First time here and the staff were sooo welcoming! Tried out a few of their dishes!…read moreSinigang shrimp - a little too sour but lots of veggies and shrimp inside! Highly recommend ordering rice to go with it Chicken adobo - Chicken came off the bone and was perfectly marinated! Beef pares - thought the noodles were too soft and it was on the salty side Buihon guisado - big hit amongst the group!

I have a newfound love for Filipino cuisine and food now. My group ordered the sinigang shrimp,…read morechicken adobo, beef pares, buihon guisado and everything was just so amazingly flavourful. Some of our favourites were the adobo that wasn't too vinegary like some other spots and the beef pares had a nice sweetness.

Super tasty Filipino place a few blocks N of Lonsdale Quay…read more Parking is available but limited on the streets. The interior is pretty dumpy. Basically a hole in the wall. Nice casual comfort food. Looks like a mom & pop (brother & sister?) place. The guy used to the executive chef at Truffle House (now closed) in Ambleside (West Vancouver). I happened to enter the place near their closing time (incorrect business hours) but they were kind enough to still serve my buddy and me with whatever they had still available. I had their litson (lechon) with garlic rice. Super tasty. Gobbled up the entire thing. The lechon skin was a bit hard, but I think that was more because it had been sitting all afternoon. Not going to hold that against them. Served with tangy chili(?) dipping sauce. They have other cafeteria items available if one comes earlier in the day. Definitely will be back to try some of their other stuff. Recommended.

What a great discovery! Filipino food is the unsung hero of South Asian cuisine. Unbelievably…read morefriendly and helpful. The chef was quite jovial and the lady who ran FOH was lovely. It's a teeny place with only 5 or 6 small tables, so takeout might be a great option too. I had the grilled squid stuffed with sisig (sautéed pig parts) and garlic rice and it was spot on. Best Filipino garlic rice I've had in vancouver. Squid was perfectly grilled and the sisig never lets you down, especially with the great vinegar sauce that comes with. Lovey had the 2 dish special with garlic rice, and her two dishes were Bicon Express (pork in coconut milk with a bit of chili) and Laing, which is taro leaves cooked down in coconut milk. Superb, even if it's not the most appetizing looking! Can't recommend this place enough. I'll be back again and again.

This place is great. The decor inside is warm. Service is fast. The food taste great we had the…read moreshaking beef with rice and soup. And the pho tai and all the pho dishes can be upgraded to a combo which includes a drink & appetizer for an additional $6

I'll start with the bad. They have a RAT PROBLEM around the perimeter of the building as well as…read moreINSIDE about 4 feet away from where I was sitting. Outside by their big garbage bin, there were a few rats hanging around look for food. Food was decent. Plenty of parking. It's a matter before the rats force them to shut down once the city finds out. My guess is this has been an ongoing issue. Hopefully they address it. I would not come back until the city does a thorough inspection and remediation.

After sampling some of their food at Hats Off Day in June, we finally got around to going inside…read moreand having a meal. Lovely, airy, tropical ambiance with many real palm plants (& some fake plants up high). It was a really hot day and we chose to avoid the sun filled outer covered glass courtyard and instead sat in a large air conditioned booth in the back. Temperature was perfect. The restaurant filled up and got very busy for lunch. There's a lot of competition for Thai food on the Heights and we are happy to finally have this new option which can accommodate larger groups! We had a Thai iced tea which was ordered with reduced sweetness and was just perfect. The mango mocktail was like a delicious dessert and the homemade ginger ale was very tasty. We all ordered different pad Thai dishes and gobbled them down completely even though they were generous portions. You can ask for your food to be made spicy, mild spicy, sweet, not too sweet, etc. so it's curious to me that others give poor reviews because the food was too bland! Be sure to try the mango or durian sticky rice. Service was really good. Even though it got more and more busy, we received a second carafe of water without asking! Prompt service and easy bill paying at our table. Parking is available in the city parking lot behind the restaurant or on the street. Large clean bathrooms. Wish I had come here sooner. We will be back with friends! Nothing to complain about! Try it.

