Good Eat

When I was a little one, I would remember my parents taking me for Dim Sum every weekend.  It was a pricey proposition as there was not a lot of choices.  Fast forward to the present and now we have a wealth of Dim Sum joints in town.  It can still be an expensive meal if you pick the more upscale restaurants, but there are a few gems out there where you can actually get a deal.  One of them is Good Eat (no, not Janice) out in Richmond.  Most dishes are only $2.50!  Well, I just had to check this out for myself, even though it meant another adventure into the land of parking chaos.

On that note, the parking lot at Good Eat could only be described as challenging. Either drive a small car or carpool is my advice.  Onto the food... With just enough oyster sauce glaze, the Bean Curd Skin Roll was nicely constructed.  There was a good mix of bouncy ground pork, shiitake, mushrooms, carrots and celery, hence the textures were varied and not dense.  The bean curd skin itself was moist while retaining a bite.  Although a bit small in portion size, the Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant was also well-prepared.  It was served piping hot, yet not greasy.  The eggplant was moist while not mushy and it exhibited a slight crispiness on the outside.  The modest amount of shrimp mousse had a nice bouncy texture while being mildly seasoned.  As for the black bean sauce (which was mild), it was very starchy and really didn't adhere to the eggplant.

Being pale and not aesthetically-pleasing to look at, the Sui Mai were pretty average.  I felt that there was too much fat and chewy pieces which affected the overall texture.  There was a minimal amount of shrimp, but when we did get a piece, it did have a good snap.  Although we saw the shiitake mushrooms, it didn't add a whole lot of flavour.  The Haw Gow were pretty modest in size (but okay considering the price), but made up for it with execution.  The dumpling skin was moist yet retaining a chew.  It gave way to a shrimp filling which was crunchy and juicy.  It was not overseasoned where we got some natural shrimp flavour and a touch of sesame oil.

With an equally good shrimp filling, the Shrimp Spring Rolls were served hot and crunchy.  Again, they were modest in size, but we didn't mind as it was only $2.50!  The wheat wrapper was the right thickness which also didn't retain too much grease.  As for the Beef Meatballs, they were of a good size and exhibited a nice bounce-like texture without sacrificing some chewiness.  The amount of orange peel used in the mix was apparent giving a significant punch.  I liked how there was just enough greens to provide some colour and flavour without overwhelming.

The Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll was pretty meager with the ingredients as these were some of the tiniest shrimp we've ever seen this kind of dish.  Again, remember the price...  With that being said, the shrimp was the right texture.  As for the rice noodle, it was slightly thick, but it wasn't doughy nor chewy.  In a relatively big hot pot, the Sparerib Rice was pretty good.  The rice itself was dry and chewy, possibly a bit too dry (but the accompanying sweetened soy sauce helped alleviate this).  The spareribs were meaty rib segments being chewy while still tender.  The 2 phoenix talons were a bit undercooked where the cartilage underneath was chewy.  However, the fried skin was intact and moist.  One thing we would've liked to see was some residual sauce from the ribs seeping into the rice.

We thought the Lo Mei Gai (sticky rice) was very good as it was moist while not wet.  There was enough ingredients to provide both flavour and moisture to the rice.  Of note, there were only 2 lo mei gai, but they were of a good size.  Of course we had to get an order of offal in the Tripes and Tendons.  Unfortunately, or should I say fortunately, the rest of the table were not offal fans, hence it was all for me!  I found both items to be rather soft while there was plenty of sugar and garlic in the flavourings.  This dish was decent as with the rest of the meal.  Nothing mind-blowing, but considering the price and surprisingly clean premises, I'd gladly return for some Good Eat(s).

The Good:
- Really cheap
- Decent eats
- Clean

The Bad:
- They have a parking lot, it's an incredibly tight one at that
- Some of the dishes do reflect the low prices