Never Heard Of It
Surrey’s Street Food-Inspired ‘Apna Chaat House’ Is Strip Mall Gold
The menu is extensive. Try not to be intimidated. Even if you are with a group, it will be tough to make a significant dent. Place your order at the front, take the plastic number card and sit at a table.
Sexy, Forbidding Bowls Of Awesome At Tiny Cafe Xu Hue On Kingsway
The first thing you'll catch when sitting down at Cafe Xu Hue is the cup of cold tea being poured for you. The second thing you'll notice - as you wonder why your tea is chilled - is that you aren't reading a typical Vietnamese restaurant menu...
Filling Your Filipino Pork Quota At ‘Hapag Ihaw Ihaw’ On Victoria Drive
Inspired by inihaw (Filipino grilled meat), the owner of Hapag Ihaw-Ihaw opened his doors to share his love for the greatest hits of humble Filipino mainstays and BBQ.
The Restorative Power Of Pupusas At ‘El Caracol Cafe’ On Victoria Dr.
If you’re looking for a more immersive taste of Salvadorian flavour, dig into their sopa de mariscos (seafood soup) as a follow-up.
Capable, Comfortable And Cool: ‘Carp Bento Box’ In Mount Pleasant
The quick service eatery is only a year old, but they've got things figured out. The menu is as simple and straight forward as it needs to be for a quick-service, two-person operation.
Old School Ramen Done Right At Unassuming ‘Shibuyatei’ In Richmond
Unlike the rich, opaque, deep-flavoured, super fatty broths set on rolling boil for hours (ie. the sort ladled out in the West End), chef Sato’s is delicately light and clear...
Relishing In The Crusty Delights Of ‘Banh Mi Saigon’ On Victoria Drive
It’s nearly impossible to eat a good banh mi sandwich without feeling a bit like Hansel or Gretel, leaving behind you a light dusting of baguette crust with every bite.
Often Weird But Always Delicious Waffles At Kingsway’s ‘Off The Grid’
It's good looking, quick and easy, and there are four waffle irons firing hot at the same time. Nothing on the menu is over $8 dollars, which much account in part for its increasing popularity.
Duft & Co.’s Delicious Baking Makes Adventure To Abby Worthwhile
It's been a bustling, popular spot with a fast-moving line-up every time I've ever visited, and Cassie’s edibles are invariably as delicious as the room is aromatic, homey, and handsome.
Digging Traditional Thai Cuisine At ‘Bai Bua’ At 2443 East Hastings St.
I have a soft spot for places like Bai Bua in Hastings-Sunrise. It's a family-owned operation from front to back with the older generation pumping out traditional Thai cuisine and the younger generation filling the seats and handling everything front of house.
Malaysian/Singaporean Staples Pack The House At ‘Hawker’s Delight’
By name alone it would be hard to guess at the cuisines within, but once inside the exotic curry aromas and sizzle sounds leave little doubt.
Italian Market Cafe “Gigi Blin” A Charmer In The Heart Of Marpole
Aim for the ample panini sandwiches, hearty soups, and proper cortado coffees pulled from a Lady Victoria Arduino machine.
Longing For Dumplings, Wine Chicken & Tan Tan Noodles On Main St.
The small restaurant is made even smaller when it's packed, which is nearly always. The single server makes her rounds efficiently, keeping guest banter to a perfected minimum.
Eating Noodles Soaked In Awesome At Hoi An Cafe On Victoria Drive
Named after an historic port town in central Vietnam, the always buzzing eatery serves reflections of its namesake's signature dishes, most notably mi quang and cao lau.
Exploring Strip Malls In Search Of A Genuine Filipino Food Experience
Hidden away in a missable strip mall, the Kulinarya experience starts with a friendly server dropping off a few menus and a small dish of cornick, or Filipino corn nuts.
Picking Cool Sake Cups And Slurping Cold Buckwheat Soba At Kinome
Owned by Dan's former chef, Ryoma Matarai, Kinome serves up a rotating, succinct menu of delicate small, sharable plates made with locally sourced, organic ingredients.
Homestyle Sustainable Satisfaction At “Shanti’s Curries” On Main St.
Shanti’s is something like a super friendly dinner host; it's bright, communal, quick, and relaxed. Those are the ingredients that go a long way in making the perfect neighbourhood restaurant.
Getting Hot With Spicy Hunanese Fare At Kingsway’s “Lucky Noodle”
Lucky Noodle has a hefty menu of rarities. I would suggest trying their “Mouth-Watering” Chicken; Chinese Bacon with Bamboo Shoots; Shredded Potatoes with Dried Chili; and their award-winning Stir-Fried Pork with White Chilies.
Meaty Bowls Of Clay Pot Rice At “The Soup House” On Victoria Dr.
The fundamental concept of clay pot rice is meat and Chinese greens cooked over a pot of rice. As it cooks, the meat flavours meld with the rice as the toasted grains at the bottom of the pot crisp up.
Slurping Up Bowls Of Comforting Goodness “Huang’s Beef Noodle”
Whenever I take the first comforting slurps of soup and noodle in the ad-hoc dining room, I feel instantly rescued from the chill and drear of winter.
Digging Into Glorious Bowls At Max Noodle House On Alexander Rd.
Owned by the Mak family - the royal family of the wonton game - Max is a golden needle buried deep in a restaurant haystack.
Savoury Tofu Pudding Soup And Tianjin Wraps At “O’ Tray Noodle”
O’ Tray’s claims to fame are a pair of archetypal breakfast street foods from Tianjin: a wrap (jianbing guo zi) and a tofu pudding soup (daofunao). They are two uniquely regional breakfast specialties...
The Crispy Strip Mall Awesomeness Of Richmond’s “LA Chicken”
Comedian Chris Rock once famously quipped that “after you have Popeyes, you need one of those ‘Men in Black’ memory sticks to erase your memory or else you will just keep coming back to this place every day.” I feel the same way about LA Chicken.
Getting Jiggly With It At Richmond’s Aptly Named ‘Excellent Tofu’
Tofu gets a bad rap for being bland but Excellent Tofu & Snack is all about changing those expectations with clean and refreshing flavours.
Northern Vietnamese Cuisine Finds Home At East Van’s “Mr. Red”
Mr. Red Cafe has only been open in Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood for a few months now but it’s already being praised as a rare taste of what Northern Vietnamese cuisine has to offer.
Scarfing Koobideh & Crispy Tahdig At Persian-Flavoured Zeitoon
Persian eatery Zeitoon is well known on the North Shore for its delicious koobideh kebab. It's a mixture of minced beef and spices hand-squeezed onto skewers (note the ridges) and broiled until perfectly juicy and tender.
With “Hou Lok” Night Owls Scarfing Whitebait & Roe-Filled Smelt
Hou Lok dishes up an impressive mix of small, affordable, shareable, and mostly wok-fried late night plates. These range from a variety of seafoods to offal galore.
Rare Shanghainese Breakfasts At Kingsway’s Reliable “Ningtu”
Be a champion and try eating it all without making a mess. The crumbs from the shaobings alone are enough to explain why each banquet table is wrapped in crinkly plastic a la American Psycho.
