Mui Garden - Vancouver

This is one of the original Hong Kong style cafes in Vancouver. It's family run and the recipes probably haven't changed for decades. It's honest Cantonese greasy spoon fare. Their Hong Kong style curry beef brisket is a must try.

The main street location has closed down. The next closest one is located on 5797 Victoria Drive, Vancouver. Serves various Asian dishes. Good value for Hong Kong style breakfast. The skewers are tasty but have gotten smaller over the years.

Hai nam chicken and stir fry cod with gai lan were our dinner combo entree selections we decided to go with. Both very good. Many a la carte options too. It comes with rice, soup and dessert for a very reasonable price. The service was ok. We came on a Tuesday and it was not that busy actually. Casual atmosphere, nothing fancy.

The three of us arrived after 2:00 PM for a late lunch. After circling the restaurant location we were able to find metered parking on a side street. Unless you’re prepared to walk a block or more, all the parking on Main Street and the immediate side streets are either metered or reserved for residents. Street parking cost me $2.00 for 2 hours. However, after entering the restaurant, I saw a note on the front door that said there was parking in the back. We did go through the back alley once. The parking spots in the back would appear to be limited.At that time of the day, there were still about 10-15 customers in the 100 plus seat restaurant.We were seated promptly. The menu is really overwhelming as there are a lot of choices; easily over 100 menu items. The main reason for the large menu being the menu is a mix of Cantonese, Hong Kong café style, and Singaporean/Malaysian dishes. There are also other menu items on poster boards hanging on the wall. See photo.We ordered 1 appetizer and 3 main courses to share:• Roti Canai ($5.95) - Indian style pancakes/flatbread (about 8 slices) served with a curry dipping sauce – okay, a bit more on the doughy side than crispy.• Beef with bitter melon ($12.50) in a black bean sauce and as the name suggests the melon is bitter; adding some chili sauce counter balances some of the bitterness. Taste-wise, I enjoyed it but is an acquired taste.• Eggplant with chili & garlic sauce hot pot ($12.50) was slightly spicy and good• Supreme fried kuiteow ($9.50) - pan fried flat rice noodles with shrimp, egg, pork and bean sprouts. It was described as “spicy” in the description but I did not find it spicy at all. It’s a so-so dish.• 1 bowl of steamed rice – $1.75The total bill with taxes came to $43.30 before tips.The portion size / value was okay but could have been better. Conversely, the price point could have been a little lower.The service was okay although we did have to ask for tea refills.• Roti Canai – would have preferred the roti a little crisper - 3 out of 5 rating• Beef with bitter melon – average/good dish; 3+ out of 5 rating• Eggplant with chili & garlic sauce hot pot – good dish – 3+ out of 5• Supreme fried kuiteow – so-so dish, a bit bland rates a 3 out of 5I would rate the overall food experience as average – 3 out of 5 rating.Notes & Tips• I will probably be back to try their specialties – the chicken dishes and the curry dishes• Cash and debit card only• Separate washrooms that are wheelchair accessible• Check the restaurant website for a sampler menu • There’s also a Mui Garden on Victoria Drive and another in Richmond

'Cuz so many of our friends rave about this restaurant chain (Main Street, Victoria Drive & Minoru Bvld) we decided to venture into the Main Street location for dinner. Surprisingly the menu is fairly extensive, we even found one of our favorite dishes (pork belly with preserved vegetable) which so very few Chinese restaurants now offer. Service was prompt and inviting and our dinner arrived in a timely fashion. Parking is available on Main Street.