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We have been eating at The Boss for a few years now. We generally go there during the week when we don't have time to cook, don't want to spend a lot of money and want a good meal. The Boss is a Hong Kong style cafe much like most of the other HK Cafes out there. We like the boss as it is a good value for the money and we have a few favorite dishes there. I recommend the baked pork chop dish, the spaghetti with mini steak and the beef and ginger noodles dish. If you are wanting wonton soup, this place is pretty good but not the best. There is a rotating menu on the first page with combos. We enjoy combo page #4 - I usually order the Singapore Laksa soup. Yummy! Overall, The Boss is the The Boss, its not the best restaurant, but it is not the worst either...After reading some of the reviews below I am thinking that many of these people have never been to a HK cafe before. The food is served family style - meaning it comes out when it is ready and hot and sometimes this means that if your dish takes longer to make, you will wait. I recommend ordering 2 dishes and splitting - this way there is no disappointment :)
The attitude of the head waitress at The Boss, Metrotown is
unbearable. She is incredibly
rude and acts as if she does not value any patronage. I have stopped
visiting this establishment due to her lack of manners. I feel that
the mall should add a similar restaurant to allow for competition. I
hope that you hear these concerns as I feel that I am not the only one
who feels this way.
Nothing wrong with this place. The food was good, the service was alright, the value was there, and just like any other chinese restaurant, busy with loud noises. Nothing spectacular, but it's alright if you are there already craving chinese food. I'd like to mention to that there are quite a lot of people trying to get in during lunch, so if you want to get in, you need to go early.
After shopping at Zellers we decided to try the Boss Restaurant. Nice clean spacious with young perky pony tailed waitresses. Tea was constantly refilled. I had the tenderloin steak at $13.99. My partner had the seafood udon. The udon arrived and was said to be pretty good. However it was another 10 minutes before my steak arrived. Why can't 2 meals arrived at the same time? That kind of service is beyond crappy. My steak was absolutely marvellous one of the tenderest cuts of meat I have ever eaten. However the sides were absolutely atrocious. Very badly cooked broccoli, canned kernel of corn, short hard french fries. So on one plate we have a 4 for the meat and a 1 for the sides. Service was a 3 but lost 2 points for the lapse of time between entrees. Will not return.
Hunger can make you want to eat anything and in my case, I went to the Boss with my dad after a long day at work. Needless to say, even compared to other HK cafes, this place does not live up to the standards. Is it just me, or is most of the restaurants near Metro rely more on traffic than quality?
After being seated down, I decided to order an iced lemon tea with a NY cut steak combo. The tea was bitter and sour compared to other lemon teas. The steak was also a disappointment, poor prepared cuts with the bad feeling that your food came straight out of a microwave. That combined with poor service and environment made this dining disappointment a complete disappointment
The Boss never had great food - but it used to be good enough. I came back and checked it out for the second time after its renovation (which is a huge step up by the way) but I can't say the same about the food. We had an appie of 5 pieces of shrimp for $5.95... they were ok but nothing special and not really worth the price in my opinion. The beef noodle soup had a noodle that is usually used for frying (not for noodle soups) in it... which threw off the enjoyment factor. My dad, who had the seafood congee and beef skewers had to run to the bathroom immediately after the meal.
Service was not overly polite but not rude either. It was efficient which is all I really need from a cafe style establishment. Though, the manager should be commended for his customer service skills.
I noticed the menu prices were increased but for the quality of food, I would say I'm not overly impressed.
This used to be one of the better "tea restaurants" in town. - it's clearly gone downhill since the reno and the introduction of the HST.
Firstly waitress, don't look at us all P****D off that we have to translate to the non-cantonese speakers in our group what we are ordering. that type of service works in HK but not in Canada.
Their mini-meals are very tiny, not enough for even one person. Ordered the ubiquitous Baked Pork chop rice to test out the quality of the restaurant. It's average. I think the same dish is better at Seventh Heaven Cafe in Aberdeen.
The mixed - grill doesn't even come on a hot plate, what's the deal with that? It's a staple for the dish to come on a hot plate and you drizzle the sauce on your food.
Food is full of MSG, better drink lots of water afterwards.
I recommend for a more authentic experience, better stick with Lido. or for bigger portions go to Honululu.
Food: ordered the lunch special and lovebird fried rice. Dinner was nice and warm and buttery and really caught me offguard! They ran out of corn and ham soup so I was given the Russian soup which is basically a tomato soup with veggies - not bad. Chicken with garlic sauce was surprisingly good but accompanying veggies were of the frozen variety and they could stand to be spiced up a bit. Lovebird fried rice was pretty good except the tomato sauce side was over-sauced but the cream side was quite good... hmm... wonder if I can get it with just one type of sauce. LOL. Price is not bad for the food received.
