Kwan Luck Restaurant 君悅海鮮中菜館 (3rd visit)

FIRST POST ON KWAN LUCK [HERE], SECOND POST [HERE]

Kwan Luck is one of the late night Chinese restaurants available on Kingsway, and competes with Congee Noodle King, Sing Kee, Rose Garden, and a few less known restaurants. I have mentioned in a previous post about Rose Garden that I will no longer go back, and with Rose Garden no longer an option, Kwan Luck is now may be one of my regular late night Chinese restaurants. I would have said Kwan Luck is my regular.. but since I visited Ken's Chinese Restaurant the night after Kwan Luck, I like that restaurant a lot more. Sigh, this is why I feel like I need to post daily! Anyways, after reading my first and second posts on Kwan Luck, it seems like I always find their food average. I honestly thought their dishes tasted a wee bit above average in general. Side note, funny how I used to compare Kwan Luck and Sing Kee.. Sing Kee is so dirty, I cannot believe I used to go there for just fresh oysters O_O (Kwan Luck is a bit cleaner, but not the cleanest either).

SAUTEED CHINESE SMOKED MEAT AND SAUSAGE WITH CAULIFLOWER, CREAM AND BUTTER SAUCE CRAB, PRESERVED MEATS FRIED RICE, STEAMED ROCK COD, CLAMS IN LEMON GRASS BROTH, DEEP FRIED PRAWNS WITH SPICY CHILLI SALT, AND PORK TORO SLICES WITH HOT AND SPICY CHINESE TEA.

SAUTEED CHINESE SMOKED MEAT AND SAUSAGE WITH CAULIFLOWER ($7.95). Kwan Luck is the only late night Chinese restaurant that I know of that has green cauliflower. Green cauliflower tastes slightly crunchier on the outside and tastes more flavourful. The dish has a garlic smoked meat taste but tastes slightly too oily. The cauliflower does not taste overcooked, and the smoked meat and sausages are what it is.

3LB CREAM AND BUTTER SAUCE CRAB ($13.95/LB). The crab tastes fresh and is lightly battered but tastes slightly overcooked. The dish has a good amount of sauce, the cream and butter sauce tastes properly made but is not quite as flavourful or tasty as other restaurants. The cream and butter taste is there, but tastes average. Meh, for someone who wants to enjoy a cream and butter sauce crab, it is good enough and will satisfy your craving.

PRESERVED MEATS FRIED RICE ($5.95). The fried rice tastes soft, fluffy, and has a light mild smoky taste from the preserved meats. The rice tastes properly fused together, has a good amount of green onions, eggs, and preserved meat, and none of the ingredients overpower the other.

CLAMS IN LEMON GRASS BROTH ($6.95). The broth has a light lemon grass taste, and the clams are overcooked, tasting quite chewy. This is my first time tasting overcooked clams here, and in general. 

DEEP FRIED PRAWNS WITH SPICY CHILLI SALT ($7.95). The prawns are lightly battered as well as deep fried, have a slight crunch on the outside, and the inside tastes moist with a nice bounce. The seasoning has the usual salt peppery taste with a hint of spiciness. 

PORK TORO SLICES WITH HOT AND SPICY CHINESE TEA ($6.95). The dish has a good amount of red peppers, green peppers, seaweed, and carrots. I usually do not pay much attention to the colour of any ingredient, but the red and green peppers really make the dish more eye-catching and appealing. The pork toro slices taste tender and the vegetables taste perfectly cooked with a slight crunch. The dish is not overly oily or salty, and has a hint of spiciness.

2LB STEAMED ROCK COD ($23.95/LB). One of the reasons for coming to Kwan Luck was to check if they had rock cod! A lot of middle end Chinese restaurants (I don't really use the term fine dining for Chinese restaurants anymore) stopped serving rock cod or are limited to only three a night. The rock cod tastes refreshing and meaty, but unfortunately also tastes slightly overcooked, and stiff. What a shame since I love rock cod.

POSITIVES

- Food tastes average, sometimes above average

- Friendly waitresses

- Late night restaurant

NEGATIVES

- Not the cleanest restaurant 

LITTLE THINGS

- First post on Kwan Luck [here]

- Second post [here]

- I prefer Kwan Luck over Sing Kee (their herbal soup and fresh oysters cannot win me over anymore) as well as Rose Garden

Food: 2.5/5

Service: 2.5/5