2 Star

iDen & Quan Ju De Beijing Duck House (全聚德)

Judging by the items on the menu and the price point of $60 per person, Quan Ju De placed themselves at the fine dining establishment tier of restaurants. I believe the owner has focused too much on the decor, and missed some of the fundamental elements of a fine-dining restaurant. Peking duck is a classic dish. You can improve the recipe or make it fusion, but you cannot charge a premium while skipping steps on the process. Some of the food does taste good, but there are ones that are just mediocre. Please make sure that you do not get take out from Quan Ju De. The food quality drops exponentially, and you are paying for part of the $12 million dollar interior decor anyways. We cannot honestly recommend this restaurant. There are better fine dining options in Vancouver, and many have better tasting food, better service, and breathtaking views.

Nongshim Korean Clay Pot Ramyun Instant Noodle

My added spam was the most enjoyable part of the Nongshim Korean Clay Pot Ramyun. The ramyun does live up to its name for being chewy after being soaked in hot water for 5 minutes. However, the taste wasn’t that memorable. When I see the word “clay pot”, I was expecting Korean specialty hot sauce and a bit of sweetness from caramelized ingredients. Unfortunately, none of which was present. The Nongshim Korean Clay Pot Ramyun has got the texture, but the taste is 2 stars at best.

Michi Craft Kitchen

Michi Craft Kitchen’s Taiwanese restaurant is an above-average approach to both the cost and quality of food. The price is up there, but the food quality is playing catch-up. While the spicy Michi was pleasantly seasoned, there is nothing special about the chicken wing and sticky rice. Having to spend the effort on de-boning the chicken wings and stuffing sticky rice in them and charge customers $7 per chicken wing makes me wonder how they stay in business for over a year. Both of the rice dishes we have ordered have good taste. However, we would appreciate a more honest approach to rice/sauce proportion.

Song Tea Bubble Tea Franchise in Richmond

Song Tea did not meet my expectations. I assumed the popularity was gained through the quality of products, while in fact, it’s just a trendy brand using cleverly named drinks to attract young people. Being a drink for $5.25, customers would definitely be expecting fresh milk and perhaps asking if small pearls are okay with the customer. For what it’s worth, Song Tea failed in all aspects of our reviews. None of the atmosphere, service, food quality and the cost are worth the visit. I assume this place will soon go out of business.

Pearl Castle Cafe in Burnaby

Pearl Castle Cafe is a below-average bubble tea restaurant where you can meet up with friends over drinks and perhaps get a quick bite throughout the process. The food is made with below-average ingredients and is not well taken care of. Even so, the average cost per person is approximately $16. With the recent improvement of the Vancouver food scene, we have a lot of better options than here. I would probably only come here with friends who I have known for more than 15 years for old time’s sake.

Dessert Dynasty bubble tea shop next to Metrotown T&T Supermarket

I understand the location probably cost a lot more than a stall in Richmond Public Market, but $5.25 can almost buy me two $2.75 drinks from Peanut’s Bubble Tea. When the drinks here don’t even taste as good, I can’t justify coming here. Dessert Dynasty feels like a bubble tea shop who just hoard a good location to make a quick buck.

Grand Chinese Restaurant Ambitious Name but Disappointing Food

The menu here is like a patchwork with no focus. This tells me they can make everything, but does not excel in anything. It’s kind of like an upgraded version of a Cantonese Cafe. They serve Southern Chinese cuisine like Szechuan food that is not spicy and Shanghai food that is not delicate. They also serve Northern Chinese cuisine like pancakes and noodles that I did not dare to try. The price of $26 per person is simply too high for the poor quality of food.

The only bubble tea franchise inside Oakridge Food Court in 2019

I guess there are advantages of being an establishment with no similar stores nearby. That must be how Presotea was able to survive thus far. This tea station failed in all aspects of our review except for the service. I have not seen any bubble tea franchise do this bad. Customers paying for $7.04 per cup definitely deserve better. They can improve on either larger-sized drinks, cheaper price, more balanced flavour, or higher quality topping. Even if they only pick 2 items to improve, Presotea’s drink would be acceptable. For now, I cannot recommend them.

%d bloggers like this: