Good Life House Restaurant

Full disclosure: There is something so fabulously kitschy about big red lanterns that they make me want to eat at any old restaurant that proudly hangs them.
I’m really glad that the aesthetics got us in the door since the food wasn’t bad at all — by dodgy Canadian Chinese chop suey restaurant standards. The lunch specials hover around the mind-​blowing $ 4.50 mark and are sided with very decent soy sauce-​douced fried rice. My veggie friend went with a sautéed mélange of Asian veggies while I opted for heavily battered, but surprisingly juicy deep fried chicken wings. Our pot of jasmine tea was refilled about 5 times (each with a big smile) over our lengthy catch up meal.
Good Life House is owned by a family. The server/​bike delivery person dad challenges his son to plastic sword fights during down time while the television entertains him when the adults are busy. An older woman does the cooking in the back, delivers dishes to the tables, and assembles great foam box towers of take-​out for hungry neighbourhood regulars.
This is no hidden gem that everyone should immediately flock to, but if you’re in Parkdale and want a quick, filling sit-​down meal with great service and no line up for pocket change, this is it.