By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

The deep-fried Beef Pancake Roll had a crunchy shell giving way to a soft chewier centre. Inside, the sliced beef shank was a little tough, but still okay. There was a good amount of green onion and hoisin.

The Minced Beef Sauce Noodles dish was so large that we didn't finish it. Although the hand-pulled noodles were good, they totally overcooked and too soft. It was really too bad since the ample amount of sauce was good being rich and meaty without sorely relying on sodium.

The Xiao Long Bao were packed with sweet soup. It could've had a touch more xiaoshing wine, but the soup was still good. The meat was a touch gritty while the dumpling skin was elastic and fairly thin.

The Szechuan Beef Noodle had hand-pulled noodles that were on point. The large chunks of beef were meaty and fairly tender. The Mouth-Watering Chicken was disappointing as it had muted flavours. The chicken itself was neither dry nor succulent.

One of the better items was the Twice-Cooked Pork Belly with Garlic Stems. Interestingly, there were few garlic stems. The pork was sliced thinly and was fried well in a wok. The pork was appealingly meaty with just the right amount fat. There was a good combination of spice and savouriness.

Overall, the food at Grand Chinese Restaurant is fine for the area due to lack of choice. Portions are large and prices are reasonable. However, they need to further refine their dishes for the long term.

Grand Chinese Restaurant

4461 Lougheed Hwy #1, Burnaby, BC

The Good:

• Large portions

• Decent XLBs

• Freshly made dumplings and noodles

The Bad:

• A touch inconsistent as the noodles were too soft the first time

• Food is decent for the area, but compared to others in the GVRD, it needs refinement

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