Craig Wong is the chef and owner of Patois Toronto, an Asian-Caribbean restaurant, and Bar Mignonette, a seafood wine bar with a focus on natural wines.

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Ordering in Chinese food has become something of a holiday tradition.

When all of the holiday feast leftovers are gone and you’re in no mood to cook, takeout is the perfect solution.

We asked chef Craig Wong of Patois to sample several plates of General Tao’s chicken from five of Toronto’s best Chinese restaurants.

Winner

Yu Seafood

A relatively new player on the block, YU Seafood is a sophisticated, gourmet Chinese spot that recently opened in Yorkdale, after a successful five years of serving the Richmond Hill crowd. “It had all the flavour profiles I was looking for and it had a nice texture,” says Wong.

yuseafood.com, $24

Kwan

Popular York Mills dim sum spot, Kwan, was next on chef Wong’s plate. “This was really tasty. This is the style and texture I like to see when eating General Tao,” says Wong.

kwan-dimsum.com, $15.95

C’est Bon

Next up, Wong sampled C’est Bon’s General Tsao’s Chicken. The Chinese restaurant with a French name has been a staple in the midtown community for more than a decade. “There’s some heat present, but this dish reminds me more of a sweet and sour sauce,” says Wong.

cestbonrestaurant.com, $16.95

Dynasty

Located in the heart of Yorkville, Dynasty serves up everything from shareable dim sum bites to old favourites, like Yeung chow fried rice. “It has that sweet chili sauce, almost more of a spicy sweet and sour sauce.”

dynastyyorkville.com, $20.95

Cynthia’s

With locations in Thornhill, Oakville, and Newmarket, Cynthia’s has long been the go-to for good Chinese food in the 905. “This is less saucy and more stir-fried. I can smell some sort of fermented chili in here. It has some funk to it!” says Wong.

cynthiaschinese.com, $17.95