Maguro Sushi (Surrey)

So, our initial plan was to hit up Bubble World in Surrey for some Taiwanese beef noodle. I know, I know, it is not exactly the first place that comes to mind when we think of TBN. However, Surrey is not the hotbed of TBN! Furthermore, Pomegranate wanted to try out this thing called TBN since he'd never had it before. Alas, we were foiled as we rolled up to the place. Cash only! Fine, let's do the Pho joint a few stores down... Ah zut! Cash only again! Alright then, let's go to the Japanese restaurant sandwiched in between. Yes, they take credit card and Interact. As we walked into the place, I wondered if it was related to the Maguro Sushi in Ladner? I guess so, since the name is exactly the same. If that were truly the case, I was confident we'd have a decent meal. The one in Ladner is not great; but certainly solid given its location.

Despite sitting as close to the windows as possible, the restaurant was dark and once again, I had to pull out the flash even though it was not dark out. Yes, it draws attention and I'd prefer not to use it! So, we ended up deciding to share a lunch box and 2 specialty rolls with the first being the Rainbow Roll. Unlike the one at Sushi Turn House, the one here was significantly smaller. However, it looked significantly better. I thought it was better texturally and taste-wise. The rice was actually quite good with a nice "bite". It could've used a bit more flavour; but pretty good nonetheless. The roll itself consists of a California roll topped with ebi, salmon, tuna, tai and more salmon with tobiko in sections. Clearly shown in the picture, everything including the avocado was fresh which made for a pleasant eat.

Up next was the Dragon Roll which is also a California roll with avocado and unagi on the outside topped with unagi sauce. Once again, fresh ingredients and decent sushi rice resulted in a solid roll. Good to eat and definitely carefully made. Our last roll happened to be included with the lunch box. Nothing as fancy as the previous 2 rolls; but a popular one nonetheless. Other than the California Roll, the Dynamite Roll is probably the most popular, especially in bento boxes. I guess it has a lot to do with it being fully cooked, much like the CaliRoll and the BC Roll. As Pomegranate would suggest, it's sushi for beginners. With that being said, we both still enjoy eating it despite never really being our first choice. Maybe we were spoiled from the first 2 rolls. We found this roll only average. It was pretty large and the prawn tempura was still crisp; but there a bit too much rice.

In the lunch box itself, there were a number of items. Starting with the Sashimi, it consisted of 2 pieces each of tuna and salmon. I would classify the sashimi good and bad. I found the salmon sashimi to be quite good. Nice texture and natural sweetness. Somehow, I found the tuna sashimi to be too soft. I know tuna by default is pretty soft; however, if you have eaten lots of tuna sashimi, you'll know what I mean. Seemingly like a reoccurring theme, the Tempura was quite decent as well. Maybe slightly heavy on the batter while still being crispy and relatively light, there was nothing to suggest that the Tempura was anything but a good eat. The Teriyaki Chicken was okay, slightly dry but not over-sauced. It rested on a bed of sauteed cabbage and sprouts. It's nice to get some other veggies that are not battered and deep-fried.

Well, was it worth it to visit Maguro over Bubble World and Pho Vinh on the account they take credit card? I guess it was. The food in general was quite decent and the pricing fair. Service was friendly with a smile, if not a bit sparse. Not sure if they were trying to be non-intrusive or they just didn't check on us. Wasn't a big deal though. It's nothing that would rival the best sushi around in the GVRD; yet considering its location, it did the job and didn't offend.

The Good:
- Mostly decent food given its location
- Reasonable prices
- Friendly, if not sparse service

The Bad:
- Not a lot of staff, service can be sparse

Black Bear Pub

Lately, I've been ranting and raving about the restaurants we visit after hockey. Why? Well, once again, I personally believe that a good ol' beer and some hot wings makes more sense than a bowl of wonton noodles. Hey, don't get me wrong here. I love wonton noodles! But that would seem more appropriate after a game of Mahjong or something. So my mission was to find a place near the our rink for some real Canadian eats and of course, barley sandwiches! For some reason or another, all this time, we have never visited Black Bear Pub located within Lynn Valley Centre. It's literally only 5 minutes away from the rink! Best of all, it's open past midnight. Now, in the daytime, the pub is pretty easy to spot due to its "house-like" appearance which stands out among the newer retail outlets. However, at night, that's another story... Most of us eventually made our way there; but Emilicious took the scenic route and was on her way to West Van before she U-turned it back. Good thing though. As Milhouse explained, if it weren't for her misadventures in North Van, we would've left. You see, the place was packed solid. The fact she took so long allowed tables to become available. While we were waiting in the parking lot, Kim drove out to deliver some goodies from Seattle. That was much appreciated and we snacked on Top Pots while we were waiting. I tried to convince Kim to stay for some eats; but he was too tired from driving from Seattle. He refused food! What has the world come too?

As mentioned earlier, I wanted beer and some hot wings after hockey. And I did exactly that. I started with 1lb of Hot and Dry Wings. No, they were not dry and hot at the same time; rather I got half and half. For me, these wings were a fail. They were fried far too long and became hard and tough. Too bad really since the dry wings had a nice salt & pepper coating. Now if that wasn't enough, I also got The Matterhorn Ostrich Burger. You see, I played back-to-back hockey games and I didn't eat dinner. Loaded with mushrooms, bacon and Swiss, the burger was quite good. Naturally, the meat was not exactly juicy due to the lean ostrich meat. However, it was nicely charred and all the other ingredients made up for it. Despite it's attractive appearance, I was not a fan of the Fat Boy Fries. They were not crispy due to their thickness. I'm sure someone likes them, it just ain't me.

Unlike most pubs, the menu here has an Asian influence and I dared Boss Woman to try one of those items. She obliged and went for the Indo Curry Pasta. It actually consisted of udon (as the pasta) and veggies with a spicy coconut curry sauce topped with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Naan was served on the side. Surprisingly, she liked it (she prefers Asian food and I didn't think she'd like this fusion thing). The sauce was noticeably spicy and flavourful. Emilicious ordered something more conventional in the Pulled Pork Sandwich. Although there was plenty of tender pork and crunchy coleslaw to potentially make this a good sandwich, there was not enough BBQ sauce. Thus, the sandwich was quite dry.

Milhouse gave the Meatloaf a go. It came with garlic mashed potatoes and veggies. Although the meat was a little dry; there was enough great tasting gravy to make up for it. He found the mashed potatoes to be light and fluffy. The veggies were fully cooked while retaining some crunchiness. Bear, totally in his element since the place is named Black Bear, didn't go for the obvious choices. He intentionally stayed away from the Naked Bear Burger since he thought that would scare everyone in itself. However, he did go for the Bear Cheese Bread. Advertised as a blend of 3 cheeses with herbs, this was your typical cheese bread. Although it did have a lot of cheese. He also had the Dry Garlic Ribs which again were your standard dry ribs. It came with an obscene amount of plum sauce which didn't really go with the ribs, in my opinion. Eaten plain, the ribs were good. Not too dry and it was seasoned with just enough salt.

Now, as circumstances presented itself, I found myself at the Black Bear Pub again 4 days later. Well, that was a great opportunity to take a picture of the exterior since there was light out. Furthermore, I could try the one dish that I was eying; but didn't get a chance to order last time. I was quite curious how a $10.00 bowl of Clam Chowder would look like. Turns out that it wasn't as big as I envisioned. For me, $10.00 should buy you a whole lot of chowder. Instead, I found a bowl of soup that is no bigger than any other bowl of soup I've had. I did like the fresh mussels used as garnish, it added a touch of class. However, most of the soup was made up of big chunks of potatoes with some clams here and there. Don't get me wrong here, the soup was not bad. It was creamy with a nice "seafood" taste and the potatoes were excellent. Just not worth $10.00. Viv ended up with the Pesto Chicken Club. As evidenced in the picture, the roll was toasted thoroughly resulting in a crispy product. Viv thought the chicken was both moist and flavourful. All of the other fresh ingredients resulted in a solid sandwich. As for her side salad, it was a fresh side salad...

So, by virtue of having the opportunity of visiting the Black Bear twice within 4 days, gives me a clear overall picture of the place. First and foremost, it is nice place to hang out after an event or just to grab a bite with some friends. Of course, barley sandwiches go well with all the food here. And about the food, it is generally okay with a few misses. Of course, with a menu that dares to go beyond the usual pub fare, that will happen. However, that gives more choice to those who don't merely want items that come out of the deep-fryer. The only thing that could be better is the service. Nothing inherently wrong; but it is a bit sparse when it gets busy.

The Good:
- Diverse menu
- Nice place to hang out
- Plenty of parking

The Bad:
- A tad on the more expensive side
- Food ain't bad; but not great either
- Sparse service

Pho Maxima

Pho this, Pho that... There is Pho everywhere! Yah, everywhere you turn in the GVRD, you're bound to find some Pho. In fact, when I drive home, I pass by at least 5 Vietnamese restaurants. One of which (if I choose to drive that route) is Pho Maxima. Yet another one of those restaurants that I drive past and ignore. It's probably due to the "I will get to it" sentiment. You know, the places that are so accessible, that you end up not eating at ever. Rather, we tend to drive far and wide to eat at places that are either a b*tch to get to or there is no parking (such in the case of Downtown restaurants). It's like taking things for granted. Like Tiger Woods straying all over the place and around North American rather than... Wait, that's a bad example.

Anyways, I finally stopped in at Pho Maxima for a late lunch on my way home. Located in a small strip mall, there appears to be sufficient parking. I know it's a pet peeve of mine. Honestly, I'd rather go to a place that has easy parking than one that does not. I decided to start with the Cold Cut Banh Mi to start. While not being exactly light and airy, the bread was not as dense as some of the other ones I've had lately. The exterior wasn't as crunchy as I would've hoped though. I liked that there was plenty of meat in the sandwich; however, it appeared to be mostly one type only. One thing that I would've liked to see would be more pickled daikon and carrots. There wasn't enough to give the crunch and tartness I'm used to.

Of course I also got an order of House Special Pho (the one with everything in it that is!). After a couple sips of the broth, I noticed that it was very flavourful, more towards the sweet end. I cannot confirm or deny that there was a large amount of MSG in the broth; but I certainly felt the flavour was enhanced by something. The noodles were prefectly al dente while the amount of meat was adequate. A pretty solid bowl of Pho. Much like always, I got a dish for Viv to go as well. This time being Combo C, which included a skewer of beef, skewer of shrimp, salad roll and spring roll. Once again, I got it plated before I packed it up. Presentation for pictures matter you know!

I snuck a few nibbles of her food before I packed it up (shhh...). Both skewers were tasty and cooked properly. However, I wasn't a huge fan of the spring rolls. First, they used a wheat wrapper and second, the filling had too much veggies and vermicelli with very little meat. The salad roll was pretty standard though. I dunno. Although the food was alright, it was quite average to me. Pho Maxima can fit the bill if you were in the neighbourhood and wanted decent eats. For me, with so many of these places around, I wouldn't put it high on my list.

The Good:
- Decent prices
- Okay food
- Friendly staff

The Bad:
- Nothing particularly makes this place stand out
- For me, something was a bit off with each and every dish

Matsuyama

After a few pricier endeavors after softball for the past few weeks, it was about time we settled on something a little more reasonable. Considering we were playing at Shannon Field in South Granville, the first thought was Asian food in Richmond. The decision was all-but-made when the clock struck 9:00pm. You see, Matsuyama has a late night menu that starts at that time. Normally, there would be some rumblings for AYCE late night sushi; but not this time (thankfully). At first, not many people knew what I was talking about. Matsu-what? Where is this place? I tried explaining that it is in the same plaza as Pho Hoa. Then I used Michigan Noodle Shop as a point of reference since we had just visited it the week prior. Finally, I used the cross street to provide the directions. That didn't seem to help because no one knew where Alexandra Gate was. Yes, everyone knew about Alexandra Road; but it seems like no one is ever sure of that little street intersecting Alexandra Road on the East end. Whatever, people seemed to get there fine, even Miss Y.

Is it just me or is there only enough parking spots for one restaurant in an entire plaza? I mean, for each of the plazas on Alexandra, there are at least 5 business present. Where do they think we can park our cars??? Seriously... Did they intentionally want to create parking conflict? I mean, it's already bad enough that road manners in Richmond are marginal at best. Honestly, in the President's Plaza parking lot, I've seen 2 people fight for a spot while I went for Dim Sum. They were still out there after I finished! Well, fortunately for me tonight, I got a space easily.

