Tsim Chai Noodles - Richmond, BC

I've had Malaysian noodles, Taiwanese noodles and every kind of noodle under the sun lately.  What happened to a good ole bowl of wonton noodles when a Hungry Piglet needs one??  We hit the google button and there's a place in the middle Richmond that we've driven by dozens of times but haven't even noticed.  Further investigation reveals this place has won a Chinese Restaurant Award for their wonton noodle soup.  Done!  Off we go!

Just one of those crazy Richmond parking lots to deal with...  *sigh*  It could be worse right?  No, not really.  ANYHOO, we finally get a spot and walk in.  Not too much of a wait on a Wednesday night so thankfully we get a table after only 15 minutes of waiting.  We're informed that their late night specials are on even though it's not yet late night and it comes with free congee.  Excellent start to the meal!

Wonton and Shui Kau Noodles in Soup - $6.75

Of course we had to try this dish - it's what they won awards for!  I'm also a sucker for a shui kau...  So how was it?  Nice flavorful broth, al dente noodles - almost crunchy which I love for this kind of noodle, and the wontons....  The wontons were packed full of flavor (aka probably lard), tons of prawns with a nice thin skin.  The shui kau were also the same with lots of seafood, crunchy veggies and lots of flavor.  Mr. Piglet is generally indifferent to this dish and he thought it was quite good as well.  I honestly haven't had a good bowl of wonton soup in a while and it was nice to get those familiar tasty flavors again.  I'm coming back for a bowl for sure.

Bean Curd with Spicy Salt - $5.50

Just like the dish you can get at dim sum and pretty good portion for that price.  Crispy tofu with a healthy dose of salt (and when I say healthy I mean unhealthy) and a few chilli peppers on top.  Delish!

Druckened Chicken - $6.75

I think they mean "Drunken Chicken" but whatever.  Smaller portions but lots of flavor from the alcohol.  Mr. Piglet's mom and I liked this a lot as the chicken was moist and tender and there wasn't too many fatty pieces.
  

Beef and Mushroom with Black Pepper - $6.75

This one was a bit disappointing as there was very little beef and just tons of onions and peppers.  This didn't seem to have as much black pepper as we've had in other dishes so it was ok but we've definitely had better.

Deep Fried Squid with Spicy Salt - $6.75

This was a disappointing dish as it was a tiny portion and the squid was not crispy - a lot of the batter was caught in the squid and it wasn't deep fried hot enough to give it that crunch needed.  Instead of it being spicy salt, it was just msg crystals sprinkled on top with some chilli peppers.  We wouldn't order this one again.

 Braised String Bean with Spicy Minced Meat - $6.75

This dish was a crowd favorite as the beans were crunchy (not soggy and limp like we've had at other places) and there was a healthy portion of minced pork that was pretty spicy.  We would order this one again for sure.

Clams with Garlic and Spicy Black Bean Sauce - $7.95

Mr. Piglet and I preferred this one over the plain black bean sauce for a few reasons.  First, we LOVE the fried shallots on top.  We doesn't love fried shallots???  Second, the spicy notes made the black bean sauce better - it didn't cover it up but just kind of coaxed the flavors out more.  This is not a very spicy dish but the extra little bit of kick was very nice.  

House Special Fried Noodle

Mr. Piglet loves ordering the house special but I'm always wary of it.  What does it come with?  Is it just what the kitchen has left over?  Luckily this house special wasn't so bad - squid, scallop, mushroom, gai lan, BBQ pork and chicken.  The sauce had plenty of flavor and the a lot of the noodles were crunchy - our table had no problem finishing this off.  It might have been kitchen leftovers but it was still tasty.

Buddha's Feast Fried Noodle

Not as good as the one I've gotten at Angel Cafe - there were crunchy noodle pieces which we all liked but I found that the variety of vegetables were lacking in comparison and it needed more flavor from the sauce.  When it's a vegetable based noodle, there needs to be more flavor from the sauce to make up for the lack of meat - this noodle dish just needed a little bit more.  It was good but could've been better.

We've already been back once and taken Mr. Piglet's parents here as well.  It's not a pretty spot, it's not endearing and the service is choppy but the food isn't bad for the price.  The congee is pretty much just watery rice but for free (with $20 order) and it seemed to please others at the table.  The late night specials are meant to be "da lang" - smaller portions for those late night eaters but we found some that were more satisfying than others.  So pick your poison and begin your eating adventure!  Bon appetite!

Pros:

• Reservations accepted
• Pretty good food - try the wontons if you're into that kind of thing
• Wide variety of dishes available
• Take out available
• Free parking (see below)

Cons:

• Cash only
• Typical terrible Richmond parking lot
• Dive ambiance
• Very busy during prime dining hours - make a reservation if you can!