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Foo Lai Ho serves dim sum and other Chinese cuisine on Kingsway.
I came to this place I think 5-6 years ago and thinking it was ok so when we came back, I expected about the same but somehow it was not as good.
Food: I hated that fruit salad with mayonnaise - too much mayo that completely ruined the fruits! The deep-fried half chicken was little bit soggy. Assortment of other dishes were only ok - I felt I didn't get my value's worth since nothing popped out for me. The only thing that was pretty good was the honey garlic spareribs but I've had better at other places.
Service: People seemed really nice and cheerful. Waiter kept forgetting to get us hot water.
Ambiance: The same as any old chinese restaurant - a bit dingy but usually that can be saved by the great good they serve but this place lacked that.
Probably won't return since there are so many other Chinese places in this city to eat at. There was nothing spectacular here to draw me back.
I went for dinner with the ancestors last night because one of the respected elders and one of the respectful unmarried children were having birthdays. We had the full-on Cantonese banquet meal, with all 8 of the lucky dishes.
Overall the service was very good but a little brisk, as is typical for this sort of restaurant. The highlight of the meal was the drunken chicken, or maybe the Peking duck 2 ways. I also thought the fish was okay. The choi was prepared in interesting ways and the noodles and fried rice were fine also.
As for ambience, it quite nice and has the usual Dragon/Phoenix on the wall and the de rigeur Chinese decorations. I did think our table cloth looked a bit ratty though, and the carpet could use a shampoo.
The Chinese name of this place roughly means 'wealthy, pretty, deluxe' and their business cards describe the place as a 'palace of gourmets', which is a bit of an overstatement of the quality of the restaurant and the food. That said, it is better than most, and perfect for when the ancient ones need some respect and food. Plus it isn't too expensive, la.
Recommended.
After a long absent from this place, my parent and I decided to visit it again (since it was the only place open near our house). I went back to a place I remember not too long ago, a place where the service is still the same: SLOW
The Food: Same old Chinese Dim Sum. Can't really change much about the food.
The Service: Slow
The ambiance: Well, they changed the decor, added a few chinese details. The dining room itself have gotten bigger and the tables are still cramped together. We shared a big table with tow other familys which pretty much became akward.
My family's been going to this restaurant on a fairly regular basis for the past couple of years. We do their dim sum quite often as 5 adults and 2 children always leave stuffed for under $60 with tip.
The dim sum dishes are often hot and fresh unlike some places that keep re-circulating the same thing. They do tend to have a lot of deep fried dishes, but like the previous reviewer mentioned, it's probably safer.
Being a non-chinese, I never would have ordered it if it weren't for my Chinese sister-in-law, but do try their deep fried salty tofu. The triangular pieces come stacked with sliced jalapeno on top. It sounds and looks disgusting, but it's savoury heaven on your tongue.
We've been here for dinner, too, and it's decent. It's not Sun Sui Wah, but they don't claim to be. And I believe they use MSG, so for those who are sensitive, you may want to avoid.
In summary, this isn't a place to take prospective business partners or to go on a first date, but do go if you're craving for dim sum and don't want to spend a fortune.
I have been coming here for dim sum for a while. The dim sum is decent and reasonably priced...it's a little on the greasy side. I've also been here for dinner a couple of times and did not like the food. It's a little over priced for what you get. The restaurant could be a lot cleaner. The last time I went here for a family dinner I saw a huge cockroach climbing up the wall not too far from where we were seated. Unfortunately we had already placed our order and could not leave. The kids were petrified and the adults were disgusted. When the food arrived I had a hard time choking it down. We have not been back for dinner since. We still stop in for dim sum once in a blue moon. I figure it's safe to eat the dim sum since every thing is steamed or deep fried.
It was pretty much the same as the old management, BUT last time we went their for my niece's 1month it was pathetic! Their service was ok.... they served that dish with lettuce wrap with duck meat... the lettuce had bugs in them!!!!! OMG! we asked for them to be cleaned, and the owner came back with so-called clean ones, and before she came to our table, she noticed that it was still unclean and bugs in it... so she said she will give us more,but really went to the back to get it cleaned again. Imagine how embarrassing to invite family and relatives for a dinner like this and there's bugs it in?? The new chef does not prove any better quality food either. I prefered the old chef also.
Foo Lai Ho == Bitter Come Go!
That's the direct translation.
Another reason why not to visit this place. When I was last there I saw 2 mice sitting next to my feet. No joke. I started screaming and got up. The owner asked me to be quiet and not to make a scene.
After that episode, she told us that if we did not go to the health inspector's about them, they would give a free meal.
Yeah...that's why i don't go there anymore.
Been to this restaurant a few times. As long as you stick with the fried food and the extra hot dim sum dumplings, you shouldn't get sick. However, a few times the shrimp dumpling was undercooked and had to be returned back to the kitchen. It's a place for a quick dim sum fix for a reasonable price but i wouldn't come here on a regular basis. Don't expect top notch service as you won't be getting any. It's also a very small restaurant, so expect to share tables with others who you never met before and have no desires to meet at all. The restaurant itself is not one of the cleanest looking places. It's quite obvious as you put your first foot in through the door. For that matter, you may want to take your other foot and lead your first foot out of the door instead of in through the door.
I have been to this restaurants several times during the past year. I really enjoyed the food there. I brought a friend with me the last time and they enjoyed it so much that they took their business card away. The owner and the waitresses are very pleasant, except the restaurant tends to be understaffed and therefore slow to respond. I particularly enjoyed their seafood soup. I ordered it every time and it's consistently good. Price is very reasonable.
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