Amazing fresh bowls and delicious drinks!…read more We visited Dragon Bowl in Burnaby and absolutely loved it. You can build your own custom bowl and the ingredients are super fresh, colourful, and full of flavour. Everything was prepared beautifully and the portions are great. We also tried their bubble tea and the egg waffle on the side, which was such a fun and tasty combo. The drinks were refreshing and the waffle was perfectly light and crispy. The service was friendly, the place is clean, and the whole experience feels casual, easy, and delicious. Such a great spot for anyone who loves customizable bowls and bubble tea. Highly recommend stopping by if you're in the area!

I came here for lunch and was warmly greeted by the cashier and owner. They were both so helpful in…read moreexplaining how to build my own Chinese poke bowl. Bowls start at only $12.88 and you choose a protein, base, sauce and 3 sides. I tried shrimp with thick noodles, dragon sauce and 3 veggie sides. The noodles were chewy and the sauce added a nice kick to it. I also tried the chicken curry over brown rice. I enjoyed the curry, next time I'm going to try their curry brisket over noodles. They also have bubble tea! I tried mango milk tea with pearls and lychee black tea with coconut jelly. Both drinks were refreshing with a fruity taste and I liked that they weren't too sweet.

I had a family dinner here on Friday. We had Peking Duck course ($73.95), Hot and Sour Soup…read more($14.95), Sliced Pork with Garlic ($18.95), Deluxe Fried Rice ($17.95). Peking Duck course was fantastic. Food was more than enough for 4 people. Duck lettuce wrap was fantastic we couldn't finish all of it. Hot and Sour Soup was rather sour than spicy. It was not the best, but tasted alright though. My parents would've liked the soup to be a bit spicy. Sliced pork with garlic was good. Deluxe Fried Rice was fresh and tasty. Staff was helpful bringing water and more Hoisin sauce. Food was pretty good. We ended up taking some leftovers home. It was a wonderful dining experience at Chongqing!

Surprising good takeout style Chinese food place kitty corner to Metropolis…read more Parking is available but very limited in the lot next to the building. There is also street parking nearby. The place used to be a fried chicken (fast food) joint way back, so the seating area is actually not that large. Most of the space is taken up by the kitchen. Staff are friendly and professional. The food is typical mid end banquet style, but the flavours are good, and the value is there. Lettuce wrap - standard restaurant fare. Decent quality. Fried green bean - nice and spicy, thanks to the house chili sauce. They can tune the spiciness on this one. Default is on the spicier side. Tasty. Shanghai fried noodles - standard restaurant fare. Hot & sour soup - better than the competition. Not sure what's special about it, but it stood out. Chongqing deluxe fried rice - one of their signature dishes. Great mix of flavour. Crispy rice with shrimp soup - honestly this would be the one dish that wasn't that great. Rice blocks were crispy, but the shrimp soup was nothing special. I'd skip this dish. Other than the crispy rice, everything is pretty standard compared to similar places out there. Expectations were met. Very good value. I'd gladly eat here again. Recommended.

MaMa Rich is the hidden gem near Metrotown that you didn't know you needed to try. Serving the…read moreChinese dish from Guangxi "River Snail Noodle" (luosifen/螺螄粉), this slightly pungent but delicious dish is quite unique. The base of the soup is made with escargot and then has actual escargot, meats and other vegetables inside with a dazzle of spice. Protip: you can customize the spice level to your liking! I also recommend the mouthwatering chicken (koushuiji/口水雞) which also has a delicious chilli oil spice. Service wise, this restaurant is pretty small and is more of a no-frills service. There aren't a lot of tables so things shouldn't take too long but the usually aren't to many staff on shift. For the price, I think the value makes sense for a rather uncommon dish. Overall, a great choice if you're in the Metrotown area and want to try something new!

