Robson Street/West End Archives

Mumbai Street-Style Eats on Davie: Mumbai Local

October 5, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

While Davie Village is home to several restaurants serving Indian cuisine, a newly opened eatery called Mumbai Local is setting itself apart. The restaurant is opened by Chef Tushar Tondvalkar (formerly of West Oak) along with a few friends to offer a menu that is inspired by street-style eats from Mumbai. Their menu looked interesting so I decided to try them out for dinner last month.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. The food in this review were not complimentary. Opinions are my own.

Bright Colors, Vibrancy

The interior of Mumbai Local is designed to mimic the vibrancy of the city of Mumbai. I really liked their bright yellow mural that pays homage to the city but also has makes a nod to Davie Village.

Mumbai Local Menu

The menu starts off with chaat (snacks) where puri (flat or hollow crackers) are offered with different options of toppings and fillings ($7). From 11 am – 3 pm, they offer a four-layer tiffin box ($15 – $18) with your choice of daily special stew, rice, local bread, dal (like a soup) and condiments. From 3 pm onwards, they have a variety of street-style eats ($7 – $12) including Masala Toast Sandwich, Chicken Lollipop, Masala Lamb Chop and so forth. For dinner ($14 – $20), they offer entrees like Missal Pav (spicy sprouted bean stew), Hakka Noodles, Mumbai Special Pav Bhaji (mashed mix vegetables cooked with butter and spices). Sweet treats are also unique ($5 – $7): Falooda (rose milk with vermicelli), Shrikhand (sweet hung yogurt), and Guava Kulfi (guava ice cream). Their menu can be viewed online.

You’ll find a few Indo-Chinese dishes on the menu like the Chicken Manchurian Dry (chicken cooked in Indo – Chinese Manchurian sauce, with scallions and cilantro) and the Hakka Noodles (noodles cooked with vegetables in Hakka sauce topped with scallions and served with sunny side up egg).

What We Tried

Pani Puri ($7)

Mashed white peas stuffed in hollow crackers served with sweet tangy pani. The cracker shell was very light and crispy while the mashed white peas filling was very smooth. It was advised to eat these quickly as they can get soggy if you wait too long.

Shev Puri ($7)

A mixture of potato, onion, shev and raw mango delicately placed on flat crackers, drizzled with tamarind and chili chutney. This was an interesting dish from a texture standpoint while I enjoyed the spicy, sweet and savoury flavours.

Kombadi Vade ($17)

Chicken cooked with coconut caramelized onion served with rice and vade. This was a very homey, comforting dish and I really liked the coconut flavours in the curry.

Chicken Lollipop ($11)

These chicken wiglets had an Indo-Chinese twist being served with schezwan chutney and cabbage slaw. The outside was nicely charred and the meat was tender and juicy on the inside. I liked the mix of spicy and tangy.

GUAVA KULFI ($5)

Perhaps a little pricey for just ice cream on a stick, but I liked the novelty factor. This dessert consisted of guava ice cream on a stick, sprinkled with chili salt. You get the spiciness from the chili salt on the outside and then the sweetness of the guava ice cream on the inside.

Overall Impression

Mumbai Local presents a very unique menu for the area which has been accustomed to Indian all-you-can-eat-buffets and Western-friendly Indian dishes. I thought all the dishes we tried were good and I enjoyed the friendly and lively atmosphere. I also noticed a lot of East Indian customers which is a good sign that the dishes are more closely authentic. Rating: 4/5

Mumbai Local
Address: 1148 Davie St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1N1
Website: mumbailocal.ca/‎

Newly Opened: Castella Cheesecake on Robson St

July 10, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

If you love Japanese cheesecake and tarts, you’ll be excited to know that there is a new purveyor in Downtown Vancouver. Castella Cheesecake opened up for business last Friday at 1190 Robson Street. I was in the neighbourhood today and stumbled upon Castella as I was walking by. Here’s a look at what Castella Cheesecake is offering.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. None of the food in this review were complimentary.

