Kirin Seafood Restaurant 玉麒麟海鮮酒家 : City Square location Dinner

Kirin Seafood Restaurant used to be known as the Chinese restaurant for fine dining, before restaurants like Peninsula at Oakridge Centre and Chef Tony in Richmond surfaced. Apart from being known as a fine dining establishment, the Kirin chain is known for their peking duck (or should I say used to be...) so when my sister and her friend had a craving, I suggested to come here. Let me get this straight however, I suggested Kirin not because their peking duck is amazing... but because everyone should try Kirin's just to say they have.

The most convenient Kirin restaurant for us to try would have been the one on Alberni Street in Downtown Vancouver, but that is the worst location I have been to - service and food wise, on multiple visits! So this brings us to Kirin on West 12th, which is another location I do not prefer because of their lack of service unless you are here with your family and the food is just not that good. The best Kirin I have been to is the location in Richmond, from the atmosphere and service to the food quality.

Lee Garden Seafood Restaurant 利苑海鮮酒家 : Dim sum

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)

Top Gun Hot Pot 尖東火鍋 : Dim sum

TOP GUN HOT POT 尖東火鍋 POST [HERE]

Top Gun Hot Pot is one of the five restaurants that belong to the Top Gun group. The restaurant is located in Crystal Mall and serves as a dim sum restaurant during the day, but turns into a hot pot buffet in the evening. I have never been here for dim sum before but my parents have many years ago and according to them, the only edible item was the salty rice pudding, which is no longer available. This probably explains why ever since I was a child, the only dim sum restaurant in Burnaby we would go to is Fortune House at Metrotown. Although I do not know why they even like Fortune House because the food is overpriced for the quality and the line up is always ridiculous.

Anyhow, fast forward to years later, I finally get control of where we go for dim sum! After begging my parents to come here with me for two weeks… My sudden interest in having dim sum here is because ever since I had dinner at Top Gun J&C in Richmond, I thought Top Gun may be a fine dining restaurant and serve good dim sum. I actually looked through some of the dim sum photos from Top Gun J&C and the food looked good, so I assumed Top Gun in Burnaby would serve the same dishes… But I was wrong. Oh well, I had nothing to lose because I received an e-mail that dim sum would be 40% off for members.

The restaurant has plenty of booth seating arrangements along with well spaced out tables. The seating arrangements are not cramped either and are fairly comfortable. But when considering that dim sum starts at $4.95, the atmosphere does not match the higher prices. With regards to the service, there were no plate changes as well so the service does not match the higher prices either. However, the staff were fairly polite. There is only a Chinese check list menu and when I asked if there was an English version, the manager mentioned I could tell him what I wanted to order in English and he could check the items off for me! Also despite that the order sheet is in Chinese, the actual menu has English.

Fisherman's Terrace Seafood Restaurant 釣魚台海鮮酒家

On a rainy afternoon, our original lunch date was supposed to be at Bacchus but the valet man was nowhere to be seen. You see, I really hate the rain. I love snow more than the rain and am surprised that many people are the opposite. I mean, I may be fine with the rain if I am wearing wellington boots along with a trench coat and carrying a huge umbrella. But if it is the last minute kind of rain and I am already dressed, I hate the idea of changing just because of the rain! So after waiting a few minutes, we decided to head to Aberdeen Centre because of their underground parking lot and also to try Fisherman's Terrace. Going to Floata would have been more practical, but I figured Fisherman's Terrace may be better.

Fisherman's Terrace is considered a "fine dining" Chinese restaurant because of the higher prices, cleanliness, supposedly above average service and atmosphere. The restaurant is somewhat long and narrow and the seating arrangements look fairly tight. We did not arrive on a full house too.

SMALL $3.85 || MEDIUM $4.95 || LARGE $5.55 || SPECIAL $5.95 || TEA $1.00

Top Gun J&C Restaurant 名堂公館 : Dinner

When I used to hear the words "Top Gun restaurant" which refers to a chain of restaurants in Vancouver, I always cringed. The reason is because back in my elementary years, there was a Top Gun Sushi restaurant in New Westminster. It was an All You Can Eat Japanese restaurant and the quality was not good, as in on par with Sui Sha Ya. Then there is Top Gun in Crystal Mall which is a Chinese AYCE hot pot restaurant, but serves dim sum during the day. I remember going to Top Gun Hot Pot throughout high school but the restaurant did not compare to any of the ones in Richmond and the prices were higher. Also, my parents never took me to try the dim sum there before so I always assumed the restaurant was nothing special.

