Friend's BBQ Restaurant - Burnaby

Don't expect to be wowed and this restaurant will deliver good food, average premises and an overall satisfying experience.It hit the spot for our desire for Chinese "comfort food" (what else is wonton and congee?) and so if we are in the neighbourhood again, we will return.

Another Chinese restaurant in the neighbourhood was our go to place for an early dinner yesterday. Friend’s BBQ Restaurant is located within a small plaza near the corner of North Road and Lougheed Highway, just a short drive or walk from us - we (as a threesome) arrived at the restaurant about 3:30 pm, and found a parking spot immediately in front of the entrance.    We were warmly-greeted upon entering, and shown to one of the booths alongside the window at the front of the restaurant.  Once in and seated, our server immediately brought mugs of hot tea and menus to our table. The restaurant is quite large, with booths and tables & chairs seating arrangements. It was clean and bright, and had a very comfortable look and feel about it. I cannot recall music or tv’s playing, but if so, they were turned low, and of no concern to our dining experience.  We liked and appreciated the ambiance.Service was cordial, friendly, and timely throughout our visit. We appreciated the initial help received when trying to make up our minds on what dishes to order - their menu is rather large, and provides the customer with a great selection of options.What I ordered ..... all dishes brought from kitchen to our table looking good - large dishes, with very generous portion sizes, and rather colourful presentations.-- Pan-Fried Rice Rolls - w/soya, green onion and sprouts garnish — House Special Chow Mein - w/moist, dry noodles (what we asked for), mushrooms, onion, carrot, baby boy choy, and assortments of meats and seafoods — BBQ Meat Combo - we chose a combination of two meats, duck and roast pork — Squid and Gai Lan - we ordered the squid steamed.We were able to try a nice mix of various seafoods, meats, and veggies, along with the distinctive textures, flavours, and tastes that accompanied each. None of the preparations were greasy, and all textures were tender, and if anything, a touch on the undercooked side. Familiar-to-us dishes, with no really no unique preparations, or taste/flavour surprises. It was our first bbq duck in a very long while though, and although it tasted a little salty for me, it was really enjoyed, and considered a nice treat. Overall, some nice presentations and good preparations. Some leftovers to savour for dinner today (yea!).   We much-enjoyed our dining experience at Friend’s BBQ.

Impressed by the quality and generosity of a very good Cantonese chef. Complimentary dinner soup prior to meal....A well executed Singapore noodle dish...good friendly service and clean tidy surrounds, easy parking out front...recommended

They been in business over two years ,finally ,I got my chance to try it out ,I hear so much BAD BAD review about this restaurant ,parking is awful ,staff can not understand any English ,it is Cantonese food ,it is clean , it is 6 pm on Thu , not a single customer ! we ask the Manager ? are you open ? she look at me and smile !we have our tablet and I do not feel very comfortable sit by the door ,we ask one of the staff can we move to other table ,his English is not that good ,NO ! he said ,we almost got up and leave , and one of the staff come up to us and very professional and speak excellent English ,and moved us away from the tablet ,and into one of the conner both ,(The Owner ? )and help us to order their house special ,the quality of the food is so so ,beef vegetable is only have six sliced beef in it ,again ,I ask the staff , (owner )Where is the beef ,he laugh and said ,oh ,the beef gone on holiday ,and come back with a fresh dish of beef ,wow ! foods o.k , service like a 5 stars hotel ,(owner ) it is comfort food in and out ,if we do go back ,make sure we have the same staff sever us ,it seems a lot of their staff do not understand English ,I am not recommended this place for dinner, wast your money ,but a quick noodle soup is o.k ,and make sure you can spake Chinese !if not ,you out of luck !

A generic Chinese restaurant at the first glance, Friends offer a range of Cantonese cuisine.