Castella Cheesecake Menu

Castella offers both Japanese-style souffle cheesecakes ($10.85) and cheese tarts ($3.25 each or $15 for 6). They also have a few beverage options including Nitro Cold Brew ($3.65), Iced Cold Brew with Sweet Mousse ($3.25) and Fresh Fruit Tea ($3.85). They also offer the perfect summer treat: cheesecake with ice cream which is $5.65 regularly but only $2 from 1 – 3 pm.

I noticed the nitro cold brew on tap at the counter.

Cheesecake Boxes

The cheesecakes come in branded boxes. The store does not offer plastic bags in order to be ecofriendly.

Cafe Environment

The interior of Castella Cheesecake is spacious and has a counter and a few dining tables for you to enjoy the food.

What I Tried

I ordered their Japanese souffle cake ($10.85) as well as their ice cream + cheesecake dessert ($2). I asked the girl working at the counter as to how their cheesecakes differ compared to Uncle Tetsu and she noted that they add more cream cheese to their cakes. Castella’s cheesecakes are 7″ which is bigger than the 6″ cheesecakes from Uncle Tetsu. I’m not sure about whether there is any difference in thickness. I found Castella’s cheesecake texture to be on point: sponge-like, moist and fluffy. The flavour did seem a bit more richer from having more cream cheese. The one thing I feel they need to work on is perfecting the appearance of the cheesecake as some of the edges were not quite smooth.

The cheesecake + vanilla ice cream treat had raspberry sauce and powdered cheese topping. The cheesecake with ice cream were the perfect pairing and I liked the sweet and tartness from the raspberry sauce.

I didn’t try the Japanese tarts as they seem to be a bit slow right in terms of making them. However, here are ones that were just made for the customer ahead of me.

Overall Impression of Castella Cheesecake

Castella is currently in their soft opening mode and I can see they are still working out the kinks in terms of operations. The cheesecake I tried was good but I really liked the cheesecake + ice cream treat. I think they might be able to perhaps get some creative options for that if they wanted to. Mr. Osmad which is located across the street is a great place to get a cheesecake in the same area but I’d be interested in revisiting Castella in the future. Find out where else to get Japanese cheesecake in Vancouver here. Rating: 3.5/5

Castella Cheesecake
Address: 1190 Robson St, Vancouver, BC
Instagram: @castellacheesecake

Casablanca Crepe inside Robson Place Mall

July 7, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

For a taste of Morroco, you might just consider Casablanca Crepe, a humble, eatery located inside Robson Place Mall in the West End. Owner and Operator Samy Moulay is a Morrocan-trained Chef who had worked his way around kitchens from Marrakech through Italy to Edmonton and then to Vancouver. He stays true to authentic Moroccan cuisine where he makes everything himself.

For the Vancouver Foodster Crepe Challenge, Samy is presenting the Casablanca Cheese Crepe. It features a creative new style of healthy and crispy crepe involving Moroccan-style Crepe, homemade cheesecake made of homemade Moroccan cheese (Jben), served with a zero sugar chocolate mousse and dark chocolate sauce. As I am a media judge for the challenge, I visited Casablanca Crepe to try this creation.

So come in, grab a chair and sit down and enjoy a homey meal at Casablanca Crepe. It’s the kind of place where you feel like you’ve entered someone’s home to enjoy a hearty, comforting meal. You’ll leave feeling nourished.

Casablanca Crepe
Address: 1610 Robson St, Unit 108, Vancouver BC
Website: www.casablancacrepedelivery.ca‎

Laurence and Chico Cafe in Vancouver

July 6, 2018 by foodgressing 2 Comments

At the newly opened Laurence and Chico Cafe, the worlds of fashion and food collide. New York-based designers, Laurence Li and Chico Wang, are known for their vividly-coloured contemporary accessories and womenswear brand sported by the likes of Cardi B and Solange Knowles. But in this new joint venture, the fashion duo have decided to open a stylish cafe in Laurence’s hometown of Vancouver.

The 2,000 square feet space located at the corner of Robson and Bute is part cafe and part fashion retail store. I attended a media preview at Laurence and Chico Cafe last week. Here’s a look at what you can expect.

