Lido Restaurant - Richmond, BC

I don't know where I read or heard it from but Lido was supposed to have these fresh pineapple buns that could satisfy any morning hangover.  That was enough to get this Piglet there and drag along my three friends, Chipmunk, Shrimp and Yorkie.

After I battle through one of those Richmond parking lots that could (and do) drive people into madness, we settle into a booth of a place that I can only describe as dive-y.  Bare minimum furniture, self-printed specials taped onto the walls and drab colours as far as the eye can see.  But I don't care about the walls, I came here for one thing and one thing only: a pineapple bun with my name on it.

Pineapple Bun

Freshly-baked and warm when it arrives at our table with a nice slab of butter (or margarine?) in it.  Delicate crispy top, warm sweet bread on the inside and melted butter...  *drool*  I could live off of these for the rest of my life.  It's so good, I'm gonna give you another view of it.  

They, whoever they are, were right - the fresh pineapple bun is a must here.  Have it with a side of milk tea and you've got the perfect breakfast combo.

 

Stir-fried Udon - $9.50

The noodles are al dente and it seems like the same noodle you would get in a shanghai fried thick noodle dish.  It's greasy, maybe more so than saucy so after a few bites, it sits right in my gut.  It tastes good but the density of the noodles and amount of grease is making it really heavy.

House Special Fried Instant Noodles - $10.50

I usually hate instant noodles, just as much as Mr. Piglet loves it.  I don't even have the stuff in my house and when the opportunity arises, Mr. Piglet tries to sneak it in and hides it in the back of the cupboards (he thinks I don't know - ha!).  So when Yorkie ordered it, I was ready to get my hate on.  But I can't.  You know why?  Because it's actually really quite tasty!  I hope Mr. doesn't read this posting...  The noodles are a mix of saucy and crispy and the topping of bok choy, shrimp, chicken, BBQ pork and veggies in a clear sauce is reminiscent of house special fried noodles from other HK cafes - quite good.  The only element of flaw was the squid, which was a tad chewy but still edible.  I don't wanna say this but I will - this was my favourite dish of the lunch.  Great, Mr. Piglet is going to use this as an excuse to start eating instant noodles.

Japanese Pork Chop and Gai Lan with rice and Russian Borscht - 2 items for $9.75

Russian borscht??  If you've been to a HK cafe, you know what I'm talking about but if you haven't, I can understand your confusion but don't be scared.  It's gonna be ok.  Russian Borscht in this sense is just a sweet and spicy tomato soup with veggies.  Chipmunk says it's spicier than other versions and maybe a little too much and I agree.  The borscht ends up discarded to the side as we move onto the main dishes.  Not sure what to expect in a Japanese pork chop, and it when it arrives, I decide it makes sense.  A pork chop fried until crispy and doused in sweet teriyaki sauce with a side of plain rice and reheated frozen veggies.  Average.  The gai lan is steamed and served with a side of oyster sauce.  It is as expected and good but average as well.

House Special Baked Spaghetti with a side of garlic toast - $9.50

The sauce is browner than other versions we've had and Chipmunk comments on it immediately.  I'm not so concerned out about what it looks like but more of what it tastes like.  It tastes...  wait for it...  WAIT for it...  average.  Like any other baked spaghetti from any other HK cafe, just another colour.


The portions here were HUGE - we all pretty much took home a helping for the next day so if you come with a partner, you can always share a dish.  So would we come back?  Sure, why not?  The food was average to good and that pineapple bun already had me at hello.  Mr. Piglet has already made it a point to come here just for that and so should you.  I've decided to come back to try their infamous claypot rice (popular in HK in the fall and winter months) and fresh baked egg tarts.  Bon appetite!


Pros:

• Free parking
• Large portions
• Price is cheap to moderate
• Delicious freshly-baked pineapple buns
• Fast efficient service
• English spoken (but see comment below about the menus and specials)

Cons:

• Free parking - it's super busy and messy (of course!)
• Costs an extra $1.45 to change your hot drink to a cold drink - why the extra cost???
• Food on the greasy side
• Lots of the menus and all of the posters/specials on the walls are only in Chinese - what about us bananas and non-Chinese??
• Cash only