From the late night menu, I decided on the 5 piece Salmon & Toro Sashimi, as well as 5 individual pieces of Nigiri for 89 cents each (crab salad, spicy scallop & tobiko, inari, spicy salmon & spicy tako). I found the sashimi acceptable, especially for the price ($4.25). One bite into the nigiri and immediately I noticed something different about the sushi rice. It actually had flavour! It's amazing how many places do not flavour their rice properly. With that being said, although the rice had a nice chewy consistency while being flavoured, it was probably a bit too vinegary. Once again, the nigiri were decent, if not pretty standard. For good measure, I also got the Unagi Don. The reason I picked it was that both the Oyako Don and Beef Teri-don were taken. Yes, I try not to order duplicates! I have to say the unagi don was a fabulous deal at $7.95 It was a very big piece of unagi, which had just enough sauce for itself and the rice. The rice was pretty good too with a nice "bite". I also noticed that Judes ordered a Wakame Salad and boy was it gigantic! The portion was easily 3 times the amount I normally see. Upon seeing that, I immediately ordered one for myself. For the price, I would be happy with just the portion size; but fortunately it was good as well. The chewy, crunchy texture was present and there was no lack of flavour either. Judes thought that it may have been too vinegary. I thought so too; but I like vinegar, so it was really not an issue for me. She also had a Dynamite Roll and a Scallop Tobiko Roll. The scallop roll was a bit bland and probably needed more mayo. The dynamite roll was pretty standard. She thought that the rice was a bit too vinegary as well.

Miss Y went for Oyako Don. Yes, she did not order something strange like a burger or something. That's because she couldn't. It was a great size for the price. Just a tad bit on the bland side. She's had Oyako Don that has way too much sauce in the past. They could've perhaps used just a touch more sauce and eggs/onion/potato noodle for flavour. Boss woman also had this and basically felt the same. She thought that the sauce was rather tasteless. Miss Y also added an order of the Oyster Motoyaki. Baked and served in a small ceramic dish, it was a decent size. There was an overwhelming amount of mayo sauce due to the serving vessel. Other than that, she thought it was tasty.

Milhouse ended up ordering a whole lot more food than he could handle. He is afflicted with what is known as "eyes were bigger than his stomach" syndrome. He started with the Beef Teri-Don and much like the other don, it was a good size for the money. Lots of beef, cooked correctly and tastes right. He remarked that it is difficult to mess this up. However, I beg to differ, I've had some pretty horrid teriyaki before and I must give them kudos here for at least making a decent version. Continuing on the food odyssey aka Milhouses' stomach, he also had the Tuna Sashimi, BC Roll and Unagi Roll. Sure, I ate almost as much as he did; but my gut is way smaller. LOL... Anyways, with his rolls, it was much of the same where the rice was quite vinegary. In another example of personal preference, he liked the strong vinegar taste, just like me. He also thought the tuna was decent, neither being too mushy or too cold (like frozen from the freezer). Nothing spectacular; but solid nonetheless, especially for the price. And that much sums up Matsuyama. Nothing particularly memorable or offensive. Middle-of-the-road Japanese food on the cheap. Good for times of hunger where you don't need to spend a lot.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent food
- Good portions

The Bad:
- Food is decent; but won't set the world on fire
- Service is sparse
- Parking lot sucks

Mr. Mikes (Coquitlam)

I gotta admit that I was a bit hesitant to write this post. You see, Mr. Mikes had sent me a media package with gift cards, information and an apron over a month ago. Nice apron by the way... The purpose behind this was to help promote the their Mikeburger Madness. For every Mikeburger sold at all of their locations until August 29th, 2010, $1.00 will be given to local charities. For me, I'm a sucker for anything that involves a good cause. That's why I posted White Spot's Pirate Pak Day immediately without hesitation. However, I was torn with Mr. Mikes because the food did not necessarily impress me the last time I visited the Surrey location. Unlike my undying attachment to White Spot burgers (despite not really being close to the best), the Mikeburger is a bit forgotten. I do remember eating it as a kid at the ol' skool Mr. Mikes complete with salad bar. There is no mistaking it due to its large patty sandwiched between a garlic loaf.

A follow-up email (indicating that the promotion was ending soon) got me off my rear end and I headed off to the Coquitlam location. You see, it really did make a lot of sense to me. If I can promote White Spot's charitable cause, I really should do the same for Mr. Mikes. Consistency is golden. So I grabbed the family and went in with an open mind. My son went in with a closed mind because, well... that's just the way he rolls. Located in the former digs of Moxie's, Mr. Mikes has gone upscale and larger. Gone is the salad bar and dingy decor. In with the "Cactus Club" ambiance. Surprisingly, the place is kid-friendly, complete with a kid's menu and crayons. My son, with his closed mind, went for his standby being the Mac 'n Cheese. My daughter, for some reason, chose the Chicken Strips. I don't think she even ate any. Last time we let her choose! Each meal comes with a choice of beverage for $5.99.

