Dishes fine, service warm at Great World

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/11/2001 (8957 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WITH our multitude of neighbourhood Chinese restaurants I need a good reason to choose one for review rather than another. Several strong recommendations might do it, for instance, or an unusual menu, but my reason for choosing Great World was neither of the above.

I had always been intrigued by the outside sign – not the part that reads Great World, which is in the Chinese restaurant tradition, but the name above it, Sidney Mah. I can’t remember ever seeing a Chinese restaurant that – unlike those of famous French chefs or equally famous retired sports figures – was named for its owner.

My interest was further piqued by a takeout delivery menu that turned up regularly in my mailbox. Many of the listings were the standards one might expect on any such menu, but there were also a few that, if hardly rare, were less banal than the usual crop of chop sueys and foo yungs.

I was hooked. But upon investigation it turned out that Sidney Mah was present in name only, on that outside sign, so I’ll never know about his cooking. What I do know is that the present owners, who took over a few years ago, are doing a good job.

The kitchen does a good job on noodles but skip the standard chow meins with dry noodles. For the best, look under the heading of Cantonese chow meins for the house special chow mein with assorted meats and seafoods ($7.45). Or for the even better Shanghai noodles of thick, deliciously chewy fresh noodles stir-fried with barbecued pork and thin strips of cabbage ($7.20)

Another top choice is Great World special ribs ($7.50), deep-fried and finished in an irresistible sweet-sour sauce with tomatoes, onions and pineapple. Also good, a mooshi mixture of chicken with shredded mixed vegetables ($6.50), although the cold, square wrapping crepes tasted commercially made.

After sneering at chop sueys and such I confess I couldn’t resist trying one of the guilty pleasures of my youth – dry beef chop suey, a stir-fry of thin beef slices with shredded vegetables. It was almost as delicious as I’d remembered and with more garlic it might have been perfect. Indulging a guest who shared my sentimental memories of this dish I pushed my luck and tried it a second time, on a busier night, but that time it had little flavour beyond sweetness.

For appetizer there’s an acceptable spring roll. Other passable, if unexceptional dishes included pan-fried shrimp, honey-garlic chicken and a seafood house special of shrimp, scallops and squid with vegetables.

Despite its spartan exterior Great World’s interior turns out to be pleasant, if simple. They deserve a special medal for the particularly solid and well-padded armchairs, which are far more comfortable than some of the spindly, hard chairs I’ve endured recently in some far fancier places.

Service is warm and accommodating, but a little slow on busy nights – the busyness may not be apparent, but they seem to do a lot of takeout orders. Open daily for dinner only.