Rens Cafe is a beautiful dinner spot with a glass-ceiling indoor terrace that fills the space with…read moresoft natural light and creates a relaxed, airy atmosphere. I ordered the mixed mushrooms with glass noodles from the main dishes menu (one of the few vegetarian options available). It's a simple stir-fry--fragrant garlic, mushrooms, and silky glass noodles. Nothing overly complicated, but comforting and satisfying in its own way. At first, it feels quite understated, almost plain-looking, but it grows on you with every bite. The little chilli sauce on the side is what really elevates everything. A bold mix of green chilli, garlic, ginger, and lime juice--it completely wakes up the dish and turns each bite into something bright and punchy. It honestly made me realize how much I miss ginger in everyday cooking. The stir-fry is a bit oily, but it seems intentional, helping keep the glass noodles from clumping and giving them that smooth, glossy texture. My only wish is that there were more plant-based options on the menu--because the space and flavours here really deserve a stronger vegetarian selection.

Supper affordable good eats! Been to LA Grill & Bistro many times with friends and always had a…read moresolid meal. Their drink prices are like from 20 years ago! They also offer lunch and dinner specials so check out their website for the daily specials. My favourites are the nachos, chicken souvlaki, New York Steak. My friend loved the BLT and LA Burger. Located in the mimi mall complex so lots of free parking around.

There is discount eating and then there is discount dining…read more Ikea and Golden Coin, qualifies in the former. Golden Coin, IMHO is actually *healthier* than Ikea. Who knows what fillers and other preservatives is in the pre-prepared food of Ikea. Is Ikea edible? Yes. Will it Kill you? Unlikely. LA Grill is the latter, discount dining. Ironic that its next to a discount grocery chain, FreshCo in the same strip mall. If you want an addition to discount eating, there's also the Arches in the strip mall complex. There's also the option of fighting with the bottle collectors for some couch change at the Return-it Recycling depot a stone's throw away. DDDD, dumpster diving discount dining at its best. Derision aside, LA Grill is quite decent for what it is. It's not fancy, nor is it gourmet. The menu is not extensive, let alone exhaustive. Very simple with options for everyone's palate. The pricing is the bonus. It's extremely reasonable. Hauntingly similar to X-Site Bistro in North Burnaby. Others have mentioned that they maybe the same owners or related in some way. Worth a visit.

Food: 4.5/5 Ambiance: 5/5…read moreService: 5/5 I was so excited to find out that a new Thai spot had opened near main & Broadway so had to check it out with a friend. We got there on a Wednesday at 5:30 and were able to snag a table with no reservations but by the time we left around 7 most of the restaurant had filled up so I'd suggest making one if you're going on a weekend during peak times. The staff was so lovely from beginning to end! From the hostess who greeted us to our server who was always kind and attentive, this was all great to see. As for the food, I love that they have common allergens pointed out on their menu and a whole page dedicated at the end to vegetarian & vegan dishes. My friend and I shared the red curry sauce & the pad Thai. The food came out quickly and we really enjoyed it! The curry was different than the others I'd tried which were more soupy and instead just coated the tofu but I appreciated that it came with rice instead of having to order one separately. The pad Thai was good but I would make it a smidge more saucy if I could! I also wish they had a happy hour menu which would be great for some post work snacks and drinks! Overall the food was really tasty and reasonably priced so I'm definitely looking to come back to try other dishes!

Stopped here for family dinner simply because it was close by, and I had a craving for Thai food…read more We made reservations online, and showed up on time, and were quickly seated. As I entered, I quickly remembered being in the space not long ago when it was a El Gato Gab Gab. The space has stayed mostly the same, but the decor has been updated to have a more Thai theme. We initially had our mind set on 5 dishes, but were told 2 were sold out, so we had to make some changes. They had mentioned a couple other items (which we didn't order) were sold out too, so they clearly had some supply or planning issues to work out. Here is what I tried: - Stuffed Chicken Wings: Very good. The batter had volume, but stayed quite light. The chicken was mostly deboned, and fully stuffed. Probably my favourite dish of the night: - Crispy Frog Legs: Very good. Quite similar to the chicken wings in terms of the light batter. - Khao Soi Chicken Leg: OK. Tasted fine, but the chicken, although tender, had a slightly mealy quality to it that I thought was a bit strange. - Pad Ka-Pao Beef: Good, but the beef was more "wet" that I normally see it. - Naem Fried Rice: Good. No complaints. Service was very pleasant, and they took the time to present and describe the dishes. They did seem less attentive as the place got busier though. I would rate this visit a 3.25 out of 5 - a little better than average. I really liked the stuffed chicken wings and crispy frog legs, but everything else was a bit more average including the service. Not having a few dishes we wanted shows signs that they need to iron out some operational issues.

