4331 Dominion Street, Burnaby, BC
604-432-6002
MomJ wanted to go out for dinner...but where? Buddha Boy suggested to check out that "$12.95 Flavours of the World Buffet" at Grand Villa Casino, the only problem was, it's a themed buffet which means it changes every week. This week was Hungarian, which didn't sound too appealing to us.
As we walked out of the casino, we threw ideas back and forth on where to go and what to eat...of course, TG came in mind too, but in the end...we opted for Grand Dynasty mainly because it was right next door to the casino...yup, we were one lazy family.
I had an individual portion of Chef's Special Minced Fish Soup 薺菜魚茸羹. The green leafy vegetable used was Shepard's Purse. The soup was flavorful and light. Strong aroma of Shepard's Purse did not overpower the fish soup. Presentation was nice, served in a little clay pot, but it was a pain scooping the soup.
Buddha Boy had an individual portion of Hot & Soup Soup 四川酸辣湯, which was a huge disappointment. Okay...if a restaurant's not going to serve this properly or authentically (where black vinegar and black pepper are served at the table, not added during the cooking process), at least make it tasty. The soup had a light smell of sourness, but it was not sour. It had a light hint of spiciness, but it was not spicy (or "hot" to resemble the name). Buddha Boy ended up adding all the black vinegar served with the jelly pork into his soup just to get some taste. This soup failed badly.
This was our first duck course, which was cut by our table. I recorded a video while the so-called "manager" (seemed like all the servers there are "managers" and they're all in black suits) performed the "slicing"...but until I figure out how to eliminate the conversation (audio)...I guess pictures will do for now...hahahaha! Personally, I think it's all about the show since the duck wasn't too great, skin was not crispy, meat was tasteless.
Instead of the usual lettuce wrap as our second course, MomJ opted for a Shredded Duck Meat with Celery and Snow Peas 荷芹炒鴨絲. While Buddha Boy and I thought this was meaty and tasty, MomJ suspected that the meat was not from our duck because she noticed the strong freezer-burn taste. But MomJ...all the birds used for their peking ducks were previously frozen...so...?!?!?
MomJ ordered a simple Chili & Water Spinach Stir-Fry 椒絲通菜. Other than the common Thai chili, we also noticed the use of jalapeno, which added a fragrant aroma to the dish. The vegetable itself was fresh, but nothing too special since we don't really "click" with vegetables...hahahahaha!
Overall, Buddha Boy and I enjoyed the meal. Menu was simple and easy to read. Restaurant was clean with a fancy ambiance. Plenty of parking (in the casino parking lot). Food was not perfect, but was creative. Points were deducted when we saw other tables having complimentary house desserts but we were not offered at the end of our meal. Hahaha! Yup, we're cheap!
The Spicy Boneless Cold Pork 鎮江肴肉, also known as 水晶肴肉, was not a favor. For presentation, they sprinkled white sesame on top which added a light sesame fragrance. The meat was a bit rough in texture and didn't have enough gelatin parts to resemble "水晶". This was served with black vinegar.
The Chicken Marinaded in Chinese Wine 花雕醉雞 was quite nice. The wine marinate was a bit bitter than usual but the chicken was flavorful and tender.Yup, knowing us, we'd order a Roasted Beijing Duck 北京片皮鴨. This place uses Cantonese hoisin sauce 海鮮醬 instead sweet flour paste 甜麵醬. The chef here must love using white sesame...if you look closely, the thick crepe used for wrapping also had white sesame in the dough.
Our final dish was Deep-fried Prawn with Taro Paste 荔芋炸蝦. This reminded us of a common dim sum dish...芋角 (those deep-fried taro balls with some kind of curry filling inside). Prawns were mediocre quality. The outer coating was crispy. The taro paste ratio was just right for each portion. We enjoyed this, but this was also very filling.
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