Interior

It’s all in the details and Laurence and Chico have dressed up the cafe in whimsical fashions from head to toe. From the creature-esque armchairs, colourful murals to intricately dressed mannequins, your head will be turning once you walk into Laurence and Chico.

Cafe

On the cafe side, you’ll find pastries, cakes and confections sourced from local bakeries as well as espresso-based beverages. Afternoon tea service is expected to roll out in the coming weeks.

Some of the pastries I tried at the event include a pistachio eclair, lemon meringue tart, strawberry cream puff and more.

French artisanal ice cream parlour, La Glace, also supplies ice cream treats to the cafe.

Retail

On the retail side, items designed by Laurance and Chico are available for purchase including postcards, bags, t-shirts and more.

Themed Bathrooms

While you are at the cafe, you might just want to take a selfie or two inside the restroom. One of the restrooms is rubber ducky themed where you just need to look up and you can see the ceiling adorned with them.

There’s also a floral-themed bathroom featuring paper-mache flowers.

I look forward to seeing what is in store with Laurence and Chico in the future in terms of fashion and at the cafe.

Laurence and Chico
Address: 833 Bute St, Vancouver, BC
Website: ‎www.laurenceandchico.com/

Newly Opened: Saku Restaurant on Robson

July 4, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Newly opened in the West End is Saku, a Japanese restaurant specializing in pork cutlet set meals. The restaurant takes over the space at 1773 Robson Street which was formerly occupied by ramen house Men-no Kura. I found about Saku’s opening after passing by the restaurant and was curious to try out their menu. Here’s a look at my lunch experience at Saku.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. None of the food and drinks were complimentary. This review is done anonymously.

Minimal, Elegant Space

I really liked Saku’s minimal yet elegant space featuring light wood tones. The interior sits 18 people with another 10 seats on the charming patio.

Saku Menu

The restaurant focuses on katsu (pork cutlet) set meals priced around $16 – $18. The pork is sourced from local Fraser Valley farms and raised hormone free. The pork is aged for 18 hours and then tenderized. The weight of the meat in each set is noted on the menu. Panko (Japanese-styled bread crumbs) are used to coat the pork cutlets; the panko is sourced from local bread and baked every morning.

During the soft opening phase, Saku is offering a focused menu featuring 4 set meal options: Rosu (pork loin); Hire (pork fillet); Curry Rosu (pork loin with signature curry over rice); and Katsu Nabe (pork loin with egg, onion, and house sauce with rice and salad) . The sets come with unlimited rice, salad and tonjiru (pork miso soup with diced vegetables).

What I Tried

We tried the Rosu Katsu Set ($17) as well as the Curry Rosu Set ($15.50) with a jumbo prawn ($3.50). I thought the panko breading was wonderfully crispy and not too oily. The pork was nicely tender and I was impressed with the thickness.

I quite enjoyed the katsu sauce which is apparently made with fruits, vegetables and premium roasted black sesame. The sauce was perfect with the deep-fried pork cutlets.

I love a good, comforting Japanese curry and the signature curry at Saku really hit the spot. It could have been a bit thicker but I still enjoyed the hearty flavour being slightly sweet and peppery.

The jumbo prawn was a fun and tasty addition to the set. It was a sizeable piece but mostly due to a thick panko breading.

I thought that the unlimited sides were nice especially if you are feeling particularly hungry!

For drinks, I had a watermelon soda ($3.50) which tasted kind of artificial but was refreshing.

Service

I thought the staff at Saku were very friendly, attentive and eager to please.

Overall Impression of Saku

I really enjoyed my dining experience at Saku and thought the food and service were both very good. I also liked the ambience as they seemed like a classier restaurant for the neighbourhood. I would be interested in returning in the future and would recommend the restaurant to others. Rating: 4.5/5

Saku
Address: 1773 Robson St, Vancouver, BC
Instagram: @saku_vancouver/‎

Sulmida Downtown Vancouver | Dessert Cafe

May 5, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

One of the sweet additions to the West End neighbourhood is Sulmida Korean Dessert Cafe. This is Sulmida’s third location in Metro Vancouver with two other ones in Richmond and Burnaby. The cafe specializes in bingsu (variants “patbingsu,” “bingsoo”) which are shaved milk-ice desserts.

