Our Toronto trip coincided with my thirtieth birthday and we chose to do what we do best in celebration – eat. We were living in the Markham area, a suburb north of downtown Toronto, because this area is home to countless Chinese (and especially Cantonese) communities and restaurants.

Premiere Ballroom Dim Sum

The first birthday meal was a dim sum feast at Premiere Ballroom in Richmond Hill. We ordered too much food (as always seems to happen at dim sum) but everything was SO GOOD. Any dim sum aficionado will tell you that the quality of the har gow steamed shrimp dumplings will reveal the caliber of the dim sum restaurant overall, and Premiere Ballroom’s har gow were wonderful. They were savory but not too salty, the shrimp were bouncy, and the skin was elastic. We tried the pineapple baked roast pork buns, turnip cakes, shrimp dumplings, chicken feet, tripe, fried chicken, molten salted egg yolk custard buns, steamed glutinous rice with chicken, egg yolk cake, fried taro balls, steamed rice rolls with shrimp and spinach, and pan fried rice noodle rolls. Everything was honestly delicious and well made, not overcooked and not overly seasoned or oily. Do not fear the dreaded “so thirsty I might have diabetes” feeling you sometimes get from other restaurants, after eating at Premiere Ballroom! Our friends made the meal extra special and celebratory by providing adorable “30th birthday” themed food toothpick signs!

We were absolutely stuffed after dim sum and knew we had BIG dinner plans ahead (get excited and see below!) so spent the rest of the day walking around some of the various Markham/Richmond Hill Chinese food centers and plazas. Most notably, Pacific Mall and First Markham Place had amazing food courts that I was genuinely disappointed I couldn’t sample in my attempt to prepare my stomach for dinner that evening.

Fishman Lobster Clubhouse – Lobster and King Crab Galore!

At 8:00pm that evening, the main culinary event was upon us. Birthday dinner commenced at Fishman Lobster Clubhouse. Fishman is known for their lobster “towers and mountains” and is a popular restaurant for large families and groups (think groups of 10+) to gather and feast together. We were only a party of four, but that did not stop us from planning a celebratory banquet of king crab and lobster. Fishman offers dinner sets for parties as small as 2 people and they all look equally scrumptious so don’t miss out!

We selected the King Crab & Lobster Dinner consisting of silky chicken herbal soup, Hong Kong style fried lobster, and a 6+ pound king crab prepared three ways (steamed with egg, battered and fried with Maggi sauce, and crab fried rice served with the crab shell). I have never before in my life eaten so much (and gotten so full off of) such glorious crustaceans. I almost felt uneasy being surrounded by countless tanks of gigantic king crabs and lobsters lining the restaurant walls, but the flavors took over once the meal began. The king crab and lobster were cooked and dressed, with shells opened, to allow for uncomplicated eating and it was such a treat to eat so much of these special dishes with such ease. It is definitely not healthy to eat this much lobster and king crab, and I may need to fast for the next two days to feel normal again, but was it worth it? YES.