1779 Robson Street, Vancouver (Granville/Robson District) with multiple locations
I love Malaysian food, thanks to my Dad. Growing up in Singapore, he was exposed to a beautiful mix of Chinese, Malaysian and Indian food. On a typical Vancouver day which consisted of rain, I was looking forward to going to Banana Leaf for warm and spicy Malaysian food with my friend Jamie after his RCM convocation. Jamie had never had Malaysian cuisine before, so it was definitely fun to introduce a friend to the wonderful world of Malaysian food. The decor for the Robson location is very rustic and oriental, with the spices and smells greeting you the minute you walk through the door. Our meal started off with satay, skewers of either chicken or beef with peanut dipping sauce and cucumbers. We then had Sambal Chili Green beans (slightly spicy, but manageable), and mee goreng, one of my favourite noodle dishes, and a side of Hainanese flavoured rice. Mee goreng ("fried noodles" in Malay) consists of egg noodles with a mild spicy sauce, tomatoes, shrimp, egg, chicken and cabbage. There was just enough spice to give a buzz, but not so spicy where my mouth was completely dead (like when I went to La Taquiera and used to chili sauce by accident...) If you want to try something new and are over your typical Chinese food, give Malaysian food a chance! There are 5 Banana Leaf locations all over Vancouver, so go check it out!
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219 Union Street, Vancouver
As I was walking to The Union with my friend Marinelle, we figured that outside of the obvious reason as to why it was named what it is (The Union is on... Union Street, ironically enough), it could also be named The Union because of the fact that it was a union of many different Southeast Asian dishes. Upon entry into the little restaurant right on the corner of Union and Main, the familiar smells of spices and the minimalist furniture took me in, making me quite excited to try this new restaurant. After ordering (non-alcoholic) drinks, our dishes - Singaporean fried noodles (the daily special) for Marinelle, Indonesian Peanut noodles for me - came quickly after, which was quite impressive. Having never tried Indonesian food before, I had nothing to go by in terms of authenticity. However, the portion was huge - enough for lunch the day after - and quite delicious. I must say that the Singaporean fried noodles were nowhere near what they should be in terms of taste, but it was still a tasty and valiant effort. With quick and friendly service, The Union is definitely great choice for anyone who loves Southeast Asian cuisine and wants to try something new. 810 Quayside Drive, New Westminster
Wild Rice was something that I stumbled upon one afternoon while walking along the Quay with my sister, After a bit of research, I found that Wild Rice has Asian fusion with many options including gluten free, vegetarian and vegan. For that reason, I decided to go with my friend Andrea who is vegan. Walking in we were greeted with phenomenal waitresses who quickly told us about the specials as we walked in. the atmosphere was very fun and intimate: spices sitting on a rack and woks hang on the walls. An open kitchen greeted us with the familiar smells of Asian cuisine. Sitting in the open patio facing the Fraser River, we had virgin Lotuses (Lychee nectar and ginger ale), Kung Po Chicken Poutine, Vegetable spring rolls and Vegan "Butter Chicken" as an entree. The appetizers were a great way to start off our meal - I have never tried polenta fries, so that was a new experience for me. But the familiarity of poutine in Kung Po chicken gravy was delicious. The classic vegetable spring roll was also a great choice, crunchy and filled with vegetables. The vegan "Butter Chicken" was the biggest thing that stood out for me on the menu. As vegan people can't consume any kind of meat products, butter and chicken seemed to be out of the question. Instead, we were served a curry with tofu and red beets over Jasmine rice. Despite it being a vegan option, the dish was incredibly fragrant and had just the right amount of spice. To finish, we ordered the Callebaut chocolate pudding which was topped with wine poached pears. Our waitress accidentally brought us a gluten free chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, but we still got it - on the house - because of the mix up. Things taste pretty good when they're free, especially dessert! Asian fusion is a really tricky thing to do, but Wild Rice exceeded all my expectations. Definitely worth trying out! |
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