Of course, being that it is Mikeburger Madness, I decided on the Mushroom Mikeburger. Honestly, it wasn't too bad. The darn thing was massive and lots of mushrooms to boot. I'm not a big fan of "cutlet"-type burger patties; so I'm biased. But it was did the job. Since Mr. Mike's is a steakhouse, Viv went for the Grilled Ribeye. She started with a bowl of Clam Chowder (included in her combo). Very thick and chunky, the chowder was decent. Seemed to have a strange tang to it though. Unlike the last time at the Surrey location, the steak was cooked perfectly medium-rare closer to rare (which is the perfect way in my opinion). Yet, just like the last time, it was not that tender. They need to look into that. The combo also added a tonne of mushrooms on top. Onion rings and baked potato served on the side.

Once again, I have mixed feelings about the rebooted Mr. Mikes. Price-wise, other than the steaks, Mr. Mikes is less expensive than most of the other chain restaurants (of the same type). The Mikeburger is decent for the price, as with the kid's menu. However, I'm confused with their steaks. Am I unlucky twice? A $20.00 steak should not be chewy. I realize that Mr. Mikes comped me for this meal and I appreciate it. Yet, I have to report what I experience. I hope this can be taken as constructive criticism on their part. But to get back to the main reason for the post. If you want to have a Mikeburger and donate to charity, then head over before the end of August 29th, 2010.

The Good:
- Decent pricing (excluding the steaks)
- Comfortable digs
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Not-so-tender steak (like last time)

Dessert Kitchen

Prior to our dinner at Michigan Noodle, we noticed a dessert place on the second floor of the same complex. With that in our subconsciousness, it was only a given we'd pay it a visit after wonton noodles. At first, we were tempted to try Twinkle, which is a few stores down from Michigan; however, it was completely empty. Call it the mob mentality effect, an empty restaurant doesn't instill much confidence. We quickly bypassed it and headed up the elevator to Dessert Kitchen. Despite the fact it looks quite spacious from the ground floor, it is actually a small place. Turns out there is another restaurant behind it. We were quickly seated and presented with menus. At first glance, it appeared that there was a wide selection of sweets ranging from Asian to Western. Ah, how looks are deceiving...

You see, Bear, Judes and Boss Woman all tried to order some items to share. Tofu Pudding? Nope, don't have it. Cheesecake? Try again. Chocolate Volcano??? No dice... WTF? While they were scratching their heads and trying to figure out a backup plan to their original backup plan, Milhouse went ahead and ordered the Banana Split. Yah, go figure, order that in a Chinese dessert shop. Well, it was a split with a twist. In addition to the banana, ice cream, whipped cream and fudge topping (dunno where the other 2 types of toppings went), the whole thing was sprinkled with Alpha Bits and Lucky Charms. Weird? Yes. Decent? Actually yes. Personally, I still prefer a traditional banana split though. I originally decided on the Almond Tofu Pudding. 10 minutes pass and the server informs me that they didn't have any! Do they have any desserts here??? They should call this place "Try Your Luck Dessert Kitchen" instead. Thus, I went for my backup, Grass Jelly with fresh fruit. I rolled the dice and held my breath... When it arrived, I felt I had actually won. What I got was a bowl of grass jelly with conjac, fresh watermelon, pineapple, strawberry, kiwi, dragon fruit, cantaloupe and canned lychees. This was a decent, if not unremarkable dessert. I liked that it wasn't too sweet though.

Finally, the other 3 got at least one dessert to start being the Tofu Pudding with black sesame. Well, not trying to be non-descriptive; but it was tofu pudding with black sesame... Now, they also ordered a second item being the Custard Thick Toast. It took quite a long time for it to arrive and it appeared that they gave it to the wrong table. Yup, they did give it to the wrong table and a simple toast became a 30-minute disaster. I must admit the server was very apologetic; but 30 minutes for toast is unacceptable. Furthermore, the toast was meh. It was bland. Might as well just eat plain toast. It's really too bad. If they could've scripted more screw-ups, there wouldn't be any room for it. I'm sure on a good day, Dessert Kitchen would be better. We just happen to hit them on the worst day possible.

The Good:
- Uh... I got my second choice? That's better than the 4th choice for the others
- You were expecting more?

