Anducci"s

*Restaurant is closed*

I can remember going to Anducci's quite a lot during my University days. Face it, I had a really big appetite and Anducci's satisfied it. Of course there are better choices than Anducci's when it comes to pasta; however, similar to how people can put up with Anton's and Old Spaghetti Factory, I personally don't mind Anducci's. It's not completely authentic when compared to true Italian eateries; but if you can accept it for what it is, it's alright. One things for sure, the once affordable prices since my University days have crept up close to $20.00 for dinner portions. There are several locations in the GVRD, 2 in Burnaby and 1 in Surrey. One consistent thing about Anducci's is it's inconsistency. Portion size, food quality, complimentary focaccia (or sometimes not) and service are highly unpredictable (this is over a 16 year period that I've eaten at this place). It can be wonderful and it can be downright awful. Compared to Anton's, the portions at Anducci's are not as large; yet they are still not small. However, any lack of quantity is made up with substance. I feel that Anducci's tastes better than Anton's. Also, it appears that there is more ingredients accompanying the pasta.

Talking about inconsistency, for the longest time, the Focaccia bread at Anducci's was complimentary. Moreover, it was pretty good, topped with Parmesan, EVOO (extra virgin olive oil, damn, my inner Rachel Ray is coming out!) and balsamic vinegar. Then all of a sudden, they began charging $1.00 for it. In addition, it seems to morph from long strips, to cubes and today - half circles (now it's free again). Service is very inconsistent, ranging from very good, to slow and indifferent. Today, it was pretty good, lucky for us. We started with the Cattiva Diva salad which consists of spring mix, corn, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, avocado and dried cranberries. Taste-wise, there are a good combination of flavours at work; but they are all but destroyed by the copious amount of dressing. They really should put it on the side.

We ordered 2 pastas, the Carnivore King with Linguine and Pollo & Basilico with Ziti. Both were done al dente with just enough sauce. You'll find that the sauces at Anducci's a bit sweeter than authentic pasta bars. To the connoisseur, this might offend; but I'm not a big fan of really tart pasta sauces, so it's alright with me. As you can see in the pictures, there is no shortage of sausage, capicollo and meatball in the Carnivore King. Suffice to say, it's difficult to finish the whole plate of pasta. I suggest that sharing a few plates among friends as the best idea.

We've eaten a few times at Anducci's with my friend Italian Stallion, who is Italian (hence the name). Although he agrees that no pasta joint is as good as how his mom makes it, Anducci's is not bad. He says that there isn't the same love and care like homemade pasta and sauce. Let's face it, no restaurant can replicate that.

The Good:
- Plenty of ingredients
- Lots of sauce choices

The Bad:
- Service and food quality are not consistent
- Not really all that authentic
- Small portions

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