It snowed the night before. It was one of those mornings, you know. The air was chilly and we all wanted more than just cereals for breakfast. We wanted something warm, hot and I could see Suanne hinting under her breath that she wanted to not make breakfast that morning. She does it ever so subtly … like commenting there are not enough eggs for everyone and that we are down to only two Costco croissants. LOL!
The boys were too lazy to go out and so was I. The main problem was not so much as the drive and all … it is because we gotta brush our teeth, take a bath and put on going-out clothes. That is Suanne’s rules. It is like a formal event or something. Before we go out, Suanne will insist we all must, at the minimum, take a bath, brush our teeth, comb our hair and put on street cloths. This time she compromised … she allowed us to go out “as is” as long as she does not have to make breakfast. Deal … we said!
So we all gingerly rescued our yesterdays clothing from the laundry basket and pull it over our head (after taking a quick whiff it is humanly acceptable). We quickly combed our hair using our fingers and made sure we zipped our mouth unless absolutely necessary during the short drive. Suanne, being the ever so prim and proper, went through the rituals. She kept very quiet during the drive because I can see that she was beginning to turn blue from holding her breadth. It was not that bad, really … and it’s all in her mind, we told her. We assured mum that once we take our first bite, the smell will theoretically dissipate.
We knew about this place called Tai Hing. It is very well known for being cheap and no frills kind of a breakfast place. This is exactly the type of place where 73% of the people comes in without combing their hair.
Tai Hing was absolutely full that morning, and I assume like every morning too from the looks of it. Some people had to wait for a table outside the restaurant in the frigid weather. They are highly popular because of one thing … their food is simple and their prices cheap. OK, that is two things.
They have the smallest menu for a Chinese restaurant. Many of their items costs just over $4.
Service wise, they are OK. They are polite but just that they are seriously under-staffed. So it took a while for things to happen here … from getting our table setup, getting the menu, placing our order and waiting for the food to come.
Suanne ordered the Home Made Style Congee which costs only $4.85 and includes Chinese Dough Fritters. The congee was exactly what she wanted for a cold winter morning. It has, in it, squid and ground pork. It is no frills really … just plain old home made congee.
If you order just the congee, it is $4.50 but if you order the congee with the dough fritter roll, it is just another 35 cents more. They are delightful, I say. The fritters were brittle-ly crunchy and absolutely delightful with the sweet sauce. This one will really make your day.
Arkensen ordered the Satay Beef Noodle in Soup. He had a choice of six types of noodles. He chosed the Gong-Jai-Mein. It does look good and is just $4.85.
Gong Jai Mein is literally translated as “doll noodle” but is actually instant noodles. The term doll noodle originated from the most popular instant noodle brand in Hongkong way back when instant noodle first became popular. The name stuck and so today the Cantonese just call instant noodles, doll noodles.
Me, I had the Shrimmp and Rice Noodle Roll which costs $4.15. It is freshly made and the sweet sauce was extremely good. The downside? The prawns were so puny. That’s all I had for breakfast.
Nanzaro had the Wonton With Dry Noodles. He opted correctly for the Yellow Thin Noodle. Wonton is best with these type of noodle. $6.25.
In all, the tab came up to $24 which is perhaps as cheap for a breakfast for four one could get. We like Tai Hing … not because we don’t have to comb our hair … but because the food is simple, tasty and most important of all cheap.
Oh BTW … Tai Hing is on Park Road in Richmond. It is located on the same strip mall as Chen’s Shanghai Restaurant and Happy Date.
Business Hour
7 days a week
Fri to Wed: 7:00 am to 8:00 pm
Thu: 7:00 am to 3:00 pm
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Their “smooth chicken” congee is my favourite!!! The sweet sauce and seasame sause combination is also to die for!
Hilarious post! The place is definitely local if you don’t have to comb your hair before you go there! Have to find a restaurant like this near me, so far there seems to be none!
I LOVE TAI HING. I love the fact that they let you squeeze as much sweet sauce and as much sesame sauce as you want! I always have the century egg and pork congee and the ‘ja leung’ with lots of sauce… it’s GOODDDDD!!!
HAHAHAHA, the intro was hilarious!
Re: instation noodles, I am sure you are referring to the Nissin’s “(delivery) out in one second” brand or “Demae Itcho”, as my family calls it that way as well! I am sure almost everybody here in Vancouver has seen it in the supermarket stands. Check here:
http://www.nissinfoods.com.hk/04_room/04_index.aspx
The rice noodle roll wrapped youtiao is indeed a dim sum item. However, dim sum is usually a breakfast affair so no surprise here! (I know, I know, people here in NA have made it more of a brunch/lunch affair, but…)
I’ve never seen congee served with the fritters where it’s wrapped in rice noodle. It’s almost like a dim sum item. In California, the fritter is plain, and they charge at least US$.50 and up.