M Cafe: Brand new but cutting corners already?!

Been eyeing this place for a while now, it's been "Opening soon" for some time, and every time I go to Sushi Town next door, I peek in to see if they're open yet. Finally, BlackBab00n mentions to me that they had just opened (finally!). Rounded up my family to go try it!

Restaurant: M Cafe

Location: 2773 Barnet Highway, Coquitlam
Cuisine: Chinese, Hong Kong-style
Price range: $15-20 per entree





Date of visit: March 5, 2015
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 3/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 2/5
Buck worthy? 2/5

Saw the manager (?) from Copa Cafe, I guess he transferred over here? Anyhow, Elephant noted that the menu was all words and no pictures, which was true and made it difficult to decide what to order. Finally we decided to order something from each section. First we ordered from their Signature Double Boiled Soup set ($14.95) for Fish and Tofu pot. It came with rice and of course, the soup. Soup came first and it was rather salty, but tasted ok. Had pork and shark cartilage in it... like what you'd get from a soup package at T&T.

The fish and tofu pot came sizzling hot with some rice to accompany it. Portion was decent and the fish was ok. I liked the tofu. It was rather oily though. After a while the fish stuck to the pot, we had to scrape it off ^^"

Next was a Western Style dish, Baked Seafood with Cheese on Rice ($9.95 mini size) and it came with a drink, I ordered Honey Lemon (add $0.50 that I didn't know about). Let's talk about the drink first, normally at Hong Kong-style cafes like this, you get two slices of lemons around 0.7cm thick. They managed, with great skill, to cut that in half and serve two slices of lemons that were 0.2-0.3cm thick. Very stingy. Needless to say, my honey lemon water had little lemon taste.

Now the rice, this was interesting since the presentation was quite nice, the cheese was golden and the sauce covered the rice well without much leakage. First spoonful in, I already knew something was off. The sauce looked overly creamy and thick, which came off in the flavors. It wasn't very salty but super creamy. Not what I expected, but the fried rice under was great. Seafood included imitation crab, sparse pieces of tiny fish, one mussel, some small scallops and some shrimp.

I ordered a Japanese Tonkotsu Combo ($8.95). You get a choice of soup, noodle, and two toppings. I chose original soup, flat rice noodle, pork rind, and deep fried egg. The soup base was very condensed and Old Bean felt it was way too salty. I liked the soup, it was a rich pork bone base, with a hint of creaminess. The flat rice noodle was al dente, pork rind was plentiful, but the highlight was the deep fried egg. It was literally a soft-boiled egg that was deep fried. I cut it in half to show the center in the picture it came as a whole egg. The outside became soggy and chewy.

Elephant ordered a Sizzlers Special Set ($14.95) with steak, fish filet, linguine, with lobster and shrimp roe sauce. He got the steak medium-rare, but it came pretty cooked-- and tough. Portion size was pretty decent and the plate was hot. He didn't like the sauce and I found the flavors odd too. Fish had a weird baking soda taste to it, not fish-tasting at all. Crispy though.

It came with a drink, soup, bun, and dessert. The soup was average. I found the bun quite good, chewy and moist.

We decided to upgrade the dessert to a Belgian Waffle ($4.95, original price $8.95). It took forever to come after we told them we were ready for it... sat around for at least another half an hour before it arrived, and it wasn't freshly made anyways. They had toasted pre-made waffles, cut it in half, and decorated it.

At least the presentation was nice! They also only gave us a spoon to eat it with... =.= LOGIC. Thankfully I still had my knife and fork from the meal, so we could cut it up a bit to share. Ice cream was good, waffle mediocre-- definitely not worth paying the full price for.

Since I had so much time to observe them as we waited, I noticed that although there were about four servers walking around, there was only one guy doing actual work. Everyone was looking and walking around doing minimal tasks. Our table was cluttered with empty plates and bowls, other tables were not cleaned or emptied, and I felt like I couldn't ask any other waiter for assistance. They gotta get their act together!

Double Double Chinese: Tastes like HK!

After my little day trip to Victoria, the glutton in me couldn't resist more food. After a beautiful sunset walk, Adorables and I ended up here, and the feel itself made me giddy-- it was just like in Hong Kong!







