Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Xu’s Wonton House in Crystal Mall’s food court are the new owners of the stall previously occupied by Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine. With new owners come expectations, or doubt. Can they do well and keep up with the previous owners’ success or will they flop like a fish? The menu has remained relatively the same, but what about the taste?

(Above: Xiao Long Bao in a bamboo steamer.)

We ordered our usual: Shanghai mini wontons in soup, regular wontons in soup and Xiao Long Bao. I eat with my eyes first, and my eyes were telling me these were not the same dishes.

Tre’s Shanghai mini wonton wrappings were nice and light, but the meat was scarce. Some didn’t have any at all. The broth however was comfortably piping hot.

My empty wontons were swimming with large strands of seaweed and dried shrimp. The broth was a bit bitter and more concentrated than Wang’s. The large pieces of seaweed were clumped together in chunks. I wanted to enjoy my soup, but I couldn’t.

(Above: Shanghai style mini wontons in broth.)

The Xiao Long Bao was juicy, but missed — just missed the mark. The wrapping was thicker, making the soup dumplings heavier. It was good, but if you’ve tried Wang’s before, then you’d be bitten with a slight disappointment.

Our bill came to just under $13 which is about what you’d expect for Chinese food court meals. I’m not sure if we came on a off day or Xu is still ironing out their kinks, but the food doesn’t quite match Wang’s. The new owners, however, are much more friendlier than the previous. For now, we’ll just have to get our dumpling fix elsewhere.

Perfect for: Runner up for best food court xiao long bao.

The Details

Crystal Mall Food Court
4500 Kingsway, Burnaby
604.909.6688

Rating / 4 out of 5 stars

Abdul’s BBQ, a surprising little gem that would make any carnivore do cartwheels, is a Syrian Shawarma shop located just on the outside of Crystal Mall in Burnaby.

I’ve been curious about this spot, but the neon sign and all the cheaply printed pictures plastered on the doors and the walls made Abdul’s look more like a shady Internet cafe or convenience store than a restaurant. It’s a small hole in wall with just a few tables; a small counter that might be able to squeeze in about three people; and a hardworking man who clearly loves what he does — roasting meat all day to perfection and meticulously arranging combinations in a styrofoam takeout box.

Abdul’s is all about shawarmas and falafels. Towers of Halal meat are skewered on a vertical spit, ready for our friendly proprietor to carefully shave off your choice of chicken, lamb or beef. Tre and I shared a mix shawarma platter of lamb, chicken, rice, coleslaw, tabouleh salad, hummus and a pita. Abdul asked how spicy we wanted our pita spread. We were intrigued the pita even had a spread, and opted for very spicy when given the choice. He warned us, however, about the heat but hey, we’re fearless.

(Above: A Beautiful Medley of Meat: Lamb and Chicken Shawarma over a bed of rice pilaf.)

The shawarma platter was neatly arranged and we could tell there was a lot of love put into this. Tender pieces of barbecue chicken and lamb laid on a bed of fluffy buttery rice pilaf. The barbecue pieces of chicken were really tender with a smokey, barbecue flavor. The lamb was just as nice, but (unsurprisingly) drier than the chicken.

The accompanying sides were wonderful: a delicious red cabbage coleslaw made with yogurt, a finely minced light parsley salad, a lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad dressed in vinegar and spices, and garlicky hummus. Lastly, the awesome pita spread with tomato and garlic paste. The pita spread was the bomb. Literally. Not only was it fantastic, but it was freaking spicy (careful, it doesn’t feel spicy at first). The spiciness made Tre head straight for his ice cold Coke, and it kick started my hiccups.

(Top to bottom: 1. Tabouleh Salad. 2. Pita with Abdul’s own special blend of firebomb spread.)

Our shawarma platter plus one Coke, taxes and tips came to just under $13 — a good deal considering our meal was enough for two. Abdul is a one man show. He’s not a man of many words, but is friendly and hardworking. If you like Mediterranean barbecue meat with all kinds of yummy sides, Abdul’s is worth braving Metrotown traffic.

Perfect for: A nice, inexpensive BBQ plate with a pita to kick you in the pants.

