Hou Lok Restaurant

Most. Asian. Restaurant. Ever. And being from Richmond, that’s saying quite a bit in my mind. Terrible décor. Fast, efficient, borderline rude-​impolite service. But you don’t come here for Kirin-​style service and banquet plating. You come here for cheap, authentic full-​on-​cantonese/​guandong style food.
If you’re non-​chinese, it would probably be a good idea to bring a chinese friend to help you order. Or a dictionary. I think they can understand english, but they might pretend not to.

A bit too salty. Have some $ 5 dishes and free congee with $ 20 order. Well, you get what you paid for. Small portion, poor quality congee. I rather get charged more for decent food.

My sister brought me here for late-​night munchies after a super long day of travelling across the continent via many airplanes and airports. Having endured several hours of resisting the horribly tasteless and expensive meal-​for-​purchase airplane food, I was about ready to eat the wooden table with my bare hands.
We took advantage of their $ 20 late-​night special, which consist of ordering several family-​style dishes accompanied by a bowl of bland white congee. I say bland and white because the congee is meant to serve as a base for the incredibly spicy and flavourful food we ended up ordering. As I was incredibly tired and jet-​lagged, I only vaguely remember stuffing my face happily with the following: deep-​fried rock salt and chili tofu, hot pepper chicken, braised lettuce greens, and some sort of deep-​fried little fish thing.
This place is definitely not for tourists — bring a friend who can speak Cantonese or Mandarin, and know what you’re looking to eat, otherwise this restaurant can get intimidating very quickly. It’s also a bit divey, so I wouldn’t expect friendly service. Come here for the excellent food, the fact that they serve a hugely satisfying meal at ridiculous hours of the night, and the delicious steamed milk dessert they admit to having if you ask very nicely. Yum.

Concept:
«Da Lang»
or «Late Night»
Simply put, this is the Chinese style of late night cuisine, which is widely popular in different places of Asia with different variations. «Da Lang» is originated in the Chaozhou, China. Till this day, a lot of late night eateries in Asia are opened in a «Dai Pai Dong» setting, which means it’s in an outdoor food stall setting. Unfortunately, a lot of these are being closed down because of health regulations.
The traditional dishes served in this type of cuisine are:
Braised Meat in special prepared soy marinates. (IE: Duck, Intestine, beef, ETC)
Chilled crab with special dipping sauce
Congee
Various fresh seafood prepared in different ways (steamed, pan fried, deep fried, ETC)
Hou Lok Restaurant:
This restaurant is what I consider as a hidden gem in Richmond. Local patrons usually frequent this restaurant at late night hours. While some would be standing in the cold for a quick slice or donair stand after a night of partying or working, you can come in with your group of friends and order warm tapa style plates for a very economic price.
As you can see, there are a lot of items only written in Chinese that is posted on the wall. Luckily, you can order what we ordered if you like. Print out the list provided below and hand it to the server. =)
You might also want to check out the single sheet late night menu. The concept is simple, you order up to $ 20 and they will throw in a big bowl of congee.
Steamed Oyster: We ordered one of each: Garlic, Garlic Pepper, and Soy Sauce. First of all, the oysters were gigantic. They were so fresh and all the ingredients help lift up the original taste of the oyster.
Pan Fried Oyster Omelette: Oyster Omelette is very popular in Taiwan. This dish does not disappoint. There is no fishiness in the oysters at all. The eggs are slight brunt to give it that crunchy texture. A red vinegar dip is provided to give it that extra lift.
Clams in Black Sauce: Black Sauce? It’s fermented black bean sauce used in applications of fish and other seafood. I have to suggest that this is not for everyone, because it does have a really strong and unique taste. Asian families that are used to it adore it from the kitchen of their own homes to restaurants alike.
Pickled Vegetable with Pork Intestines: I have featured intestines on the blog before and I understand it is very adventurous to those who haven’t tried it. I can’t stress enough that it has some of the best textures when cooked properly. Bouncy chewy texture, but not to a point where its eraser /​tire like. The pickled vegetable provides the dish with a strong sour taste. If I must compare, it’s the same concept as sauerkraut.
Sautéed Mustard Greens with Garlic: Mustard Green in my opinion is a grown up’s vegetable. Kids do not like espresso much like this vegetables bitterness. People love bitterness as they get older because they often find a sweet
aftertaste.
So next time you and your pals are in Richmond past midnight. Come into Hou Lok and experience what Chinese Late Night has to offer.

For late-​nite munchies, it doesn’t get much better than this.
You know the place is awesome when it doesn’t open before 1700. Yes, 1700. This place does not open during business hours. The lit sign up top says 1600, but this has been superseded by a piece of paper taped on the door.
The reason why there has been no previous Unilocal review of this place is because, well, nobody inside speaks English. Be sure to bring a Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin) speaking friend with you or you’ll be doing a lot of gesturing and pointing.
Some of the customers definitely look shady. This is not the place you want to go to impress a client, unless you’re in the business of selling panda parts. The last time I came here, there were definitely some triad members inside (don’t ask me how I know). So, be sure not to look at the other customers the wrong way if you don’t want get to hacked up and served inside some pork buns the next morning.
We had a combo. 4 dishes + congee for. $ 20. Adding in dessert and an extra dish, and it was $ 30 before tip. There were 6 of us, so. less than $ 6 a person. You can’t even do that at McDonald’s.
Szechuan beef — this was really good. Served with some deep-​fried vegetable. My favourite dish out of the bunch
Honey garlic spare ribs — a bit too bony (ie not enough meat), but good sauce.
Deep fried squid with peppery salt — batter was a bit soggy, but otherwise not bad.
Diced chicken with brown sauce — served with chopped celery and mini-​corn cobs.
Beef congee — nice savoury flavour thanks to the addition of green onions.
My friends had the boiled milk dessert. I didn’t get to try it but they told me it was one of the best they’ve ever had on this side of the world.
Looks like I’ve found an alternative to No.9.