Rating / 4 out of 5 stars

Chinese dessert places in Vancouver — with the exception of bubble tea houses, which seem to be popping up all over like pimples — are pretty rare. Richmond’s Bubble Fruity is one of those rare shops that serve just desserts and snacks — all made in house served with a smile and a side of character.

Bubble Fruity is a family run business that used to operate as a stand at the Richmond night market. Their success led to the birth of Bubble Fruity’s dessert shop on Saba Street, behind the Richmond Public Market. The place looks disorganized and deserted — making us wonder if it was worthing stepping in at all. The space is small and cramped with a handful of tables and chairs.

(Above: Papaya Almond Soup.)

Two simple menus are laid out on the table: one dessert and the other snacks, all within the price range of $2.50 to $4.50.

Tre ordered the papaya almond soup which arrived hot. Mini chunks of real payapa were swimming in a sweet, milky soup flavoured with ground almonds. The soup was slightly gritty from the almond grinds, but was delicious overall. I can imagine this soup tasting even better served cold.

My cold tofu pudding was refreshing. The ginger syrup was not overly sweet and was a welcome compliment to the otherwise subtle flavour of the tofu pudding.

(Above: Tofu Pudding with Ginger Syrup)

Our bill including taxes came to $11, which was a sweet deal. The operation is very mom and pop. Furniture, dishes and utensils are all mismatched and feel borrowed from someone’s home kitchen, but the owners are very friendly with a healthy sense of humour. The simple, home made desserts served with a smile make Bubble Fruity worth visiting.

Perfect for: Something light, something sweet and something different.

The Details

180 8188 Saba Road, Richmond
778.297.6820

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 / 4 out of 5 stars

Top Shanghai Cuisine is a regional Chinese restaurant located in Ackroyd Plaza next to a Save-on-Foods in Richmond. The gaudy green signage screams out the restaurant’s name bilingually, while backlit, oversized beauty shots of the food attempt to seduce passer-bys in the front window.

(Above: The Famed Xiao Long Bao — Shanghai Dumplings.)

Case and I were flippantly greeted and eventually motioned by one of the staff to a six seater table. Like most Chinese restaurants, the majority of tables here are family style and are meant to seat larger parties, so Case and I awkwardly shuffled to one side of the table leaving a gaping hole where more diners would otherwise sit.

(Above: Northern Style Wontons in Soup.)

As we perused the largish menu, we glanced over periodically at the open window at the front of the restaurant where two ladies in smocks and headwear were hard at work (presumably hand making all those famous Shanghai dumplings). We settled on a few dishes to share so we could try out a range of food, starting with the stir fried pea tips. Nothing too surprising here. However, the pea tips were skillfully stir fried, tender and nicely seasoned, but still had some crunch.

(Above: Stir-Fried Pea Tips)

Next were the famed Xiao Long Bao (Shanghai dumplings), which arrived in a tin steaming tray looking less than spectacular. Despite the bland appearance, they were delicious. The skin looked bloated and thick, but was delicate and drooped from the weight of the soup as they were picked up.

The dumplings were followed by Northern style wontons in soup: a finely minced assortment of veggies and pork were delicately folded (looking more like tortellinis than balls) in hand made rice wrappers and cooked perfectly, served in a mildly seasoned broth.

(Above: Eight Treasures Glutinous Rice Dessert.)

Our meal was finished off with glutinous rice dessert topped with eight treasures of candied fruit and various sweetened beans. They sort of cheated here using bottled preserved fruit, but the dish was otherwise tasty.

Our meal came to a respectable $35 including taxes and tips. The staff was generally indifferent to our presence, talking loudly amongst themselves (one was even sneaking a nap behind one of the larger banquet tables). If you’re in the mood, Top Shanghai makes a good stop for Shanghainese cuisine.

Perfect for: experiencing Shanghai — good food and sloppy service.

The Details:

8100 Ackroyd Road, Richmond
604.278.8798

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Kam Do Restaurant & Bakery is a Hong Kong style cafe diner that is easy on the wallet with gi-normous portions. You can find the restaurant in Richmond, just a few doors down from Leisure Tea & Coffee.

Housed at the front entrance is Kam Do’s Bakery with all sorts of tasty goods you’d find at a typical Chinese Bakery. To the left and towards the back end is the rest of the restaurant. Large booth seating and walls are decked in a muted pinkish salmon color. Wear and tear is showing.

(Above: Mixed Grill — a mountain of meat.)

We were here with friends who forewarned us about the large portions. Tre and I ordered a Western style dish: Lamb shanks and spaghetti, which came with a drink, soup of the day, garlic bread and two appetizers of your choice from the menu. We chose a fruit salad and chicken wing. Our friends shared a mixed grill.

(Top to bottom: 1. Roasted Lamb Shank with Spaghetti 2. Borscht Soup.)

First up, Chinese style borscht soup with carrots and celery in a sweetened tomato broth. Then, garlic bread: a lightly buttered garlic spread on a lightly toasted piece of french white bread. Our appetizers, fruit salad and a fried chicken wing were up next. The sweetened potato salad were mixed with a few pieces of fruit. The fried chicken wing was good, but felt a bit lonely — it was literally one wing.

Our friends’ grilled mixed plate arrived first, and it was freaking huge. Layers of grilled meat (chicken, beef, pork) topped with a fried egg with grilled onions and gravy. The empty plate afterwards indicated our friends were satisfied with their dish.

Our dish took an unusually long time to arrive. 15 minutes after our friends’ main course arrived, two huge pieces of lamb shanks (although they were mostly bone) topped with gravy over spaghetti landed on our table. The lamb was perfectly cooked and fall apart tender. Our meals also came with mango jello for dessert. It was ok.

(Top to bottom: 1. Chicken Wing and Fruit Salad. 2. The Iced Lemon Tea is refillable.)

The bill, including taxes taxes and tips (plus free refill on drinks) came to $34, which is a great deal for a group of four. Lucky for us, dinner was on our friends (thanks guys). Overall, the food was okay and the service was spotty. It’s not a place we’d go out of our way to return. However, the meals are a great deal and perfect for sharing.

Perfect for: Feeding a small army.

The Details

8391 Alexandra Road, Richmond
604.231.9216

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Qoola is a frozen yogurt and fruit bar offering all sorts of frozen, non-fat yogurt treats including their signature Qoola — a frozen, non fat yogurt which comes in three different flavors: original, chocolate and green tea.

They also feature other yogurt-topped treats such as: Qrepes, made with unbleached flour and organic wheat and finished with your choice of toppings; Q waffles, made with a blend of organic whole grains. Also, they have smoothies and Qool-acai, an energy bowl made with a blend of acai, fruit and soy milk.

(Above: The signature Qoola frozen yogurt topped with pineapples and strawberry.)

Tre and I ordered a small Qoola — the original with two toppings, pineapple and strawberries. The frozen yogurt dessert was refreshing. It had the right amount of tartness, with a semi creamy, not too dense texture. The strawberries were fresh and had a bit of sweetness. The pineapples, on the other hand, were a bit sour and tasted like they’ve been sitting around for awhile. The yogurt didn’t taste like it’s non-fat.

(Above: How come all frozen yogurt joints appear to go for the modern, minimal look?)

A small Qoola yogourt with two toppings set us back $5 — not the cheapest. And even though the Qoola was good, it didn’t blow me away. However, it’s worth a try as a healthier alternative to frozen treats like ice cream.

Perfect for: A snack that you can’t believe isn’t non-fat.

The Details

4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond
778.297.5488
qoola.com