The Bad:
- What's with the unavailable desserts?
- Maybe they should've considered taking the toast off the bill, it did take 30 minutes
- Very average

Michigan Noodle Shop

Alright. This is beginning to worry us. We have won every softball game since the start of the season. Sure, that is something we can be proud of; but that would get us bumped up to the Open Division. We are good; yet not that good! And we can't just start to throw games, that would be poor sportsmanship. Mind you, if they stick me at shortstop for the remainder of the year, I'm sure that would solve the problem (we'd probably lose every game). So, after another win, it was time for food. My favourite part of softball! Actually, it's my favourite part of hockey and golf too! Since we were in the Oakridge area, we took the short jaunt into Richmond. For once, I was not forced to follow someone going at 30km/h, get cut off, have my parking space taken away from me or see a full-faced visor. Ah, a relaxing visit to Richmond. I was really at peace with myself. Unlike last time at Cafeteria, where not everyone was full from their meal, I decided that the good ol' wonton noodles would be a cheap alternative. Thus, in my ongoing quest to find the best wontons, we headed over to Michigan Noodle.

Since I was the only person who could speak Cantonese at the table, everyone looked to me when we needed to order. That usually isn't much of a problem; but I often have issues "changing channels". You see, when I'm in English mode, I can't readily change to Cantonese without sounding like Chinglish. I did my best and everyone got what they wanted, so there must've been "subtitles" for the waitress I suppose... Seeing how this place is known for their Wonton Noodles, I got a bowl. Strange that I was the only one to order this. Maybe everyone is catching on to not double-up on items when we order food. The noodles were indeed very good. They were thin while being chewy. I liked the soup, it was very flavourful with a strong shrimp taste and a tad gingery. The wontons themselves were not very big, although the all-shrimp filling was crunchy and had hints of sesame oil.

Boss Woman had her go-to item in the Egg Swirl with Shrimp on Flat Rice Noodles. When it arrived, it drew some reaction since it was quite large. Topped with plenty of large, properly-cooked shrimp, the dish was a winner. We also ended up sharing a plate of the Brisket and Tendons. The dish was a flop. We felt the brisket was not all that tender, bordering on stringy while the tendons were woefully overcooked. They were practically melting on the plate. Flavourwise, it was too salty with very little distinguishing flavours such as star anise or ginger. If that wasn't enough, I also shared a Preserved Duck Egg & Salted Pork Congee and a Salty Donut with Milhouse. I must say that the congee was pretty darn good. With a perfect thickness, the congee was a nice balance of sweet & salty. The salted pork had a nice "bounce" texture while not being too salty. We only wished that they didn't cheap out on the preserved duck egg, we could barely find any. Now, as for the salty donut, it was excellent. Freshly fried, it was both airy inside and crisp on the outside. It held up real well when dipped into the congee. If they had tried draining or soaking up the oil from the donut, it would've made it perfect.

Milhouse then ended up sharing a plate of the Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice with Bear. Yes, it was an accounting nightmare when it came time to pay... Anyways, the plate of rice was solid. There were no clumps of rice and the texture itself was chewy. There was a nice balance of flavours too despite the presence of salted fish. It was just salty enough with a touch of sweetness and ginger. For himself, Bear had the Brisket Lo Mein while Judes had the Wonton Lo-Mein. Lo Mein is essentially dry wonton noodles tossed with sesame oil (sometimes oyster sauce as well). It can be served as is or come with a topping of some kind. Bear and Judes liked the texture of the noodles, they were chewy with a nice "bite". Bear didn't complain about the brisket, so maybe his was more tender. Judes like the wontons, much like I did. She did agree that they were on the smaller side.

For the items that we ordered, they would be considered to be smaller "quick" dishes. However, Michigan serves up full set Chinese meals as well with full-size entrees. I noticed that many of the tables were having that over the items we ordered. That would indicate those set meals are pretty popular. We were curious about that and it is probably a reason for a return visit. In the meantime, we were pretty satisfied with the wonton noodles, congee, fried rice and fried noodles. If I needed to make a comparison, Michigan is similar to McNoodle (makes sense since the owners used to be partners with them) in terms of noodles and wontons, albeit bigger portions.

The Good:
- Excellent all-shrimp wontons
- Wonton noodles have great texture
- Other than the brisket, all the other dishes were pretty solid as well

The Bad:
- Extremely indifferent service
- As with all the restaurants on Alexandra, parking is at a premium