2012-10-12 Dinner @ Le Riz Asian Fusion Cafe 米芝樂

#1031 - 8300 Capstan Way, Richmond, BC

604-370-1336

With no plans for a Friday night, MomJ, Buddha Boy and I wandered into Richmond scouting for food.  We had Golden Bauhinia Restaurant 金紫荊小館 in mind, but as soon as we turned into the parking lot, a banner that says "Now Open 現已開業" caught our attention.

Le Riz Asian Fusion Cafe 米芝樂, a newbie that replaced the old Best Bubble Cafe 尚品精緻餐廳, just opened for business earlier this week.  MomJ was quite skeptical because the restaurant was very empty, like "zero customers" type of empty.  Nonetheless, after studying the posted menu, Buddha Boy and I suggested to give it a shot.  From my understanding, the husband (along with a couple of helpers) manages the kitchen while the wife and the daughter service the front.

Similar decor, similar tables, similar chairs.  Everything was pretty much similar down to the plates, the bowls, the cups...you get the picture.  Okay, there were differences.  The two panels of "wall" by the entrance were new.  The flat-screen TV on the cash counter (to showcase featured and promotional items) was new.  The menu, of course, was new.

Despite being skeptical about how empty the restaurant was, MomJ was interested in two items.  First up, the Hainanese Chicken Rice 海南雞飯.  The deboned chicken was moist and flavorful, but the texture was too soft.  The rice was not as oily as Mui Garden 梅園粉麵茶餐廳, but it was more fragrant and garlicky.  We enjoyed the dish, but we all agreed that it was quite a small portion for the price.

MomJ's second order was Shrimp Paste Fried Rice Noodles w/Pork 虾醬肉片炒河粉.  This had good wok-hei 鑊氣 (or huo-hou 火侯 in Mandarin) and was a decent-sized dish.  Unfortunately, while we could smell the shrimp paste, we couldn't quite taste it.  Pork was limited.

Their version of mix & match noodle combo was called Mix & Match Yunnan Rice Noodles Series 百搭雲南米線系列.  Now, you won't find "fish soup" here, instead, the broth was made with pork bones and chicken bones.  I opted for Oil Noodles 油麵 in Parsley & Preserved Egg Soup 皮蛋芫茜湯 (again, it's cilantro, not parsley) with Stew Pork 和味豬仔腩 and Pork Chop 豬扒.  The broth was clear and light, but was not flavorless.  The century egg was in large chunks and the cilantro was in strands instead of chopped.  One whole piece of pan-fried pork chop with ample amount of stewed pork belly slices (placed under the chop).  Miscellaneous items such as tofu skin 腐皮 and napa cabbage 大白菜 (紹菜) were also in the bowl, but were not overloaded like many other restaurants.  If you ask me, I would say this was by far the better deal of all.

All of the above items came with a drink each.  Nothing noteworthy except these were perhaps the worst drinks of all time.  Simply put, colored water.

Buddha Boy ordered two deep-fried items.  First was the Fried Calamari 椒鹽鮮尤.  MomJ and I thought the batter was similar to the ones we've had at Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria (see posts 2012-09-16 Lunch @ Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria and 2012-09-29 Lunch @ Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria) but the squid was too chewy and lacked crunch.

Buddha Boy's second item was Crispy Fried Chicken Nuggets 鹽酥雞, or commonly known as Taiwanese popcorn chicken or salty peppery chicken.  These were sad.  Not only the flavors were off, these had no crunch and lacked texture.  Basil was very minimal.  Not recommended.

We ended with the Special French Toast 金磚西多士, which was on special and was "advertised" on their flat screen.  Now, this looked nothing like its advertisement (picture below).  LOL!  While most HK-style cafe restaurants use marmalade, here you'll find kaya 咖央醬 (coconut jam).

Yes, there were misses, but honestly, the food wasn't bad at all.  No, this place was not a cheap eat, but it's not expensive either.  With so many choices in the same plaza, I'm not sure if their "fusion" style menu will work.  Nonetheless, we do plan to return and try some other items.