粵滿園 Flavorful House — Restaurant in Richmond Hill

It was incredibly busy on a weeknight for dinner. We ordered the braised duck with rice, pork belly, and the fried salted egg yolk bitter melon and pumpkin. Note that dishes from the private kitchen selection, like the braised duck with rice, require a one-day advance order. The list of private kitchen dishes is on their website.

The tables are packed very closely together, with barely an inch of space between you and the next table. We had to squeeze through several tables just to reach ours at the back. There’s no designated waiting area, so when it’s busy, patrons stand right next to the tables near the entrance, effectively staring at you while you eat. It’s awkward for both the diners and those waiting. The environment feels chaotic and lacks any real ambiance, as the noise level from everyone talking loudly only adds to the discomfort.

Service was slow and inattentive. We had to ask twice for hot water and twice for takeout boxes, but they never arrived. Eventually, we had to go to the counter to grab them ourselves.

The braised duck ($62.99) was definitely worth the price. The duck was crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, while the stuffed rice was fragrant and flavorful, soaked in the duck's savory juices with bits of herbs.

The pork belly ($20.99) was disappointing, especially at that price. It should have been tender and melt-in-your-mouth, but instead, it was tough and chewy.

The fried melon and pumpkin with salted egg yolk was a highlight, served in a generous portion. It was crispy and flavorful without being overly salty, making it stand out compared to similar dishes from other places.

While the food was good, the slow service, inattentiveness, and the overcrowded, noisy atmosphere made for a less-than-pleasant dining experience. Unless there’s a time when the restaurant is quieter, we’re unlikely to return anytime soon.

Update:

To the Owner: Thank you for taking the time to respond; do appreciate it. We understand the reasoning behind fitting in as many tables as possible to maximize profits. However, it unfortunately led to a very uncomfortable dining experience.

We were also disappointed that the response didn’t acknowledge the sub-par service, which we mentioned in my review. As stated, I won’t be returning any time soon, but I do...

ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL! I haven't had such an amazing meal in so long with such authentic flavors, amazing service, on-point atmosphere... Expect a long review, 'cause I loved this place! I came here while on a trip and this place was highly recommended to me by a friend. Reservations are recommended for larger groups, I think, or when they're busy (I think, since my friend did make a reservation for me). Every ingredient is fresh, and prepared with authenticity and I definitely can taste the experience the chefs have. The celtuce and the king oyster mushrooms were great (such crispy celtuce and tender mushroom). The sauce they coated the beef with was phenomenal, and combined with the tenderness of the beef... heaven. Not to mention, the beef is cooked perfectly, not undercooked and not overdone unlike some other restaurants that screw it up and hide their mistake under layers of sauce. The chicken was wonderful and the plating gorgeous, very fresh chicken definitely. I myself am not a huge fan of seafood but the other people I ate with were, so we did get geoduck and seafood soup. I tentatively ate a few geoduck, and hey, it's not bad. I think what blew me away the most, though, was the salted egg. A friend I ate with ordered it, and said to me that I'd definitely like it (I've never had this dish before). Boy, that dish was AMAZING! Remember how I didn't like seafood that much? That tiger shrimp was so fresh and chewy and didn't stink of seafood at all! The crispy, salty exterior of the egg that coated the chewy, sweet pumpkin slices was phenomenal, I can't even describe how wonderful it was. Just when we were stuff and full, dessert of green bean soup arrived— perfect for a hot summer day. The soup was sweet and refreshing, and I am not lying when I said this meal made my day much better. Service was excellent too, the staff were all friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was lively and the decor and lighting really was pretty neat (and so was the tank that had all the seafood and fish and crustaceans that garnered the interest of a kid at a nearby table, which made me smile). Can't recommend this enough, it's worth every single dollar, and you honestly can't go wrong...

The vibes in this resto reminded me of Top Choice Restaurant in Markham. Located where Big Mouth Kee used to be, the parking lot is usually packed.

I thought this spot would be really big inside but it's actually relatively modest in size. We were sat near the seafood tanks and private room, on the right side of the resto.

My family dines at Starchiva regularly, just down the road over on East Beaver Creek and that resto is the gold standard for us right now in terms of overall canto food experience. So how does this place stack up?

This place put up a valiant effort. Everything was slightly on the salty side to be honest (especially the dishes containing shrimp). The salted egg yolk shrimp and pumpkin was very crispy and had great texture but the shrimps tasted like they had been brining in saltwater for awhile. Similarly, we got 2 types of their stuffed wings (stuffed wings w/ sticky rice and stuffed wings w/ shrimp). The shrimp filling in the wings were also uncharacteristically salty.

The sweet n' sour pork was very crispy and fresh but the meat to fat ratio was off. There was a lil too much fat inside each piece.

Beef tenderloin with garlic and mushrooms had good flavour imo but was too oily. I could see the mushrooms swimming in oil at the bottom of the plate when it arrived. Same with the eggplant and chicken stone bowl. A little bit too much oil.

Lobster e-fu noodle I really enjoyed but my family didn't think it was anything special. Likewise, I enjoyed the sizzling green onion and ginger oyster pot but my family (and my bro's wife) found the oysters to be on the salty side. They also made an error with our oyster pot and cooked the wrong style but the waitress took it off our bill. Great service!

For a place that prices itself like Starchiva I felt like it was much noisier/louder and also not as spacious. I just didn't get the sense of comfort while dining in this restaurant.

Maybe I'd come back to try some lunch in the future but for dinner, I'm not...