Jing Tan Grill House: AYCE Chinese BBQ in Richmond
I am not the biggest fan of all-you-can-eat (AYCE) spots because I simply cannot eat enough for it to be worth it and sometimes the food is just not good π. However, we recently went to Jing Tan Grill House in Richmond for my friend’s birthday and I was pleasantly surprised at my experience π³!
Jing Tan Grill House offers Chinese barbeque at 3 different AYCE prices:
- Classic – $28.85 per adult (kids $14). This is the cheapest tier and includes some beef, chicken, pork, veggies and rice and noodle options.
- Deluxe – $39.85 per adult (kids $19). This is the middle tier and includes everything in classic + some more premium meat and seafood options.
- Supreme – $68.85 per adult (kids $28). This is the most expensive tier and includes everything in classic and deluxe + premium options like wagyu and foie gras.
We opted for the deluxe/middle tier AYCE and here is everything we tried.
Jing Tan Grill House
5960 Minoru Blvd #140, Richmond, BC V6X 3J3
The vibe
Jing Tan Grill House has free parking in a small lot and more additional free parking above the building – but spots are a little tight.
Upon entering, I realized the restaurant is pretty big! There is a hostess stand at the front and private rooms you can book on the side for larger groups π. There is also a buffet bar where you can fill up on carbs, salads and other appetizers.
Every table has at least 1 furnace/filter hanging on top to capture all the smoke from the circular grill built into the table. I was very surprised that the grills actually use charcoal because not a lot of places do π€©! The staff will set it up for you safely and also change out the top layer throughout your meal.
The only downfall for me is that we came here in July and it was really hot inside because of the meat grilling and they just didn’t have strong enough AC π₯΅. Maybe avoid coming here in the summer or really hot days.
Food and drinks review
Your entire table needs to opt for the same AYCE tier and we all decided the deluxe/middle tier was the most worth it. But in case you are wondering what exactly is included, here is a photo of the AYCE menu:
Buffet
After we ordered our first round of AYCE, I took a look at what the buffet table includes. They had one side which was mostly carbs and had things like french fries, deep fried taro balls, deep fried mantou buns, etc. The other side had things like watermelon, wakame seaweed salad, potato salad, etc.
We are at an AYCE place but I couldn’t help but take french fries even though the carbs will fill me up π. I also really liked the potato salad, wakame and watermelon (refreshing because it was hot inside).
Make sure you keep an eye out on this buffet table! Halfway through our meal, we saw them restocking the items and they dished out a whole box of fried crab legs π€―!!!
I was honestly so surprised they would throw that into the buffet but there definitely wasn’t enough for everyone. After about 6 people came and took some, the crab legs were immediately all taken.
Highlights of the Deluxe AYCE
We tried to order almost everything in the first round (small portions) and then in our second round, order more. You can order up to 3 rounds on 1 paper.
Some of my favourite items in the deluxe pricing included:
- Beef short ribs – must get!
- Special marinated beef – must get!
- Supreme pork belly
- Black pepper blade slices
- Chicken skin
- Chicken knee
- Abalone – must get!
- BBQ eel – must get!
- Squid tentacles
- Cold noodle with soup – this is a Chinese version (not Korean naengmyeon), but still refreshing and cold
Other items I really enjoyed but they are included in the classic pricing included:
- corn with cheese
- beef tongue
- beef belly
- pork belly
- butter toast – Kelvin had to order this lol π
Portions can be pretty small so we didn’t over order and it was fun to try a little bit of everything.
They also have AYCE soft drink for $5 but we just ordered a soju and some beer.
Free ice cream
We ended our meal with some free ice cream that was a vanilla soft serve – a really nice way to end our meal even though I don’t love the cones they used.
Final thoughts
Loewe’s rating: βοΈβοΈβοΈβοΈ
We had a delicious and very filling AYCE dinner at Jing Tan Grill House in Richmond. For the price of $40 per person, I actually think is worth it π.
The charcoal grill definitely makes a difference and I think this is what makes it stand out apart from other BBQ and grill restaurants. All of the meats and food can be cooked deliciously on a charcoal grill and the staff were very attentive in changing out the grill or bringing out our items (things came out quickly!). It is not often a Chinese restaurant has good service (I am not sorry to say this because it is true π).
I also really loved that dessert bar – the crab legs itself makes it worth it also.
The only downfall to this place is the heat and ventilation π¬! It was seriously very hot inside, especially with the smoke from cooking the meat. I can imagine having a more comfortable experience when the weather gets colder.
We will be back!
Sincerely, Loewe