Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

Last time I was at Pearl Castle Cafe at Old Orchard Mall near Metrotown, I had a pretty lame tea . This time another friend dragged me there for lunch (her treat, so her choice) and it turned out to be really decent and good quantity for price! I didn't try their drinks/dessert again to re-review those. CASH ONLY. CASH ONLY. CASH ONLY. Assorted Stir Fried Spicy Pot ($9.95?) Spicy but not excessive and no lingering burn on the tongue. Not secretly filled with cheap veggies -- it's a smallish looking plate but they don't skimp on non-veggie content. Two big prawns included. You need to spend a couple bucks extra to "make it a combo" including rice. If another dish has rice already you might want to skip that depending on how much you can eat. Spicy sauce obviously ends up at the bottom. Remember to scoop deep for it if you're having it with rice. Simple yet delicious and a good mix of ingredients to keep it from being boring as you eat it. ...

Sheesh, I didn't even know Pearl Castle Cafe existed in the Old Orchard Shopping Centre! Small space, nice and bright decor. Servers very alert tonight -- I can't even glance around to take in the room without catching their eye and having them immediately veer toward my position! Ginseng Honey Grapefruit Tea ($5.95) There's definitely ginseng inside the pot, but I can't really taste it. Quite sweet, no grapefruit bitterness. Overall tasted like a honey-citrus sort of drink. Disappointing for the lack of ginseng flavour so I can't really recommend ordering it.