Back in February, this restaurant was offering a dim sum tasting for $18 for xx (sorry, can't remember!) number of dim sum dishes for Dine Out Vancouver 2012. I was excited to try that out, as I have limited dim sum experiences in this city, but in the end I had to give it a miss due to some unfortunate events.
When I saw the Groupon for this restaurant, I thought, maybe I'd finally have a chance to try this restaurant again! The Groupon was offering $15 for $30 of food or a $20 set meal for two ($42.50 value). The set meal looked attractive:
- Two spring rolls (a $4 value)
- Bean-sprout chow mein (an $8 value)
- Ginger beef (an $8.50 value)
- Szechuan-style green beans (an $8 value)
- Vegetable fried rice (a $6 value)
- Dai ching chicken (an $8 value)
I decided to get the set meal since it was an easier choice of what to eat. We went there on a sunny Saturday after a beautiful harbour cruise around the Burrard Inlet. I had called to check if we could use the Groupon for lunch (since it says "dinner for two" on the deal) and the person on the phone said no problem.
We got there and it was rather empty for a Saturday. It was around 12:30 p.m. when we arrived and once we presented the Groupon, the waiter whisked it away and brought us some tea.
I was very surprised that the food started coming after several minutes. First up was the spring rolls.
Two giant spring rolls cut in half, the presentation was not exactly glamourous. The spring roll skin was fried perfectly to golden brown, and it was served with plum sauce. I imagine it was easily poured out from a jar as it was no different from those at Chinese fast food places.
The fillings were bamboo shoots, a little pork and some carrots. Again, very ordinary.
While we were slowly munching on the spring rolls, the other dishes came within five minutes of each other.
The green beans were deep fried and then sauteed with a salty, dark sauce and some garlic and chilli. It was too salty and greasy for my liking, and in my opinion, greens at the table should be light and refreshing for cleansing your palate between the heavier (meat) dishes.
Every restaurant has their special fried noodles, and they generally taste pretty good. I was, however, disappointed by this (again) greasy and bland noodles. All I tasted was oil. I bet you I can make tastier noodles than this!
Fried rice, it should be bright and vibrant, soft and fluffy. When this dish came, I was saddened by the grey, heavy look of the mound of rice. I took a bite and instead of the fluffy texture that usually comes in fried rice, this one was oily and tasted quite nauseating. I don't mean to sound mean but I certainly do not think this meets my standards of fried rice.
Speaking of which, I might do a recipe post on my take on fried rice! Requires little oil and tastes even more awesome! Are you interested in that?
This is the chicken dish, which looks like chicken braised in soy sauce. The taste of the sauce was quite good, but there was no special oomph to it. I would have enjoyed this dish if only there were not so many bones in the chicken! I spent half my time getting the bones out rather than enjoying this dish.
The ginger beef was deep fried (presumably) beef and slathered with sweet chilli sauce. I enjoyed the sauce, but not the tough, rubbery meat. Deep frying may mask the weaknesses of some ingredients, but not this one.
At this point when all the dishes were arriving, each more disappointing than the last, I was ready to leave. The food was not tasting good; the atmosphere of the restaurant was just getting weird (I can't describe it!).
We hastily finished up most of the food (so greasy!!) and got the meat dishes to go. Our bill came and we only had to pay about $5 more. I was so relieved when I finally left. I felt pretty glad that my missed dim sum experience here may have turned into a blessing in disguise.
No, I don't think I'm ever stepping foot in there ever again. This is one of the most disappointing Chinese restaurants in Vancouver. If you can't do it right, just don't do it. I don't think I've ever been so critical in my restaurant reviews before, but this is an exception.
This meal is definitely not worth $42.50. Heck, I don't think it is even worth $20! Spend your money elsewhere; anywhere would give you more value for money than this place!
P.S. Anyone still want my fried rice recipe?
♥ Nikki
