Kuan Luck Chinese Restaurant

Hainan Chicken Cuisine

Went out with a another family for dinner at Kuan Luck Chinese Restaurant located on Kingsway in Vancouver. I did not expect this restaurant to be so crowded but it really was when we arrived. I have read the reviews online about this restaurant and majority of the feedbacks mentioned that the food was on the salty side. I assume diners to Chinese restaurants don't really care about reviews or at least the reviews in English because the place was so crowded and there was a one hour wait time for non reservation.

Cod Fillet in Black Bean Sauce

We quickly decided on the cuisines as the friend that was dining with us have been here before and knows the good stuff. And besides that it was really packed in the diner. Our orders were served relatively quick in spite of the large crowd. We only ordered five different cuisines and a bucket of rice. There were no extra charge for the bucket of rice which actually makes a lot of sense for a Chinese restaurant that serves predominantly Chinese diners that makes it a unique attraction.

Stir Fried Beef with Onions and Spring Onions

Overall the cuisines we had ordered tasted more on the salty side. There were a little too much salt put in the cuisines. Because of that salty taste, the cuisines were all kind of similar in taste. There were different flavours between the different cuisines but the saltiness of the cooking has enveloped the flavours. Maybe it was because of the cuisines we had ordered that makes everything tasted similar but we had the same cuisines before in different Chinese restaurant, they were perfectly cooked which we could tell the different taste and flavours.

Tofu with Salted Fish

So, after that dining experience, I still favour dining at HONs. In my humble opinion, the same cuisines such as Hainan Chicken, Cod Fillet, Stir Fried Beef, Tofu and Pork Ribs which we had for dinner are common in Cantonese cuisines are cooked better in HONs and some other Chinese restaurants. So, my conclusion is that, most diners either have a liking for salty food or are attracted to this restaurant because of the pricing. That is another attractive point because this place is actually cheaper to dine than most other restaurants of similar cuisine type. After all, the food here is still decently and authentically Chinese.