franzannek

Any restaurants extending their dine-out menu past Feb 1st?

That new place in Cooney road used to be owned by the owners of Shanghai River. They were supposed to open a new Hongkong style restaurant last December called Simply Chao. But for some reasons they backed out. I heard they ran into some problems when they were renovating the place, ie leaky roof, etc. They decided to let it go. They lost some money in the process. And what do you know, their closest competitor moves in.

Chen's Shanghai Restaurant 8095 Park Road (604) 304-8288 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Heads up that they're closed on Wednesdays. Happy dining! ← Sweet! I thought they were still on Leslie Road, so yesterday we were driving up and down (and up and down) looking for them to get our fix of xiao long bao. We even drove up and down (and up and down) Alexandra thinking we got the address wrong. Going later this week yippee! ← It's probably a good idea to call them to see if they require reservation (just like Shanghai Wind). They are starting to get busy now at that new location. Last night I passed by there and there was a line-up.

One of the good deals I've seen in DOV. is on Unwined. For 15 bucks you have these choices for the entree. Rack of Venison with marscarpone whipped potatoes, seasonal vegetables and a juniper berry reduction -- or -- Seared Scallop with leek and potato ravioli served with a butter sauce -- or -- Thyme-scented Free Range Chicken Breast with marscarpone whipped potatoes, seasonal vegetables and a pumpkin reduction I think I'll have the Rack of Venison and the Seared Scallop dinners. $30.00 for both dinners and I'm still 5 bucks ahead if I go to HSG or other $35 places.

I went there a couple of years ago when they first opened. I wasn't into XLB's yet at that time. I can't even remember if we ordered it or not. I remember we had Beijing duck but it was a disappoinment because it was deep fried instead of roasted. Nothing spectacular. Maybe I'll go there again and try their XLB. I will let you know. ← Ok I went to Ping's last night and ordered their XLB. It comes in orders of 4 and 8 pcs. 4 pcs is 3.95 and 8 pcs is 5.95 per order. I didn't really enjoy the XLB. It lacks the juiciness of SW or Chen's Shanghai Rest XLB. I even think that it was made from frozen XLB. The other dishes I ordered, the Shanghai stir-fried noodles, the taste is good but the noodle is a bit on a chewy side. Also had their fried pork buns. The outside bun is actually too big with small stuffing and with little broth. I think their other dishes may be better but the ones I ordered I wasn't impessed at all. Although I like their menu with pictures.

I went there a couple of years ago when they first opened. I wasn't into XLB's yet at that time. I can't even remember if we ordered it or not. I remember we had Beijing duck but it was a disappoinment because it was deep fried instead of roasted. Nothing spectacular. Maybe I'll go there again and try their XLB. I will let you know.

If you're in the Guilford area of Surrey, check out this Phoa restaurant. They serve a pretty good Phoa. Pho Hoa (104th Ave) 14357 104th Ave. Suite 102, Surrey Tel: (604) 581-3289

I had one of the best Xiao Long Bao last night in a new Shanghai restaurant along Park Road in Richmond. It is super juicy and good. The meat has a slight hint of ginger. If you burst the dumpling, the juice will overflow the Chinese spoon. It's soooo good. The name of the place is Chen's Shanghai Restaurant and it on the same spot as the vegetarian restaurant on Park Road that just recently closed. It's along the same strip mall as the Chinese supermarket. The place is nice being fairly newly renovated. I always go to Shanghai Wind, going there at least once a week, but I think I'm gonna start coming here instead. The menu prices are just about the same as SW, without the long wait for tables.