Restaurant: Double Double Restaurant 老油條大牌檔 (visit their website here)

Location: 128-4600 No. 3 Road (Empire Center), Richmond
Cuisine: Chinese
Price range: $10-15



Date of visit: February 28, 2015
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 2/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

There was a long lineup, but we were lucky there was a two-person table that had just freed up! We ordered Deep Fried Chinese Donut ($2.25). These weren't the freshest because they probably made it earlier in the day and just reheated it. However, I like the texture and flavor, chewy on the inside, crispy outside and lightly sweet. It didn't feel too oily either.

Next we got Hong Kong Style Sampan Congee ($5.50). The congee base is great, very authentic. Ingredients were also authentic and tasted great! In it there was minced beef with deep fried glass vermicelli bits, squid, deep fried pig skin, peanuts, and pig stomach. Loved it!!

Their Deep Fried Tofu ($5.95) was crispy, hot, and juicy inside. They used good tofu for this and we really enjoyed it!

One of my favorites was the Deep Fried Squid Tentacles ($7.95). It was a large plate and fried nicely. Not too much batter and the squid was fresh.

Finally, we got a Pan Fried Oyster Omelette ($9.50). This was large, but also thin. Again, another authentic dish with oysters, egg, and scallion. It was a bit salty but full of flavor from the oysters while still being able to taste the egg.

I felt so full and satisfied after this! I have to say though, you've gotta be assertive and speak canto with the servers, or they'll ignore you.

Munchie Adventure: Cattle Cafe 牛仔餐廳 (Circle Square), Vancouver

I noticed this location was a lot closer to my work, so we decided to come here after work! After some GPS misleadings, we finally found our way here! =) And hey, now I've tried them all-- until they open another location! =P

Restaurant: Cattle Cafe 牛仔餐廳 (visit their website here)
Location: 3510 Kingsway, Vancouver
Cuisine: Chinese, Hong-Kong Style
Price range: Under $10 per entree

Date of visit: October 20, 2012
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 4.5/5

Before we walked in, I noticed the Halloween decorations, which were quite cute =) As we walked in, we were greeted by a friendly waitress (quite cute too =P) and seated by a corner spot. It was pretty full inside for 9:30pm, I guess it's because it's Vancouver?

Alright, I was FAMISHED, so I got overly excited while ordering. You know what results afterwards... wayy to much food =P But anyways, we ordered the "Noodle Combo of Your Choice" ($8.50), with the Malay Laksa soup base, pork bung and fried fish cakes for the toppings with rice noodles. The soup was extra spicy, which isn't what we were used to, but SO GOOD. I mixed it with the white soup base of the fish noodles, and it was perfect :)

With this, we could order two side dishes on top. I saw Takoyaki ($1.95), and of course I can't pass that up =P Too bad there's only three =( They were really fresh and good though, however the sauce was too sweet. I like it a bit more tangy.

The other thing we got was the pork cutlet ($1.75), and it was a BIG piece of pork cutlet! Very crispy, pork was a bit dry though. Tasty! Would've LOVED some sauce on it =)

This also came with a drink, ordered Lemon in hot water. Healthy choice I guess? xD

Then we ordered Hand Squeezed Fish Noodle and Mixed Mushrooms in Soup ($6.95). It was the thick chewy yummy kind!!! =D I was verrry happy ^-^

My pick was the House Special Baked Seafood and Pork Chop with Fried Rice ($9.95). I know right? More pork chop. It didn't click until it arrived haha. Anyways, I looked at the pork chop side and was started to count the pieces, there were like 3-4 pieces *only*. NOPE. It was a WHOLE piece, just put in two layers!! Wow. So much pork chop for me =P So there was less rice on the side with the pork chop, but I wasn't complaining. Sauce to rice ratio was good, so the rice wasn't too saucey nor dry =)

Came with a drink, but I got the Lemon Ribena (add $1.00), surprise surprise? Ice cubes again, but still good. There was a lot of ice though, too much for my liking.

