4433 Main Street, Vancouver
An extremely fragrant and amazing journey of all the senses! East is East brings to visitors amazing and rich flavours and unique takes on classic Indian dishes. My family and I went after dropping my sister off at the airport. We each had one of their rice bowls, all which could be customized with the type of rice and choosing between meat or vegetarian toppings. All of us couldn't have enough of the great flavours, and without a doubt it was one of my favourite Indian restaurant experiences. The rice bowls were the perfect size! Shown in the picture below, we had (clockwise from top left) the Alu Gobi (potatoes, cauliflower, and Indian spices), Saag Paneer (spinach with Indian cheese), Southern Fish Curry and Wild Salmon curry. We were also enchanted with the smell of authentic chai as we walked in the door, and were even treated to some house made chai before our meal! This definitely was nothing like the weak chai tea lattes one would get from Starbucks - this chai had spice and sweetness, and was definitely much bolder than Starbucks' chai. The interior of the restaurant is also very colourful, with comfy pillows and oriental rugs against wooden tables and chairs made out of branches. Make sure you come and check out East is East at their Main Street location during their dinner service - on the weekends, they have live music and dancing!
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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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