I had been to Sulmida’s locations before and liked the experiences there. The incentive to visit was particularly sweetened when I bought their Groupon deal of 2 bingsu for $21. Here’s a look at my experience at Sulmida Downtown Vancouver.

Note: None of the food in this review was complimentary. This review is done anonymously.

Modern, Spacious Interior

I like Sulmida’s bright, modern spacious interior which is definitely a lot bigger than the Burnaby one but comparable in size to the Richmond location.

Sulmida Menu

Sulmida Downtown has 12 different options of bingsu like Green Tea, Mango Cheese, Nutella Banana and more. The bingsu come in either a cup ($6.50 – $7.50) or a bowl ($10.85 – $16). For beverages, they offer hot and cold espresso-based drinks, fruit ades, frappes and so forth. Other dessert options include lava bread and dessert toasts.

What I Tried

The Groupon deal was $21 for 2 bingsu and I went with the Mango Banana (regular $14.25) and the Honey Dew Melon (regular $16). In both cases, the shaved mik-ice were light, fluffy and had a nice milky taste. The portions of fruit offered were reasonable as well. Based on the size of the desserts, these bowls are definitely meant to be shared.

I thought the vanilla ice cream was creamy and not overly sweet and the sliced almonds added a fun textural contrast. The mango used was just a bit tart but the syrup seemed to balance it out nicely.

Overall Impression of Sulmida Downtown Vancouver

It was another solid dessert experience at Sulmida. Snowy Village is just about a block away and I think their bingsu are comparable. However, I like Sulmida Downtown’s more spacious and inviting environment. Rating: 4/5

Sulmida
Address: 780 Denman St, Vancouver, BC
Facebook: @sulmida.canada/‎

Liuyishou Hot Pot Robson 2nd Anniversary

April 21, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

One of the largest hot pot chains in the world, Liuyishou Hot Pot, just celebrated the 2nd anniversary of their Robson Street location (1542 Robson Street). I attended the celebration party at the restaurant this past week and tried a few new Spring items on the menu.

Disclosure: I was invited to the media event by Vancouver Gourmet Club. All food and drinks in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

New Spring Menu Items

I have covered some of the existing menu items at Liuyishou in my previous posts (Robson and Burnaby). New to the menu are Braised Beef Roll with Cilantro; Fried Bean Curd Sticks with Sugar; Shrimp Paste on Donut; and Braised Fish Pot with Pickled Cabbage and Chili. These have special promotional pricing at the moment.

What We Tried

Our party of four enjoyed the following:

Two-Flavour Soup Base ($9.95 based on the higher priced soup base)
- Original Spicy Soup Base
- Braised Fish Pot with Pickled Cabbage and Chili
Layered Beef Tripes ($13.95)
Shrimp Paste on Donut ($9.95)
Fried Bean Curd Sticks with Sugar ($7.95)
Sliced Beef ($9.95)
Spicy Deep Fried Pork ($8.95)
Sliced Angus Beef ($21.95)
Marbled Beef Slices ($13.95)
Supreme Lamb ($14.95)
Mushroom Platter ($15.95)
Tong Ho ($4.95)
Spinach ($4.95)
Watercress ($4.95)

Braised Fish Pot with Pickled Cabbage and Chili

This braised fish pot is meant to be eaten as is prior to adding other ingredients. It was so delicious, comforting, and flavourful. I absolutely loved the tender, braised fish and the size of the fish pieces were very generous. After eating up the fish slices, the soup can then be used as a base for the hot pot. I would love to have this again.

Shrimp Paste on Donut

The Shrimp Paste on Donut is meant to be cooked in the hot pot, preferably in the non-spicy soup base. It’s pretty tasty with a bit of shrimp flavour mixed with Chinese donut. After being in the hot pot, it does not retain its chewy texture however but becomes rather “mushy.” I would order this again.

Beef Tripes

It was my first time trying beef tripe with hot pot and it was better than expected. Dense, chewy and not too rubbery.