I was happy with my meal, except for when we were trying to get the bill, took a bit longer than anticipated. Noticed there was only one waitress, so pardon was given =)

Munchie Adventure: Cattle Cafe 牛仔餐廳, Richmond

So... I've visited three Cattle Cafes! Haha doesn't seem like such an amazing feat, but I feel good about it, soon I shall hit up the last one! There was adequate parking space at this location, and size is about the same as the Metrotown one. So maybe you're thinking, "Same name, same menu items, so things shouldn't be too different, right?" Not exactly... After visiting all three, I'd have to say each have their strong points. This location has good drinks, Metrotown has good fish noodles, and Edmonds has good "Western" (ie. spaghetti) dishes.

Restaurant: Cattle Cafe 牛仔餐廳 (visit their website here)
Location: 1020-8580 Alexandra Road, Richmond
Cuisine: Chinese, Hong Kong-style cafe
Price range: Under $10 per entree




Date of visit: September 23, 2012
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 3/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 3.5/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

Since I got my friend liking Ribena, we ordered Ribena for all three of us, and it was worth the buck =) The Lemon Ribena ($2.95) was made with crushed ice, and it was really good. There were more slices of lemon than the other locations =P

I was kinda full, so one of my friends and I decided to just ordered snacks and share them: Sliced Beef and Hand Squeezed Fish Noodles in Satay Soup ($6.95) and Satay Baby Cuttlefish and Beef Tripe ($5.95). The noodles were similar to the ones I had at the Edmonds location. Not good. The noodles were too thin, squished together, and in tiny chunks (not noodle-y at all). Taste was a bit saltier than the other locations.

Cuttlefish and beef tripe tasted good though! Cuttlefish were a good size and fresh. a bit too much sauce-- might've been good with some rice =) Funny thing is, we didn't notice that both things were satay haha

My friend got the Noodles Combo ($8.50), with Parsley and Century Eggs Fish soup, Sliced Beef Briskets, and Pork Intestines plus Rice Noodles (since they didn't have ramen). It looked good, they didn't cheap out on the ingredients at all =)

The store filled up pretty quickly after we sat down, and I understand why. It's a good deal here for some good food. On a side note, they have a cool washroom with mirrors surrounding the sides (noted to me by my friend haha).

Munchie Adventure: Cattle Cafe 牛仔餐廳 (Edmonds location), Burnaby

I made my brother bring me for food after work, and we knew Cattle Cafe was open late, so decided to drop by-- but this time, we tried the Edmonds location, which was just down the street from the Metrotown location. It was newer, but the parking lot was HARD to get into, but you can't really miss the place, there's a huge purple sign with a cow on it =P The restaurant itself is tucked away though...

Restaurant: Cattle Cafe 牛仔餐廳 (visit their website here)
Location: 7348 Kingsway, Burnaby
Cuisine: Chinese, Cafe
Price range: $10-15

Date of visit: September 3, 2012
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Staff/service: 3/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: VARIES-- my food was really good, my brother's.. not so good ><"
Buck worthy? 3/5

I ordered an item from the Mini Cattle Meal section, Prawns in Cream Corn Bacon Demi-Glaze on spaghetti ($7.75). It was really good. The spaghetti was chewy (I guess I could use Al dente, but it's a little different than Al dente feel), and the sauce was good. Well, most things with bacon are good. Good proportions, couldn't finish it though xD

This came with a drink, and its +$1 for cold drinks, so I decided to try a Calpis (don't know what it is haha), since it's normally $4.75! I got green apple flavor, and it was ok. It was ice cubes and not crushed ice.Weird drink though, don't think I'll order it again =/

My brother got the Sliced Beef and Hand Squeezed Fish Noodles in Satay Soup ($6.95) from the Happy Snacks menu. Unlike the Metrotown location, their noodles were thinner, so they weren't as chewy, and ended up to be very short noodles (kinda hard to eat). Taste was the same, except for the noodles, since they were thinner, they weren't bursting with as much flavor as the Metrotown location.

All in all, this was good, I guess each location has a different thing they're good at? The waitress took forever to flag down though, even though the store was pretty empty (since I went after work, so it was around 11pm). This store is larger and newer than Metrotown though, and bigger private parking lot!

Munchie Adventure: Cattle Cafe 牛仔餐廳 (Metrotown Location), Burnaby

Had to bring in the car for an oil change, so we decided to try this place, since I've been wanting to try it for so long! We were worried once we walked in, since there were so many people waiting already!! We wrote down our name, and hoped for the best. The wait actually wasn't that long.