The Details

4500 Kingsway, Burnaby
604.431.9498
abdulsbbq.blogspot.com

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

It’s the return of cold, rainy days in Vancouver and Tre and I have a hankering for some soup. Passing by a number of people slurping soup from the Huaxi Noodle Specialist in the food fair at Crystal Mall, we stumbled on to Favor Eat World across the way. The name obviously suffers from a case of Bad English Translation Syndrome. After contemplating the name’s meaning and giggling to ourselves, we decided to order some soup.

(Above: Taiwanes Beef Noodle Soup.)

Tre orders beef noodle with tendons. I have the beef and tendons with mung bean noodles (Vermicelli). The cute girl behind the counter asks how spicy we wanted the soup and proceeded to recommend we try medium spicy first. After Huaxi’s spicy beef noodles episode, we decided to go with her recommendation.

The soup was decent, but we’ve had better. The beef broth lacked the beefy goodness we were looking for. Thick slices of carrots, cabbage and green onions balance out the protein. Tre’s noodles were a little on the thicker side and starchy. My mung bean noodles were clear, but much thicker than the usual mung bean noodles. Overall, the noodles were slightly over cooked and a little heavy.

(Above: Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup with Mung Bean aka Vermicelli Noodles.)

Our bill including one a can of Coke came to $13.50, which makes this a pretty cheap meal. Both of our beef noodle soups were accompanied by with two little cups of Chinese tea. Although our meals were alright, Huaxi Noodle Specialist is still the top dog in Crystal Mall.

Perfect for: beating the rainy day blahs.

The Details

Crystal Mall Food Court
4500 Kingsway, Burnaby
778.371.3984

Rating / 4 out of 5 stars

Cherry’s Tea & Icy Bar is located in the Crystal Mall food court, just a couple doors down from Huaxi Noodle Specialist. As their name suggests, they serve bubble tea, various shaved ice concoctions, and tofu desserts with your choice of toppings.

After Tre and I enjoyed our spicy beef noodle soup from Huaxi, I wanted something light and sweet to balance the high sodium and fiery heat. I ordered a bowl of hot, sweet tofu and red beans: the silky tofu is soaking in light syrup topped with red beans for added sweetness and texture. The bowl was a generous size — enough for two — with equal parts tofu and red beans and just the right amount of sweetness.

The tofu dessert was only $3.50. Other customers were ordering shaved ice with loads of toppings served in a plastic, Slurpee-like cup for just under $4. They even serve bubble tea if you’re still into that.

Perfect for: a complete food court meal, dinner… and dessert all in one convenient location.

The Details

Crystal Mall
2123-4500 Kingsway, Burnaby
604.779.2928
thecrystalmall.ca

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine is located in the food court of Crystal Mall. Our friend tipped us off to this place that’s known for a couple of dishes: Dan Dan noodle (which isn’t even really Shanghainese) and Xiao Long Bao (or steamer dumplings). 

Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine is always busy. A lineup of people waiting impatiently are often crammed around the little stall. Tre and I have tried coming here a couple of times, but strangely it’s been closed even while all the other stalls in the food court were still open.

Tre and I each ordered a Dan Dan noodle plus a steamer of Xiao Long Bao to share. We got our noodles first, handmade noodles soaked in peanut sauce with freshly chopped peanuts and sprinkled with white and black sesame seeds (black sesame seeds, oh how I despise you). I was excited to dig in but was quickly disappointed after the first bite. The noodles were really soft, almost mushy. The peanut sauce is more like watery soup which lacked personality compared to the Dan Dan noodle at Peaceful Restaurant.

(Top to bottom: 1. Xio Long Bao being freshly made in front of your eyes. 2. Not your typical food court dish.)

Tre appeared disappointed with the noodles as well. We hoped the Xiao Long Bao would bring smiles to our faces — and they did. We were actually served this dish in a bamboo steamer. They tasted fresh, the skin firm enough to hold the soup in without falling apart until the moment you bite into it.

Our meal came to just under $15 which is pretty good considering we had two bowls of noodle and a steamer of dumplings. Despite the noodle fiasco, this place is worth a shot if you’re adventurous and not allergic to nuts. Everything is hand made which is always a plus.

Perfect For: getting Xiao Long Bao served in a bamboo steamer in a food court.

The Details:

Crystal Mall Food Court
#2110- 4500 Kingsway, Burnaby
604.909.6688
thecrystalmall.ca