I'm always around Metrotown so I've been slowly attempting to try everything in the area. We've…read morebeen twice for dinner at MaMa Rich. They're a Northern Chinese spot that specializes in Guangxi cuisine and located right next to Onezo Tapioca. Even though it closes at 9:00pm, there were still people after us that came in for late night eats. We didn't have any issues with service; they came by to fill our tea several times. Just wish they gave bigger cups. Food comes out in a hurry. The menu is short and sweet: noodles, rice meals, appetizers, wontons and drinks. Trip #1 First visit was on a late Wednesday evening (around 8:30pm). - Mama's unique special milk tea ($4.80) - we added grass jelly ($0.50) which was unfortunately from a can. The milk tea was different than the norm as there was sweet fermented rice bits mixed in. Decent but don't think we'd get it again. - Sour and spicy crystal noodle ($6.98) - glass noodles with minced pork, bean sprouts, cilantro and peanuts. We got our dish medium spicy which was mild. Broth was excellently balanced; loved the sour notes. Glass noodles had a satisfying bite and cilantro added freshness to the bowl. - House special escargot rice noodles in spicy noodles ($13.98) - escargot, pig ear, beef, tofu, marinated egg, shrimp and pork intestine. There was also pickled green beans, bamboo shoots, tofu skins, wood ear mushrooms and peanuts. Really different with a good variety of textures and flavour. Loved all the types of meat, especially the tender beef, pork intestine and pig ear. Escargot was tasty but we wanted more. The tofu skin and wood ear mushrooms underneath were excellent. - Fresh meat wonton ($5.98) - this comes in a light broth with 15 homemade wontons, pickled seaweed and baby dried shrimp. Broth is basic but the wontons are great. Trip #2 Second trip was on a Friday evening (around 8:00pm). - Braised beef, pig ear and tofu ($10.98) - the beef is the same as what you get in their noodle bowls. Pig ear wasn't crunchy but the sauce (some sort of Chinese mushroom) was good. Tofu was fairly standard. For the price, it's a small dish; I didn't think it was worth it. - Shredded chicken, vegetable and cold noodle with house sauce ($9.53) - they asked us how spicy we wanted it; we went with spicy. Again, it's not so don't worry. The noodles were thin and the sauce was almost like a dan dan mein. We liked how it wasn't overwhelmingly peanuty. - Beef and escargot rice noodle in spicy soup ($9.98) - the beef is super tender. Again, the escargots are hard to find but everything else in this bowl is delicious. Tofu skin, wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, peanuts and pickled green beans. Satisfying and spiciness finally came through. An interesting twist to the usual Northern Chinese spots typically found in town. Cash or debit only.

Came here for dinner with my family since we love their Hainan chicken! This was my first time…read morevisiting this location, it's quite small inside. There are a few booths and a larger table. We decided to get the combo for 2 that was ~$43 which included the daily soup, half hainan chicken + 2 sides of rice, another dish which we chose the braised tofu and vegetables and the daily dessert. We also ordered the stir fried flat noodles with beef. For 3 people this was alot of food and we had tons of leftovers! The hainan chicken was so juicy and flavourful and the rice that they cook in the chicken stock is amazing. The braised tofu was so juicy and the bok choy paired with it had a nice crunch. The flat noodles with beef was so good too and not super greasy. I definitely want to return to try different items on the menu.

If you have a craving for some amazing beef curry. Super tender beef brisket in a beautifully…read moreseasoned curry with potatoes. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. The traditional Chinese fare is top shelf in our favs; calamari, spicy green beans, Singapore noodles, chow fun noodles with beef. Yummy... The restaurant is busy so go early or call ahead. Definitely a go to, wish there was ones closer to home.

Tasty Chinese (mostly Sichuan style) restaurant at the NW corner of Lougheed and Willingdon…read more Parking here is available but pretty horrendous outside of business hours. There are maybe 15 spots total for 4 separate food establishments. In addition, there are no free spots in the vicinity at all. For this reason, I have tried and failed to eat at this place for several years. Finally had a chance to try during lunchtime. The best option is probably to get here by transit. The place is decently sized. Staff are friendly. Can watch them crank away at the dumpling factory. Bit of entertainment when waiting for their food. The lunch special here is great value. Comes with soup too. The sichuan marbled pork & cabbage hit the spot. That tastyy Sichuan chili pepper taste. Beautiful. There is also an option for the thick (blade) noodles with no extra charge, which is a nice perk. The quantity was huge. I left stuffed and happy. I also looked at the neighbouring tables, and their non lunch items were also huge. Special mention. Definitely trying more of their food in their future. Just be mindful of their parking situation.

If you are looking for a great Chinese restaurant around Brentwood area?…read moreI usually order food from this restaurant, but I gave a shot to come today. Yeap... Grand Chinese is a small restaurant, you can see the chef cooking and preparing the food. The decor is cute. They have so many great food on their menu and you see so many people coming to this place for pick up. I ordered their lemon chicken, dumplings and spicy soup dumplings. They were amazing. Loved the flavour and the spices, they were so yummy. The service was great as well.