We were looking for a place on Christmas Eve, we find this place by mistake... we were the only…read morenon-Asian people , but it wasn't really a problem . The food was nice, we got it quickly. The only thing that I didn't like was the wings, they have two wings in the combo... I don't know why I didn't like it, because when I was there like almost any table order wings so it's probably they're signature or something. So maybe it's me it's the first time that I left wings on the plate... (1 of 2...) Other than that nice Christmas, live music, nice stage with a decoration.

Late night options in Richmond have become sparse nowadays, but thanks to some local insight, my…read moregroup of dining companions and I found ourselves at Spark after midnight during the midweek. Parking is normally a hassle during the daytime, but at night it's a breeze. Strangely, there was still a sign up for paid parking, yet signing an iPad near the bar will somehow negate the charge for 3 hours. Just outside the door, there are also "guards" who patrol the lot on foot (#1) and many cigs are disposed of in the process. It's likely they'll end up at the bar patrolling their own drinks instead. Most Richmond nightlife is very Chinese and Spark is no exception. The staff is multilingual, but most patrons here are Mandarin speaking. Folks have known the place to be a haven for karaoke and nightly food specials, but we were here for cocktails and cocktails only. There was plenty of space and abundant seating in very intimate lighting with a prominent stage. Coming here on a Tuesday, it was a relaxing evening. The wait staff was prompt, and most of our drinks came out quickly. The osmanthus oolong ($19) was semi-refreshing, but not nearly sweet as the white rabbit ($17) or berrily ever after ($18). The moscow mule ($17) looked decent, though I wonder if the zombie ($22) was worth it. The times to be here are absolutely the weekend. All weekend they have live music and more food specials. I think it would be an interesting time to take advantage of one of their private only areas for group time, and while I suspect the food is mid at best, I will likely be back to sample everything they do well. I look forward to this, along with some really quality amateur singing (#1). ____________ (#1) This might be one of the only venues that offer public karaoke

A group of us were on the waitlist for Tom Sushi, but the wait was 90 minutes, and a couple of us…read morewere hungry, so we decided to stop here for a drink and quick bite. Being familiar with Maenam, Sen and Fat Mao, I had a certain level of expectation for Sainam. It was early on Friday evening (around 6pm) and it wasn't busy. I didn't make much of a note of the decor - a nice enough space, but not memorable by any means. What I tried: - Lychee Rhubarb Lemonade: Good. It was refreshing. - Som Tom Sua: Not good. It lacked flavour. I wouldn't order it again. - Laab Fried Rice: Good. Good flavour and wok hei. Quite expensive for the portion size though. Service was adequate. Friendly and attentive enough, but nothing remarkable. I recognize that we didn't sample a lot, but what I did have was mixed. I would consider coming back to give it another chance.

We found parking on the street but there is an underground parking garage right between Sainam and…read morethe Independent grocery store. We had reservations. The décor is very nice. Service was okay. I prefer another Thai restaurant that we tried last month. We wanted to have mussels, but they were not available. We had pork crackling to start and ordered pad thai with chicken, grilled pork neck and a bowl for jasmine rice for our dinner. The pad thai was very good. The grilled pork neck was average. I was very surprised that the rice came hot in a small plastic bag. Not sure how healthy that would be. We also ordered a couple of glasses of wine. The wine prices are exorbitant. $15.00 for a glass that did not appear to even have 6 oz. of wine in it. It is unlikely that we would return. There are better Thai restaurants in town.