Sherman's Food Adventures: Chiffon Chinese Cuisine

Chiffon Chinese Cuisine

*Restaurant is now closed* 

No food after late night hockey just seems like a foreign concept to me.  Much like traffic circles to most drivers in Vancouver. However, there are times when nobody wants to eat with me.  *sniff*  That was the case on a Saturday after a session of hockey at Richmond Ice.  What to do?  Call Mijune!  Yes, she is a reliable dining companion when one is needed.  Even though she was stuffed from her regular eating regiment, she saved a small crevice in her stomach for me...  After picking her up, we headed over to Chiffon, which is another Bubble Tea/Taiwanese joint in Richmond.  Hmm...  There seems to be quite a few of those around eh?

When the Fermented Pork arrived, we were a bit confused at the amount of batter.  And since they used pork belly, the whole thing was really fatty and honestly inedible.  Hey, we like pork belly, but not the way it was prepared here.  It was not melt-in-our-mouth soft, rather, it was on the chewier side.  And with the obscene amount of crunchy batter, the meat was lost anyways.  We did, on the other hand, enjoy the sweet and salty dip though (that didn't sound right did it???).  Fortunately the Crispy Chicken Nuggets were fantastic.  The meat was light and airy while the coating was crispy.  Furthermore, it was seasoned just enough with salt and five spice.  Loved the fried basil as well.  

The Spicy Beef Noodles lived up to its name where I coughed a few times because the soup had a real kick.  It didn't exhibit any real depth, but the spice level ensured a certain impact.  As for the sliced beef shank, it was both plentiful and tender.  I loved the meat as it required very little effort to eat.  The tendon portion was the best as it was gelatinous and melted in my mouth.  The noodles were good too, being al dente. Now, I attempted to visit the place again on a Thursday night at 12:15am.  Closing time as stated on the door was 1:00am (and the "open" sign was still flashing).  We were turned away saying they were closed.  I do understand there needs to be last call so they can clean up and actually close at 1:00am, but 45 minutes prior?  Of note, the service Mijune and I received was confused and not all that attentive either. 

But...  Begrudgingly, I returned again with Mijune to try their inexpensive Build-Your-Own-Noodle.  I went for tripe and fish in a spicy broth.  Yes, it really did have a kick and it was fine for what it was.  It's not Deer Garden, but whatever, it was late.  Again, the service was a bit cold, but not rude.  I dunno.  It's not like the service was that bad, yet they really could do better.  At the end of the day, the prices are good and the food is passable.  Still not high on my list of places to eat at since there are so many other good choices in Richmond.


The Good:
- Cheap
- Fairly comfortable digs
- Passable food

The Bad:
- Not sure about the service...
- Passable food

Chiffon Chinese Cuisine on Urbanspoon

3 comments:

Cupcake Crazy Gem said...

Hey Sherman, I have a question for you. I see you eat at TONS of Asian restaurants so you're probably most qualified to answer this. I'm from England and am desperately craving crispy duck pancakes but can't seem to find anywhere here that serves them. Have you come across them on any of your eats? They are thin pancakes served with crispy shredded duck, sliced cucumber and spring onions and hoisin sauce?

Sherman Chan said...

@CCG I'm assuming you're asking about local restaurants in Vancouver right? Then the dish you are talking about is Peking Duck. The best places to get them in town are Red Star and Koon Bo in my opinion.

Cupcake Crazy Gem said...

Amazing, amazing! Thank you so much! I seriously thought they didn't exist here in Vancouver, we've tried to track them down for so long!

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