Chongqing Restaurant 重慶飯店

Chicken Corn Soup

It's been quite some time since we went to Chongqing Restaurant on Kingsway (10 months!) so we decided to head there for lunch after H's gymnastics class. We arrived around 12:30pm and the restaurant wasn't very busy (yet).

Hot and Sour Soup

I asked for a high chair so the server directed us to sit at a table near the entrance so there's more walking room around the chair. However, the new booth he gave us was in direct sun. Even with the blinds down and closed, J and I were feeling the heat and asked to move. With a much cooler booth, we sat down and put in our orders.

Seafood Chow Mein - standard chow mein with some seafood included. It wasn't bad but it wasn't memorable either.

Seafood Chow Mein

Tan Tan Noodles with Pork Chop - I ordered this one because I like comparing Tan Tan Noodles at various restaurants. I have to admit that I really liked the way they made it. The soup is very thick but there's enough of it that the noodles don't absorb everything. This is important for me since I spend a long time feeding H while I eat. Some places, the noodles absorb all the soup and it's like eating dry noodles. Anyway, the noodles are good and the soup is a bit spicy. I would like to try the Deluxe version next time, which comes with ground meat in the noodles. The pork chop that was served on the side was pretty good. It's dipped in a curry sauce before being fried, so there's a curry taste to the meat which is actually quite original. H really loved the pork chop and ate all but one piece that she let me have..

Tan Tan Noodles

Pork Chop (c/w Tan Tan Noodles)

All lunch special menu dishes come with your choice of soup: hot and sour or chicken corn. We ordered one of each since H can't handle spicy. The chicken corn soup was very thick and had some egg swirl, shredded chicken and bean sprout tips. It was a little too thick and would have been better if there was more substance to it.

Service wasn't bad overall. It was very apparent that they didn't turn on the AC until sometime later when someone probably complained or the employees realized it. It also get pretty busy in there as the lunch crowd started to arrive.

I'm going to make an effort to try out Chongqing for dinner as they have a lot of Szechuan dishes that I really want to try and the food is pretty good.

Summary
Food: Good. Everything is average or better (more better). Soup can be skipped.

Service: Good. Nothing to write home about.

Setting: Good. They have their own parking lot and there's quite a bit of street parking nearby. The restaurant is pretty clean.

Value: Good. The lunch specials were $8.45 and a decent size. Food is good too.

Cattle Cafe (4883 Kingsway - Metrotown)

Note: This review was originally posted on Dine Here and reposted to this blog on Sep 16, 2013.

I've been to Cattle (every location) many times and I've never been disappointed.

The ambiance is just average and is typical for most Chinese cafe-style restaurants.

The service is pretty average as well. If you've been to one Chinese cafe, you know what I mean.

The value is pretty solid as you get free hot tea and the meals are around $8. The most popular choice at Cattle is the noodle bowl. For just under $8, you select your soup base, your noodle, two items (eg. tofu puffs, beef brisket, fish slices, etc.), and any premium side items at an extra charge (eg. fried chicken wings, pork cutlet, etc.). The meals and noodle bowl all come with a hot drink, or a special drink for another $2. The special drinks include bubbleteas, smoothies, and shakes, which are all fairly large.

The food is good, if not better than the average Chinese cafe. I've tried a few flavours of their milkshakes, and they have all been good. Their mini-meals and their baked meals are all pretty decent, and their noodles are great. I've tried a few different soup bases, and my favourite is the Tom Yum soup. It's a bit tarte and spicy, so be forewarned (as not everyone may be accustomed to that).

Summary (repeat of above)
Food: Good.

Service: Average.

Setting: Average. Almost every location is cramped and parking is average at best.

Value: Good. You get a big bowl of noodles or meal with a drink for under $10. If you spend another $2 you get a bubbletea.

508 Bistro

Note: This review was originally posted on Dine Here and reposted to this blog on Sep 16, 2013.

J and I always see this place as we drive by on Kingsway, and we decided to finally try it out. The restaurant is spacious and the atmosphere is a little hard to pinpoint. Clearly, it used to be a lounge/bar. The service was average to good, as we had to flag down the servers whenever we needed them. The prices were average and comparable to others in its category. We ordered a bubbletea which was surprisingly better than a majority of establishments that specialize in making bubbletea. What makes this restaurant unique is their Taiwanese style to their dishes.

We ordered three dishes and an appetizer. The first was a stir-fry pork with chillies which was quite spicy and tasty. The second dish was a fried rice with dried shrimp. It too was pretty good and not too greasy the way most restaurants make fried rice. The third was the well-known 3 cup chicken. At first, I wasn't too excited about ordering it, but at 508 Bistro they make it with boneless chicken which wasn't drowned in sauce. Another good dish. Finally, our appetizer was the handmade beef roll (another common dish at Chinese restaurants). They use a thicker wrap than most places, but it was quite soft and fluffy. The beef was tender and it came with a delicious garlic dipping sauce. Instant favourite.

We are already planning on returning with my family as we were happily surprised at the quality of the food. As of the time of writing this review, the restaurant is open in the evenings only (until late, for those with midnight cravings), plus lunch on weekends (not weekdays).

Summary
Food: Good. Although a little on the greasy side, the dishes were very flavorful and their drinks are made well.

Service: Average. Nothing good or bad to mention.

Setting: Good. Parking is readily available and the interior of the restaurant is nice.

Value: Average. The dishes were average priced for Taiwanese eateries in its class, but the dish sizes were a little on the smaller side.