Legend Seafood: Third to the chain, looking great!

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been away for so long, finally got a job and life became so busy :( But here's a quick (kinda long) post! It's a double whammy, since I came here for dim sum AND dinner!

Restaurant: Legend Seafood Restaurant (visit their website here)

Location: 6102- 2850 Shaughnessy Street, Port Coquitlam
Cuisine: Chinese, dim sum, Shanghai, Hunan
Price range: $10-20 (lunch); $15-25 (dinner)



Date of visit: June 2016
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

Legend Seafood is the third to the Legend restaurants in the Tri-Cities, owned by the same owner. I've been eyeing it since they started renovations for this new store, then saw some negative reviews but finally got the chance to go see for myself! Plus, they have a gold theme, and who doesn't appreciate gold?

First let's hit up the dim sum! We ordered Shanghai Wontons ($5.50) which were the same size as the dinner portions (dinner price is $7.95)! SCORE! Love the wrapping on these, nice and chewy while the meat inside is not full of fillers (feels like real pork in there!).

A great deal is their Pan Fried Rice Noodles with Beef ($6.95). The beef isn't overly processed/seasoned, and the noodles were soft and chewy. A bit on the oily side but nothing out of the norm for this dish. I like the flavors and you get quite a bit of noodle for that price (compared to other current dim sum places).

Of course we get Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce ($4.95) because my grandma loves it! These were fall-off-the-bone tender and the flavors of the sauce were soaked up by the chicken feet.

Steamed Pork Livers Dumplings ($4.95) isn't a common dish found on dim sum menus, so of course I'd order it! These came with three thick slices of liver and the meat in the "shiu mai" were chopped small cubes of pork and mushroom. I didn't see any chunks of lard in my piece, which is surprising, since most places use it as filler.

My aunt really enjoys Pan Fried Pork Buns ($5.50), but I found them kinda mushy. They were fluffy on top and seasoned well, but not as juicy as I'd like. Most of the juices had been soaked into the bun and felt a bit fattier than the other dishes.

We definitely got our fair share of iron this meal when we ordered Pork Liver Rice Rolls ($4.95) as well! Thick cubes of pork liver wrapped inside rice rolls with pea tip sprouts! Chinese parents approved of the portion size of these rice rolls. And it's rare for restaurants to use pea tip sprouts since they're a pricier veggie, so I was pleasantly surprised by this!

That ends the dim sum portion, but with inflation, this place is serving large, good quality dishes for the price. The atmosphere and decor of the restaurant also makes their pricing fair. I'm not sure what previous negative reviews were of, but currently, they're in my good books!

Onto dinner! The first time we came, we got Soy Braised Duck ($8.95). The meat was tender and flavors infused into the meat. The portion was tiny for the price though! We also did not get a lot of meaty pieces :c On the side were preserved carrots and radish, spicy and sour but helped appetite!

I couldn't resist getting Slow Braised Pork Hock ($18.95) and thought it would be easy to eat for my grandma. When it arrived, we were all taken aback, since it was such a large dish! A full hock braised beautifully with meat falling off the bone, the flavors soaked deep into the tender meat then bathed in a delicious rich sauce.

I actually ordered the Shanghai Wok Fried Prawns ($16.95) by accident since I messed up the menu number myself haha! This was too salty to eat on its own, flavors complimented the large prawns well. It looked like a tiny dish, but considering it was all prawns with no veggies to make it look larger, it wasn't bad!

Their service has been steadily improving and it shows in the number of customers that are at the restaurant (it used to be so empty!), so good for them!

Then it was father's day/Dad's birthday/my birthday dinner, so we went all out (or thought we did). Thanks to Adorables for letting me use his camera and also taking some shots himself! Leap Bull Frog ($16.95) was so good last time we also got it the second time! It's usually spicy, but we got it not spicy, which was very fragrant. There were more herbs the first time, though I did enjoy it without. The frog legs are tender, smooth, and meaty. It comes in a rich broth and veggies underneath-- so delicious!

Here's a picture of the first time with my hand next to it to show how big the bowl was!

For appies we got Chicken with Ginger Soy Sauce ($8.95). This was a cold dish and the chicken was well cooked. I enjoyed the texture and flavors of the chicken and the portion was decent too.

Another appie was their Shanghai Double Cooked Fish Fillet ($9.95). The dish was very traditionally made and although I felt it was a bit hard, the smokey flavor and texture were true to its roots.

