Mr. Congee Chinese Cuisine

Mr Congee? Who would have thought, supposedly a go to place for their roast duck per my friends, let's go!nnA large restaurant, strange design with booth seating down the middle of the floor plan essentially dividing the restaurant in half.nnNoticed when I walked in, almost every table had the roast duck dish, large families had the whole roast duck, smaller families had the half portion.nnDishes ordered- whole roast duck, beef ong choy water spinach, clam mushroom veg, chicken gravy crispy noodles. Ali dishes large and plentifulnnRoast duck dish came out first, expertly carved like a surgeon on a cadaver yeah, bad analogy, my apologies. Each succulent piece resting in a flavorful sauce of duck juice, grease, oil and I don't know what, it was just good. Protip, dip the duck in the accompanied sweet sauce to cut the greasiness of the duck.nnThe clam mushroom veg dish was good, not sure if describing this dish as a veg dish is accurate. I recognized the green peas pods, however there were slices of a green melon type veg which was delicious. My very Cantonese friend ordered this dish, I neglected to ask for the proper name as I was too busy stuffing my mouth.nnThe beef ong choy water spinach in fermented bean curd was ok, nothing special. However, beef was decent, not over tenderized.nnThe chicken gravy crispy noodle dish was excellent, plenty of crispy noodles with tasteful gravy and chicken bits. Gotta have my carbs.nnTopped off with a free sago green bean dessert.nnStar of the show was the roast duck, a must try for poultry loving aficionados. So much food,, we had plenty of leftovers to take home.

They’ve got these massive lobsters that you just won’t find anywhere else. The meat is super fresh and has that perfect firm texture.nnBut, I have to say, the way they cook them doesn’t quite do justice to the lobster’s natural flavor. It’s a bit too oily and loaded with spices for my taste.nnIn my opinion, the best way to enjoy real lobster is simply steamed, so you can savor that deliciously salty meat.nnNow, onto the Vancouver crab—it’s huge, no doubt about it, but honestly, it didn’t leave much of an impression on me. I’d definitely choose the lobster over the crab any day.nnAnd porridge! It’s got this unique texture and taste that I absolutely love.nnThe oysters, on the other hand, are a bit of a mixed bag for me. They’re oversized and can be a bit too fatty and overwhelming.nnAs for the roasted duck, it’s thinly sliced, but with everything else going on, it kind of gets lost in the mix. It’s a bit of a flavor overload in here, but in a fun way! nnI’m not a fan of service here. Everything seems rushing. They speak Chinese which I couldn’t quite get what they said.

Came here to celebrate a birthday with friends — left feeling like we owed the restaurant money.nnI came here with friends to celebrate a birthday — there were four of us, and it was our first time visiting this restaurant. We chose a set menu after taxes almost $300 because we wanted to try lobster, crab, and Peking duck. The portion was already quite generous for four people.nnSince we knew some Chinese restaurants offer a cash discount, we brought cash and expected it to be enough. When we arrived, one of the servers warmly recommended oysters. Even though oysters were already included in the set, I agreed and added another order. Everyone know I am Yes customer!nnEverything seemed fine… until the bill.nnTotal was $343. I had $370 cash and left a $27 tip. Then a younger server came over and told me that a minimum 10% tip is required, and that I was still $5 short.nnYes they were seriously chasing us for FIVE dollars.nnAll three of my friends were genuinely shocked — they had never seen anything like this in their lives.nnI was the one who brought them here — as the only Chinese person in the group, I had told them how amazing Cantonese cuisine is. This experience honestly left me feeling extremely embarrassed.nnI explained we didn’t have more cash. Instead of understanding, we got attitude and pressure. The whole birthday vibe instantly disappeared.nnA few things that don’t make sense:n1 No notice anywhere about a mandatory tip — not on the menu, not at the door, not mentioned in advance. 2 We were only 4 people, not a large group.n30If tipping is “mandatory,” then just include it in the bill instead of surprising customers at the end.nnThis isn’t about money, it’s about principle. Tipping is supposed to reflect service and be voluntary. Being pressured and treated poorly over a few dollars is just unacceptable.nnHonestly, if a restaurant is willing to ruin a customer’s entire experience over $5, that says a lot about how they value their guests.nnWould not return.nnBTW In the end, embarrassed and upset, I took back $20 and told them I didn’t need their couponnI won’t be coming back. After we left, my friends said I should have taken back the full $27, because with that kind of attitude, they didn’t deserve a single cent in tips.

Congee : can’t go wrong unless you choose the topping you don’t like.nDrop some chilli oils and nnBeef brisket with rice : great sauce . wish I had less chinese broccoli stems but it was ok. Brisket was a bit too fatty?nnBbq duck on rice : rice portion is huge. Enough for 2. Duck was crispy! Wasn’t a fan of the seeet & sour sauce that came with.

We go here all the time - our go to Chinese resto since we discovered it a few years ago!!! ALWAYS a hit, food is great, service is nice and friendly! Portion sizes are HUGE and great value for money!!!! And did I mention food is SOOOOOOOO good?!! We used to go to congee queen as our default but then we discovered Mr congee and our lives have been forever changed!!!!! Go for authentic Chinese food!!!!! canto style manly but also has Peking duck etc!