Sherman's Food Adventures: Congee Noodle King

Congee Noodle King

We had just finished my regular co-rec ice hockey game and it was late. Boss Woman really likes Chinese food and we'd been frequenting non-Asian places lately. Finally we bended to the pressure and decided to head to Congee Noodle King. Joining us were Milhouse and Polka King. Lionel Hutz was being anti-social and headed home. As the name suggests, Congee Noodle King is known for their congee (rice porridge) and wonton noodles. They also have a late night menu (Da Lang) that consists of smaller dishes priced between $4 - $6. I have tried a few of the dishes on previous visits and the portions are pretty reasonable. It's best to get a few of them to share with a bowl of plain congee.

Tonight, I was not in the sharing mood and went with a bowl of Preserved Egg and Salted Pork Congee. To make sure I got both of their signature dishes, I also got a Wonton Noodles.
The congee, as expected, is very good. The consistency is just right, not watery; yet just thick enough. It is neither too salty or too bland. Congee lovers will understand what I am talking about. In addition, whatever congee you order, you will get more than enough ingredients in the congee itself. The salted pork was made the traditional way, marinated with salt, boiled and then hand-pulled. Just like you've seen on Fear Factor, there are a whack-load of preserved egg in the congee. Yes, it's black and moldy looking, especially with the green yolk; but trust me, it's not as bad as it looks. In fact, it has got this almost nutty flavour to it. I've had the sliced beef congee on previous visits and it's equally good. There is plenty of tender beef in the congee and thankfully, the beef isn't overly marinated with baking soda; thus retaining it's beef flavour and texture.

I consider the wonton noodles as some of the best in the GVRD. They hold up well to places like Ho Yuen Kee and Mak's. The noodles have a slightly chewy consistency; yet still soft at the same time. As you can tell from the picture, the wontons are made almost purely of crunchy shrimp. They were well-seasoned and cooked perfectly. Moreover, the soup was quite flavourful. Maybe a bit too flavourful to the point of it being salty. Milhouse went for the large Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice. For $8.00, it was a good value. When it arrived, even Milhouse agreed he couldn't finish it. Although the rice was seasoned quite well; the rice was not as firm as it should be. Furthermore, he kept getting fish cartilege and it annoyed him. And believe me, don't ever annoy Milhouse. He's a nice guy; but don't get him mad!

Boss Woman and Polka King shared 2 items - the Scrambled Eggs with Shrimp and Fried Rice Noodle with Beef. Although there was quite a bit of crunchy shrimp, the eggs were overcooked and looked more like fried eggs. They generally should be runny. However, the noodles were prefectly cooked being in one piece without getting mushy. Lots of tender beef were nested within the dish. In terms of ambience and service, it is a typical Chinese restaurant in this genre. It's functional and service is efficient and non-descript, when not overly busy. It's a consistent and predictable place to pick up some inexpensive Chinese eats.

The Good:
- Good tasting food, especially the congee and noodles
- Inexpensive
- Open late

The Bad:
- Disinterested service
- Usually very busy
- Lack of parking

Congee Noodle King on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

MyFoodprint said...

Since this is your first post, could it be that this restaurant might be on your favorite list? I'm curious!

Sherman Chan said...

@MyFoodprint Good point. This would be one of my favourites. In fact it is on my recommendations list I believe.

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