But years later, I discovered Kingsway Sushi and Richmond Sushi which are also affiliated with the Top Gun Group. It was not until last year when I discovered both restaurants too, thanks to BF for knowing the food is not bad. We actually argued about trying those restaurants before because I was ignorant and believed all AYCE Japanese restaurants were like Fish On Rice, Kawawa and Sui Sha Ya! But turns out Kingsway Sushi and Richmond Sushi serves very fresh sashimi, as fresh as it can get. So with that being said, we purchased a membership card last year for $20.00 (which is only $10.00 now, lame!) and decided to make use of it at other Top Gun restaurants.

My expectations regarding Top Gun J&C were similar to the other restaurants in the group, negative at first and not very high. However, Top Gun J&C is actually considered a fine dining restaurant and I had no clue. The interior surprised me and looks fairly "fancy". There are white linens, chopstick covers, gold seat covers, cloth napkins, and spacious seating arrangements. In addition, the staff were attentive, courteous, friendly and professional. There were only three seated tables on a weekend visit throughout our duration however, but the service was consistent and did not disappear (which happens a lot at other "fine dining" restaurants for us).

Also when ordering, our waiter was very informative when we inquired about the menu. BF asked a lot of questions because some of the prices seemed off (as in too cheap) and the waiter treated us like it was our first visit at Chinese restaurant. He was really courteous and genuinely wanted to help us.

Rainflower Restaurant 粵之醉海鮮酒家

Rainflower Restaurant is located right next to Yao Han in Richmond. We have considered coming here a few times before but because I never knew of anyone who has been to the restaurant or heard much about it, I always assumed it was nothing special. I even thought perhaps the restaurant was a typical "ghetto" Chinese restaurant, like South Ocean Seafood. But since we were in the area after a trip to Osaka Supermarket, we decided to make a visit. Okay, fine, after shopping I did not want to go to Rainflower because of the aforementioned reasons. However, BF called to inquire about the seafood prices and when I heard the lobster was only $1.00… obviously I agreed LOL.

After we walked in, I was amazed! The interior looks amazing and I really like the Victorian style design. The seating arrangements are also comfortable as well as spacious, and I am a sucker for double plates and cloth napkins at a Chinese restaurant. In addition, there is a huge chandelier hanging in the middle of the restaurant.

The soft and bouncy cushioned chairs are very comfortable and Rainflower offers a few private rooms. Every table is also set with a white mini vase of faux flowers. I pretty much like everything about the interior including the empty restaurant. And classical as well as piano music was playing the background.

After seating, the service was very professional too. A waiter came by to remove the chopstick covers and a captain recommended a set menu for two. Personally, I do not like set menus because sometimes only $10.00-$15.00 dollars are being saved and I do not like the selection of dishes or usually the live seafood (if included) is smaller.

Suhang Restaurant 蘇杭人家 : Eight Treasure Duck 八寶鴨

For a whole week, I had huge cravings for Eight Treasure Duck (ba bao ya)! But my parents did not want to make it. Personally, I have never tried making an Eight Treasure Duck before, mainly because I do not want to do waste ingredients if I am not 100% ready since it is a tricky dish to properly execute. So, this brings me to Suhang in Richmond.

Suhang is located in Richmond and may be considered a "higher end" Shanghainese restaurant, due to their higher prices compared to majority of other the restaurants. Furthermore, there is a modern atmosphere and the restaurant is fairly clean. The seating arrangements are a bit cramped however. As for the service, the staff was only friendly towards larger parties of more than six. This was a bit weird because when we ordered the Eight Treasure Duck over the phone three hours prior to our visit, the gentleman was friendly but in person… not so much.

Another odd thing is... when we inquired about the price of lobster over the phone, we were quoted $48.80 for a 2 1/2lb which equals to a reasonable $19.20/lb. However, despite ordering the lobster at the restaurant, the waiter came back from the kitchen and mentioned the prices have changed and is now $60.00 for a 2lb lobster. $30.00/lb? In three hours? Wow, that is very expensive. For the same price, I can easily try Chef Tony's (which I have been wanting to!)! 

Red Star 鴻星海鮮酒家 : Richmond Location

Being too fussy about where to have lunch, we crossed the Lions Gate Bridge to look for a restaurant Downtown. After circling around, I decided it was best to grab a snack at Mancakes to ease our stomachs while deliberating. I was leaning towards a non-Asian restaurant but it seemed like BF wanted dim sum. Turning down his suggestions and saying, "let's have pasta or steak instead for dinner" to every restaurant he suggested did not help either, whoops.