Sliced Lamb Rolls

The sliced lamb rolls were beautifully presented on a wooden board.

Marbled Beef Slices

The beautifully marbled beef slices are a must-have at Liuyishou hot pot.

Marinated Sliced Beef

The marinated sliced beef are my absolute favourite at Liuyishou. I absolutely recommend ordering it. They are just wonderfully tender after being in the hot pot.

Birthday Cake

What’s a celebration without a birthday cake? A delicious, chestnut cake by St. Germain Bakery was brought in for the celebrations.

Can’t finish all of it?

Liuyishou is not all you can eat so it is perfectly acceptable to take home whatever you can’t finish. That would include the raw meats as well as the soup bases should you want to enjoy the hot pot at home for the next meal.

Liuyishou Hotpot Robson
Address: 1542 Robson St, Vancouver, BC
Website: liuyishouna.com

Vancouver Hotpot: Liuyishou Hotpot Robson

April 18, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Liuyishou Hot Pot Week 2018 took place this past Chinese New Year where the renowned restaurant chain collaborated with Vancouver Gourmet Tours to offer a special celebration hot pot menu for customers. I had attended a media preview of the menu at Liuyishou‘s location in Burnaby and had enjoyed it so much that I decided to purchase the deal to experience it again. This time, I decided to visit the Liuyishou location closest to me which is on Robson in Downtown Vancouver.

Note: One of the items in this review was gifted to me. Opinions are my own.

WHAT IS HOT POT?

For the uninitiated, hot pot is known as a Chinese soup consisting of various raw meats, vegetables, noodles, tofu, seafood and dumplings. These are dipped into a shared pot with a simmering pot of soup stock and eaten with dipping sauce.

CHOOSE A SOUP BASE

The experience starts with choosing a soup base. Liuyishou’s traditional Chongqing style soup base is prepared with special butter, red hot chili, Sichuan peppercorn, and other exotic herbs and spices. It’s meant to astonish all your senses with the spiciness, umami flavours and aromas. If spicy is not for you, Liuyishou also has other bases like Wild Mushroom, Special Pork Rib or Tomato Soup.

PRO TIP: There is an order to cooking raw food in your pot! The order is meat, seafood, mushroom, vegetables and noodles.

MAKE YOURSELF A PERFECT SAUCE

Mix your favourite sauces from the Liuyishou’s sauce bar featuring 20+ sauces, fresh herbs and spices. Cooked food is eaten with your own sauce mix.

What We Tried

I bought the Dinner for 2 deal ($72) which included 2 soup bases, 1 specialty dish, 2 proteins, 1 veggie, 1 starch, 2 drinks and dessert. Beer pairing by Red Truck Brewery is also included in the price.

Soup Base

For the soup bases, we went with the house spicy soup base and special pork rib. Both were very flavourful and satisfying soup bases.

Specialty Dish

We selected a deep-fried pork which had a nice golden exterior and had tender, slightly chewy pork meat on the inside.

Protein

For meats, we had the supreme lamb and beef slices.

Veggies

The mixed mushroom platter at Liuyishou included enoki, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, brown and white mushrooms.

Starch

I loved these deep fried buns from the media event and had to have them again. The buns had a perfect golden exterior and light, fluffy texture. Dip them with condensed milk for maximal enjoyment!

Dessert

For dessert, we enjoyed the bing fen – a cold dessert jelly which soothed the palate wonderfully from the spicy soup base.

And we received some sweet, glutinous rice balls as well (though not noted on the menu).

Meat Barbie

Thanks to Vancouver Gourmet Club, I received a gift order of Meat Barbie. Meat Barbie is wrapped up in strips of meat and diners need to “strip” off the layers to cook the meat in the hot pot. At Liuyishou, the Barbie comes standalone with beef for $25 or as a seafood and meat combo for $50. For my full review on Meat Barbie, visit here.

Liuyishou Hotpot Robson Interior

The interior of Liuyishou’s Robson location is modern with mostly booth seating and a few dining tables.

Service

The Robson location of Liuyishou seemed much busier than the Burnaby one. The restaurant was pretty much full while I was there and I noticed a lot of people had to put down their name on the waitlist. Service was a bit slow for the ordering part, but the food arrived in a timely manner.

