Hooland Cafe好来冰室 — Restaurant in Waterloo

I dined in two times and also ordered takeout two times so far since they opened. Every time I ordered different items. As a born and raised in HK HongKonger, I could see they were trying to recreate some of the well-known local food that you would sometimes crave for but can hardly find in Waterloo. I just want to give my very honest review to contribute in any possible improvement the restaurant may make in the future.

The first time I was there, I tried out the all kind of meat served on hot pan with spaghetti (for sauce option I chose Black pepper sauce) It was fairly good in the portion, had everything I expected on that pan. Even the steak, pork chop and chicken thigh chop were well marinated plus in a fair size (in a girl perspective tho, but I can eat a good amount). And the steak probably was marinated with soda power or鬆肉粉 which to make it softer in texture which was pretty close to the ones you can eat in HK. The spaghetti tho was too buttery for me, even with the black pepper sauce I could still taste the butter. And the black pepper sauce was not as strong in flavour. -6.5/10

I was excited to try the baked rice/spaghetti. The other day I had the baked bolognese spaghetti, the first thing I noticed was they did put carrot bits in it which was a surprise. However, the whole thing was too salty and I even had my boyfriend tried it to see if it was just me. Unfortunately, he also found it too salty to eat. It might be a one time thing, not sure. Apart from way too salty, there was almost no sauce left when it was served so it was really hard to finish as baked rice/ spaghetti would turn out to be too dry to eat. And today I tried baked deep fried fish with rice. I knew the rice base was just plain white rice before I ordered it. I still hope they would consider to make it an egg fried rice base to make it more accurate to an authentic HK style. also, the same issue happened, there was no sauce at all. That is a very turn off thing for bake rice/ spaghetti as it’s really dry. The fish fillets were good in both flavour and portion tho! -4/10

The other items I had tried were: _ChaSiu (BBQ pork) instant noodles in soup -ChaSiu was not that fatty enough but take that as 瘦叉still good enough. Noodles was出前一丁, wasn’t soggy when it was served on table, so good enough! -7.5/10

_Two kinds of meatball in curry sauce- 6/10

_HK style milktea (hot)- the tea base was a bit too strong and not as smooth as I was looking for. But! Nothing to complaint too much about as this is no HK. I would still order it and hoping for a better milk/tea balance every time. -6.5/10

_Condense milk toast was ok nothing could really go wrong- 7/10

And recently they offered options for meal combos with a pretty decent price. I am glad they have these options now but as I remembered a few of them didn’t include milktea as a choice for the meal drink which is unfortunate. I would still love to keep trying out their food while hoping more improvement will be made. Even they weren't very accurate in authenticity, they still killed some of my home food craving. Mistakes still happened even I was there for only two times. Orders were served to wrong tables. However, staff were kind, polite...

I was so excited to visit this restaurant since it’s rare to find Hong Kong or Southern Chinese food in Waterloo. I assumed the place would be great because they took so long to open—but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The experience at the Hooland Cafe was underwhelming and disappointing for several reasons:

Decor and Presentation: The decor was visually appealing, but it seems most of the budget went into it rather than improving operations or food quality. Empty spaces near the entrance could have been utilized with chairs or tables for waiting customers.

Service and Communication: The staff struggled with communication, speaking only Mandarin and showing limited understanding of Cantonese and English. This was disappointing for a Hong Kong-style café. There was no Cantonese music on the playlist, only Mandarin songs, further detracting from the authenticity. Wait time estimates were inaccurate, with a promised 30-minute wait turning out to be only 10 minutes. This might seem like a minor issue, but it can actually drive away potential customers. We noticed a few people leaving due to the wait time. They didn’t even have a proper system in place for waitlists or reservations. The owners avoided interacting with customers, leaving busy servers to handle all issues.

Food Quality: The black pepper sauce steak was poorly made, with a thin consistency and excessive black pepper. The steak quality was subpar (really cheap quality meat), and the rice was hard like bullets, making it unappetizing. They didn't even ask me how I like my steak to be cooked. The iced Hong Kong milk tea was authentic but overpriced compared to other options like bubble tea. Other dishes, such as the curry fish ball, were barely touched by neighbouring diners, suggesting dissatisfaction. They didn’t even pack up the fish balls to take with them.

Billing Issues: The bill was incorrectly calculated, resulted in a lower charge for me. Just shows that they were either unaware of it, or that they didn’t know how to enter the order.

Overall Impressions: For the price, the experience did not meet expectations, especially for someone who appreciates Southern Chinese and Hong Kong cuisine. This comparison is made against other Hong Kong restaurants in the GTA area. The lack of promotions or signage made the restaurant's opening feel unorganized, and the soft opening highlighted poor management and operations. They probably took this long to open because the invested most of their money on the appearance rather than the actual operations and food. Although it shows promise, this restaurant needs significant improvements to its food, service, and management before I’d...

A Disappointing and Disrespectful Hong Kong Cafe Experience. (Less than mid)

As a frequent visitor to Hong Kong cafes in Toronto, I was excited to try Hooland Cafe, a new establishment in Waterloo. However, my experience was far from satisfactory and left me feeling disappointed and disrespected.

One of the most significant issues I encountered was the lack of Cantonese-speaking staff. This made it difficult for me to order and communicate with the service, which is a major inconvenience for anyone who doesn’t speak English.

Another major problem was the exorbitant prices. While the prices may seem reasonable at first glance, they quickly add up when you consider the quality of the food. Additionally, none of the meals came with a hot drink, which is a standard feature in all Hong Kong cafes.

To make matters worse, table splitting was not being done, which resulted in huge lineups when most customers were just two people. This not only inconvenienced the customers but also created a sense of unfairness.

In my opinion, the owners of Hooland Cafe seem to be trying to capitalize on the Hong Kong cafe trend without fully understanding the cultural values that define our community. They appear to be trying to replicate the experience of a Hong Kong cafe without the authentic ingredients and service that make them truly special.

On a positive note, the interior of the cafe has a nice and cozy atmosphere that is reminiscent of Hong Kong culture. However, one major flaw is the absence of a wind door, which causes a constant breeze throughout the restaurant. This is a common feature in other restaurants in the same building, but it seems to have been overlooked by the owners of Hooland Cafe.

Moving on to the food, I tried the HK Lemon Ice Tea, which was bitter and not at all like the way we make it in Hong Kong. At $6, it was also not worth the price. I could easily get a more authentic and delicious bubble lemon tea at a nearby shop for the same price. The other reviews are correct just the portions are terrible.

My meal was so peppery that it turned spicy unexpectedly. For instance, my friend ordered a pork chop with baked rice, and 70% of it was bone.

I asked the people next to us about the food, and they were so speechless it became funny.

Considering that Hooland Cafe is one of the first Hong Kong cafes in Waterloo, I wanted to give it a chance. However, my experience was far from satisfactory and left me feeling disappointed and disrespected. I hope that the owners will take these issues into account and make improvements to their establishment in the future.

Btw we spent $27 a person and were still...