By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

We were pleasantly surprised with the Mouth-Watering Chicken. Despite being a relatively small portion, the flavours were very good. The tender and juicy dark meat was full-flavoured. There was an impactful amount of spice, but not overwhelming. With a similar chili oil kick, the Spicy Pig Ears were also decent. A touch on the softer side, the pig ears were also rather flavourful with a lingering spiciness.

The Hot & Sour Potato Vermicelli that had a lot of chili oil and roasted peanuts in its broth. The noodles were slippery and still slightly chewy. The spice level was just right. The peanuts added a nice crunch and robust texture. Despite appearances, the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup was flavourful. The broth had a soy slant, but there was some meatiness and spice. The noodles were al dente while the beef shank was sufficiently tender and flavourful but on the chewier side.

Our favourite dish was the Curry Beef Brisket, which was bathed in a creamy coconut curry that was thick and rich. The chunks of beef brisket were fairly tender and not that fatty. There chunks of potato and carrot were underdone. The Numbing Fish with Tofu had a layer of Szechuan peppercorns. The natural sweetness of the buttery fish came through. The flavours were more clean and only a bit of numbing from the peppercorns.

After dining on a good variety of the menu, we all agreed that Mr. Chili was better than anticipated. Some dishes were better than others and the prices were not cheap, but the place does the job where there is little competition nearby.

Mr Chili Noodle House

3760 E Hastings Street, Burnaby, BC

The Good:

• Decent service

• Some good dishes

• Clean and nicely renovated

The Bad:

• On the pricier side

• A bit hit and miss

• The tables do not offer much leg room

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.