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

Long's Noodle House

After a few days of sushi cleanse, I had a huge craving for oily Chinese food. So I decided that Long's Noodle House can definitely satisfy my cravings. It was only 6pm when I got home from work; if we speed there now, we might not need to wait for a table. We dashed there, found a nice close parking spot, and went inside. Half the restaurant was full already. The two large tables were reserved. Fortunately, a small table cleared up and we were seated right away.

Long's Noodle House is a small family owned restaurant. The front end is single handedly operated by the female owner. She is the host/waitress/server of the restaurant. Very personable and have a great sense of humor. She treats all her customers like a regular and constantly make hilarious remarks.

Wine Chicken ($7.95)
Comes in this cute Asian style wine container. It is primarily the drumstick of a chicken that is sliced and drenched in Chinese "fa diu wine". The container is filled all the way to the bottom. I really enjoy the wine chicken at Long's Noodle House because the wine taste is not as pungent as elsewhere, but you can still taste it.

Hot and Sour Soup ($6.95)
Very tasty, not as hot and sour as most places. Mild in flavour. Lots of ingredients, definitely not cheaping out. Great portion for the price

Steamed Mini Pork Buns ($5.50)
Also known as: Siu Long Bao, my favourite! These steamed mini pork buns are filled with juicy soup. Be careful when picking them up with your chopsticks, if you make a hole, the soup will spill everywhere! When I poured the soup out, it filled up my soup spoon, and you can see that the liquid is nice and clear - not oily at all. The meat inside was really fresh tonight, it was surprisingly not frozen! Recommended by Hippo!!

Beef Rolls ($5.95)
In my opinion, one of the best in Vancouver. The pancake is soft and chewy - not hard and dry, like the ones you find in bubble tea restaurants. The thin slice of beef is tender and has a perfect complement of sauce wrapped in the roll. Only con with this roll is that each end of the roll does not have enough sauce, so it tends to be more bland at the ends. Otherwise, it is a very tasty and flavourful dish. Highly recommended if you are a beef roll person!

Overall, a great place to grab some Shanghai food in Vancouver. Although this is a noodle house, we actually did not order any noodle this time. The four dishes we ordered was perfect for two people for dinner. We do look forward in making another trip just for the noodles!

Location: On Main Street, north of East 33rd Avenue. You can find parking along Main Street. Always call ahead to make reservations. There was a wait / line up when we were there, and it was just a Monday. Please note: they are closed on Tuesdays.

Food: Fresh and delicious. Every dish we order was very good. No disappointments.
Service: Wonderful personable owner.
Price: The total came to $30 with tax for two people.
Recommended? Yes.

- Hippo


Long's Noodle House 小龍記麵家
4853 Main Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-879-7879