Beep Beep’s little brother, And Tony and his girlfriend Spring Time joined us for dinner on Saturday night. I told them that Beep Beep I were going out for wonton in the International District. They skipped their original plans to visit a BBQ shack and opted instead to tag along.
My first pick was Mike’s Noodle House. However, upon arrival we saw that the restaurant was closed. Odd since on Yelp states it is open on Saturdays. Spring Time noticed the line-up outside of A+ Hong Kong Kitchen. I remembered reading positive reviews on Yelp so we got in line. We must have waited at least half an hour. Our server recommended to order our food while we were waiting for a table, as some dishes take up to twenty minutes to bake.
When Spring Time and I were discussing what to order for the group, she denied my request for a seafood rice dish. I stood up straighter and leaned in close to Spring Time face and said passive-aggressively, “Okay, since I’m the oldest and despite in Chinese culture, you know, how we respect our elders, I’m going to let you pick because I’m the nice one here.” And Tony and Beep Beep nervously laughed and Beep Beep responded diplomatically, “Just order both dishes Spring Time. I’m eating for two now and I’m starving.”
Spring Time ordered four dishes: Seafood Rice Clay Pot, Tomato Baked Pork Shop, Seafood Spaghetti Bake, and the Lamb Noodle Soup. Spring Time went overboard with the seafood and didn’t order her beef dish. I felt bad for being so hangry.
Each dish was around the ten dollar mark. Was the food worth the wait? Only one dish stood out for me and it wasn’t the seafood dish. The lamb soup noodles.
The broth tasted like it was cooked with love. The clear soup was surprisingly rich in flavour, with an undertone of a deep, spicy heat. The amount of tender lamb slices was generous and filling. The thick, bouncy glass noodles were slippery and hard to catch with my chopsticks.
The pork chop was covered in a mild tomato cream sauce. The rice was dry and fluffy. I enjoyed the addition of the peas in the sauce.
The seafood and rice dish was good, but I could do without the fake crab sticks. We were given a little pot of soy sauce to pour over the seafood and vegetables. The rice on the bottom of dish was crispy but stuck to the pot.
Beep Beep’s pick, the baked seafood spaghetti, could have used some salt and pepper and perhaps some other seasoning. The spaghetti was topped with squid, shrimp and again, fake crab sticks. I thought it was odd we got two seafood dishes when I only wanted one, but I thought it would be best to shut my mouth.
I would return but I would order what A+ does really well. Noodle soups. The regulars in the restaurants, most flying solo, would order a big bowl of noodles and slowly slurp away. I noticed these customers would monopolize a whole table for over an hour despite the servers polite attempt of trying to settle the bill. Would I give this place an A+? No. But I think a rating of A- just for the soup is fair.
Hitting the Sauce 