His original choice was Red Star in Marpole, but I honestly find their dim sum only average and suggested trying the location in Richmond! Ever since I had dim sum at Chef Tony, honest to truth I thought to myself, perhaps I actually like dim sum… but good dim sum. How is it possible that I could care less about the typical Kirin, Sun Sui Wah and Red Star?

We arrived on a weekday and shockingly, the restaurant was not busy! Going to any restaurant for dim sum regardless of the day of the week, will always be busy (with the exception of weekends when it is chaotic). Red Star in Richmond is located on the second floor of the Presidential Plaza, where I have torturous memories of. I remember having to frequently come her for hours as a child because my mother would always be looking at SOMETHING in this darn plaza, and my sister and I were always so bored. The mini arcade never helped either.

Walking in, the cashier/hostess was friendly and there were plenty of staff on the floor, perhaps around seven? The restaurant was very cold and we were not sure why the AC was cranked so high considering there was a miserable storm outside. We also waited around ten minutes for tea which is a bit odd because usually the staff are fairly prompt about that, plus it is a "fine dining" Chinese restaurant that was not busy.

As for the atmosphere, there are a few chandeliers, a high ceiling and comfortable padded chairs. The seating arrangements are not cramped too, but Red Star in Marpole looks more modern.

SMALL $3.95 || MEDIUM $4.75 || LARGE $5.75 || SPECIALS $6.95

TEA/WATER $1.00

Chef Tony 頤東大酒樓

There are a couple of things that I am not embarrassed of to admit such as having an appetite of a man, and occasionally being cheap. You see, I used to go for dim sum frequently but am not really a "huge" fan. So when the bill comes to $80.00 for two people because BF always decides to order too much food, it eventually got me. Why are we spending so much on dim sum when neither of us find it special? And as a result, we agreed to only go for dim sum with our families or spend no more than $60.00 together.

The plan kind of backfired however because our schedules never matched with our families' and neither of us have had dim sum for literally a whole year! So eventually we started craving for dim sum which is rare, because usually one of us wants only a specific dish rather than an actual whole dim sum meal. Anyhow, Chef Tony was my choice of restaurant for dim sum.

From what I have heard, Chef Tony offers a fusion twist on dim sum and the prices are not cheap. I honestly did not have any expectations and expected average food. As for the interior, it can be considered a modern Chinese style. There are lighted pillars, plenty of chandeliers and a large screen which showcases the menu. Furthermore, there is a row of VIP rooms which looks very Asian. In Asia, most of the VIP rooms are laid out in a row but in Canada the layout might resemble a karaoke joint.

Also judging by the prices, Chef Tony may be considered one of the higher end Chinese restaurants. However, the atmosphere is not quite there. The seating arrangements are cramped and the dining room is very crowded, not fancy at all. Diners should feel comfortable. In addition, the decor does not look "high end".

SMALL $4.00 || MEDIUM $4.80 || LARGE $5.75 || SPECIAL $6.95.

TEA $2.00

Tin Tin Seafood Harbour 天天漁港 : Dinner

Look what someone wrote, "I find the food below average and overpriced for what it is…". Should we even go? Oh hey, that was me LOL. Apparently Dim sum was not so great. 

Passing on dinner with my family because they always stick to a few certain Chinese restaurants (Kirin, Sun Sui Wah or Red Star), I was being cocky and gloated about going to Tin Tin Seafood. The restaurant was offering a promotion on their live lobsters for only $7.00/lb and asides from the great deal, it is also a lot cheaper than the $28.00/lb it would have been elsewhere with my parents. Who can pass?

After taking a look at the menu, we noticed the prices are expensive, as in some items are pricier than Kirin! Soups start at $18.80 including "lower" end options such as wonton soup and hot n' sour. As for some other items, the prices start at $16.80 and for dishes including prawns or scallops, $24.80. Furthermore, dishes that include geoduck and sea cucumber which range from $34.00 at higher end restaurants, starts at $46.60 here! After establishing the food is not cheap, we had high expectations of what was about to come; good food and great service to match the prices.

Lee Garden Seafood Restaurant 利苑海鮮酒家 : Dinner

DIM SUM POST ON LEE GARDEN SEAFOOD 利苑海鮮酒家 [HERE]

Lee Garden is the new replacement of the old run down Grand Buffet Restaurant. Furthermore, Lee Garden is also the newest Chinese restaurant to join Kingsway Street in South Burnaby. Coming for dinner on a Monday evening around 7:30pm, the restaurant was packed! The parking lot was full and we ended up parking in a residential area. Perhaps the restaurant was busy because we visited a day after Father's Day? 

