Tuesday, Aug 17th - Bowl of Stars - Concept change to "build your own"

Bowl of Stars Satay Udon

I used to like this place.  It is one of the few places near the office that has lunch priced food with decent options.  The majority of the menu was in Chinese and the English translations were of little help because they did little to distinguish one dish from the next.  Perfect.  You needed the server to explain.  Loved it. They had a great Indonesian style noodle bowl that I ordered a few times. 

Well, while I was away and then not eating out at lunch, they apparently had a flood and closed down for a month.  They re opened recently to a whole new concept. One, I fear, will spell their ultimate demise or unexpected success.  I predict the former.  Instead of the magazine thick menu with photographs and dozen asian styles of dishes, they now have two basic options: Soup Bowl or Stir Fry Bowl. 

Each Bowl costs $5.99 to start.  With a Bowl order you pick your 1. Sauce, 2. Starch from 5 different types of Noodles or Rice and 3. two Protein or Veg ingredients.  The dish comes with some additional Veg, mainly Scallions and Beansprouts added.  It is very precarious to assume that a customer will know if a Korean BBQ sauce should be ordered with Black Fungus and Pork Belly on Udon Noodles is a good choice... or Satay Sauce with Tofu Puffs and Pork Intestines on Rice is a better option. 

I foresee many inconceived concotions being ordered and returned... or worse, forced down for fear of reprisal.  I wish I knew which combination of Noodle, Sauce, Protein to pick to get my original preferred order of Hot Indonesian Noodle soup.  Today, I ordered Udon Noodles in Satay Sauce with Prawn and Tofu Puff.  My colleague chose double Chicken with Curry on Rice.  He chose that because he could not figure out what was meant to go with Chicken.  He came pretty close to ordering Kimchee in there.  I advised him not to. 

The Curry was fairly run of the mill with the odd garnish of Coconut Flakes.  My Satay was INCREDIBLY salty, aka a Black Bean sauce but I did not have the time nor energy to send it back.  The Prawn were in shell.  Not a good work option.  I would never order that again.  I am really disappointed.  What will I do out here in the culinary desert that is Joyce Collingwood?

Cost: $
Ambience: Cafeteria/Coffee shop
Staff: friendly and efficient

Bowl of Stars Cafe
3608 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC V5R
(604) 438-4288

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