Hawker's Delight

Hawker's Delight has got to be the cheapest Asian fast food restaurant in Vancouver. At $5.40 per plate, not even the regular meals at McDonald's can beat that. This restaurant is quite shabby looking, but have caught attention of many Vancouverites due to their solid cheap food. You order the food with the cashier at the counter in the back, take a number, and grab a table. There are not much table space and it is generally quite cramped with the in / out flow of people ordering food and grabbing take out.

When we stepped inside, Meko's friends immediately spotted us. Coincidentally, this couple is always at every restaurant that Meko and I head to! While they were chatting away, I have settled my heart on Hainese Chicken. Meko's friend suggested us to try #11: Mee Siam. They also recommended us to try the vegetable fritter, so we grab those too. The lady at the counter has poor command of English, but was very friendly. From the counter window, we can look right into the kitchen.

Vegetable Fritter ($1.15 per two pieces)
The vegetable fritter was pre-fried and was under a heat lamp ready to be served immediately. A sauce, similar to fish sauce, was drizzled over the crunchy fritters. I took a few pictures and consumed it right away before it got too soggy. It was actually pretty good. The best I can describe it would be a deep fried dough batter with vegetable pieces. Very reasonably priced, I will order again.

Hainanese Chicken ($5.90)
Very generous portion. The chicken itself is average - moist-dry texture, not much chicken flavour. The rice however, was really good. A large bowl of delicious oily rice went well with the chicken. The dish is accompanied by a dip that was very tasty; you do not need to add much for a nice strong sweet and sour flavour. I have had better Hainanese Chicken elsewhere, but I can't complain much for the price I am paying.

Mee Siam ($5.40)
This dish consists of thin rice noodles in a spicy, sweet, and sour sauce. I found the tamarind flavour too tart for my taste, but Meko said it was not bad. There is no meat in Mee Siam, only a boiled egg. It does not look like much food, but Meko claims he is full from the noodles. Ultimately, we both prefer the Hainanese Chicken over the Mee Siam.

The last time I visited Hawker's Delight was well over 3 years ago. I actually wasn't very fond of the food during my last visit. Perhaps the flavour of the cooking has an authentic flare that is not well suited with my taste bud. We did not particularly enjoyed it as much as our friends.

Location: On Main Street, south of East King Edward Avenue. There is paid meter parking on Main Street for $1 per hour. When we drove down the street, we did see someone checking the parking meter. It was also a Tuesday when we visited the restaurant. Usually free parking after 6pm if you are willing to park further.

Food: Below average, but it is reflected upon the price paid.
Service: Friendly. They brought the food out to the table when you dine in.
Price: Cheap. The total came to $14 with tax for two people.
Recommended? Food does not suit my taste buds.

- Hippo


Hawker's Delight
4127 Main Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-709-8188