Can't go without my dad's favorite: (fish!) Steamed Cod ($19.95) was suggested to us by the owner. She mentioned that it had just arrived today. There were four pieces of fish, and it wasn't soaked in soy sauce when it arrived. It indeed was super fresh and my dad loved this dish! I noted that this wasn't smothered in oil like other places.

Seems like we never get enough of liver... so...Fried Pork Liver Slices ($15.95) was ordered. This is regularly a spicy dish, but again, we got them to make it not spicy. A good amount of liver cooked just right in this dish-- it was so delicious! It was adorned with red and green bell peppers. Would love to try their mild/spicy version too!

Played around with the buns and liver slices!

My aunt suggested another traditional dish, Tea Smoked Duck ($16.95) + Chinese Buns ($3.00). Gosh this was so amazing I can't even really describe the flavor! There was a smokey and fragrant taste to the duck, which had crispy skin and tender meat. The flavors lasted for so long in my mouth-- it was just awesome with the soft moist buns!

I saw a lot of people order their Rice with Preserved Pork and Vegetable ($12.95). Presentation-wise, it's very appealing. Basically it was Shanghai bak choi diced with bacon pieces. The rice is fragrant and cooked perfectly. Everyone approved, but again, you can also get it during lunch for a cheaper price xD

Must have noodles for birthdays, so naturally the Shanghai Fried Noodles with Pork ($11.95) was chosen. You have an option of choosing pork or chicken with this dish. This was legit. Authentic Shanghai noodles pan fried to perfection with the right amount of seasoning. Great!

So they sometimes miss on some dishes, or they're just not to our tastes and liking, but overall I see great potential for this restaurant!! I feel one of the main reasons why we enjoy them is because our family prefers less salty foods than the average (you can tell them to put in less salt and oil in your dishes before you order!) Super excited to try all their dishes ^-^

Shanghai River 滬江海派料理: Great XLB, "fried rice tastes very normal"

Belated birthday dinner for Adorables! Wanted Shanghainese and this was the closest one! Also came here many years ago, reminiscing about their xiao loong bao =D

Restaurant: Shanghai River 滬江海派料理

Location: 7831 Westminster Highway, Richmond
Cuisine: Shanghai, Dim Sum, Seafood
Price range: $25+ per person





Date of visit: November 16, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3.5/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

There were only two of us, so instead of only ordering two dishes and be bored with the lack of variety, I opted for a two person set dinner. Ordered the first one (which had XLB hehehehehehe) which was $52. Took a while for the food to arrive, but the Braised Vegetable Ham soup eventually made its way to our table. It was cabbage with a piece of chicken and Chinese cured ham. It was very hot, and the first few sips were quite delicious. Eventually it just became really salty (it was salty to begin with but I finally felt it hit me).

Next was the Steamed Shanghai Pork Buns with crab meat (Xiao Loong Bao). These were delicious! A bit cooler than I expected, but at least I didn't burn myself =P The crab meat was just a bit on top which was nice. It was very juicy and the wrapping was chewy and thin. On a side note, it said we were only supposed to get 4 on the menu, but we ended up with 5! *happy* hehe

Dishes started arriving very quickly now, the fried rice (very curious order of arrival btw) arrived next. Now Adorables' first impression of this fried rice was that it was very "normal". I didn't understand-- until I tasted it. It tasted like rice. Just rice. Nothing else. Not your typical fried rice for sure... since there were no flavors and the ingredients were super sparse. Super disappointing. On the bright side, it wasn't oily at all?

Second favorite dish of the night were the Snow Pea Tips with Crab. The snow pea tips were cooked just right and the crab on top was surprisingly generous. Flavors were balanced and a decent portion. A close second to the XLB =)

Finally, there was a Malt Vinegar Pork Spareribs. My first impression was that they were way overfried. It was dry and hard. I had a second piece which was a bit better, so I guess I just got unlucky on my first piece =P Overall the flavors were good, I liked the sauce, but the actual pork was honestly too dry and overfried. *sadface*

Moving along, this was dessert, Glutinous Rice Balls with Sesame Filling This was really good! Very fresh, the glutinous rice was chewy and the sesame filling wasn't too sweet, plus it was "smooth". Not your generic sweet soup base either, this was a clear eggy base (no ginger at all). Complimented the rice balls nicely. Well done. Good finish.

My fond memories of this restaurant as a child were semi-crushed. Not to mention I felt somewhat disappointed this wasn't an amazing meal for Adorables' belated birthday dinner. *double fail* The XLB I'll be back for, but not much else will lure me here again. Especially the price I paid =/ Sometimes I wonder if I'm abnormal or a food snob haha! *contemplating*

Oriental Dumpling King 大東方餃子王, Richmond: Hit-or-miss

So I was hoping to come here for the old restaurant, but guess it changed! Anyways, ventured onwards regardless to try this new place!

