congee noodle house

the reasonable prices and consistent quality has kept me coming here for years now. they have quick service and are also great for takeout. their congee is the best in vancouver, and their other dishes are really good as well. on this occasion we got the pea tips and notices they were much better than other places. instead of the mature vegetable, they served us "baby" pea tips which were out of this world.

the chinese parsley & sea bass congee is still my favorite and will still keep me coming back. the congee is very good here - in my opinion, one of the better places in vancouver for congee (although overall, i prefer congee noodle king for the consistency and value). ofcourse, congee noodle house has so many other items on the menu to offer. a huge menu of congee is complemented by a huge menu of noodles and rice. the restaurant is very spacious – and the atmosphere is incredibly casual, but the service is very quick. as casual as the items may look, they do prepare fancier ingredients like live seafood, which are likely for dinner meals. there’s a tank holding the seasonal items (lobster, crab, live prawns etc). today we saw king crab being offered. there’s also parking behind the restaurant – although the lot is often full.

the service sucks

terrible service. went for lunch today with a couple of friends. we had to ask for tea, ask to order, ask for a refill on our tea...and not once did the waitress make eye contact with any one of us. one order came out first, and then we had to wait forever for the other two orders to come out (simple dumpling soup) by then the first order was getting cold. we then had to ask for our bill too...we decided not to tip as we felt there was next to no service, let alone good service and left nothing on the tray. and then cashier had the audacity to ask for a tip! and i really wanted to ask her "for what?" not impressed...

it ain't fancy and you won't get anywhere near world class service, but this is a great late night spot for some congee and noodles. get the bbq duck if they still have any left.

congee is rice porridge and is essentially the chinese equivalent to chicken noodle soup. it isn't a terribly exciting dish, but when made right, with the right fixings and seasonings, it can really satisfy the soul.

jenkins and i stopped by congee noodle house for dinner one day. we believe it is somehow related to congee noodle king or has the same owner…something like that. in any case, the menus are pretty much identical, as is the basic layout of the restaurant.

the service is pretty much standard for chinese restaurants… i.e. efficient, but not much else. that’s okay, wonton houses are all about the food, and value, not about a “dining experience”.

but when associating this place with the notion of my comfort food, it has one of my top spots and no one can take away my appreciation for this little joint right here.

congee noodle house is one of those places that you have driven past a thousand times (main and broadway) and wondered if you should stop (you should). we were seated almost right away in the large dining room. it's a little clattery and busy but not uncomfortable and this is one of those places where the food is the point rather than ambiance! service is friendly and a team effort. catch someone's eye and they will help you whether it is their table or not. we started with steamed shrimp rice rolls which were very nice. the noodle was very delicate (to the point of tearing easily) while the shrimp were large and maintained some texture (not overcooked). i was expecting the side sauces that you get with dim sum at some places but it really didn't need it. we had beef tendon and beef brisket with noodle (i forgot to ask for lo mein noodles but the rice noodles were decent). highlighted by a couple of large pieces of tendon that were just soft enough and a generous amount of brisket, this was another winner. the barbeque was very good also. three types (kitchen's choice) on rice was only $11 and a decent deal. duck, roasted pork and barbeque pork were all tasty (not quite hk barbeque master but is anyone?)finally, there was the hk style sampan congee with minced beef that i had been craving. rich, creamy and hot (be careful not to burn the roof of your mouth like i always do). i am not able to identify all the ingredients but i was aware of the minced beef and some type of intestine. the topping was ginger, peanuts and green onions and a little sesame oil. wonderful! prices are very reasonable and the menu is long. the room is big and noisy and we found the staff to be friendly enough. most importantly the food is very good. we happily recommend that you give this place a try.

service...average at best.

cleanliness...questionable.

but dang the food is good! one of the very few good authentic hong kong style noodle houses left in the city. i guess you could argue that service and decor is authentic hong kong style too...kinda like a dai pai dong.

tonight, my wife and i filled our bellies on yummy noodle soup for $20 all in - great value! the bbq meats here are excellent. we often pick up a bbq duck or roast pork for a nice quick dinner at home. my wife's family often orders take out from here for dinner when there's a family dinner (her mom doesn't like to cook) so it's kinda a family fave for affordable and reliable food.

when my husband and i went in, they asked us to sit by the window table which is not clean. we sat there for good 5 minutes before someone came to clean the table.

at the end of the meal, we asked them to box a dish and didn't know they charge for the box for $0.5. i told them that they never charge for the box and asked if they have a sign for the new charge. she said yes and point at the kitchen window where i still didn't see it...too small i guess. so, i paid no tips. on my way out, they told me that i have to pay tips.

i have no problem paying for the box, but they should put a sign by the cashier or by the door for customer to see. this is dishonest act towards to their customers.

chinese food is great!!!
and i experienced it here in congee noodle house.
great food, great presentation
hygiene is well maintained also!
👍👍👍👍

family-friendly chinese restaurant located in mount pleasant. they are famous with their congee and typical chinese cuisine.

decent price and portion!

parking can be tricky but seating can be limited during lunch and dinner.

this is a casual chinese restaurant located on broadway near main street with a very large menu consisting of congee, noodles, rice and chinese barbecue. i had their pineapple sweet & sour pork on steamed rice (which i upgraded to fried rice for an extra $2.5) and their b.b.q. duck with noodle. the food was actually quite good, and the prices are reasonable given the quality and portion sizes. unfortunately, what really soured my experience was the rather poor service. since i was a single diner, i had to share a table with a few other diners, which is understandable as they have mainly large tables at the restaurant. however, they were quite slow in cleaning the tables, and i found myself sitting with a pile of dirty dishes from a previous diner right next to me. moreover, the staff were very inattentive and never checked once on our table other than to bring the food. one of the other diners that i was sharing the table with asked for her bill and i swear she waited probably 15 minutes before the server finally arrived with her bill. i seriously felt sorry for her. all in all, while i really did like the food, the lackluster service prevents me from whole-heartedly recommending this place.

pineapple sweet & sour pork on steamed rice ($12.50 + $2.50 for fried rice):
4/5
the pork was very good: it was tender, meaty and quite crispy wihtout an overly thick batter. the sauce was thick, and had a good balance between sweet and tangy. i got the dish with fried rice for an extra $2.50, and although the rice was quite tasty and had a nice savoury flavour, i actually don't think that you need to have it as the sauce was very flavourful and probably would be better paired with plain rice. although a bit on the pricier side, the portion that they provide is fairly generous, and given the quality, i do think it's worth the cost.

b.b.q. duck with noodle ($10):
4/5
they have two versions, either the the noodles in soup or with the soup on the side - i had mine with the soup on the side. the noodles had a very nice bouncy texture. there is a pretty good amount of bbq duck. the duck itself was quite flavourful, although i found it to be a bit too boney. the side of broth had a good savory flavour, and went well with the noodles.

summary:
food: 4/5
price: 4/5
service: 1.5/5
overall: 3.5/5
recommendations: pineapple sweet & sour pork on steamed rice, soup/mixed noodles