The Boss Restaurant 大班餐廳餅店

With The Boss Restaurant, Fortune House Seafood, Kawawa Japanese and Sekai Udon Bar as the only current restaurant choices in Metropolis at Metrotown, sometimes the food court may be a better option. The aforementioned restaurants are not necessarily that bad (with a couple of exceptions), but the food is not really all that great either. I was curious to try The Boss again though because the place is memorable to me.

The Boss Restaurant is memorable to me because my first visit here was when I was in high school, it was also my first time visiting a Hong Kong style cafe. HK style cafes have never been my type of restaurant to go to and I remember ordering a burger and fries on my first visit LOL. I remember wishing that I could have went to McDonalds instead… I never liked No.9 Restaurant in Richmond too and remember ordering hash browns there on my first visit. But as of last year, I do not mind HK cafes anymore because some of the restaurants carry steaks. Although the quality may not always be the best… the steak options do save me from stressing out about what to order.

Majority of the seating arrangements at The Boss are comfortable booths, but there are a few tables at the back. The restaurant also has plenty of staff so there is no problem waving someone down, but you have to wave them down if you need their attention or want them to clear plates. On our visit, majority of the staff were extremely miserable looking too and impatiently tossed the food on our table. But May was extremely friendly and such a sweetheart. Too bad we only saw her at the beginning and the end.

SPRING MIX SALAD WITH SESAME VINAIGRETTE.
Rating: 3/5.

A side of salad is included with my steak, which tastes very fresh and there are no wilted pieces. The salad is also heavily dressed with a tart sesame vinaigrette and there are bits of tomato along with dried cranberry. For a HK cafe, the salad is pretty good and not a cheap one.

HOT OVALTINE.

Rating: 3/5.

Like usual HK cafe protocol, a drink is included with the purchase of a meal. The ovaltine arrived steaming hot and there is a nice flavour. Some places cheap out and only add one spoon, but there are at least three spoons here.

RUSSIAN BORSCHT.

Rating: 2/5.

Another item that is usually included with a meal is an order of soup. When I went for the first spoon, the Russian Borscht looked good. But unfortunately, looks are deceiving because the beef tastes dry along with stringy. The broth also lacks that strong tomato flavour and tastes very mild.

FRIED CHICKEN WINGS ($5.95).

Rating: 2.5/5.

For our appetizer, we ordered the Fried Chicken Wings. The wings are fried to a crisp exterior and taste moist, but not juicy. The wings are also lightly seasoned but are just generic fried wings.

CLUB MIXED GRILL, "4oz beef tenderloin, pork loin, European wiener, bacon, ham and egg" ($15.99).

Rating: 1/5.

My sister ordered the Club Mixed Grill which is a good value, but the food is not served on a hot plate. The quality of food is not great either.

Starting with the "European wiener", the microwaved hot dog arrived warm and is a generic hot dog. Some HK cafes actually serve a grilled sausage with slits. As for the "pork loin", we thought it was a fish cake. This is the thinnest cut of pork we have ever seen and the meat does not even taste good, tasting dry with only a mild pork flavour.

The Beef Tenderloin on the other hand is prepared to a medium rare rather than medium well like requested (my sister is cautious with HK cafe steaks). The steak tastes tender and juicy, but the flavour from the meat tenderizer is very strong and there is no natural beefy taste.

Bacon, slices of ham and corn are also included in the Club Mixed Grill. The ham and corn are served cold instead of hot, and the fried bacon is all clumped up. She also received an egg with a nice crispy bottom, but it is over hard rather than over easy.

8oz NEW YORK STEAK, "Aged 21 days, centre cut" ($20.99).
Rating: 2/5.

For my entree, the New York Steak is not much better than the Beef Tenderloin. The steak is prepared on a flat bed grill and there is no char flavour or a nice crust, like shown on the menu. There is also no baked potato which is known on the menu too! Grr.

I requested for a medium rare steak and received a medium well instead too. But the steak tastes tender and has a natural beefy flavour, unlike the tenderloin. As for the sides, the french fries are not even crispy and taste like they have been sitting out for a while (despite that they were probably not). The thick asparagus is not bad though, exhibiting a nice crunch and not overcooked.

BLACK PEPPER SAUCE AND GARLIC.

Rating: 2/5.

Included with the meals are accompaniments and we chose the Black Pepper along with a Garlic. The Black Pepper has a weak gravy but the flavour from the black peppers are really flavourful. The Garlic Sauce also has plenty of fresh garlic and a heavy garlic flavour, but a weak base as well.

VANILLA ICE CREAM.

My order of steak includes a choice of ice cream (chocolate, vanilla or strawberry) and of course I went for the vanilla. The vanilla ice cream tastes like No Name and has a mild vanilla flavour, without tasting too sweet. I personally like this brand more than Bryers.

TOTAL: $45.10 + TIP $9.90 = $55.00.

The dishes we ordered at The Boss Restaurant are not every good, but their Chinese food is most likely or hopefully better. In my opinion, Kingspark Steakhouse and La Amigo in Richmond are two of the better HK cafes I have been to and enjoyed.

POSITIVES

- May is really friendly

- Above average salad

- Convenient for those at the mall

NEGATIVES

- Stick to the Chinese dishes

- There are better HK cafes

- Food is not carefully prepared

Food: 2/5

Service: 2.5/5

THE BOSS RESTAURANT 大班餐廳餅店

4720 Kingsway Street Burnaby, BC V5H 4M1
Telephone (604) 438-2677