Overall Impression of Liuyishou Hotpot Robson

We enjoyed our experience at Liuyishou Hotpot Robson and thought the Chinese New Year deal was of great value. The hot pot ingredients were of a good quality and quantity. I would be interested in enjoying hotpot at Liyishou again in the future. Rating: 4/5

Liuyishou Hotpot Robson
Address: 1542 Robson St, Vancouver, BC
Website: liuyishouna.com

Robson Street Fine Indian Restaurant: Spicy 6

April 11, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Robson Street is home to some amazing restaurants in Vancouver serving up a wide range of cuisines. If you’re craving Indian food, you might just consider Spicy 6 (Robson & Thurlow) that offers authentic Indian food with a modern twist. Last month, I had the opportunity to visit Spicy 6 and try a few of their offerings.

Disclosure: All food and drinks in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

Charming and Elegant Interior

Spicy 6 is sort of a hidden gem being located on the second level of the building. Walking into the restaurant, I noticed the calm and relaxing atmosphere; it’s a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. If you sit by the window, you can enjoy the views of Robson Street.

The well-appointed interior boasts beautiful and colourful Indian-inspired murals. The restaurant is more on the fine dining side with its ambiance. White tablecloths with neatly folded napkins and simple floral centerpieces.

Spicy 6 Menu

The chefs from Spicy 6 are from New Delhi and they specialize in tandoori dishes. Some of the tandoori creations on the menu include Mustard Chicken Tikka, Lamb Sheekh Kabob, Tandoori Prawn and so forth. Also on the menu are a variety of non-vegetarian (like Chicken Korma, Saag Chicken, Kadai Lamb) and vegetarian main dishes (like Muttar Paneer, Aloo Gobi, Okra Masala). They also offer a lunch buffet.

What I Tried

Exotic Saffron Chicken ($25)

As I was a judge in the Vancouver Foodster Curry Challenge, I had the opportunity to try Spicy 6’s participating curry. The Exotic Saffron Chicken featured stuffed chicken with cottage cheese in a savoury curry. Served with jasmine rice and naan. I liked how they got creative and stuffed the chicken with cheese; that made the dish much more memorable. A good, savoury curry overall. Spicy 6 end up being the third place winner in the media judge’s category for the challenge.

Tandoori Prawn ($19)

I also tried the Tandoori Prawn featuring jumbo prawns marinated in grounded mustard, yogurt and spiced cooked in a clay oven. The prawns were nicely sized, bouncy and I enjoyed the smokey flavours.

Butter Chicken ($17)

I’ve been looking for new place to order butter chicken for takeout on a regular basis and Spicy 6 just might be it! I really loved their rich, flavourful butter chicken which had a nice balance of sweet and tomato flavours. The chicken pieces were tender and juicy. I would definitely love to have this again.

Naan

I also thought that Spicy 6’s naan was well-executed being crispy and chewy on the outside and light on the inside.

Peshawari Naan ($6)

One of the surprising standouts from the meal was the peshawari naan, which is a sort of dessert naan. I’ve never had a sweet naan before so this was a real treat for me. This naan was stuffed with cashews, pistachio, raisins and coconut. Loved the sweet nutty flavours and textures; it’s really worth having either as a side or dessert.

Overall Impression of Spicy 6

I really enjoyed the rich, flavourful Indian dishes at Spicy 6 and thought the prices and portions were reasonable for the area. I’d certainly be interested in revisiting as well as ordering some takeout. If you do want a nice sit-down experience for Indian cuisine, Spicy 6 has a lovely atmosphere to enjoy a meal. Rating: 4/5

Spicy 6 Fine Indian Cuisine
Address: 1116 Robson St, Vancouver, BC
Website: www.spicy6.com

Newly Opened: Rice and Noodle Robson Vancouver

February 23, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Newly opened last month on Robson Street is Rice and Noodle, a budget-friendly, casual eatery serving Asian-style rice and noodle dishes. I had heard about their opening through Instagram and was curious about their menu. In the last month, I visited Rice & Noodle for both dine-in and takeout. Here’s a look at my experience.

