Double Double Restaurant - Richmond, BC

So a former (so sad) coworker of mine,  is moving up and on with her life but before her dear departure, her parents have decided to open up a restaurant in Richmond.  I hesitated in going...  What if I don't like it???  I can't give a friend a bad review!  Mr. Piglet's dad really wants to go and some other coworkers who've gone have said good things.  Ok, here we go...

It's so busy in here!  Holy cow!  Apparently word-of-mouth buzz, customers from a restaurant the owners previously owned and the crowds outside have driven people here in droves.  The food must be good because everyone seems to be leaving pretty satisfied.  So excited to eat!  Bring on the food!

Salted Chinese Donut - $2.25

That's so big!  (That's what she said).  Holy smokes!  I can see why it carries a $2.25 price tag.  It's served smoking hot and uber crispy!  I hate it when I get a soggy chewy Chinese donut and this, my friends, is the complete opposite.  Crunchy crunchy crunchy all the way.  As we sit, there's a steady stream of these bad boys that goes out to the dining area...  I can see why.

BBQ Pork and Mushroom Rice Roll - $4.50

A dim sum staple and somewhat of a house specialty.  Verdict?  It's a soft rice roll covered in a sweet soy-based sauce shoved full of BBQ pork and mushrooms.  Nothing exceptional but still very tasty indeed.

Shredded BBQ Duck Congee - $5.50

DD is known for their congee so naturally we had to give it a shot but the question is: what to choose???  They have A LOT of different kinds of congee and when the server arrives to take our order, I still haven't decided.  Last minute decision led us to shredded BBQ duck.  It's a bit more watery than the traditional hearty versions Mama Piglet usually makes but the taste...  oh, this stuff tastes good. I also like the addition of peanuts (an idea to steal for Mama Piglet!) and right away is a very light but lovely ginger flavour.  There's an ok amount of BBQ duck and the portion size is pretty good for the price.  Dunk in a few pieces of Chinese donut...  Yum...

Deep Fried Bun with Condensed Milk - $2.50

Crispy hot bun dipped into sweetened condensed milk - it's a favorite of Mr. Piglet so we have to get it. Super hot, fluffy soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.  The only qualm I have is that it's a tad greasy (you can see a nice sheen on top).  Other than that, it's very tasty.

Pan Fried Cuttlefish Cake - $7.95

We originally wanted to order the radish cake with xo sauce but it was sadly sold out :( so the server suggested this dish instead.  I expected this one to be super crunchy on the outside but it turned out to be soft on the inside and out.  The cakes tasted fantastic, lots of cuttlefish flavour, but I wish there was a contrast in texture.

Salt and Pepper Silverfish - $7.50

It's tiny little fish deep fried and seasoned with salt and pepper and the perfect accompaniment to a cold beer.  No one was having a cold one at our table but it was still super tasty and really crunchy - a hit at our table.  I know it's kinda weird to be eating something with it's eyeballs still there but just close your eyes and down the hatch and it's like a crispy salty peppery long chip.  I added a few of these to my bowl of congee and it tasted great as well.  

Green Beans with Spicy Minced Meat - $7.50

A favorite of Mr. Piglet's dad and it's done very well by DD.  The beans are super crunchy and there's a nice helping of spicy meat.  Very well seasoned without being too salty or too spicy. 

Fried Gailan - $7.50

Mr. Piglet and I liked that the gailan was super crunchy and fresh tasting despite being cooked and unlike at other restaurants, there is more leaf portion than stem parts.  I hate it when it's just a plate of stems so this was a nice change.  Lots of garlic flavor and although a tad on the greasy side, we all liked the dish, even Mr. who generally dislikes all vegetables.

House Special Chow Mein - $13.95

Mr. Piglet and his side of the family ALWAYS orders the house special - what's up with that??  It usually turns out to have whatever is leftover in the kitchen but in this case, it wasn't so bad.  Crunchy noodles (LOVE!), nice savory brown sauce and lots of toppings.  We especially liked the big pieces of prawn and leafy vegetables.  The squid legs were kind of weird - difficult to pick up and a little awkward to eat but it tasted good.  I think the only gripe is that the portion size was a bit small for the price.

Deep-fried Shui Kau - $7.50

We originally wanted the infamous deep-fried wonton from here but they were sold out!  Thwarted yet again!  The server promised he'd give us something similar and just as tasty.  I was skeptical but out came these deep fried delights and I was a believer.  Super crunchy on the outside (they can do their deep fried items good here) and inside were giant pieces of shrimp!  GIANT!  I liked the addition of chives and mushrooms and although Mr. Piglet generally doesn't like any vegetables, he really enjoyed these dumplings.  I would recommend this to all diners.

Overall, all of the dishes were very tasty and those deep-fried items were done very well - hot and super crunchy rather than soggy.  The flavours were great and despite over-ordering, every last piece of food was consumed.  The Hungry Piglets would come back and recommend it to others as well - but be warned there may be some waits for food items.  I don't think they've gotten into a groove yet and while some dishes came out quickly, many others took +30 minutes.  I would recommend that you nicely remind the servers of what you ordered so they may hurry it in the kitchen.  And come early because popular items get sold out early in the day!  Bon appetite!

Pros:

• Very tasty food
• Reservations accepted
• Free parking
• Very large and diverse menu

Cons:

• Very busy so expect wait times of 30+ minutes (call for a reservation if you can!)
• Sells out of food quickly and early in the day
• Slower service - they are still working out the kinks so expect some (perhaps lengthy) delays