Walking in, I was amazed. Wow, the restaurant totally renovated. The atmosphere at Lee Garden is definitely similar to Kirin and is the nicest looking restaurant in South Burnaby, including New Startlet. After waiting fifteen minutes at the front along with a large crowd of people, the hostess showed up, seated everyone and mentioned we had a thirty minute wait. Honestly, it is really rare for me to wait at any restaurant, but because of the nice interior along with no other restaurants to visit in the area, I did not mind. Plus, Lee Garden had a full house and it would be great to gauge how the food and service is.

The waiting area has marble tiles, a nice chandelier and even a brass plated umbrella rack. Furthermore, there is a nice hallway from the entrance, cashier and seafood tank, to the dining room. In addition, the restaurant has a high ceiling and is definitely going for the higher end prestigious look. 

As for the dining room, there are grey drapes with golden tassels, a golden phoenix cut out, more chandeliers, and spacious seating arrangements. Furthermore, the restaurant is huge. As for the table setting, there are double plates along with a brown napkin which is a typical set up for pricier restaurants. 

However, in our case seating at 8:15pm, we only had a single plate with a white napkin. Usually most restaurants change their table setting to a simpler one on slow nights, or an hour before closing for next morning's dim sum. But, for a new restaurant during a busy period, I expected more. If everyone around us has double plates and a brown napkin, I except the same..

Victory Seafood Restaurant 凱旋大酒樓

Victory Seafood is located in Burnaby at Crystal Mall, and I remember passing by the restaurant months ago, always thinking it newly opened. Well, turns out the restaurant has been open for a couple of years (I read some reviews on Urbanspoon after dinner)! In general, any restaurant located that is in a mall has never been a preference for me to visit since the lease is pricier. 

Meaning, the food may not be cheap and usually the quality is not there. Example, my parents used to like Fortune House located in Metrotown but I always thought the food was pricey and not worth it, especially the long waits for dim sum! Walking in Victory Seafood restaurant, I was surprised at some of the tables that are located so close to the front door.

Those tables are also across from the waiting chairs which I found even more weird. How uncomfortable is that? Having a meal seated right across from people waiting for a table (must be a spotlight effect I have)? Continuing further into the restaurant, I was amazed. The restaurant's interior is pretty nice (I forgot to take a photo!). Victory Seafood is a very large restaurant with three seating sections and on a Saturday evening, only the middle section was open with six seated tables. 

The restaurant has a gold and red theme going and a relaxing atmosphere. I do not know if it is the whole trying a new restaurant experience or because I really liked the interior, but I had high hopes and was pretty excited for my meal - which I rarely feel. I mean, I get hungry and cannot wait for the food to arrive, but it is very rare for me to feel excited when trying a new restaurant (probably since I have tried most of the steakhouses I already wanted to).

DEEP FRIED PIGEON, SAUTEED ASSORTED SEAFOOD, PRAWN SCALLOP AND GEODUCK, LOBSTER IN SUPREME BROTH, MUSTARD GREEN WITH PORK, TOFU AND SALTED EGG, DEEP FRIED CRAB CLAW WITH SHRIMP PASTE, MANGO PUDDING, STEAMED ROCK COD, COCONUT TARO SOUP AND CHINESE COOKIES..

Empire Seafood Restaurant 帝苑皇宴海鮮酒家

So… attempt #3 for dining at Koon Bo failed and we ended up at Empire Seafood in Richmond. Empire Seafood can be considered a higher end Chinese restaurant with higher prices as well as above average service, for dinner. I have been here for dim sum a few times and the restaurant is a favourite for some of my friends. However, even though I consider the dim sum here slightly above average with not so great service (as expected at most Chinese restaurants regardless of the class), it is not my first choice. Dinner on the other hand, is different. I do not mind coming here for dinner, although again, not a first choice.

Empire Seafood is located on the second floor of London Plaza. The restaurant has a high ceiling, nice chandeliers, large windows, and the interior follows a neutral colour scheme of brown and ivory. The seating arrangements are spacious and comfortable, and the staff is attentive as well as professional during dinner services (not so much for dim sum, depending on who you get). For a Monday evening, there were two company Christmas parties and one private birthday party.