I love visiting mom and pop shops and Preference Noodle House fits the bill. The food is good, the…read moreplace is clean and the service is friendly. We ordered 3 things: Beef Fried Rice Noodle - lots of crunchy onions, green onions, bean sprouts with a decent amount of beef. Beef Potato Rice Lunch Special - comes with beef and potatoes of course, stir fried green peppers, onions and carrots. They also give you a side bowl of hot & sour soup. All good with no complaints. Pork in Spicy Garlic Sauce - The star of our meal. So spicy and full of flavor. The pork slices are on top of some bean sprouts so after eating a few slices, you can have some sprouts to change up the texture. I'm not a spicy food person so I was only able to eat 1.5 slices before my throat hurt, but my husband finished the whole thing.

Tiny restaurant with the fancy menu books. I found a parking spot on the side lot after zipping…read morepast the free street parking. We ordered the eggplant lunch special, chicken with Shanghai noodles and their special pork wrap. Portions were generous and they didn't skimp on the meats. Everything had good "wok hay". They filled up the tea pot in a timely manner. The place is so small you feel like you're eating in their home. We were really full afterwards. Already talking about what we're ordering on the next visit.

Shanghai Dim Sum House is a great little spot tucked away on the third floor of Crystal Mall's food…read morecourt. The food court itself is full of different Asian cuisines, and this stall definitely stands out. They offer a wide variety of Shanghai-style dim sum, including dumplings, wontons, rice cake, several meat noodle soups, and some combo rice dishes. I ordered the Sichuan Style beef noodle soup, and it was surprisingly delicious and spicy -- the broth was flavorful, and the beef was incredibly tender. Even though it's just a small food court stall, the quality of the dishes makes it worth a visit. If you're already exploring Crystal Mall or craving some quick and tasty Shanghai-style snacks, this place is a solid choice.

One of the must visit stalls for me in this food court. Highly recommend…read more I always get the #14 Shanghai Style Deep-Fried Pork Buns (5 pieces). Freshly made on the spot. Big size and very delicious. I'd ask for extra dipping sauce (or the chill oil if you like spicy). These can get messy if you don't be careful. Take a small bite of the skin first and sip the soup inside before diving in. The soup is very hot, so I usually pour it onto a spoon and drink it from there. #13 is translated as "Steamed Mini Pork Buns" in English and Shanghai Xiaolongbao in Chinese on the menu, which is misleading. When I ordered it last time, it turned out to be the same buns as #14, just steamed instead of deep-fried. They're large and not mini at all like traditional XLB. Personally, I didn't enjoy them as much as the fried version and wouldn't order them again. They tend to stick together and aren't very to-go friendly. #14 is the star here, and it's absolutely worth coming back for.

Driving up to Squamish, I've made 3+ stops already to Ban Bu Xian on separate occasions and there's…read moremore to come. Very authentic schezuan food. Spicy and numbing! Their spice level is no joke, and I'd like to say I have a good spice tolerance. Price is higher than expected for one item but the portion is very large. Ideal restaurant to share large portions. It's a shame because I would like to order more but it's too much food to share with one other. You order food by your own QR code and the staff offer you tea or water. Service is decently quick although sometimes you'll have to flag them down since the restaurant itself is quite big. There are nice decorations and lights. The wooden tables, wooden chopsticks, and mesh bins for clothes make a good traditional restaurant.

Every visit to Ban Bu Xian always makes my mouth water, this is a great spot if you love Szechuan…read morecuisine! Their food is extremely flavourful, I came here for LNY for their Szechuan duck dish which comes with wraps, green onions, and hoisin sauce. With the leftover duck bones, they make you a clear duck bone soup which is delicious. Service is great, the staff always give great recommendations as well. Love the traditional vibes of this spot too!

Want something simple, tasty and quick? This place is a hidden gem outside Crystal Mall. Not a big…read moreplace and just a few tables but the service and turnaround was quick! The food was such a pleasant surprise! Great Taiwanese food! The beef bulgogi was a favorite but I forgot to take a photo.

This is one of my favorite restaurant to get a comforting meal. The vegetables are lightly seasoned…read moreand it's a balanced meal set. You've got the veggies, protein, more protein and carbs. The price is great for the portion. It's about $18 and you can get 10% off on their daily specials. I love the crispy chicken because it has taiwanese chicken seasoning. It's a bit salty and flavorful. It's a bit oily though. I like the tofu sauce as well because it's spicy. The rice also have some meat on top which is a nice addition to the warm bowl of rice. You also get iced tea or miso soup with the set. If the chicken is too oily for you, the miso soup is perfect to water it down. Otherwise the iced tea is a good option as well since it's black tea with a bit of sweetness. Please note that they will charge 50 cents if you use credit, but they accept debit cards.