I heard about this restaurant from a friend at work and decided to give it a try this evening. Federick's is located at the New Delhi plaza across from Costco on Markham Rd. just south of 14th Ave. This is their second restaurant, the original being in the Ellesmere and Bellamy Roads area. Hakka cuisine, as far as I know, is a combination of Indian ingredients and Chinese techniques. It involves heat, heat and more heat. But if you don't like hot food don't let this put you off, there are several mild dishes available and the menu seems to be designed with Anglo Canadian tastes in mind.
Now I like heat, even if it does appear that I am suffering. But my ability to endure is determined by how much of the flavours of the food come through. If a dish has dozens of ingredients and all I can detect is heat I will be disappointed. If, however, a dish has a balance of heat, sweet, sour and salty I will be in heaven. Federick's met this balance nicely.
I ordered the Pakora Chicken, Fried Dumplings and Hot and Sour Soup from a very cheerful cashier who was also able to give me an acceptable definition of Hakka cuisine and guided me through the menu options. I was a little put off by the fact that they only accepted debit cards at $15 and over and Visa at $25 and over. Luckily I had cash, though my bill did come to $15.
The portions were generous, as you can see in the picture. Don't forget to ask for napkins and utensils if you need them as they were not included.
I had ordered the dumplings fried which I assumed meant deep fried. I shouldn't assume, they weren't. They also were not memorable, just as you would get at any decent Chinese restaurant. The hot and sour soup was well balanced with sour, salty and hot flavours. It brought on a nice sweat without being over bearing. It was thick with ingredients. Quite substantial, I only had about a third. The Chicken Pakora came with two dipping sauces, both hot. There was a fiery red sauce and a sour green chili sauce which was a little more muted. The deep fried chunks of chicken were well seasoned and the batter was of the crunchier variety as opposed to the lighter batters of chicken balls. The Pakoras were similar in texture to a hush puppy on the outside with chunks of dark chicken meat on the inside. This made them more moist and luscious than standard chinese chicken balls and they were just as good without the dipping sauces.
Federick's does have takeout and dine-in options but does not currently offer delivery. Prices are competitive with other Chinese food options, but be prepared not to finish. Almost everyone I saw dining in took leftovers to go.
As far as an accompanying beverage, my pick with spicy Indo meals, when dining by myself is always MILK. Yes milk. It has the ability to instantly extinguish the harshest fires and stays out of the way of the food. If you must have alcohol (and Federick's is licensed) I would suggest a cooler style drink such as Palm Bay. Beer is an acceptable drink and Pinot Noir if you simply must have wine. Or try a rice wine.
