup, which were all mid. However I will praise their ginger chicken clay pot dish. Was surprisingly so tender and flavourful. All in all wouldn't come back unless my friends or family wanted to try. read more

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They opened around Dec 2026 so I finally visited to try their wok dishes. The interior is bring and just like stepping into Dai Pai Dong with plastic chairs and a 80's 90's famous stars poster. Iced sweet and sour pork was decent. Very cripsy and good sweet and sour sauce flavour but some pieces where batter only. Typhoon stir-fried noodles was surprisingly good. The noodles were dried and stir-fried nicely full of crab oil and wok flavour. This is a very rare dish and you don't elsewhere. Definetely recommend this noodle and I see other tables ordered this as well. Chicken hot pot was tasty and flavourful served in a hot iron bowl. They even serve bottled Vita soy milk drinks so if you miss this HK nostalgic drink, do come here for a visit. Limited parking space so do come here early. read more

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I really wish I could've given a 3.5 star because it wasn't good enough for a 4 star. Came here because my husband said the hype about their sweet and sour pork was really good. Let's do a review per dish: Sweet and sour pork: it's unique in how it's served on a bed of ice still steaming. It stays crispy longer as a result because it's like flash freezing the outside of the pork to keep the exterior crispy. Anyway, as for the actual meat , it was non existent. Don't let the big pieces truck you! It was 98% fat & 2% meat if lucky. Otherwise, it was just fried powder. I love sweet and sour pork and although the taste was there, it was very disappointing to eat. Chicken: the meat was supple and juicy. Oily as expected it was made well. Something different then the free range running style ones 5 treasure seafood rice: nothing special, I just wanted a healthier carb version compared to plain white rice! I didn't regret this order, lol! Spinach & century egg pork soup: it was quite tasty but also questionable whether it had MSG or not. I can't recall being super thirsty after dinner so maybe not. I'll probably comeback and give the sweet and sour pork another go maybe it was a miss that night and try some other dishes. But I'll wait for the restaurant to settle as it's new. Service was quite good, though packed the server remembered to come back once he was done being occupied. Lastly, to note they serve Lo Han Guo water as tea which was nice. Didn't need to worry about my sleeping after dinner. read more

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This place is popular and it does a few things quite well. We tried the following: Lemon grass baked eel: in what would become a trend, anything braised was a touch disappointing as it tasted like it needed more time to cook. Meat of the eel stuck to the bones too much when it should be much softer. Portion size was good. Sweet and sour pork: Best dish they made and probably the crispiest version of this dish I ever had. They serve this with ice which supposedly helps harden the shells of the pork to make it crispy. While it does achieve this effect, eating this dish past 5 minutes makes it taste like you are eating cold leftovers at home out of the fridge. We would order this again but would ask for no ice and just deal with it. Braised pork belly: good portion but the meat was too tough. Should fall apart and it didn't. Beef tendon noodle soup. We had the original version with the yellow noodle which was bang on the style you get in HK and we also had one with the flat ho fun noodle which my wife loves. Crispy pork intestines: these are served with fries and are fantastic. Very crisp. Clean. And a nice dipping sauce. Decor wise the restaurant recreated the look of Hong Kong street food areas which is quite cool. All the ambiance without the dirtiness. Pro tip. They do reservations so call ahead or you will otherwise need to wait. There isn't much space so they will ask you to wait outside. read more

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I want to lunch in the weekdays. I got a seat easily and I had sweet and sour pork rice and beef tender rice noodles. Both are very good and as it is lunch, it is all under $16. It's also goes with steam soup but just limited for 80 per day . The sweet and sour pork is very crispy and the beef tender has various type of beef tendon and it is perfectly executed. I also order steamed chicken compared to the first two dishes. It is less yummy. The service is fast. It has a private parking lot, but it is not a lot of parking space. Washroom is at the same level in the restaurant Yes it is a casual restaurant. read more

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This hit the spot. We were out late and needed something quick to eat. Food was tasty, a bit oily (as expected). It hit the spot. The place does get very busy. read more

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Came as a group of 8 and ordered a variety of dishes including the sweet and sour pork on ice, a seafood fried rice, a beef fried rice noodle, a braised fish pot, braised pork belly with pickled veggies, and stir fried beans. The portions of the dishes were pretty good but the carb ones like rice and noodles could've been a bit bigger. Flavouring for all was great and would come back again to try other dishes! Seating was a big tight and there was a long lineup near the front area the whole time we were dining there. Make resos! read more

This place is not too big but the food is decent and quite authentic. It got busy quickly. The overall service was good as well. However, we found the pricing a bit on the high side for what you got. read more

The iced sweet and sour pork and Cantonese stir-fry are very good. Also, having lots of selections from the menu. Later there will be lively seafood. Unfortunately, they are not going to provide most famous beef offal. The shop decorations in canton vibe. read more

Son's Dai Pai Dong - iced sweet and sour pork - Seafood Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

Dai pai dong vibe. We ordered dishes to get the wok hei. This was the stir fried gai lan with beef, the stir fried razor clams with XO sauce and the frog leg casserole. The taste was decent overall. The service was ok and what you expect at a dai pai dong. read more

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The previous location was near Yonge and Finch but that one was primarily focus on beef offal noodles and small restaurant. Now this new Son's Dai Pai Dong, I love the ambiance. The dai pai dong style tables. So what does dai pai dong means? Dai pai dong (traditional Chinese: 大牌檔; simplified Chinese is a type of open-air food stall. The term originates from Hong Kong) I order green onion Ginger crab. It was fresh and tasty. We ordered a chicken casserole with broth along with typhoon sheltered fried noodles, the shrimp were quite big and the noodle has a mild spicy taste to it. You can order HK style milk tea. The wall has photos of HK celebrities and playing 80s-90s canton pop such as Leslie Cheung's song. They are at their soft opening stage so there might be a bit of wait. There's this super cute toy, miniature dai pai dong style table and four mini chairs as a gift when you spend $100 and while supplies last, they only have 1000 set to give away! Fun dining experience! read more

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food portion is smaller than expected, but kind of enough for average girls I guess. They have large tables for big family gatherings. Better book the table ahead of time. read more

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Decided to come by this area to try after seeing some social media posting on it. Came by during the daytime so it was a lot less busy. Here was what we ordered: Wet-Fried Beef Ho Fun G6-$16.88 - quite nicely taste with mix beef, sauce and veggie D18- Sizzling cauliflower w/ shrimp paste- $18.88 - You taste the shrimp paste and maggi flavouring and its tasty! A2- Garlic Maggi Diced Marbled Beef- $19.88 - Taste quite similar to the above dish You get 5% discount if pay by cash and you get a free gift. Overall good taste and would come back to try other dishes too! read more

Food was amazing would definitely come back and try other dishes. Lemon tea was so good! read more

Son's Dai Pai Dong - Half chicken - Seafood Near Me - Scarborough, Ontario

Service good, food ok for the price, very tight sitting. Not a lot of room for waiting can b problem in cold day.