FIRST POST ON NORTH GARDEN [HERE]
SECOND POST ON NORTH GARDEN [HERE]
Having said my story of Lougheed Wonton Restaurant, here is another of North Garden. North Garden is located in Burquitlam and is one of the only two Chinese restaurants in the area (the other being Yan's Garden). The restaurant is a family run business as well as the sister to Lougheed Wonton, and the staff often switches between both restaurants.
The interior is large and there is a high ceiling which provides better air circulation. In addition, there are plenty of booth seating arrangements (which are kind of wearing down) along with tables suitable for larger parties such as more than eight. As for the food, well… some items are not so good. I used to hate coming here because asides from the mediocre food at best, the staff always looks miserable! Geezus. However, there is one lady who is always extremely friendly on every single visit. Furthermore, after revisiting many times, I finally picked out a few dishes that are actually good.
So, considering the lack of Chinese restaurants in the area along with a few dishes that taste great and an extremely friendly waitress, North Garden works for me. There is no more sulking whenever I hear North Garden… if I am in the area.
SLICED FISH CONGEE ($6.95).
On this visit, I already had dinner before coming here because I never liked the food at North Garden at the time. However, I do love their congee. The congee tastes creamy as well as milky, and has that nice white bland congee flavour. As for the slices of fish, tender as well as moist and not fishy at all. I like North Garden's congee a lot more than Lougheed Wonton's.
CREAM OF CORN WITH MINCED CHICKEN SOUP, SMALL ($7.00).
My friend went for the cream of corn soup, which has a light chicken broth flavour. In addition, the chicken is well minced as well as tender, and the soup has a good consistency, neither too syrupy or runny.
2 3/4LB GREEN ONION AND GINGER SAUCE CRAB ($11.99/LB).
After trying the cream and butter sauce numerous times where North Garden's tastes more like margarine than butter, we decided to try the green onion and ginger.
Well, let me just say it does not taste good at all. The crab is heavy on the corn starch and is very gooey as well as slimy. In addition, there is no green onion or ginger flavour, and there is a salty (not overly) chicken broth taste. This is definitely worse than the cream and butter sauce.
SZECHUAN STYLE FRIED GREEN BEAN ($12.45).
I am not a fan of string beans but because I already ate before coming here, I gave my friend the choice of selecting every dish for dinner. The string beans taste fresh as well as crisp with a soft crunch, and there is a fair amount of sliced Chinese sausage. If anything, there is a garlic and soy sauce base, rather than a spicy szhechuan taste.
SPICY SALT AND PEPPERY PRAWN ($13.95).
The prawns are actually not bad and taste very juicy as well as bouncy. There is a flavourful garlic and spicy salt seasoning, and these are fairly tasty.
COMPLIMENTARY RED BEAN SOUP.
I find North Garden's red bean soup always a bit on the slightly too sweet side, but it is not that big of a deal to me. As for the food throughout dinner, the food is pretty much average except for the crab, which was very unappealing. I do not recommend the green onion and ginger sauce for seafood!
Food: 2.5/5 (crab 0.5/5)
Service: 2.5/5
A subsequent visit...
HOT AND SOUR SOUP ($7.00).
Another visit based on convenience brings us to North Garden and although the restaurant may not have very good food, they do make a great hot n' sour soup. The hot n' sour soup is honestly one of the best I ever had and is always consistent. There is a rich spicy as well as tangy flavour, and the soup is packed with ingredients.
2 1/2LB SPICY SALT AND CHILLI CRAB ($11.99/LB)
Having tried the cream n' butter sauce as well as the green onion and ginger, we decided to try the spicy salt and chilli. The crab is well fried and there is a flavourful seasoning of garlic, salt, chilli and pepper. The spicy salt and chill is definitely the best choice for live seafood here.
Since I am not a fan of these types of hot pots in general, I do not have much to comment on. There is a good amount of ingredients and the slices of beef taste tender. Also, there is a light soy sauce base and sauce does not taste salty.
The bean curd sheets are nicely fried with a crisp exterior, and tastes juicy. As for the other ingredients, there is enoki mushroom, Chinese mushroom, carrot and snow peas. I found this dish very average and as a personal preference, did not like it. The sauce has a soya taste and tastes light, but it was too boring for me (despite being well executed). In addition, for the price, there are a lot better variations elsewhere.