Restaurant: Oriental Dumpling King 大東方餃子王

Location: 4200 No. 3 Road, Richmond
Cuisine: Chinese
Price range: $15-25




Date of visit: August 14, 2013
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 3/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

Maybe we got there early, but I felt that it was quite unorganized. The interior was quite nice though (they kept most of the interior the same as the old restaurant)!

We were there pretty early, so no one was inside yet, but I was a bit confused as to why our waitress...also worked in the kitchen =/

Anyways, onto the food. I didn't see it on the menu, but they made it for me anyways, this was the Stir Fried Egg Whites with Seafood ($12.80). I understand why it's not on the menu-- it was the worst I've had in my life. The egg whites were overcooked, rubbery, and oily. Not even the egg yolk helped. My disappointment was indescribable.

Next was the Beijing Pork with Thin Pancakes ($12.80). This was quite flavorful, sadly, the sauce overpowered the pork.I wish it were less salty though. Otherwise, flavoring was well done.

The pancakes were nothing spectacular, but they were soft but chewy and did their purpose.

I must say this was one of the better dishes we chose, the Fried Noodles with Pork ($7.95). It was very similar to Shanghai Fried Noodles, both in sauce and noodles. The noodles were very chewy and the flavoring was well-balanced. It didn't end up too salty, which I was happy about.

Before tasting the Tan Tan Noodles ($6.95), I was mesmerized by the bowl. It's quite beautiful which enhanced the dish completely.

This was the mix noodle type (no soup). Noodles were very chewy and the sauce was delicious. A bit spicy for me, but oh so good I couldn't stop (even though my mouth was on fire). Good job!

And being here, of course we had to try their dumplings! Ordered Celery Pork Dumplings ($6.95) which were mediocre. It was rather bland and the dumpling skin wasn't the texture I was hoping for. They were a bit soggy. Since this wasn't fantastic, I wonder why they would call themselves "dumpling king" =S

Finally, dessert! Snow cotton bean paste ($10.95) is somewhat a fav of mines that I order whenever I see it on a menu =P Its basically meringued egg whites with a red bean filling deep fried. This was pretty well done, I wish it were a *bit* sweeter, and the egg a bit more smooth, but it was decent. The egg whites were a bit rubbery which affected my overall satisfaction of this dessert. Red bean paste filling was great though, not too sweet, parents liked that a lot.

Here's the damage done, not too sure I want to return because of a few reasons (hygeine, food quality consistency, professionalism of the staff, etc). Did I mention they just kept handing us dishes over the wall beside where I sat? When they could have easily walked two more steps to hand it to us without having a wall between us? I may just be picky, but service was either good or bad depending on the server... train your employees first!

Shanghai City Chinese Restaurant, Victoria: Sketchy much?

As you may have noticed, I've started to change the post title, since I've been mainly doing food posts, I thought having a descriptive title was more fun =) Anyhow, adventures in Victoria continue!

Restaurant: Shanghai City Chinese Restaurant (visit their website here)

Location: 548 Fisgard Street, Victoria (upstairs)
Cuisine: Chinese, Seafood, Shanghai
Price range: $10-20




Date of visit: June 30, 2013
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 3/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 1/5
Buck worthy? 2/5

Gotta say, worst decision so far. We saw this place was upstairs and decided to try it, since I wanted some Shanghai dumplings. Boy, was that a big bad mistake. Walked upstairs, and the place was almost empty. Scary. Oh well.

Ordered two of the Steamed Shanghai Dumplings ($5.95) that I wanted, and they weren't anything special. By far too sweet for the taste and a few of them were over-steamed, hence lost the juice inside. for around $1 each, these were definitely not a good deal.

Next was another disappointment, Minced Garlic with Pork Belly ($8.95) because the pork slices were too thick. The garlic was not finely minced and the sauce was so salty. Although I still have yet to find a place that does this dish justice, they by far, have murdered this dish.

Their Spareribs with Honey Garlic ($14.95) was decent. A bit overfried, but taste-wise it was much better in comparison to the other two dishes. Honestly, how much does pork cost?? Totally overpriced for this tiny dish =(

Finally, our Pan-fried Shanghai Thick Noodles ($11.95) showed up. This was the best dish all meal. They used authentic thick noodles, but again, too salty. Not much other ingredients either, just a lot of noodles.

Won't be back for sure. Whole restaurant looked super sketchy! I was worried I might not survive! Thank goodness we made it out alive!!