DINNER POST ON LEE GARDEN SEAFOOD RESTAURANT 利苑海鮮酒家 [HERE]
I wanted to have dim sum with my mother and I was given two options, Kirin or Fortune House. Pfft… how about none? My mother was not pleased with my attitude and brought up the time when I took her and my father to Top Gun in Burnaby for dim sum. Great, I suffered from a burned thumb which took weeks to heal, mediocre food, and now a former restaurant choice that will be used against me from now on. Well, after some persuading, I asked my mother if she wanted to try Lee Garden. I further showed her photos of the restaurant from my previous visit for dinner, insisted that Lee Garden is a newly renovated establishment and hey, it sold her!
We arrived on a weekday and the restaurant was not busy, which made parking very easy compared to finding a spot in a residential area like last time for dinner. After we walked up to the hostess' podium and stood by the sign which says "wait to be seated", we were greeted by a manager who yelled across from the dining room. This is when my mother said, "why let us stand here if you are going to yell across the room?" LOL...
SMALL ($3.88) || MEDIUM ($4.68) || LARGE ($5.18) || SPECIAL ($6.28)
BAKED BARBECUE PORK PASTRIES ($4.68).
Rating: 3.5/5.
The first item to arrive is the barbecue pork pastry, fresh, warm and straight out of the oven. The quality of the barbecue pork is fairly good and none of the pieces contain inedible fat. Moreover, the pastries are stuffed with filling and are neither deflated nor hollow. The plentiful amount of flaky layers and a crisp topping from the brush of an egg wash make the pastries above average as well. The pastries also have a controlled level of sweetness and Lee Garden uses less lard compared to other restaurants', despite that I prefer that fatty and oilier taste (the pastries are not dry whatsoever though).Rating: 3.5/5.
Continuing with the theme of above average items, the chicken wings are pretty darn good. Juicy, flavourful and exhibiting a rich shaoxing and star anise flavour along with a hint of chilli, the chicken feet is my favourite dish from dim sum. The skin easily falls off, tastes tender and is very juicy.
LEE GARDEN SPECIAL PRAWN DUMPLINGS ($5.18).
Rating: 2.5/5.
Two of the shrimp dumplings broke and the skin tastes fairly doughy. However, the filling is not bad. The bouncy filling includes three to four small shrimp, which exhibit a nice snap and there is minimal pork fat. The wrapping job is fairly poor though.Rating: 2.5/5.
The Chinese donut is lightly fried, but tastes doughier than crispier. With regards to the rice roll, it is freshly prepared but lacks that "fresh" taste and soft texture compared to other restaurants of the calibre. I have to say, despite that Top Gun's Chinese donut was dripping with oil, their rice roll tasted silky smooth and was better executed.Rating: 2.5/5.
Another average item are the Steamed Rice Rolls with Dry Scallop. The rice rolls have a mild dried scallop flavour and are infused in the rice rolls rather than only sprinkled on top (ahem* Red Star in Richmond). But like the Chinese donut rice roll, the rice rolls lack that fresh, soft and silky texture.Rating: 2.5/5.
The best example of well executed spareribs would be Chef Tony's, where the meat is chopped into tiny pieces so more flavour can be absorbed. As for Lee Garden's, the dish consists of a fair amount of inedible fatty pieces and there is a large clump of meat stuck together on the bottom of the plate. For the couple of spareribs which contain actual bones and tender meat however, taste fairly good. The good pieces exhibit a strong and flavourful preserved plum flavour. The seasoning is actually one of the better ones I have had too.Rating: 1/5.
The congee is slow cooked and not watery, but the consistency is extremely thick and gooey. On top of that, there are literally only five thin slices of sea cucumber. Asides from the unpleasant consistency and lack of sea cucumber, there are a fair amount of spareribs. However, the spareribs are extremely salty and are heavy on the soy, which resulted in the meat being inedible along with the congee. The congee overall is more like a salted sparerib congee.Rating: 2.5/5.
The soup consists of a bamboo pith, dried scallop and a loose along with deflated dumpling. The dumpling consists of a small shrimp, a dice of Chinese mushroom, an overcooked and rubbery small scallop, and a bit of loose ground pork.
As for the chicken broth, it is not bad. The soup is not oily or heavy on the MSG, and the shark's fin is shredded and well cooked.
FRESHLY BAKED MILK CUSTARD TARTS ($4.68).
Rating: 2.5/5.
We wanted to pass on dessert because majority of the dim sum dishes are average and none of the staff bothered to clear our empty plates or steamers (despite the not at all busy restaurant), but I wanted to sample their egg tarts. The egg tarts took ten minutes to arrive and are fortunately served warm, with a smooth and silky custard which has a controlled level of sweetness. Also despite the appearance, the pastries have flaky and buttery layers.
TOTAL: $56.10 + TIP $5.90 = $62.00.
Honestly, I have a different logic behind tipping now. If there is literally no service at a restaurant with only five seated tables, why would I tip more than 10%? On top of that, we waited fifteen minutes for the bill which never arrived and decided to pay at the front. Why do we have to walk up to pay at the front? It annoyed me even more when we got to the counter because there were literally two managers just standing there and doing nothing. As for the food, the highlights are definitely the chicken feet and barbecue pork pastries. But for the price point, I rather go to a different restaurant.
POSITIVES
- No charge for tea
- Above average chicken feet and barbecue pork pastries
- One of the few nicer looking restaurants in South Burnaby
NEGATIVES
- Majority of the food is average
- Dinner is better than dim sum
- No service, despite the lack of tables
LITTLE THINGS
- Lee Garden Seafood Restaurant 利苑海鮮酒家 dinner post [here]
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 2/5
#110 - 6401 Kingsway Street Burnaby, BC V5E 1E1
Telephone (604) 428-8885
So the thumb went from burned to scorched... Asian Mom: 2 You: 0
ReplyDeleteMoms always know what's best right? :(
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