Tradition Meets Modernity: A Full-Circle Dining Experience at Hong Shing Toronto
Life has the most wonderful way of connecting people, and sometimes, those connections take a decade to fully bloom.
Back in 2014, when I was studying at Laurier and Colin was at Waterloo, we met through a university Facebook rideshare. I still remember that fun 1.5-hour road trip to Toronto, chatting the whole way. A few years later, he and Cleman (who is now the incredible General Manager!) even came out to one of my event soirées.
Watching Colin take over his family’s 29-year legacy at Hong Shing and transform it into an absolute cultural institution in downtown Toronto has been nothing short of inspiring. I’ve been religiously ordering their takeout since 2015, but when my friend @mrwillwong recently invited me for a tasting, I realized something crazy: this was my very first time actually dining in person!
Funny little backstory: As I was writing this, I fell down a rabbit hole in my old Outlook inbox and searched for "Hong Shing." What I found had me laughing out loud. I unearthed all my old UberEats and DoorDash invoices, and realized that I used to treat the delivery "Comments" section like a personal text thread to Colin and his team! 🤭😆 I never even knew if anyone in the kitchen was actually reading them, but I loved leaving them anyway.
Here are a few of the actual notes I left on my orders starting back in 2015:
08.30.2015 :
My friend Colin keeps telling me about his restaurant. SUPER EXCITED to finally try your food!!!! :D THANKS!!!
01.28.2016 :
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COLIN! [...]
10.22.2016:
We'd love extra sauce - and HI Colin!
05.11.2017:
HELLO COLIN AND TEAM AT HONG SHING - CONGRATS ON TOP SEAFOOD PLACE ON YONGE / DUNDAS! SUPER EXCITED FOR OUR HONG SHING MEAL - your biggest fans, Betty & [...]!
I kept ordering from them for years!
Here is an inside look at our spectacular evening, what makes this restaurant so special, and why you need to book a table immediately.
The History of Hong Shing & Colin’s Modern Vision
Hong Shing originally opened its doors on March 10, 1997, at 195 Dundas Street West. The name of the restaurant is a beautiful combination of two Cantonese words meaning "Health" and "City," which together represent the strong community they have built.
In 2016, at just 24 years old, Colin took over the business from his parents. He was determined to fight the outdated stigmas often attached to old-school Chinese restaurants and wanted to elevate the public perception of Chinese cuisine. He made bold, modern branding choices - like painting the restaurant's exterior all black to create a sleek storefront and streamlining their massive 160-item menu down to a curated 145 dishes. He even expanded the brand into the community by sponsoring a local basketball team in the Megacity League and launching branded streetwear merchandise like hoodies and varsity jackets.
But what I LOVE most is the beautiful juxtaposition of the new and the traditional. While Colin modernized the brand, the soul of the kitchen remained untouched. His own uncles and veteran chefs - including a highly respected BBQ chef with over 35 years of experience -are still the masterminds pouring their hearts into the exact traditional dishes that started it all.
What We Ate: The Halal-Certified Menu
One of the best things about Hong Shing's evolution is its commitment to inclusivity. They feature a meticulously crafted, Halal-certified menu, meaning even more of our diverse Toronto community can share in these meals.
Here is exactly what we feasted on:
Ma La Chicken Wings: Mouth-numbing and perfectly crispy. The kitchen experimented with this recipe during the pandemic, and I honestly cannot get enough of them!
Ginger Scallion Cod: A masterclass in texture and flavor. It is perfectly crispy on the outside but melts in your mouth the second you take a bite.
Crystal Dumplings: A beautiful, delicate bite filled with water chestnuts and elegantly topped with black truffle.
Duck Fried Rice: So rich, deeply comforting, and packed with umami. Mmma!
Spicy Shrimps: The absolute classic. This is the dish I’ve been ordering for almost a decade, and it is widely known as a massive customer favorite that hits the spot every single time.
Unveiling the Baijiu Cocktail Program
Our tasting was centered around experiencing their brand-new Baijiu Cocktail Program. This is Toronto's first Baijiu bar!
If you aren't familiar with Baijiu, it literally translates to "white alcohol". Despite being little-known by many outside of China, it is actually the planet's most-consumed spirit. Its primary ingredient is fermented sorghum, though other grains such as rice, wheat, corn, and barley are also frequently used. The spirit is uniquely crafted using a grain culture called qu (or jiuqu), which acts as a starter containing enzymes that convert the grain's starches into sugar before yeast converts it into alcohol. The fermented grains are then distilled using steam - a process with roots dating back to the Yuan and Ming dynasties.
Traditionally, Baijiu boasts a potent ABV between 40% and 60%. However, Colin and bartender Vincent Chan noticed the spirit gaining traction in Toronto and decided to make it the star ingredient of a modern cocktail program at Hong Shing. By mixing this historic, fiery spirit into 8 dazzling, modern cocktails, Hong Shing has created the perfect, approachable way to introduce uninitiated guests to a staple of Chinese culture.
Final Thoughts
Colin, your eye for branding, your dedication to the community, and your heart for your family’s legacy shines through every single detail of the restaurant. Thank you for such a spectacular evening!
Whether you are looking for elevated Chinese takeout or an aesthetic, immersive dine-in experience, Hong Shing is a Toronto staple that completely lives up to the hype. Have you guys ever been to Hong Shing?
195 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M5G 1C7