What8ver Cafe - Richmond, BC

After reading several reviews, Mr. Piglet and I are a little bit hesitant to go to What8ver Cafe as the service and food tends to be hot and cold and after a particulary bad service experience, we're not sure if we want to jump back in yet...  The sushi place we originally intended to go to is closed this evening (note to self: check restaurant hours before driving mindlessly to it) so we braced ourselves as I made a reservation for that evening...

Located in the Union Square Plaza, this place blends in with the many other storefronts except for a few people outside waiting for a table.  This Piglet is glad she had the foresight to make a reservation cuz we strolled in and were seated right away at a nice booth in the back.

Front of house looks pretty polished but as you move closer to the end of the counter where we are, there are several garbage cans in the open and there's food on the floor...  Hm, best to just look away.  At least the booths are clean and the seats are comfy.  A server immediately hands us a menu and we see that this place is heavy on the various bubble tea drinks and light on the food items save for 1.5 pages of the several page menu.  Hmmm, what to eat what to eat....

Coconut Milk Tea - $3.75

Lychee Green Tea - $4.00

They're really big cups!  I enjoyed my lychee drink as it wasn't too sweet and there were lychee floaties in it so I got that nice lychee flavor and bite.  The milk tea is packed full of coconut flavor and isn't too sweet - Mr. Piglet says he should have another one for work tomorrow morning.  I quickly put the kibosh on it.  You can't have bubble tea for breakfast.

Dried Pork Fluff and Egg Sandwich - $5.50

This is a dish that divided Mr Piglet and I.  White bread, dried pork floss, egg, lettuce and mayo - Mr just LOVES it while I just don't care for it at all.  This dish also comes with a side of McCain crinkle cut fries which I know are a cop-out for real food but somehow it matches well with the mish mash meal we're having and I can't stop eating them.  I hate myself.

 

Taiwanese Deep Fried Chicken - $5.50

Whenever I go to a Taiwanese place, I have to order this dish as it's a favorite of mine.  It comes out piping hot and there's deep fried basil which I love to eat with the chicken and the taste is good but the a majority is on the greasy side so it's not as crunchy as it should be.  This dish isn't bad but I've had better elsewhere.

Marinated Egg - $1.00

Another Mr. Piglet favorite as it brings back memories of his grandmother and the version they serve here is pretty good.  The marinade has penetrated almost all the way to the yolk and it's a nice soy flavor without being too overpowering.  (Side note: I will master this egg before I die).  There's also a nice drizzle of soy sesame sauce and fresh green onion that just gives it a nice bite.  The sandwich may have torn us apart but the egg brings Mr and I back together.

Matcha Red Bean Honey Toast Box - $9.99

This is What8ver's secret item that isn't on the menu but you can ask for - the toast box that comes in Honey, Strawberry and Matcha flavors.  We've only ever had a savory version and it was pretty good so we were pretty psyched to try a dessert version.  The strawberry looked very good but we decided to go with matcha to mix it up a little bit.  Mr and I have never ordered it before so didn't know what to expect but now we know: expect A LOT of toast.  This thing was quite formidable.  Giant scoop of matcha ice cream, custard piped onto the four corners and red beans piled on top.

I thought this thing would be filled with some goodies but it was more sticks of toasted bread lightly covered in white sugar.  Death by carbicide!  About halfway through, I'm not full persay but this thing is getting a little monotonous.  It's just bread with some ice cream or bread with some red bean or bread with some custard - it's really not all that exciting.  Perhaps I should have gone with the strawberry as at least it would have come with some chocolate cookies...  I believe this thing was meant to be shared with at least a group of 3 or 4 so you get just a taste and end up satisfied/amused rather than a bit bored.


Mr Piglet and I would come back here if we needed a quick BB tea fix or a small snack but if we were looking for a meal, we'd go elsewhere.  The service was prompt, friendly and having reservations really helped with avoiding a wait.  So next time you're thinking of getting together for a BB tea and a snack, make a reservation and try the toast box and let us know what you think!  Bon appetite!


Pros:

• Reservations accepted
• Friendly and prompt service (although I've heard from others it can be really bad as well - we dodged that bullet!)
• Food served quickly
• Moderate prices
• Free parking
• English friendly
• Wide BB tea selection

Cons:

• Cash only
• Expect a wait if you don't have a reservation
• Max 90 min sitting time on the weekends
• Small seating area