To celebrate an early Happy Birthday J with my family, we went to my hubby's favourite Chinese restaurant, Good Buddy. I think this is his favourite restaurant because he had his first taste of his absolute favourite dish - Chinese rice noodles pan-fried with beef tenderloin slices - here. We did not order that dish today, because my parents thought it appalling that we should want to order such a basic lunch dish for a formal Chinese dinner.
Upon arriving, we were immediately seated, owing to our reservation. The atmosphere of this restaurant was decidedly casual and Chinese, which means that there were a lot of tables crowded into a rather small space, and equally many people (mostly Chinese) crowded into these seats. The place was buzzing with activity during our meal time, and servers and bussers and take-out expeditors were in constant motion from table to table and back to the kitchen. The noise level was quite high, given the sheer volume of people in the building, as well as the volume of these people's voices as they conversed with one another in animated Chinese fashion, a near-necessity when trying to address someone who is sitting across a 10-person round table from you.
We knew this to be a real Chinese restaurant, catering to Chinese people, because of the following:
-the raucous noise inside the building
-the BBQ meats proudly being displayed behind the glass of the kitchen
-the teacups and rice bowls and chopsticks already set on the table
-the Chinese zodiac paper placemats
-the server's first question: What kind of tea would you like? followed by an almost immediate dash to bring the tea
-the assumption that nobody at the table would want wine or high-balls or hard booze
-separate English and Chinese menus
-the absence of dinner plates, forks, and knives (except as service tools for the main dishes)
-the dessert: sweet bean soup or fruit, rather than fortune cookies
My parents did the ordering for the table, a gesture consistent with the Chinese teaching to respect one's elders; it is usually the elders of the table (the oldest generation there) who make the decision about what to eat, regardless of whether they are paying for the meal or not. Mom & Dad chose a modified version of the Traditional Combination Dinner for 8, which consisted of:
- the Good Buddy Platter (a cold-cut platter of traditional BBQ duck, BBQ pork, jellyfish, marinated beef, and soy sauce chicken wings)
-dry scallop and fish maw soup
-pan-fried breaded prawns in a spicy sauce
-assorted meats with soft tofu hot pot
-empress (gwei-fey) chicken
-chicken with cashew nuts and vegetables
-pan-fried chicken slices with seasonal vegetables
-sweet & sour pork
-fish fillet served over fresh gai-lan green vegetables
-steamed rice
Service was quick and the dishes came out one after the other in rapid succession. In terms of quality, I wish I could say that this meal was amazing, but I have definitely had better meals and dishes at Good Buddy (such as the pan-fried rice noodle and beef dish!). This meal was generally quite tasty, for sure, but some of our dishes were far too cold (or got cold too quickly) for our liking. As well, I found the pan-fried chicken with seasonal vegetables to be somewhat bland, and the tofu to be stale. The litmus test? My dad needed to add salt to some of his food. The man is a chef and a master at his trade, so if he has to add salt (which is something that is never needed for his own finished dishes) then you know that the food needs work.
However, to their credit, the sweet & sour pork (my favourite dish) was crispy and flavourful, and the vegetables were very fresh. As well, the cold-cut meat items were extremely tasty (not as good as Dad's, but that is to be expected), and the empress chicken was amazingly tender; the meat practically slid off the bone. The prawns were also delicious (once you removed the head - not my favourite thing to do during a meal, but anything for good food, right?), and the fish fillets were cooked just right, so that there was no fishy taste at all and the pieces were tender enough to slide down your throat.
Our dessert choices were fruit or sweet green bean soup, and my parents chose the soup. It was very sweet (perfect for my gong-gong who was not in attendance), and not for the low carb dieter. It was also very good, although my aunt noted that there weren't very many green beans in the soup, and a lot of liquid. That is my preference, however, so I had no complaints there!
My parents paid for our meal, so I have no idea what the final bill was. However, I do know that it likely averaged around $15 per person, which is very reasonable given the amount of variety and food we were able to enjoy.
Overall, I would have to say that I stand by Good Buddy as being one of the better Chinese restaurants in town. In spite of this particular dining experience, which was only moderately great, I know that they make some fabulous dishes that taste absolutely phenomenal. Furthermore, the food here does not make me sick (a common problem I encounter in many other Chinese restaurants). Good Buddy is not for those who have little experience with Chinese food, because a majority of the dishes on their extensive menu are either traditional Chinese or Hong Kong fare, which does not always cater to the Western palate. However, for those who love to try authentic Chinese food, this is a great place to go, and I definitely recommend their sweet & sour pork, empress chicken, and Chinese rice noodles pan-fried with beef tenderloin slices!
Rating: 9 / 10
Hubby's Rating: 10 / 10
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