Last day -- better make it count! Not sure if this is normal in Canada but we actually had a noon checkout for the hotel, now that makes their 4pm check in time more reasonable. Baba was very happy because today is a work day for him so he was able to take a bunch of meetings from the quiet of the hotel room. That did mean he missed out on our last dim sum meal of the trip though: Kirin! It was a real tough choice between Kirin and Dinesty for the final lunch but since we just had XLB at DTF yesterday, we opted for classic dim sum.
Since Baba wasn't with us, we stuck to the standards that we knew we could finish on our own. I'm letting the twins rate this time, so there might be some grade inflation. Cha Siu Bao: 4 stars.
Shrimp dumplings: 3.5 stars. (I thought they were not as good as Deluxe but better than Chef Tony).
Beancurd roll, I didn't order this anywhere else. Pretty par for the course though, nothing special. 3.25.
XLB - this was an interesting one, it tasted more like a normal homemade steamed pork bun than a soup dumpling. 3.75.
Preserved duck egg and pork congee -- there was no way this would live up to Chef Tony's version but the twins still enjoyed it. I liked how they served it with a side of preserved radishes. The pork was also like huge portions of rib meat instead of the little tiny slivers. Because the congee flavoring just wasn't quite there, only a 3.75.
Egg tarts -- L gives them a 4. They were FRESH out the oven, like the egg wasn't set yet at all, almost still runny, super hot. I was impressed that they really made everything from scratch. I have to imagine all the Bay Area shops just keep a bunch on the ready instead of cooking each to order. The rating is only from L because she ate all 3 of them. I thought she'd save one at least for Baba but nope!
R and I opted for these black sesame mochi balls instead for our dessert. I can never resist black sesame. So good! 3.75 because it was a little too sweet overall, but won't lie, I'd probably order them again. 😆
Two thumbs up for the meal from these critics.
We walked back to our hotel and packed up the bags to check out. Sutton Place is a place I would stay again. The rooms were decently sized (really appreciated the extra foot or so of window ledge, helped a lot with storage), the beds were fairly comfortable, the location was unbearable, the staff was generally friendly, the pool could have been a little larger perhaps, but the lounge area was nice. If we come again, we would consider revisiting, (especially with the great deal we got)!
Where were we going to spend 5 hours before our flight? Well I heard that there was an outlet mall right next to the airport...and that it offered free luggage storage, free wifi, and a free train ride to the airport. Sold! Our friends from earlier in the trip stopped by to hang for a bit too -- they clued us in to the free Lindt chocolate samples. 😊
Which also happened to be next door to a boba shop. One last boba! Actually it was a mango sago (a drink I can actually appreciate).
Before we knew it, time had come for us to head to the airport. I had intended to try our Canada Rail at some point during the trip so glad this let me check off that box!
Our flight was delayed (again!) so we ended up hanging out at the airport lounge for longer than anticipated. Luckily it actually had some decent food. The mashed potatoes, tomato soup, garlic bread, tiramisu, and spinach and mushroom rigatoni were all hits. Here's R with I think her third or fourth buffet plate.
After a couple more delays (thankfully not too long), the flight took off and was largely uneventful. I watched the new Michael Jackson movie this time...I had been expecting a chronicle of his entire life so it felt very unsatisfying. Got home to a very friendly cat who was eager for more human attention. 🐈 🐈
Good night for now -- will do one last "final thoughts" post on the trip tomorrow!
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