Pearl Castle Cafe in Burnaby

Food Quality
Atmosphere / Services
Reasonable Priced
Summary

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.

Food Quality
Atmosphere / Services
Reasonable Priced
Summary

Pearl Castle Care has been around for a long time. They used to be one of the few places to hang out with friends over a glass of bubble tea. This establishment has been around for at least 18 years and they’ve gone through renovations and expansions. We came to their Burnaby location that is located inside the Old Orchard Shopping Centre along with Terracotta Boyz, and Houcailei Tea House.

Strength: Large variety of items on the menu
Weakness: Tight and uncomfortable seating. Food is mediocre

Other Bubble Tea Restaurants

Myst Asian Fusion (4 Stars)
Micha Asian Fusion Kitchen (3.5 Stars)

Pearl Castle Cafe front

We came here during night time and because Pearl Castle Cafe is quite close to the Liquor Store, there were a lot of homeless people hovering around the area. The storefront has a lot of windows and the brightly lit interior makes it very easy for people outside to see the customers eating.

Interior Layout and Design

Interior space features a contemporary modern design but the seating is a lot less than their Richmond location. There are 2 booth seatings at the front of the store which I seem to always get assigned to. These seats are very uncomfortable to be in. Not only am I being watched by the homeless outside, but the seats are also so tight that my chest was only 2 inches away from the table when my back is firmly pressed against the seats.

Simple Table Setup

The simple table setup includes a cup, chopsticks, and 1 piece of napkin paper per guest.

Fried red-fermented pork with rice $13.25

Pearl Castle Cafe Fried red-fermented pork with rice

I like the red-fermented pork with rice combo. The pork chop are very crispy and has a big portion. However, I don’t enjoy the cut of the pork because there is too much sinew in the cutlet.

Squid & Shredded Pork $12.50 + Combo $3.25

The squid & shredded pork combo a lot more expensive because squid is considered seafood. This dish has a good wok taste, but the squid has a tough texture.

Poor Quality Rice

The rice is all clumped up in the middle. I can see some discoloration of the rice. This is a common issue with older rice cooker.

Overcooked or Unfresh Vegetables

I’m not sure if it’s worse to cook using unfresh food ingredients or not taking care of them while and after cooking. The vegetable side dish obviously has been cooked and left out for a while. They have a very undesirable texture that is soggy, and hard to bite due to the tough fiber strand.