The prawns taste great with a nice snap, and the chill n' salt flavours are there. However, the squid tastes very dry as well as chewy.
SLICED FISH CONGEE ($6.95).
Sorry for the nasty photo, but the congee tasted good. Honestly, I love that white bland congee flavour.Another revisit…
On this specific visit, I deliberately made the trip out here. Lougheed Wonton has been disappointing lately and I decided to give North Garden my business instead. We went for the two item combo for the first time, which includes a choice of soup, rice and dessert for $29.50. The price is cheaper than Lougheed Wonton's set menu (only by a couple of dollars) and there is a choice of soup other than the the daily soup. The choices are wonton, hot n' sour, beef with egg white, and minced chicken with cream corn soup.
HOT AND SOUR SOUP.
The hot n' sour soup tastes very good. Honestly, I have tried many restaurants' and North Garden has one of the spiciest (medium spicy) and tangiest soups ever. There is always a nice consistency which is neither runny or too gooey.
2.85LB SPICY SALT AND CHILLI CRAB ($12.99/LB).
We went for the spicy salt and chilli crab because North Garden makes this variation better than other sauces. The crab has a garlic salty seasoning, but lacks that nice flavourful pepperiness. In addition, the crab tastes meaty and the meat is loose. To think how many times we received the same size crab but was always charged 3 1/2lb at Lougheed Wonton… sigh.
SHANGHAI STYLE CRISPY CHICKEN.
Okay, my ulterior motive to coming to North Garden is for the Shanghai style crispy chicken! There is a nice sweet caramelized soy sauce flavour and the skin is very crispy. Also, the meat tastes very juicy and this is a very good dish. The sauce is neither salty nor sickening sweet, and there is only a subtle sweetness.
The pork cheek tastes tender while also retaining shape, and the lotus root tastes fresh with a nice crunch. As for the sauce, there is a red preserved bean curd flavour. The dish is well made and as a personal preference, I am not a fan because I prefer less saucier dishes.
COMPLIMENTARY ORANGES.
The slices of orange are fresh, as in freshly sliced rather than pre-sliced and kept in the refrigerator (which many Chinese restaurants do). Also, the orange tastes sweet too which is a bonus.
TOTAL: $72.95 + TIP $12.05 = $85.00.
Following visit...
On another visit, we went for the set menu again because the price is cheaper than ordering separately. Also, the portions are exactly the same!
HOT AND SOUR SOUP.
Of course, the hot and sour soup again. The soup tastes very very tangy and has a nice medium lingering spiciness from the use of chilli flakes. As for the ingredients, there are plenty of tofu, baby shrimp, black fungus and pork. The soup is packed with ingredients and the soup has a nice consistency.
2.40LB SPICY SALT AND CHILLI CRAB ($12.99/LB).
Again, the spicy salt and chilli crab. 
Consistent like the previous visit, a slightly sweet and garlicky sauce with juicy meat (including the white meat!).
All the ingredients taste fresh and the snow peas have a nice crunch. As for the squid, they taste very tender unlike the spicy salt n' chilli variation. Furthermore, the dish does not taste too oily or salty, and is healthier choice compared to other dishes.
The dessert soup has a nice consistency along with a hint of mandarin peel, and plenty of red beans.
TOTAL: $71.60 + TIP $13.40 = $85.00
All in all, if in the area, North Garden will be my go to for Chinese food. However, I only like the spicy salt n' chilli crab, and the Shanghai style crispy chicken. As for the service, an older lady with glasses is always friendly, and a younger waiter always pours the soup. However, the rest of the staff is meh.
POSITIVES
- Spicy salt n' chilli crab (3/5)
- Shanghai style crispy chicken (3.5/5)
- Cheaper live seafood prices compared to other restaurants
- Honest regarding the weight of live seafood
- One of the only two Chinese restaurants in the area
NEGATIVES
- Some items are not very good
LITTLE THINGS
- First post on North Garden [here]
- Second post on North Garden [here]
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 2.5/5
they do have an amazing cream sauce for its lobster/crab dishes!!
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