We were in the Richmond area, and in search of a a quick dinner spot to catch up at. My girl friend has been here before and suggested we go today, which would end up being my first and last.
I liked all their gimmicks, but was not a fan of their service. We were made to feel that we were unwanted. There were no check ins by one of the two servers working and tending to the other three tables. Each time we needed anything, I had to approach them standing behind their counter at the back. The staff said that they didn’t know we were there, seated at the front of the restaurant, by the window. However, they were the ones to assign us the table, give us the menu, then take our order in the first place. And after we got our food they forgot we were there?
At least each table comes with its own water dispenser. Water flavoured with cucumber and lemon that you serve yourself with from the tap. A cooling mix that helped to temper some of the spicer flavours below and enough to last the meal.
I envied the two larger tables before us with the servers standing by their table, rotating skewers and moving the cooked ones to the top rack before they burnt.
Golden Time’s claim to fame is their rotating barbecue apparatus. You order the types of skewers you want and they are brought out to you on a special tray that secures and presents them.
We ordered their signature lamb skewers, which is advertised as 4 different parts of the lamb on each skewer, 6 servings in total. This came as a set. Although you can also order skewers by piece, like our one salmon belly.
But be warned, not everything is prepared raw and skewered for the grill. Case in point, we ordered squid tentacles in hopes of having it spin before us. Although would later learn that this is cooked in the back, so had to change our order and request 2 squid skewers instead.
The server who drops off your order also, places each metal skewer onto the rotating rack. Each stick in its own slot over speciality designed troughs built into the table. This heats and cooks the meat from below, while catching any excess drippings.You just have to be careful to not drop anything into it, because you won’t get it back. I wonder how often and if they clean this grease trap out?
The pageantry is fun, but you need more mouths and more sticks going to get the full experience.
At each table is a collection of 3 powders to dip your meat into. There is a chilli powder with crushed peanuts, which added flavour without dominating the seasoned meat. Whereas I found the cumin with peanuts overpowering, taking away from the meat. And the red pepper sauce was the outlier, adding a spicy sweetness to the mix. The meat was pretty tasty as is, these just offered a change of that taste and some added interest.
As a base we opted for some vegetable instead of rice. This was a whole eggplant, butterflied and grilled, seasoned with cumin and green onion. A great side to our meat on sticks.
We also got the sukiyaki hot pot as my guest recommended. A new menu item which she deemed a good price at just under $14. It came to the table in a pot, and allowed to further cook with aid from a lit tea light under it. Like with the barbecue, the staff tend to this as well, to ensure the best eating experience. Hovering and frequent stirring until it was ready to be served, which they could also do for you as well.
It was a warming broth with a good mix of ingredients including thin slices of beef, a variety of mushrooms, and cubed tofu. I enjoyed it, but would have liked some noodles with it to make it a more fulsome dish.
When we were trying to wrap up, it was hard to get the attention of the staff. Once again I headed up to the counter with my wallet to pay. Here, the staff member mentioned a free dessert. I wanted to take advantage of it, but at this point we had waited 30 minutes for help and the bill, so I was done and left empty handed and disappointed.
Golden Time
8391 Alexandra Rd Unit 2160, Richmond, BC V6X 3W5
(778) 636-5988
