I had the absolute worse experience at Cattle cafe metrotown..I had decided to give this place another chance after the not so great experience at the one at Edmonds. Cattle cafe metrotown used to do so well, but the standards have declined so much so that I was left disappointed. The cleanliness I could let slide, and perhaps the decrease in portion size too. The service is a little iffy usually and I usually let that go too, since service isn’t exactly the strong point at hong kong cafe type restaurants, but this time, it just wasn’t acceptable.
Noodle soup
I chose to have the noodle combo (choice of soup base, noodle, and two toppings) with tom yum soup, rice noodle, fish filet and pumpkin ($8.50). The bowl of noodles were fine, a little smaller in portion than it used to be but they weren’t bad. The soup was tangy and the noodles weren’t overcooked. The pumpkin could of been cooked a little longer, but it wasn’t raw enough to be inedible.
Bad service
The problem was the process of ordering this dish. At first I wanted to order the tom yum seafood hot pot, but the waitress said it would take half and hour. While I was deciding what to get instead, she explained the menu to Grayson in English and answered any of his questions. When it was my turn to order again, I told the server I wanted the noodle combo with the Tom yum soup.
I did this in English because I figured it would be fine since she was perfectly alright with speaking in English to Grasyon earlier. She kept asking me what soup I wanted. I was confused because I was already pointing at it on the menu, so I didn’t understand why she began to raise her tone with me. Eventually, despite how I was pointing at the menu already, she practically yelled “do you speak chinese?!?!” at me.
I was taken aback by this because I certainly didn’t expect to be given attitude that evening. Then as I was half way through my order a friend of the waitress was leaving the cafe. I assumed it was her friend because they half conversed on the way out! Even though I was already frustrated with her at this point, I gave her the benefit of the doubt and figured she was just being customer friendly and waving to her friend. BUT, she actually tried to get her friend to stay and continue to converse with her! It was so rude and this definitely set my heart on not ever returning again.
Grain fed beef short-rib
Grayson had the grain fed beef short-rib in Japanese style mustard sauce with rice ($10.99). He said that the beef was of good quality, but the way they prepared it completely “butchered” it’s potential to taste remarkable. He said that the meat was overcooked, and although it still tasted alright, he was still disappointed with its preparation. On the bright side, the aid that the mustard sauce paired quite deliciously, so it made up for it’s flaws…a tad bit.
I’m sorry cattle cafe, you used to be a favorite to go of mine, but I’m not going to be back anymore, not after this trip.