Service: Was told it would be a 30 min wait that turned out to be a 50 min wait - good thing it's in a mall and we were able to keep ourselves amused while we waited. Fried rice also came after I finished my meal so my dining partner had to wait quite some time to eat. They ran out of soup (so alternative given) and then something was holding up the ice tea and it also took quite some time to be served... It was basically a meal of waiting. Waitresses were abrupt, borderline rude, but service was given. They also forgot to give us the set meal menu which we could have ordered off of.
Ambiance: Typical cafe - nothing good or bad about it. Comfy booth seats though.
Would return if there wasn't such a long wait time. Would recommend potential diners get a number and then go do some errands/shopping before returning to get seated - that way you could get a seat right away. I would also make sure that all the menus are given. I would only return if I were in the area and wouldn't go out of my way to come back here.
Ate here for lunch a few times as well as early dinners. I find the food here consistently decent to good for the price. Their lunch specials come with a hot drink (or $1 gets you a cold one). The mini-set meals are pretty good for $6.50 and is enough for me for dinner, not stuffed, but not hungry either. Had noodles with XO sauce, as well as the steak with black pepper sauce, would definitely be back if in the area. I have not tried food from their regular menu.
Service is quick and efficient, but certainly not attentive. You get your food (and bill) very fast. A little noisy in there and the tables are usually clean, but generally you want to eat, then get out.
I've been eating at the Boss since it opened, and I can say that the place has been inconsistent over the years. Sometimes the service is quick, but other times I have to wait. What brings me back is the food. No surprises. I like the fact that I know exactly what I am going to get. I love the mini meals. Most importantly, if I take a fussy auntie there, she can find something to eat because they have a good selection. As a previous respected reviewer said, “It's not excellent, but good enough.” That about sums it up.
I eat at the Boss fairly often, at least twice a month. It's a great place to go for a quick lunch, eventhough I always order the daily breakfast meal. For only $6, you get a bun, eggs and meat, a noodle soup offering and a drink. If you don't like the daily menu, you can customize to whatever you want and they don't mind.
The service is hit or miss most times, some of the waitresses obviously don't like their job. The wait time for a table can reach up to 45 minutes and when you're seated, the noise level can be deafening. But once you've placed an order, you're food should arrive in good time. I estimate from the time you place your order, to the time food is in your mouth, would probably be about 10 minutes.
There are many other choices in the area, but I'm always satisfied with the Boss. It's not excellent, but good enough.
The portions here were fairly generous but then again you pay a good dollar for the dish. After the renovation, place is larger but nothing spectacular. With the price increase, it is no longer a cheap eat HK Cafe type restaurant. It borderlines to upper class prices but without the quality.
The portions were still fairly large but at around $12 a pop for some rice/noodle dishes, it is expected.
Don't go during peak times! You'll just end up waiting and waiting. It's very busy most of the times and it's because it's got the location. Right in the heart of Metrotown with no competition for this type of cuisine. I guess when you have a monopoly in the mall, you can pretty much set higher prices and people will still come.
For me I won't purposely come here to eat unless I'm in the mall and craving for this type of cuisine.
Pardon me if I am slightly biased towards this restaurant or cafe, if you will, because it brings back many childhood memories. My family has frequented this restaurant regularly over the years, but recently stopped, probably due to the higher prices and indifferent service. After a recent visit to The Boss, I have found both dissapointment and satisfaction with the food, service, and value. While, the restaurant was certainly much better in its heyday, after its renovation, the Boss is still a good place to enjoy a quick meal. The food is edible at worst. My favourites include their chicken chow mein, Boss special fried vermicelli, Seafood E-fu noodles, tomato and chicken on rice, yang-chow fried rice and their chicken with rice noodles in soup. Check out the little menu to the side of the table that lists breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. I love the breakfast special because you get 1 egg and your choice of porkchop or beef with a dinner roll and choice of drink. Also, I like their baked porkchop with tomato on rice. It's so delicious. The tomato sauce had a really strange flavour, but the porkchop was cooked nicely and was crispy too! Their portion size used to be a lot bigger, and never order the appetizers. Those are huge rip-offs.
Service varies. Recently, the waitress was kind of rude. I also hate how they won't let you substitute things out of what you order. A friend has allergies to shrimp, and they wouldn't allow me to substitute the shrimp out of the dish---had to get rid of it altogether. Also, the waitress is very forgetful. Forgot my dinner roll and utensils too! That says something, when you forget to hand out the utensils. Lucky for her, the dinner roll was cheap and I didn't really care for it.
The ambiance is nice. Obviously it's an improvement over what the boss used to look like. Seats are really comfy.
Value is decent or passable. For the inconsistent food quality and skimpy portions, it is best for the diner on a budget to venture elsewhere.
Overall, the Boss is an okay investment if you favour HK cafe style of food. Their menu lacks a lot of variety and caters to Chinese/Westernized cuisine. At least give it a try.
First, I should say that I grew up eating at Boss in Chinatown so I knew what to expect when I came to Boss in Metro.
