I first discovered Tai One a few months ago when I spotted them across the street from my window-side table inside Maenam. I was really surprised because there just aren’t that many Chinese Restaurants on West 4th except Peaceful Restaurant which is several blocks down. Craving some bubble tea after my meal at Maenam, I decided to try them out. It was then that I discovered it was a full-sit down restaurant owned by Bubble World – notably the Diner’s Choice winner for Top Bubble Tea shop in Vancouver by the 2016 Chinese Restaurant Awards.
Tai One Menu
According to their website, Tai One was started by three chefs and the name of the restaurant is a homonym to their home, Taiwan. The menu is extensive starting with Taiwanese delicacies like Taiwanese salty pepper nuggets and Taiwanese meat sauce on rice. However, I noticed that they also serve typical Thai curry dishes like red curry and green curry. For dessert, they have shaved ice, Belgian waffles and puddings. The menu is fully available online.
What I Tried
Over two visits, I tried the following:
- Taro milk tea with pearl ($4 + $0.50)
- Axka deal ($24)
- BBQ Pork Jowl
- Prawns with String Beans
- Rice
- Classic Milk Tea with Pearl ($0.50)
- Taiwanese Salty Pepper Chicken Nuggets ($8)
A while back, I found a Q&A on Quora on how to evaluate bubble tea. So, I’m going to apply it to comment on the bubble tea I tried from Tai One (taro milk tea and classic milk tea). Overall, their drinks were okay with decent tea flavour and aroma – refreshing but not overpowering. Sweetness levels were about right. However, the tapiocal pearls seemed a bit overcooked because their texture was too soft. It’s supposed to be just smooth and slightly soft on the outside, but chewy through to the middle with a slightly increasing level of firmness.
For my taro milk tea, the ice and pearl levels seemed reasonable (recommended proportions are less than 20% for ice and 25-30% for pearls). It was also properly sealed with the plastic wrap.
As for the classic milk tea during my dine-in experience, the drink came in a beer mug without any ice. I think the ice would have been nice to keep the drink colder. In terms of bubble tea, I’d still have to go with Chatime because of their quality pearls and tea flavour.
The Axka deal came with choice of two entrees (out of 6 options), rice and two drinks (out of 3 options). The BBQ pork jowl was quite firm and dense, meaty and springy. It was served with a sweet and sour garlic sauce, which went well with it.
Prawns with string beans is one of my go-to dishes at a restaurant serving South-Asian cuisine like Banana Leaf. Much to my surprise, Tai One’s version was excellent. The prawns were large and springy and the food wasn’t as oily as elsewhere. The string beans were cooked perfectly: crunchy without feeling rubbery. Stir-fried with house hot sauce and shrimp paste, the flavours were on point.
The Taiwanese salty pepper chicken nuggets were also well-executed and well-seasoned. The chicken was tender, moist and delicious. I also appreciated that the chicken pieces weren’t very greasy.
Service
While the food was reasonable overall, service was a bit lacking. For example, while the server was taking our order, we asked for some ice water. It took quite a while for the ice water to come. Furthermore, we thought it was odd that the bubble tea drinks were the last to arrive at our table after all the other entrees.
Overall Impression
All in all, the food at Tai One was generally well-executed and delicious. Flavours were on point and I especially appreciated that the food wasn’t all that greasy. The bubble tea is okay, though not the best in the city. Service could definitely use improvement. I would return for take-out or even dine in if I’m not feeling too picky. Rating: 3.5/5