Rating / 2 out of 5 stars

Bubble tea establishments are pretty predictable: modern decor, play school wall colours, tinted lighting and filled with the chatter of young Asian kids. Richmond’s Pearl Castle, located inside Continental Plaza, is no exception. They’re known for their bubble teas, but also serve small meals.

(Above: Chicken noodle soup topped with ground pork sauce.)

Tre ordered a Taiwanese noodle soup served with deep fried chicken thigh. The bowl of soup arrived steaming and topped with minced pork, bean sprouts and green onions, mixing elements of both Japanese Ramen and Taiwanese style noodle soup. The starchy ramen noodles were soaking in a bland, lukewarm broth which made this meal a dud. The saving grace was the deep fried chicken thigh which was slightly sweet and crispy.

(Above: Deep fried chicken thigh to accompany the noodle soup.)

I had the pork sauce over rice, with a single cilantro leaf for good measure. It was accompanied with a side of pickled cabbage, garlic cabbage and marinated tofu. Overall, the rice dish and sides played it safe — none of the flavours stood out. Both our meals came with “dessert,”  a sad, dried out, two-bite brownie that looked straight out of the package.

The highlight of our meal was the milk green tea with coconut jelly: Iced and frothy with chunks of sweet coconut jelly.

(Above: Ground pork sauce over rice.)

Our meal including taxes and tips came to just under $23 which would have been a great deal if the food was better. I had high hopes for Pearl Castle since I’ve previously had better luck with their take out. One thing Pearl Castle does that I’d like more bubble tea houses to adopt is offer two different sizes of bubble tea. The servers were friendly and the prices reasonable, but the food just fell short.

Perfect for: bubble tea, not much else.

The Details:

Continental Plaza
3779 Sexsmith Road, Richmond
604.270.3939

Rating / 5 out of 5 stars

Pine State Biscuits on Southeast Belmont Street is a cute, older storefront located on a residential block in Portland. This was the first location to open up. It may be smaller and older than their newer sister restaurant on Alberta Street, but that doesn’t stop the people from lining up out the door for their biscuits.

Inside is cozy and feels like an old corner store. Hard wood floors cover the tiny space that only has a few tables and a side counter. You order at the front counter, pay, and then wait on the other side with the rest of the crowd. We could see the large sacks of flour piled up in the kitchen next to the folks making the biscuits.

(Above: The Reggie Deluxe: Fried Chicken, Bacon, Egg, Cheese and Gravy — all lovingly hugged by two fluffy biscuits.)

Tre ordered the Reggie: bacon, egg and cheese on top of a crispy fried chicken and smothered with gravy — all lovingly hugged between two freshly baked biscuits. It was off the hook. The thick piece of fried chicken was tender and juicy with a nice a crunch. And the gravy simply elevated the Reggie to an all new level.

(Above: Despite the cramped and limited space, people are surprisingly civil.)

My curiosity was piqued when the McIsley caught my eye — a strange, yet intriguing combination of fried chicken, homemade pickles, mustard and honey. Odd as it sounds, this savoury biscuit sandwich is a winning combination of  salty and sweet. The mustard provided a gentle boost of flavour marrying well with the honey, while the homemade pickles set this sandwich off.

(Above: The McIsley — a curious, but delicious combination of fried chicken, mustard, honey, and topped with homemade pickles. Sandwiched between two beautiful biscuits, of course.)

Our bill including tips and two cups of Stumptown’s finest came to $20. Breakfast was awesome and helped get our day off to a great start. Similar to their Alberta Street location, a little patience is recommended as line ups are inevitable.

Perfect for: knife and forking delicious biscuit sandwich combinations.

The Details:

3640 Southeast Belmont Street, Portland
503.236.3346
pinestatebiscuits.com

Rating / 5 out of 5 stars

Pine State Biscuit started their operation at a farmer’s market in Portland. Word caught on, popularity spread, and the boys opened a store front — and then another, this one on Alberta Street.

I’ve never been a fan of biscuits. The ones we’ve had were too heavy, bland and just plain boring. But since encountering them several times in Portland, I’ve changed my mind. Partly due to the biscuit boys at Pine State Biscuits.

(Above: Now that’s what I call breakfast — fried chicken and egg sandwiched between to fluffy biscuits.)

