Noodle Paradise

For those who live in and around North Burnaby, Jane's was a cheap spot for a basic breakfast on Hastings.  The food was never gourmet and frankly, one could probably make it at home.  However, the prices were cheap and the people were friendly, so with a pocketful of change, one could fill up without breaking the bank.  Well, Jane's hasn't been around for a little while, slowly replaced by what is now known as Noodle Paradise.  Accenting the predominantly Thai menu, we still find a separate menu dishing out the classic breakfast and diner food that Jane's was known for.  Only thing gone is the North Americanized Chinese food.

JuJu, Milhouse and I decided to check the place out after Sunday morning hockey.  We went for mostly their Thai dishes including the Chicken Wings.  These were fried up perfectly with crispy skin that was mostly rendered.  The meat was moist and tender albeit not actually juicy.  It was dressed in a sauce that tasted like a combination of fish sauce, Thai sweet chili and lemongrass.  We thought the wings were pretty good!  Up next was something out of their regular menu being the Heights Burger consisting of Canadian Angus beef, cheddar, onion rings, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, mustard and house mayo.  Although there was nothing wrong with the burger, it was surely nothing interesting.  The meat was somewhere between dry and moist and the rest of the ingredients were fine.  Fries were generic, but crispy.

Back to the Thai food, we had the classic Pad Thai with prawns.  This was rather saucy, yet at the same time sweet and tangy from the tamarind.  We would've liked to see a drier noodle with a bit more caramelization.  Also, the sweetness could've been dialed down a bit.  Beyond that, the noodles were still chewy despite the moisture level.  This was legit, just could've used some tweaks.  We were rather indifferent with the Stir Fried Beef Noodle as it was pretty wet where the noodles fell apart on contact.  Furthermore, the beef wasn't exactly tender either.  We realize that in Thai cooking, they don't tenderize it like Chinese cuisine, but this was too tough for our liking. In general, the dish itself lacked impact.

Lastly, we went for the Chiang Mai Khao Soi that featured the classic curry broth with egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, red onion and chicken.  This was aromatic while very mild-tasting.  Compared to other versions I've had, this one was decent, yet not as impactful.  I thought the noodles were perfectly al dente and soaked up the curry nicely.  I could get the tang from the mustard greens as well as aromatic coconut milk.  The problem was the spice level, as it was non-existent.  Maybe I should've asked for it to be spicier?  So as much as the food was mostly average, I am willing to give them another try because there are a few items I still need to try.  People are truly nice and you can tell they are trying their best.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Nice people
- Diverse menu

The Bad:
- Diverse menu?
- Flavours are a bit wet
- Noodles are a bit too saucy