Sun Sui Wah 新瑞華海鮮酒家 : Vancouver location

With Koon Bo as the first choice for dinner, we ended up at Sun Sui Wah because the cook at Koon Bo left an hour and half before closing. Sun Sui Wah is a favourite for my family and family friends (more than Red Star) for dim sum as well as dinner. As for myself, I prefer dinner over dim sum because the service for dim sum is horrible at both locations, unless I am with my family or at least eight to ten people in a room. Furthermore, the restaurant was also my friend's choice for a wedding dinner which was quite nice. 

The restaurant's foyer has two sets of stairs that join in the middle leading to the restaurant. The interior is spacious, comfortable and clean, but not as "fancy" as Kirin's. COCA COLA ($2.50) AND FRESH ORANGE JUICE ($6.50). The orange juice is $2.00 pricier than Kirin's and $1.00 pricier than Sun Sui Wah's Richmond location.

Red Star Seafood 鴻星海鮮酒家 : Vancouver location

Red Star Seafood is a Chinese restaurant located in Marpole, and is a favourite for my family as well as family friends. In addition, the restaurant can be categorized as a higher end Chinese restaurant, next to Kirin and Sun Sui Wah. A lot of people enjoy dim sum here and claim it is worth the drive for those who live far, but I find the dim sum average and not worth the busyness as well as crowds. Having mentioned that, the reason I am here is for peking duck.

On a Monday evening, the restaurant has an average amount of seated tables. The interior of the restaurant is clean as well as spacious (when empty but gets cramped during dim sum or weekend dinners) and I like the layout. If I wanted to be picky and sound crazy... a higher ceiling would be better for air quality. As for the table setting, every table has a mini vase with faux flowers and has two plates along with a folded napkin. 

Red Star plays instrumental music in the background but like any Chinese restaurant regardless of the class (maybe with the exception of restaurants in China), the loud sounds of clinking and clanking are very well heard due to the staff cleaning and setting up tables. As for the staff, the managers wear a black suit with a white button up, and the waiters wear a gold coloured vest, white button up and black pants. From what I wrote, the restaurant may or may not seem like a higher end Chinese restaurant; either way, walk in wearing sweats and you will receive the same service as anyone else (none to mediocre during dim sum, mediocre to good during weeknight dinners, and decent to good during weeknight dinners).

Empire Chinese Cuisine 金粵軒海鮮酒家 : Alaskan King Crab

ALASKAN KING CRAB POST AT TOP CANTONESE [HERE]

ALASKAN KING CRAB POST AT GOLDEN SWAN [HERE]

Empire Chinese Cuisine used to be one restaurant serving two types of cuisine, Cantonese Chinese and Hong Kong western style. The restaurant closed for a year or two due to lack of business and is now categorized as a middle class Chinese restaurant (pretty sure with same the owners). My family and family friends claim that the dishes at Empire Chinese are slightly cheaper than Kirin by $1.00 or so, and the quality is better. "So… why not king crab?", that is how the dinner started. 

Hearing from quite a few people (mainly parents and family friends), apparently Chinese restaurants advertise in the Chinese newspaper! We already arrived at Sun Sui Wah but thought why not save some money and take a look? Leaving to a gas station and spending $0.85 on the newspaper, we looked through the deals offered by a few restaurants. Most of the prices for king crab ranged from $14.99/lb to $23.95/lb and we chose the Empire ($19.80/lb) because it is a middle class restaurant. Plus, the price is cheaper than the $23.95/lb and it is more of a thrill when you get a better deal LOL. Also, most of the cheaper priced king crabs were at dive restaurants and I rather pay an extra $3.00/lb for a "nicer" restaurant. When I saw the Empire in the newspaper, I assumed it was the Empire Seafood on No. 3 and was quite excited to try their dinner since the dim sum is not so great there. However, the ad was for Empire Chinese on Alexandra and this would be my first visit.

Since Empire Chinese previously served two different styles of Chinese cuisine, the restaurant has two sides which look quite different. One side has wooden chairs with cushions, gold coloured drapes and nice chandeliers… while the other side has very cheap looking banquet chairs (resembles Sing Kee's LOL), no chandeliers (there is a dome roof though) and long plain red drapes. We got stuck on the uglier side.

SPICY ALASKAN KING CRAB KNUCKLES, STEAMED ALASKAN KING CRAB LEGS WITH GARLIC, BAKED ALASKAN KING CRAB FRIED RICE WITH PORTUGUESE CURRY SAUCE, DRIED SEAFOOD AND SHREDDED DUCK SOUP, SAUTEED CHINESE SAUSAGE WITH GAI LAN, RED BEAN SOUP, CHINESE ALMOND COOKIES AND CHINESE SESAME BALL COOKIES.