Tre had a biscuit sandwich stuffed with a succulent piece of fried chicken breast topped with an egg. It was sandwiched between two golden, fluffy biscuits, which were light and buttery. They had a cake like texture. The thick piece of fried chicken was lightly seasoned and dipped in a batter dusted with pepper. The added egg took the biscuit sandwich to another level, and officially made it breakfast.

(Clockwise: 1. Stumptown coffee. 2. You’ll see Aardvark and other assorted hot sauces around town. 3. Some veggies pickling away while you eat.)

I had a plain biscuit with a side of the Marionberry spread, Oregon’s locally grown berry was out of this world. Simple, yet simply delicious. And to accompany our biscuits, were two cups of Portland’s own self serve Stumptown coffee.

(Above: Pine State biscuit with a side of Marionberry jam.)

Our bill including tips (no taxes) came to $15 — a great breakfast to start off our morning. The atmosphere was upbeat and lively. Line ups can get crazy at Pine State, so try to head there early. Or better yet, take it to go. We saw a guy walk in, and then walk out with a big bag of biscuits.

Perfect for: Morning, noon, and if they were open — night.

The Details

2204 Northeast Alberta, Portland
503.477.6605
pinestatebiscuits.com

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Lucy’s Eastside Diner on Main Street is open 24 hours — yes, 24 hours — catering to satisfy all of your greasy spoon cravings.

Lucy’s is a throwback to the old school diner, furnished with large booths and gigantic bottles of Tabasco sauce on top of their dining tables. Light blue and peachy wall colouring and vintage knick knacks continue the retro vibe reflected by the menu.

(Top to bottom: 1. Standard Diner Setup. 2. Fried Chicken Dinner with Mashed Potato, Gravy, and a Mess of Vegetables.)

Tre ordered the fried chicken dinner served with mashed potatoes, veggies and gravy. I opted for Lucy’s carbolicious homemade mac and cheese. The fried chicken was decent — slightly sweet with what tasted like a mixture of seasoned panko crumb batter. The sides, however, weren’t so comforting: the veggies were an off putting chop suey mess of peppers and onion chunks. And the mash potatoes were either overly whipped, or straight from a box — heavy and dense.

The mac and cheese, however, was tasty — drowned in generous amounts of unnaturally golden, cheesy goodness topped with buttered bread crumbs.

(Top to bottom: 1. Unearthly, Yellow Glowing Mac and Cheese. 2. Vintage Decor at Lucy’s)

Our bill including taxes and tips came to $19, which makes Lucy a pretty budget friendly, no frills meal for the neighborhood. It’s a step up from old school greasy spoons, but there are still some kinks to be ironed out. An added bonus — Lucy’s stays open for 24 hours, a rarity for the area.

Perfect for: Late night, greasy spooning.

The Details:

2708 Main Street, Vancouver
604.568.1550
lucyseastsidediner.com

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Located on West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, Rocoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles have been holding it down old school dishing out their specialty classic — chicken and waffles.

(Above: Plate full of fried chicken. )

Chicken and waffles is not a only a unique combination, but it’s also probably a dietitian’s worst nightmare. How can something so wrong be so good at the same time? Well, Roscoe’s must be doing something right — still going strong since the 70s, Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles has the menu to keep their patrons happy: good old southern style fried chicken, waffles, deep fried chicken livers, mac and cheese, greens, corn bread and a whole lot more. It’s breakfast time. Time for some chicken and waffles.

(Above: A big ass waffle with a truckload of butter.)

Tre and I shared a Herb’s Special: 1/2 a chicken (chix) prepared southern style with two waffles and a slice of sweet potato pie, plus two cups of joe to cut through the grease. The order arrived quickly: the fried chicken was decent; the skin crispy and seasoned with Roscoe’s own mix. The meat was slightly tender, but a little dried out. The humungous waffles were on the thinner side and topped with whip cream and loads of butter.

I felt the winner out of our meal was the sweet potato pie: mashed sweet potatoes with spices baked into a pie crust. The pie was rich, yet light, and tasted similar to pumpkin pie. It was delicious, but felt very heavy after the big meal we had just polished off.

(Top to bottom: 1. The coffee was meh. 2. A slice of sweet, sweet potato pie.)

Our bill including taxes and tips came to just under $33. Surprisingly, not the best chicken and waffles we’ve had given Roscoe’s iconic status. However, we would definitely return and try the deep fried chicken livers that we saw flying by us as we ate. The atmosphere is a dive, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.

Perfect for: It’s Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. It’s a classic.

The Details

5006 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles
323.934.4405
roscoeschickenandwaffles.com