Noshwellmenu

(Clockwise form Left to Right: 1. The unfortunately named Po King Seafood Restaurant. 2. Chicken Feet. 3. Pure chaos.)

Good Dim Sum is difficult to come by in Burnaby, so when we heard about Po King Seafood Restaurant through a relative, we thought we would check it out. Other restaurants occupied the space where Po King now stands, but I guess they didn’t make it. The owners did some renovations and the new space looked promising.   

Tre and I arrived early in the morning. When going to dim sum, it’s best to arrive early. It’s less chaotic, and there are less chances that you need to duke it out with other patrons for a table. When you walk in, the waiting area (if you can call it that) is really cramped. The restaurant itself is surprisingly spacious. Before the hostess reluctantly gives us a number, she asks us if we want to share a table. We politely declined. She looked displeased with our answer and starts asking others if they want to share a table. Po King has an interesting technique for seating customers. We watch as the hostess physically drags some poor folks by their arms to their tables.

(Clockwise from top to bottom: 1. Rice rolls drenched in soy sauce. 2. Black Bean Spare Ribs. 3. Requisite Shui Mai.)

The dishes were okay. Not bad, but not great either. Some dishes were under seasoned, and others were fine. There was a lack of consistency in the food. Trying to flag down one of the waiters for hot sauce was a real chore. Every one appeared to avoid eye contact. And when we finally got one of the server’s attention, instead of walking his lazy ass over to our table and actually bringing us the hot sauce, he gestures for us to get out of our seat to take it from him. I was unimpressed.

(Top to bottom: 1. The only cool thing is they serve freshly made tofu table side. 2. Fresh, sweet tofu.)

Po King Seafood Restaurant gave us both a headache. It was extremely loud, and Tre and I couldn’t have a conversation. The wait staff are not attentive and the cart pushers are rude. I witnessed one push cart lady actually yell at the poor guy sitting next to us. So why do people come here? Well, it’s cheap. For just over 2 bucks a dish, I can see why it’s popular. Hopefully the hostess remembers to take breaks, she looks like a heart attack waiting to happen.

Update: We’ve been back a few times to see if they were just having an off day, but the service is still terrible. We’ll continue to be on the hunt for some great dim sum, but for now we’ll save our money for somewhere better.

Perfect for:

If you’re looking for a recession proof meal and don’t mind crappy service or being physically dragged to your table by a grumpy hostess with a permanent splitting headache.

The Details

150 5665 Kingsway, Burnaby
604.436.2986

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