It had been forever since I’ve had Cantonese barbequed crispy pork and roast duck ever since my parents and I moved out of Richmond. I had a craving for it so took DaddyO out for lunch and he suggested Chinatown BBQ in…well, Chinatown!
My parents regularly pick up roast pork or roast duck from this place, so I had an image in my head that this restaurant would be like those greasy old bbq shops in Richmond from my younger years. Boy was I wrong.
This place was modern and beautiful! It looked like a new-age diner done in vintage decor. It was clean and bright and the workers were…polite!
But I knew what this meant…that the prices will also reflect the decor. This was no longer a no-frills, greasy yet delicious, shout-at-you-if-you’re-too-slow type of shop. It’s now catering to the tourists and the first-timers (non-Asians), the millenials, and not longer to the old Chinatown population.
Heck..they’re not even “Cash Only”!! Debit, credit, you name it…they’ll take it all!
We ordered a Roast Pork & Roast Duck Combo Plate ($17) to share and 2 bowls of rice ($2 each). $17!!!!
And the portion was SOOOO SMALL. The picture is misleading…it’s true when they say that the camera adds 10 lbs. There were 6 pieces each of the pork and the duck.
The pork was quite tasty. Skin was light and crisp and meat was well seasoned. The duck, however, had soft skin, which means it wasn’t super fresh. It was also room temperature.
DaddyO and I were very dismayed at the portion size. Don’t think we’ll come back for dine-in…not sure if the parents will get the meats take-out anymore either…but it IS within walking distance for them so that might be the deciding factor in the end. IF they really really craved some Cantonese bbq.
Service was good, COVID precautions were…in place. However I don’t understand the point of wearing gloves when you don’t change them everytime after picking up the bone dishes of different tables, and also bringing your food (and touching your plate) with the same gloves. After all…the bone dishes are full of bones that patrons have spat out..from their mouths….
Related Posts:
