Imperial Court Beijing Cuisine

(604) 270-6169

6360 #3 Road, Richmond, BC

iPanda was at Imperial Court for a scrumptious Chinese dinner one night.  We heard that there was a special on lobsters so we wanted to give it a try~

This restaurant is pretty big.  But it would be better to make reservations on the weekend for dinner time because it can get pretty packed.

We were there for an early dinner so we got to pick a nice table before the dinner rush came in.

Right now, they have a special on king crab, lobster and winter melon (Dong Gua) soup.  We wanted to try both the lobster and winter melon (Dong Gua) soup, but they said that you can only order one special per table.  But in the end, we still ordered the lobster and soup but at the original price for the soup.

The winter melon (dong gua) soup（冬瓜盅 in Chinese） was the first to arrive.  The  soup was served inside the shell of the giant winter melon.  The dong gua was absolutely fantastic.  iPanda don’t have this often but Panda Papa said that this is one of the better ones in Vancouver.

The dong gua was super smooth and soft.  The taste was refreshing and clear, but not bland at all.  There were pieces of mushroom, meat and scallop in the soup to add to the flavour of the dong gua.

One order of dong gua soup turned out to be many bowls.  We each had more than 2 bowls of the soup (for four people).  Dong gua soup is great for summer time when it’s hot and people are looking for some refreshing dishes to relieve them from the heat.

The next dish to arrive was the lobster with a noodle base.  We chose to have this lobster cooked in clear broth with ginger and green onions.  This lobster was about 4-5 pounds.  I loved how meaty it was.  This was on dinner special~

Each piece was full of meat.  I liked that the sauce didn’t overwhelm the taste of the lobster.  Adding noodles to the base of the lobster is perfect because it soaks up the essence of the lobster as well as the sauce.  However, you need to pay a couple dollars more to add the noodles.

Another one of their dinner specials is the steak with special sauce.  I probably know what you are wondering.  Why are there bones in the steak?  The restaurant called these steak but it tasted more like ribs to me.  The meat was tender and juicy.

Each piece was completely coated with sauce.  The sauce was similar to BBQ sauce but with a zesty twist and added Chinese herbs.

The steak(ribs) arrived in a big wooden and metal pot.  We were surprised to find round rocks inside the dish.

The rocks are to keep the dish hot throughout the meal.  This was definitely Rockia’s favourite dish of the night because it was juicy and savoury. And also because Rockia likes rocks~ HaHa!

The last dish is the garlic fried dou miao.  It’s a tender vegetable that is a Panda favourite.  This vegetable is pretty expensive at the grocery markets.

The dou miao wasn’t oily at all.  I liked that they gave us a heap of it and was a good deal.  However, the vegetable was even more expensive than the beef steak(ribs).

Overall, we had an amazing dinner at Imperial Court.  I don’t know if these dishes are served in Beijing and Szechuan cuisine.  However, all of the dishes were fantastic.  The service was prompt and friendly.  I loved the meaty lobster the most.  It’s a must try (especially when it’s still on sale)!  Call to make reservations and ask if they have any specials going on!  Bon appetite!