#1226 - 8338 Capstan Way, Richmond, BC
604-278-8898
I couldn't believe USA McDonald's doesn't have vegetarian-friendly options!!! Okay, the story was, we were down south shopping with MomJ and were super hungry by 2pm. With empty stomachs, we really didn't want to "wait for food", so MomJ suggested McDonald's. We figured that there must be something vegetarian for me right? Wrong. No vegetarian burger, no grilled cheese sandwich (like the ones in Canada for kids), not even a simple no-meat salad was available...WTF??? I asked if the kitchen can quickly make me a meat-less salad, but the manager responded, "It's not possible. But we could make you any burger on the menu less the meat." Again...WTF??? So, with frustrations, I ended up breaking my diet and had a grilled chicken burger. Hahaha! Good excuse huh?
For dinner, since MomJ had an enjoyable experience previously, she suggested to try this restaurant located in Union Square 新城市廣場 in Richmond. This unit was formerly occupied by Ho Yuen 芝穎豪園港式餐廳, owned by "Dr. Jaime Chan", who's famous for his annoying slogan..."芝穎, 芝韻婷, 係你唯一可以信賴的美容中心"...LOL!
The first thing that MomJ ordered was Free Range Chicken 一品走地雞. The chicken was tender and moist, even with the white meats. The flavors were soaked nicely into all parts of the bird. At $11.99/order (1/2 chicken), this was not cheap, but considering it's free-ranged and was done well, we'd recommend this.
MomJ wanted fish. Since ling cod was on special, we had it two ways. First was the Lingcod w/Ginger and Onions in Clay Pot 薑蔥龍躉煲. The fish was deep-fried then tossed with ginger, scallions, onions and garlic. The strong ginger overpowered the fish and the dish was a bit too salty.
The second fish course was Lingcod & Chinese Kale Stir-Fry 油泡龍躉芥蘭. With tender fish slices on a bed of very fresh and crisp Chinese broccoli, this was a simple dish done well.
Our server suggested the Pan Fried Pork Rib w/Salad Sauce in Beijing Style 京都沙拉骨. While not meaty, each piece had an acceptable meat-to-bone ratio. The sweet and sour sauce was simply another variation of its own category. The salad dressing tasted similar to Taiwanese-style mayo.
The Wonton Soup 淨鮮蝦雲吞湯 had shrimp-only wontons. Of course, the soup had MSG, but the broth was light and not salty.
The Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetable 梅菜扣肉, or mui-choy pork belly, was a miss. The preserved vegetable was not salty, but very sweet. The pork was not braised long enough to the ideal texture. Not much meat in the dish for the price. Not recommended.
The complimentary dessert at the end was Mung Bean Sweet Soup 綠豆沙. While acceptable, the missing flavor of orange peel 陳皮 really showed its importance.
Three people, six dishes, no leftovers...yup we're pigs! We plan to return and try their roasted squabs and lotus-leaf crab rice.
