Dragon Lord Cafe - Vancouver, BC

Nestled amongst the various cafes and restaurants in the Sunset Market area is this newer HK cafe, opened in late 2011, called Dragon Lord Cafe.  I've never heard of it nor would I have even thought to go in except the Teddy Family mentioned they saw whilst walking by and thought it might be a good place to try.  The Teddys are always trying new places - sometimes it works out well, sometimes it doesn't but I admire that they always walk in blind and dive right in.  Another Teddy adventure coming up!

It's not a big place, there's comfy banquette seating and the walls are already a little grungy so I have feeling that they didn't do much to the space they took over.  What was it before??  Argh, that's gonna bug me...  Ok, onto the food!

Lemon Tea - an extra $0.50 with my meal for the cold version

I have no idea how much this drink costs independently because it came with my meal.  And definitely don't ask me why it costs an extra $0.50 to add ice.  All I do know is that this drink did not taste right.  It was just sweet, even when I mashed the lemon slices like my life depended on it.  Even with the 5 slices of lemon mashed into a pulp, all I could taste was sweet.  No tea flavor, just sweet.  Not a good start to the meal.

Buddha's Feast Fried Noodle - $8.50

The noodles are super crispy, the portion size is reasonable but for some reason, I can't help but compare it to the superior version available the next block over at Angel Cafe.  The sauce is good but doesn't have the depth of flavor and there are vegetables but not as much as in the dish offered at their neighbors' place.  However, the size and missing veggies could be reflected in the price - this dish is cheaper here.  The Teddys and I agree that this dish is not bad, it's actually on the good side, but not as good as vegetarian fried noodle at Angel Cafe that unfortunately has become the standard for this dish.

Beef Brisket Fried Noodle with Seasonal Vegetables - $8.50

Gotta love that crispy noodle...  Again, Teddy's and I start comparing it to to Angel Cafe's version.  This version again is smaller in size but also cheaper in price.  The sauce is reminiscent of beef noodle soup you can get at Taiwanese restaurants but again doesn't quite have the depth of flavor that their neighbour offers.  The thing that Dragon Lord's dish does better than Angel is the beef - if you prefer leaner pieces, than Dragon Lord is the place to go.  The beef has very little fat on it and I LOVE that.  Overall, a good dish.

Ham and Chicken Baked Spaghetti - $8.50

Surprisingly, THIS was my favorite of the night.  If you like the cream soup that you get at HK cafes, then you'll love this dish.  It's basically spaghetti with lots of ham and chicken baked in a thicker version of that creamy soup.  Nicely singed on top, warm gooey cream sauce, salty processed ham and that non-nutritious but absolutely flippin delicious white spaghetti.  As a foodie, this encompasses everything that should be shunned - one-dimensional, boxed noodles, processed, processed, processed - but I like it, even when I'm sober.  Shameful pleasure?  Check.

The Teddys and I agree that this place is worth a re-visit and worth the walk in if you're thinking about it/walking by.  The dishes ranged from good to shamefully good and the prices are on par with other HK cafes.  Just maybe stick with the regular coffee or milk tea and you'll be good to go.  Bon appetite!


Pros:

• Moderate portion sizes
• Cheap prices
• Free street parking and lot parking out back

Cons:

• Cash only
• Weird drinks
• Specials on the walls only in Chinese - I don't understand what you're advertising!