ADDRESS : Chef Hung, Aberdeen Centre, Richmond, BC
PHONE # : 604-295-9357
Buddha Dog had a "spa" appointment, so we thought we would hang around in Richmond until he's done. Since Buddha Boy and Mrs. Big Lee's next competition will be Taiwanese Beef Noodle, we've decided to visit Chef Hung's after we dropped off Buddha Dog. I just had to take a picture of the "placemat" (R.O.C President Ma and Taipei City Mayor Hao)...just thought it's kinda funny that being someone from Taiwan, I (or my family or my friends), never heard of Chef Hung before...but then again, we don't care much about such fame. I recall some guy commented (on one of the food blogs) that this place has the best Taiwanese beef noodle of all places (he claimed that he has tried enough to say that). My dad visited this place before (since it's his favorite so he's had a lot of Taiwanese beef noodle in his life), though he thought the soup was quite good, the noodles needed improvement. Dad thought it's good, but it's not the best he's had, and it's definitely not worth $10.95 a bowl
As we walked in, it kinda annoyed me when the host and the servers spoke to me in Cantonese...I mean this is a Taiwanese joint isn't it? But then again, I am in 604 where Cantonese is the dominating Chinese dialect. Oh yea...btw...it claimed to be from "Taiwan"...but why is their website all in "simplified" Chinese??? Hello?!?!? Actually, I never knew that this place is a franchise owned by Fairchild...no wonder la! LOL!
Buddha Boy ordered the Champion Beef Shank with Noodle in Soup (紅燒冠軍牛肉麵)...with thin noodles...Buddha Boy quite enjoyed this. He thought the broth was light yet flavorful...but does not have the depth like Dinesty's.
Sour Preserved Veggie (酸菜)...one of the most important "add-on" ingredient in Taiwanese beef noodle...I was very surprised to see that they just simply used ready-made stuff...not like in Taiwan... such restaurants actually make their own.
Pan-Fried Grounded Pork Cake (豬肉餡餅)...though the flavor was quite nice and the skin was quite thin...I did not enjoy this because they used machine-grounded pork.
Chicken Nuggets (鹽酥雞)...good amount of basil...flavor was ok...
Huge disappointment with their Soy Milk Shanghai Style (咸豆漿)...after I added the vinegar...it did not curdle!!! And...where were the Chinese donuts??? Where were the preserved veggies (榨菜)??? Epic fail!
The Taidong Roselle Black Tea (台東卑南金峰洛神茶) caught my eyes! Buddha Boy and I had really good Roselle Tea in Taiwan before...but we couldn't find the same flavor anywhere else! Anyways, we tried it and we did not like it.
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ADDRESS : Shanghai Shanghai, Aberdeen Centre, Richmond, BC
PHONE # : 604-279-1239
Since there weren't much choices for me at Chef Hung...we walked around the mall for a bit (so Buddha Boy could digest the food) then went up to the foodcourt. I saw quite a bit of people ordering from this Shanghai stall...so I gave it a try.
I ordered the Shanghai Wonton Soup (上海薺菜餛飩)...the filling was basically Shepherd's Purse and ground pork. I really enjoyed it. The wontons were wrapped tight and firm and the broth was light and flavorful. Ten big wontons for $5.50 (plus tax)...not bad of a deal!
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ADDRESS : Basil Leaf, Aberdeen Centre, Richmond, BC
PHONE # : 604-295-6618
Buddha Boy "claimed" that he's not hungry so he would just grab something light to munch on...
But he ended up ordering a full-meal-sized platter from Basil Leaf.
we walked around the mall for a bit (so Buddha Boy could digest the food)
ReplyDeleteGeez, you guys are gluttons for punishment!!! :P
To me there is one major reason for not to go back: It is in #!$!@#$ Richmond, not to mention Aberdeen Centre out of all hellholes! :P
Buddhagirl, I never knew that Chef Hung is a franchise by Fairchild. I thought the original Chef Hung himself came over an opened his first restaurant outside Taiwan. Oh well.. Anyway I wasnt really impressed with their TBN when I first ate there. That was when they first opened and there was a line-up. I havent been back since coz I dont think I'd want to spend another 11 bucks for a bowl of TBN.
ReplyDeleteKim, i hate richmond as much as you and Sherman. We went on a monday (took the day off) so traffic volume was reasonable, drivers as still bad.
ReplyDeleteI like the TWBN, i thought the noodles were good. I'd go back maybe once a year, but it is very pricey. Looking at some web sites, I believe that Chef Hung won a Taipei TWBN competition for a few years running, hence the popularity. But when in TW, beef noodle soup is everywhere, and it's actually pretty good at most places.
Kim: Hehehehe...we'll do anything to feed our Buddha-figures! LOL! Richmond is not that bad!!! Just drive like those drivers than you will be fine! LOL!
ReplyDeleteLechon: Actually, I thought Buddha Boy and I were the only ones who didn't know about Chef Hung being a franchise. According to my girlfriend, because of the fame, the franchise cost is extremely high, so they must charge high prices to its customers! (Nice to have a friend who works in Fairchild admin to dig out some info.) Gosh! Freakin' $11 for a bowl of noodles...and it's not a big bowl neither!!!
ReplyDeleteHahaha I seriously don't understand all this hate for Richmond. Love Richmond <3
ReplyDeleteLOL! I know...Richmond is not that bad...good to hangout for food or K!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Richmond:
ReplyDeletehttp://chowtimes.com/2010/10/07/cafe-xu-hue-best-bun-bo-hue-in-vancouver/#comment-52583
http://chowtimes.com/2010/10/09/weekend-musing-crab-dipping-sauce-sausages-and-to-think-that-asian-could-not-drive/
LOL !