Disclosure: None of the food in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

Rice and Noodle Menu

On the menu at Rice and Noodle are fast-food style, MSG-free Asian dishes at affordable prices. You’ll find Thai staples like pad thai, green curry, red curry and tom yum soup; Japanese noodle dishes like yakiudon; Chinese dishes like chowmein and kung pao chicken; and Chinese-Malaysian fusion noodle soup bowls like laksa. Some of their dishes are noted to be gluten-free. Their current menu has 13 dishes available priced around $10-$11. They also have family combos to feed 3, 4 or 5 people as well as a small selection of sides (like spring rolls, gyoza and more).

The entrees are customizable for choice of protein including chicken, beef, tofu, mixed veggies, and seafood (extra). You can also choose your spiciness level available from level 1 (mild) to level 10 (spicy). If you’re feeling extra hungry, you can also opt to have extra protein as well.

Ordering Process

You will need to order at the front, have a seat and the food is brought out to you when ready. The interior is minimal but clean and spacious. There is a mix of cozy banquettes, booth seating and a high top table.

What I Tried

On my first visit, I ordered quite simply a laksa ($10.99) with extra seafood (+$3). The laksa had a curry coconut broth, rice noodle, broccoli, carrot, onion, tofu, zucchini topped with bean sprouts, boiled egg, and cilantro. I was impressed with the quality of the ingredients and the amount given was reasonable for the price. The curry coconut broth was very good; it might be on the thinner side compard to other places but I liked that it wasn’t too rich or oil. Their broth has such a great flavour that it’s the kind where you want to drink it in the end.

And because I enjoyed the laksa so much, I ordered it again via foodora. In the takeout version, they keep the broth separate from the rest of the ingredients. Still very delicious, and perfectly comforting for these cold, snowy days.

I also ordered a pad thai for takeout and thought the noodles were quite al-dente while the dish had pretty good flavour. I normally don’t have pad thai in-restaurant or for takeout but Rice and Noodle’s version was good.

Overall Impression of Rice and Noodle

In general, I enjoyed Rice and Noodle’s dishes with fresh ingredients as well as good portions, pricing and flavour with being reliant on MSG or chemical preservatives. I’d definitely be interested to return either for dining in or takeout. Rating: 4/5

Rice and Noodle
Address: 1236 Robson Street, Vancouver
Website: ‎thericeandnoodle.com

Bright Colors, Vibrancy

Mumbai Local Menu

What We Tried

Pani Puri ($7)

Shev Puri ($7)

Kombadi Vade ($17)

Chicken Lollipop ($11)

GUAVA KULFI ($5)

Overall Impression

Castella Cheesecake Menu

Cheesecake Boxes

Cafe Environment

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Castella Cheesecake

Interior

Cafe

Retail

Themed Bathrooms

Minimal, Elegant Space

Saku Menu

What I Tried

Service

Overall Impression of Saku

Modern, Spacious Interior

Sulmida Menu

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Sulmida Downtown Vancouver

New Spring Menu Items

What We Tried

Braised Fish Pot with Pickled Cabbage and Chili

Shrimp Paste on Donut

Beef Tripes

Sliced Lamb Rolls

Marbled Beef Slices

Marinated Sliced Beef

Birthday Cake

Can’t finish all of it?

WHAT IS HOT POT?

CHOOSE A SOUP BASE

MAKE YOURSELF A PERFECT SAUCE

What We Tried

Soup Base

Specialty Dish

Protein

Veggies

Starch

Dessert

Meat Barbie

Liuyishou Hotpot Robson Interior

Service

Overall Impression of Liuyishou Hotpot Robson

Charming and Elegant Interior

Spicy 6 Menu

What I Tried

Exotic Saffron Chicken ($25)

Tandoori Prawn ($19)

Butter Chicken ($17)

Naan

Peshawari Naan ($6)

Overall Impression of Spicy 6

Rice and Noodle Menu

Ordering Process

What I Tried

Overall Impression of Rice and Noodle

About Me

Recent Posts