8100 Ackroyd Road, Richmond, BC
604-278-8239
Originally, we wanted to try out Golden Paramount 金百樂 since MomJ has been raving about it for quite some times. When we showed up, at approximately 8pm on a Wednesday night, this place was packed!!! We were told that if we're lucky, we'd only have to wait for another twenty to twenty-five minutes...WHAT? The three of us were starving!!! In the end, MomJ suggested to try out this place since she likes their Hainanese chicken.
When dining in with a minimum of two dishes ordered, they will include white rice (one bowl per dish) and Soup of the Day 例湯, all complimentary. The soup was nothing too memorable. We substituted the white rice with Chicken Rice 油飯...well...bad idea. The chicken rice "looked" good when it arrived at the table, but it was bland, tasteless and dry.
Since the name of the restaurant is "Specialty Chicken", it made sense to try their specialty right? Their Hoinan Style Free Range Chicken 海南走地雞 was amazing! Let's not forget, Buddha Boy and I are not fans of free range birds, but this chicken was tender, moist and flavorful all around, including the white meat! Noticed the layer of gelatin between the skin and the meat? Done perfectly! MomJ and I didn't really use the ginger dip, we thought the chicken was tasty enough on its own. Buddha Boy, on the other hand, loved the ginger!!! We'd return for this dish...and perhaps only this dish...hahahaha!
Buddha Boy wanted Peking Style Pork Chop 京都肉排. The meaty chops were lightly battered than deep-fried. Buddha Boy thought the meat had a better texture than TG, but the sauce needed a bit more work.
MomJ ordered Ma-Po Tofu 麻婆豆腐 and it was a fail. The tofu was not cooked long enough to absorb the flavors. The sauce was bland and flavorless. Most importantly, where's the spiciness? Awful.
Since this place is also a "Wonton House", it made sense for us to try a bowl of Prawn Wonton Soup 鮮蝦雲吞湯. Well, the wonton were small and the shrimp was overly soft. The soup was over-salted and the wontons were overcooked. A specialty? Whatever...not recommended.
I ordered the Braised Pork and Dried Vegetable Hotpot 梅菜扣肉煲. After waiting for a half an hour, I followed up with this dish, twice. The third time, after fifteen minutes later, the manager told me this dish needed more time. Yea...whatever. When the dish arrived, I was shocked to see the awful presentation. The mui-choy was extremely tasteless, we suspected it's either the quality or it's been used repeatedly. The sauce was bland, like no soy sauce was used. And why in the world would a restaurant bed this dish with napa cabbage? All that water from the cabbage will ruin the overall taste of the dish? Well, not like this dish tasted good to begin with anyways, but still...idiots.
The meat was, excuse my language, f**kin' over-cooked!!! The fat part of the pork melted as soon as I took a bite, which was acceptable, but the meat was dry, chewy and extremely fibery...what a joke! This dish "needed more time"? My @$$!!!
Our night ended with complimentary desserts, Red Bean Dessert Soup 紅豆沙 (or 紅豆湯). This lacked depth...it really needed some dried orange peels 陳皮. Other than the chicken, this meal was pretty much a disappointment. We would return only for their chicken specialties, perhaps just ordering takeouts. Other than the birds, I wouldn't recommend anything else here.
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