Restaurant: Cattle Cafe 牛仔餐廳 (visit their website here)
Location: 4885 Kingsway, Burnaby
Cuisine: Chinese cafe
Price range: <$10-$15 for lunch
Date of visit: August 10, 2012



Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 3.75/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

First off, my lunch! I got the fish noodles ($6.95), which I've been wanting to try to such a long time!! And they weren't disappointing at all!

Very chewy, and flavored well, I just thought they were a bit thick. I was full after like 3 noodles, and there were about 8-10 in my bowl (it seems like very little, but they're really filling and they were really long!) The soup was a bit spicy for me, but for those who like things a little spicy, it's great!

My brother got the Laksa ($7.95), which you can actually choose your own ingredients, but he just picked the one shown on the picture (which was two extra ingredients, each for $1 extra, so his ended up as $9.95). It was spicy, and the fish puffs weren't very good, but soup base was delicious and the noodles went well with the soup.

My mom got the "DIY" noodles ($7.95), which is the same as my brother's but she chose different soup base and ingredients. She got the fish soup, fried fish cake and fish tofu (very fishy, yes :P). IT was a bit bland, and usually I never say something is not salty enough, but this was. We mixed some of my brother's soup into it, and totally changed it for the better haha.

Now, the drinks. I got the lemon Ribena ($2.75), cuz it looked cool, and it was pretty cool when it came!! Not disappointed, but since our food didn't come with free drinks, not sure if I wanna pay money for my drink every time xD They do have meals, I just really wanted those fish noodles, so I didn't get the meal xD (meals are around $9.75 anyways)

Overall, will go back and try more stuff!! Only downsides are the lack of space (it's a small restaurant) and the "Cash only" rule. Otherwise, very good, I loved the food I got, so I felt the wait for it was worth it! Really wanna try their hot pot, but it's only offered at night, so maybe I'll go one day for dinner! *excited little girl* hehehe

Munchie Adventure: Honolulu Cafe 檀島茶餐廳, Vancouver

When you're in the mood for some cheap eats, this is the place. They have generous portions at affordable prices, and the cold drink is free! =D A little oily, but remember you're not paying a lot of money for it! Their taste is variable, some people don't like it, some do, sometimes its good, sometimes it's not as good. I'm pretty lucky, I think it was pretty good every time I went.

Restaurant: Honolulu Cafe 檀島茶餐廳
Location: 4288 Main Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Chinese, Hong Kong-style Cafe
Price range: $6-15 per entree




Date of visit: August 1, 2012
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 3/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 3/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

My brother got a cold milk tea which came with his meal. It was a big cup, and tasted pretty good.

There was garlic toast and cream soup which came with his meal as well. The toast looked oily, but it was really good. Mom and brother liked the thickness of it. Cream soup was kinda blah. It was really literally cream soup with nothing much else in it save for the corn and peas. I think it's really watered down soup + extra flour to make it still thick. Meal also came with spaghetti on a tiny plate haha xD

So the main meal, it was a Sizzling Plate special (forgot the price, sorry!) where you could choose your own ingredients. We got rack of lamb, beef short ribs, and AA beef steak. It was really hot, cuz when we poured the sauce on top, it sizzled =) The main idea of a sizzling plate I guess =P There were two lamb "ribs", two short ribs, and one piece of beef. Lamb racks were your typical pieces and taste, and the short ribs were pretty lean and tender. "AA steak" was not medium rare like we ordered, so it was pretty tough.

I ordered the Seafood and Mushroom w/ Creme Sauce on Fettuccine ($7.75). There was quite a bit of seafood on top, and I thought it tasted good. Other people might think the sauce is a bit watered down, but that makes it less salty, which I like. Fettuccine was chewy and long. Good! Did I mention this was a ginormous plate of pasta??

My parents got something with a deep fried fish fillet, pork cutlet in cream sauce and it came with rice. I don't remember exactly what it was... I think it was the daily special ($14.99) And also came with a drink. Pretty good, but since both items were fried, we had to eat them fast lest they get soggy =P
There's nothing special about their food though, I guess its just cuz parking is easy and food comes fast. Cheap prices too. It's palatable for those who aren't too picky. I'm ok with it. Of course if there's other choices, I'd go for those first =P