2011-10-16 Lunch @ International Village

Buddha Boy and I went for lunch at International Village (simply, Tinseltown) before our grocery shopping in Chinatown.  Okay, it's 12:45pm and only four out of nine stalls were open...WTF???  Three more stalls (including the Vietnamese stall where Buddha Boy wanted his combo platter) turned on their lights at about 1:30pm (and we're done eating)...grrr...speechless.

GIANT PANDA 熊貓小廚

604-899-6126

With limited choices, I went over to the corner unit and had some Chinese fast food.  I recall trying this place manyyears ago when I used to work in this dead mall.  I didn't quite enjoy it back then, but this time, much better.

I had a combo plate of three items plus noodles.  The Sweet & Sour Pork was very tender.  The sauce was just the right sweetness and was not too gooey.  Compared to the pork, the Orange Chicken didn't quite wow me.  The chicken, while coated in a nice orange sauce, was dry.  Can't recall the spicy chicken stir-fry...must not be too memorable.  The noodles were surprisingly Q with a good flavor.

RYO JAPANESE FOOD

604-818-1099

With no Vietnamese food available, Buddha Boy opted for some Japanese teppan-fry.  This stall was formerly Koya Japan.  I'm not sure when it changed, but the stall is now under new ownership.

Because Buddha Boy asked for no rice with his Teriyaki Chicken, the owner gave him extra vegetables.  Not bad for food court, however, nothing spectacular.

TACO TIME

604-647-0474

Buddha Boy needed to look for something to satisfy his deep-fry cravings...well, Taco Time will do.

An order of Mexi-Fries Deluxe (left) for himself and an order of Mexi-Fries (right) for me.  According to the site, Mexi-Fries Deluxe is basically tater tots with cheese sauce, beef, sour cream and salsa.  Buddha Boy thought it was...meh.