This is one of my favourite restaurants to go to in Hamilton, and offers authentic Chinese dining sure to please even the toughest carnivore. The menu is enourmous, and every thing that I've tried so far has been fabulous.
The oriental decor is classy, the waiters and waitresses are always very friendly and helpful, and the entire place is spotless. There is plenty of seating, a private feel, and a relaxed yet elegant atmosphere. I have come here for everything from a casual lunch with friends to a fancy celebratory dinner with family. This restaurant is really suited for anything and is large enough to accomodate big groups.
There are shelves with glass jars of loose leaf tea that you can buy to take home, as well as a variety of very unique tea pots and mugs for sale.
The menu features very fine quality Chinese food, and everything on the menu is vegetarian. Mostly everything is vegan, and items that contain milk or eggs are clearly marked. There is a wide variety of tea, bubble tea and smoothies to drink, and to be honest I have not noticed whether or not they serve alcohol. There are enough appetizers to choose from to make a meal out of, and a great dim sum menu. I've tried everything in the dim sum section and it is all great. Its a treat to find vegetarian dim sum, and their selection certaintly stands its ground against the options you would generally find containing meat. I frequently come here with my Mom, a dim sum lover who is not vegetarian, and she too loves the dim sum served here. There are many types of dishes, featuring convincing imitation chicken, beef and pork alternatives (made of tvp), tofu, noodles, vegetables and rice. There are so many different menu items, and most have the option of a medium sized portion for a cheaper price, a gesture sure to be appreciated by those with smaller appetites.
For $15.99 I had the white jade combination dinner, which started with the soup of the day (pumpkin and vegetable) shortly followed by a spring roll with dipping sauce. Next came an attractive rectangular dish squared off into sections, which included a salad with a delicious light dressing, soy nuggets, soy sauce for dipping, and purple rice (a blend of jasmine, brown and wild rice which takes on a purple colour and a hearty, nutty flavour. All of those items come with every combination dinner, and in the last section is your main dish of choice. I had the white jade on vegetables, which is a soft tofu on a seaweed crust drizzled with sauce, meant to imitate fish. It had very soft texture unlike I've ever experienced with tofu, and although I generally don't like meat imitations, this was completely delicious. Green tea and dessert also came with the combination dinner, the green tea having the nice flavour of good quality green tea. For dessert was an option of jelly or soy ice cream. I chose pistachio soy ice cream and it was flavoured with a nice amount of sweetness and had peices of chopped pistachio in it. They have a selection of 10 types of soy ice cream (100% vegan), and let me tell you, for a vegan this is VERY exciting! I've also tried the hazelnut and green tea flavours, and both were very rich and creamy and were basically the most delicious thing I've ever experienced.
Everything is reasonably priced, and regardless of your budget or appetite you should be able to find something right for you. They have lunch specials and offer take out as well.
*****/*****
Affinity is located on 87 John St. South in Hamilton ON. South of Main, a great location for both mountain and downtown folks alike. Also very close to the GO station, so I often come here straight off the bus from Toronto.
905-529-2498
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