Noshwellmenu

[rating:3] :

Congee restaurants are a great place to hit when feeling under the weather. Congee is rice porridge and is essentially the Chinese equivalent to chicken noodle soup. It isn’t a terribly exciting dish, but when made right, with the right fixings and seasonings, it can really satisfy the soul. After a particularly hellish hangover, Tre thought it’d be a good idea to take me out to Congee Noodle House to recover.

Congee Noodle House is located on East Broadway just off the corner of Main. We arrived during peak time, so the house was packed. People were anxiously waiting to be seated and were hovering around occupied tables near the front. We felt sorry for the hostess. She seemed to have things under control, but was constantly being pestered by over anxious customers who feared their number wouldn’t be called. I found it amusing. People repeatedly glanced at their numbers and then at the hostess. Here’s a hint: your number isn’t going to magically disappear — and staring at the hostess with your pleading eyes isn’t going to get you seated any faster.

(Clockwise Top to Bottom: 1. Classic Pork and Preserved Egg Congee. 2. Chinese Donuts. 3. Standard noodle house condiments)

The interior reminds me of the Congee Noodle King on Kingsway in Burnaby. Even the menu items are almost identical. They must have the same interior designer.

We ordered a soy chicken noodle soup for Tre and pork and preserved egg congee for me — and a side of Chinese donut. Our food arrives after a long wait. Tre’s soup arrived after 10 minutes, but the congee took another 20 minutes to make an appearance. Tre’s soy chicken is nice and tender, but the soup was lukewarm. My pork and preserved egg congee is good with fresh slivers of green onions and some salted peanuts. The Chinese donut is nice and light and not greasy, but was cold upon arrival. Overall, the food was good, but it took forever and the items weren’t hot. I imagine service would be much better during off peak hours.

Perfect for: An immune system boost when feeling like crap, or some good old fashioned Chinese greasy spoon dishes.

The Details

141 East Broadway, Vancouver
604.879.8221

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