Continuing with my noodle phase... Cattle Cafe! There are two locations in Burnaby, one in Vancouver and one in Richmond? Ever since they started popping out of no where in the last couple of years, my boyfriend has always wanted to try this place. Personally I cannot eat at hong kong style cafes because there is nothing I ever want to order. I would be a lot happier going to McDonalds' (seriously) than hong kong cafes. The only reason I suggested coming here is was because of my noodle phase.
My only complaint is the uncomfortable seating arrangements. I am 5'3, 110lbs and consider myself to have a big booty. Keeping my body frame in mind, the most awkward and uncomfortable thing happened. I had to squeeze through the tiny space between the tables and my ass would be on another persons table. WHY ARE THE SEATING ARRANGEMENTS SO TIGHT?! I hate restaurants who try to get as many tables as they can. Seriously my ass was practically on someones food and I felt so bad.
THE CHICKEN WINGS, CHINESE YAM SOUP, TOFU PUDDING, HONEYDEW SMOOTHIE, CRISPY SHELL SHRIMP, BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE, BEEF SHORT RIBS AND ORIGINAL FISH SOUP
His drink is the HONEYDEW SMOOTHIE ($2.00) and my drink is the BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE ($2.00). Muahaha lesson learned from Deer Garden, I asked for no sugar in my blueberry smoothie :). But instead they added syrup :(. My boyfriend's honeydew tasted really powdery, it was not too sweet and just tasted like too much powder.
The first dish is the CRISPY SHELL SHRIMP IN SPECIAL SEASONING BLEND ($3.99). I thought the salt inside the jar is unhygienic and really gross since it has been reused so many times. There are clumps of salt inside and the jar looks really sticky. I am not sure what their seasoning blend is but it tastes like just salt? The prawns are pretty much hard to eat and stuck on the skewers. They try to copy the dish from Hong Kong but in HK they are fresh and easy to eat.
The side of HOUSE SPECIAL GINGER DEEP FRIED WINGS ($1.99). The order comes with three pieces, they are not over deep fried and the inside is not dry or moist. I would pass unless I want wings.
The next dish is the GRAIN FED BEEF SHORT RIBS IN JAPANESE STYLE MUSTARD SAUCE WITH RICE ($11.99). For the price, it would have been nice if they added more vegetables since there are only five pieces of diced carrots and cucumber. The japanese style mustard sauce tastes like a beef gravy and is not very good to me (probably since I am not used to it, keep in mind I usually do not like HK style cafes.. my boyfriend did not like it either and he likes HK style cafes though). For the grain fed beef short ribs, I feel like they used way too much meat tenderizer. Who uses meat tenderizer on short ribs? It must be a HK style cafe thing but I doubt it. The meat tenderizer pretty much ruined the beef ribs. I do not recommend this dish and consider it my lesson to stick to the usuals for HK style cafes.
My FRESH CHINESE YAM FISH SOUP WITH TAIWANESE VERMICELLI ($8.50), SLICED BEEF BRISKET ($INCLUDED), BASA FISH SLICE ($INCLUDED) and FRESH BEAN CURD ($1.25). The broth is a lot thicker and creamier than Deer Gardens'. I also think most people would prefer Cattle Cafes', but I like Deer Gardens' because the broth is lighter and I prefer that.
The SLICED BEEF BRISKET and BASA FISH SLICES. The fish slices are perfectly cooked, as in so good that you doubt if it is even cooked. I love that, but only when I do it myself. I think they did not have the intentions of making the fish like that, to the point where they would have risked it being raw. But oh well, it was cooked for me (I did doubt it a few times though). The sliced beef brisket is not chewy but is a bit tough.
His ORIGINAL FISH SOUP WITH VERMICELLI, JAPANESE BBQ PORK ($INCLUDED), ENOKI MUSHROOM ($INCLUDED), BASA FISH SLICE ($1.25) and HAM ($1.25). My boyfriend finds the broth flavourful and prefers it over Deer Gardens', but the toppings at Deer Garden are a lot better.
The HAM, JAPANESE BBQ PORK and BASA FISH SLICE. Usually japanese BBQ pork is tender and soft, but it is really tough, hard and chewy here. I would stick with the sliced beef brisket.
For desert, HOUSE BRAND SMOOTH TOFU PUDDING ($4.99). The tofu is properly made with a smooth texture, so no complaints.
MY THOUGHTS:
The fish broths are flavourful and creamy but I still prefer Deer Gardens' because of their lighter taste. I also enjoy Deer Gardens' more because they have flat noodles (I think the only reason I liked their noodle soup is because of the flat noodles) and better toppings. Asides from the noodle soups, the prawns and beef short ribs are not that great and kind of wasteful to order. Other then the food, the tight seating arrangements are pretty darn awkward too. For service, the girls are pretty nice and friendly but one dish was forgotten.
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 3/5
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