culture
Spice City Toronto: On the Lamb
Try lamb barbecued, curried, fried, and jellied—in soup, in dumplings, and on skewers—at Chinese Halal Restaurant in Scarborough.
Chinese Halal's beans with garlic and bits of lamb. Wonderfully crisp.
Along the Markham/Scarborough boundary there are endless rows of modern strip malls filled with Chinese restaurants. Chinese Halal Restaurant, which serves the food of northwest China, is truly special.
Chinese Halal Restaurant, also known as the Chinese Beef and Lamb House, was founded by Chef Li, who ran several halal restaurants in northwest China. It says it’s the first halal restaurant for the Toronto Chinese community. There is also another location in North York, at 101 Ravel Road.
Reading through the extensive menu is an experience to itself. Where else can you get fried ox tongue, spicy jellyfish, and lily-fried celery?
I came here for the lamb, and I wasn’t disappointed. Every part of the animal is on the menu in endless combinations. You can get lamb organs soup, lamb dumplings, barbecued lamb, curry lamb, fried lamb tongue, fried lamb lungs, jellied lamb, and “special lamb bones,” just to name a few.
The bottom line: If you are a fan of lamb, you’ll love this place, particularly the skewers.
Chinese Halal Restaurant (668 Silver Star Boulevard), open seven days a week, 11:30 a.m. to midnight.
Spice City Toronto explores Toronto’s great hole-in-the-wall restaurants and strip-mall joints serving food from all corners of the world. Find more photos and details about Chinese Halal Restaurant here.