For anyone who might be experiencing Boss for the first time, make sure you look at the little menu sitting on your table. It has a breakfast and lunch special. I LOVE the breakfast specials- you get a drink (cold +$1), eggs (any way) steak, ham, weiner (etc.), and a noodle soup of the day for only $7.95! What many people probably don't know is that you can substitute!! If you don't want the macaroni chicken soup, get ham and spaghetti. If you don't want sausage, get a pork chop. It's that easy and it's free, plus breakfast is served from open to close.
I definitely like the combos here better than Chinatown, but it has it's off days where the soup base is bland. However, in the numerous times we've been here, I can count on one hand the times I didn't satisfy my craving.
Ordering regular dishes from the menu isn't nearly as good of a deal as ordering from their preset menus. I like it here...when you don't have to wait!!
I was more than pleasantly surprised at this restaurant. My friend and I wanted a simple meal of noodles and wonton and such. We ended up ordering 2 dishes from the combo meal menu for $7.95. Fried rice noodles with Beef and Onions in soy sauce, Baked Seafood Rice (these two came with a basic drink each) and a half order of kai lan. The portions were more than filling.
The quality of the food is outstanding. The comment below reflects that dishes come out whenever they are ready and it is a shame because it is a Chinese restaurant and the food is served family style - so if you're ordering your entree you better tell the server that you want them to come out at the same time!
The service is basic ... nothing special but not bad in anyway. The servers spoke English so not a problem for non-Chinese speakers. Some of the menus could use new covers as the ones we got were not in good shape.
And the room is very modern and comfortable. Unfortunately like many Asian restaurants there is too much crap here and there and takes away from the excellent decor.
My husband & I arrived at this 'Hong Kong style cafe' shortly after 9:00 a.m., when it opens. It is well-lit and bright despite being enclosed in a mall. We were promptly seated and supplied with glasses of Chinese tea. We ordered from the limited (compared to cafes that we visited in Richmond) 'breakfast menu'. However, what is listed on the menu is just a fraction of what is actually available. Each of us had a choice of "dinner roll" or "toast", eggs (made as you like) and served with ham, bacon, or pork cutlet, etc., soup with beef brisket or chicken (or other items), and tea or coffee, which we had mixed (one drink each of tea AND coffee). I had my eggs 'sunny side up' and thought they were DELICIOUS. I also thought the tea/coffee drink was one of the best blends that I had ever had. Our bill was just under $15.00 in total and we could not even finish all the food that we received. I am so thrilled that a 'Hong Kong style cafe', like this one, exists just a 10-minute drive from my home in New Westminster.
I had the number 13, off the back of the menu: chicken chunks with instant noodles. I was pleasantly surprised by the huge chunks of chicken. The noodles themselves were okay, but the menu DID say they were instant. The meal came with a hot beverage; mine was half-tea, half-coffee. All in all, I enjoyed it.
I've been to several HK cafes around Metro Vancouver and this one is pretty good. The ambiance is definitely the best I've seen but the food is good depending on what you get.
Their menu size is alright but what HK cafes are best for are their combos (one dish plus drink). From this point of view, Boss is sorely lacking which is reflected in their value rating. They only have about 10 combos. Compare that to Kam Do who has at least 50.
The food was alright. We had the curry beef brisket and the meat platter. The curry was just okay...the spices in the sauce seemed premade from a jar. The platter was better than other places. It had a piece of steak that was cooked well, European sausage (other places usually has a regular hot dog), ham, bacon (can't go wrong with bacon), fried egg, spaghetti/rice, and broccoli.
Would I go back? Eh...maybe...I like to have a iced coffee with my meal and I don't feel like paying $3.50 extra for it.
First of all, this location is always packed with people.....so expect long waits during mall hours. The hostess is downright rude and obnoxious. She yells at the customers if they ask her for anything, and she is also very sarcastic to parents with strollers. She laughs at the staff if they make mistakes, and she does not properly train the new waitresses, she just stands there to laugh and pick at the newer staff. When you ask her for the bill, she literally throws the bill at you, and yells a very ungrateful, "Thank-you" with a frown,. The food is pretty good though, like the satay chicken chowmein and the chicken spaghetti. However, I do agree that after renovations, most of the prices for the dishes have been quite steep. For example $9.50-$12.50 for chowmein or fried rice. Also the breakfast sets are ridiculously priced at $7.95 for a crappy tasting coffee, small piece of meat with "two" eggs( so they claim, but it seems much less than 2), a small cup of noodles, and a boring slice of dry toast with butter.
We primarily go there when we need a fried rice fix. My usuals are the BBQ pork/shrimp fried rice, or the kimchi fried rice. This restaurant serves their kimchi rice with bacon but not all other establishments do and for me this makes a big difference because the salty bacon kind of mellows out the sour of the kimchi. Plus their kimichi isn’t too overpowering so that’s good. If your inclined I know some who like their salty fish fried rice but it’s too pungent for me. Otherwise overall their Chinese food is decent.
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| 10. | Orange Julius (43 m) |
