Too lazy to look for an interesting restaurant to try and without many options in Coquitlam, BF and I settled on Kam Ding. When we walked in, the restaurant reminded us of Rose Garden and Sing Kee; a "dirty ghetto" Chinese restaurant.
The restaurant may not be the cleanest but hey, the seating arrangements are not cramped. There are plenty of tables for four along with larger tables for groups of more than five. Asides from meh looking interior, the entrance to the washroom was quite scary. There is an oily door handle which looks like an entrance to a garbage room and the washroom is really creeping looking.
COMBO FOR TWO, STEAMED RICE, DAILY SOUP AND DESSERT ($26.88).
When we inquired about the daily soup, the waitress mentioned it was some sort of "flower and chicken soup," which seemed a bit confusing. Flower? What type of flower? We asked if she meant corn husk because if so, we will order a different type of soup. Why the paranoia against corn husk? Well, we received it twice from Lougheed Wonton House and think it is disgusting for a restaurant to use corn husk in soups. Especially at a Chinese restaurant.
DAILY SOUP, FLOWER AND CHICKEN.
When the soup arrived, there was a whole freaking husk. Would any Chinese restaurant wash the husks before using them for soup? Or strip down the nasty layers first? Most likely not and in general, husks are very dirty. The purpose of husks are to protect the corn!! What about the pesticides? So, obviously we left the soup behind along with the fly in it.
DEEP FRIED BEAN CURD ROLL ($3.25).
Kam Ding offers all day dim sum and we tried a couple of items. The bean curd roll is nicely fried and tastes crispy, not soggy at all. Furthermore, the bean curd roll seems freshly made and the shrimp paste tastes light, but flavourful at the same time. Usually I am not a big of shrimp pastes because I find them overwhelming or salty sometimes, but this one is not bad. In addition, the paste is just cooked and neither gooey nor stiff. If anything, there is a wet pool of oil at the bottom and the dish can be considered flavourless, but I like it (because I like bland and simple food sometimes).
2.6LB SPICY SALT AND CHILLI CRAB ($10.99/LB).
We wanted to go for lobster but when the staff quoted us 3 1/2lb (which is a pretty big lobster) and the size was not the true representation, we chose the crab. The crab has a salty seasoning along with a hint of garlic, but lacks that nice peppery flavour. Overall, the crab is pretty salty but because I rarely eat salty food, I did not mind it that much. In addition, the crab is nicely fried.
STEAMED CHICKEN FEET IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE ($3.25).
The chicken feet tastes very flat and there is only a slight soy flavour along with a hint of chilli oil. For those who like black bean sauces, this would disappoint. However, the meat tastes tender and neither sticky nor salty.
PORK CHEEK WITH STRING PEAS IN XO SAUCE.
We rarely have string peas because I am more of a broccoli girl, so I let BF have his choice of vegetables this time. However, when the dish arrived, it was "pork cheek with celery" instead of the "pork cheek with string peas in XO sauce."
When we inquired about the difference, the waitress mentioned celery means string peas. Usually BF would not mind but he really wanted string peas LOL. The waitress even brought over the menu, pointed at "string peas" and said that is what we have on the plate. So, we mentioned that there is another separate dish, which is "#81 pork cheek with celery" and she kept repeating that celery = string peas, despite us ordering "#80 pork cheek with string beans with XO sauce." To get this back and forth conversation over with, I spoke in Chinese and her eyes lit up because she probably thought we were white washed. Anyways, after speaking in Chinese, she mentioned the restaurant was sold out of string peas and replaced it with celery.
Why didn't she tell us the restaurant ran out of string peas? What restaurant does this? Even at the crappiest Chinese restaurant, the staff will always tell a customer when something is sold out. I mean, really? We ordered one of the cheapest items on the menu!! And for the same price, we could have easily went for the prawns and scallops.
STEAMED EGGPLANT WITH PRESERVED SCALLOPS AND SHREDDED MEAT.
Wanting to go for something healthy, we ordered the steamed eggplant with preserved scallops and shredded meat. When the dish arrived, it seemed a bit different than what we expected because there was a meat loaf.
The eggplant tastes soft and not too mushy, the way I like it. However, the meat loaf tastes very stiff and not tender. Furthermore, the meat does not taste very flavourful and there is only a light meaty soy sauce flavour. If anything, despite the appearance of dried scallops, the flavour is not there.
As BF was trying to break apart the meat loaf on his plate, his chopsticks snapped LOL. Are the chopsticks that weak or is the beef that stiff? :P
RED BEAN SOUP WITH TAPIOCA PEARLS.
The soup is served luke warm and does not taste too sweet. In addition, the consistency is not too watery and the soup tastes alright. The tapioca pearls are also a nice touch considering it is a Chinese restaurant in this area.
TOTAL: $65.05 + TIP $6.95 = $72.00.
Overall, I was firm on tipping only $3.95 because there was no service and we had crab shells falling off our plates. Furthermore, the celery dish that was forced upon us? And the corn husk?! But in the end, I felt bad because there was only one waitress at the front and she had to close the whole restaurant alone. Plus, imagine if the restaurant was full and her having to handle all the tables alone.
As for the food, it is decent and edible. Nothing was really too salty (except for the crab, which we did not mind) or saucy.
POSITIVES
- All day dim sum
NEGATIVES
- Corn husk is not a flower
- A substitute was made without asking
LITTLE THINGS
- Average eats (but not the kind worth revisiting imo)
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 1.5/5
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