Bubble 88 - Surrey, BC

Hm, we're always going out for dinner with Mr. Piglet's family and I haven't seen Mama and Auntie Piglet in so long!  Time for a makeup meal!  After some errand runs in Surrey, we decide to check out a Taiwanese bubble tea place that seems to be doing pretty well despite being surrounded by other dining establishments.

I actually don't know much about this place other than the fact that they serve Taiwanese food and even on a weekday, it seems to be busy.  Must be good when the surrounding restaurants seem empty...  Give us a table and serve us food!

Popcorn Chicken - $4.95

Served crispy and blazing hot, I covet these little nuggets of pleasure at about midnight after a few drinks (sometimes no drinks needed).  The chicken here is good but there isn't enough seasoning and the batter tastes too cornstarchy - it actually left a mealy texture on the tongue.  The chicken would have tasted better if there was basil to eat with it but sadly, only one leaf was served.  It's not bad here but we've all definitely had better.

Deep-fried Tempura - $3.95

Battered and fried fish cake covered in the salt and pepper seasoning that is also used on the Popcorn Chicken.  The texture is chewy inside and outside - the batter is not crunchy at all!  And the use of the chicken seasoning was a good idea in theory but here, they've just over-seasoned to the point of too salty.  Good idea in theory but it just came across as being ineffectively executed.

Deep-fried Bun - $3.25

Crispy on the outside and super sweet and fluffy on the inside with a sweetened condensed milk to dip it in - what's not to like???

Kung Pao Chicken with Rice - $6.95

Lots of peppers, peanuts and tender chicken and great heat behind it.  Beware of the peppers because if you accidently pop one in your mouth, it'll feel like you're burning your tongue off!  It comes with a nice side of marinated cucumbers that Mama Piglet enjoys thoroughly and an egg/tomato dish that was a bit tart and mushy throughout but we all didn't mind it.  A very filling lunch at a really good price!

Beef Brisket in Noodle Soup - $6.95

The broth is my favorite part of these noodle dishes and here it's pretty good.  There is a bit more of a sour component from the marinated veggies, maybe a tad too much since it takes away from the beef flavor, but it's still good.  The noodles are a nice chewy al dente, not a lot of veggies but there are giant chunks of beef.  There's a bit of fat on the beef but not so much that it bothers anyone.  Overall, Mr. Piglet is happy with his selection and I think it was pretty good too, especially for less than $7 a bowl.  Again, this dish was good but not the best beef noodle we've had.

Beef Pancake Roll - $4.95

Nicely rolled and nothing falls out while you're eating but the outside is not crispy enough and there isn't enough flavoring inside.  More sauce, more flavouring on the beef and maybe more crunchy vegetable for texture.  Not bad but it doesn't compare to the roll we got from Peaceful Restaurant.  

I think the overall of this place is really great portion sizes and pretty good - I found that everything we ate was good but not the best.  For this price point, Bubble 88 is not a bad option for those craving Taiwanese food especially in this area where there aren't a lot of Taiwanese eateries.  If we were in the area and craving some beef brisket or popcorn chicken, we'd come back again but we wouldn't specifically drive all the way out here just for a visit.  Take it as you like!

Oinks:

• Every dish was ok and prices were very good for the portion sizes
• Fast and friendly service
• Free wifi
• Free parking
• Near skytrain

Doinks:

• Every dish was ok - we've had better elsewhere
• Located on busy King George Hwy so it may be difficult to get here