Dashed!

Last weekend, Suanne and I went to check out a new and exciting little restaurant that had just recently hit town. Let’s see how many of you can guess which restaurant I am talking about. Here are some clues for you:

• It serves an ethnic cuisine that is rare in Vancouver. There are two other restaurants that covers this ethnic cuisine but they are nowhere near what this restaurant does.
• It is small and family owned. Limited seats. At max, only 18 at an incredible squeeze.
• They don’t have a signboard outside the restaurant. When asked why, they said they cannot keep up and dare not let anyone know more about them until they deal with the overwhelming demand.

We thought we be smart and go and have lunch at 2:30PM and guess what … the restaurant was packed with people waiting for a table even at that hour. There was no way we will get a table for the next 1.5 hours.

We wanted to try their national dish which is a bean-based dish but like I said “dashed!”. We made all the way there and thought we would be OK at 2:30PM for lunch. Now I know why my friend was raving about this new little place. The people were really nice people and was apologetic that they are unable to seat us. Before we left, we looked at the sweet lady and vowed “We shall return!”.

Let’s see if anyone of you can make a right guess which restaurant I was talking about above. Any guess?

OK, here is another clue. The small new restaurant I was talking about is quite near this place above.

Since we were already in the neighborhood, Suanne and I needed to come up with a Plan B. We figured that since we could not try that national dish in the small new restaurant, we go instead to try another national dish.

It just so happen that it was the Burmese Water Festival that day and the national dish of Burma (Myanmar) is Mohinga. We remember Grayelf telling us that Mitzie’s have good Mohinga on their menu.

With disappointment in our hearts, we walked over to Mitzie’s instead. But really, it was a good and interesting alternative. We like trying new exotic dishes.

The New Mitzie’s Restaurant is the name of this restaurant. Being just a “teenager” in Vancouver, my knowledge of such old establishments goes only so far. I am guessing the “New” in their name was a result of a change of ownership at some point. Yeah, I love learning and reading of the historical backgrounds of these restaurants.

Does anyone know the origin of that name Mitzie’s?

Anyway, the New Mitzie’s is basically a Hong Kong Style Cafe. The interior is dated. Sitting there Suanne and I did feel like … (more…)

For some reason, this HK Style Cafe and bakery flew under the radar for a long time. A lot of people know of this place Kam’s Bakery and Restaurant on Main but strangely there are very little reviews of them on the internet … and none on Urbanspoon.

I was reminded of this place by a few remarks left by LotusRapper.

Kam’s Bakery and Restaurant is located on Main Street near the intersection with East 8th Avenue in Vancouver. Maybe one of the reasons why people do not really take the effort to go into this restaurant is that it is located at a section of Main Street where people just zip through.

Maybe it is because of the … (more…)

It seems that calling this restaurant sketchy and dodgy did not deter some of us from showing up for this impromptu chowdown.

I made sure that I set the expectations clearly up front with those who responded to my call to join Suanne and I for lunch in the New Town Restaurant in Chinatown. I did not want people to look at me funny for choosing a place like this. I am saying this because I was once here some years ago when I saw needles in the washroom. We also came here after our lunch at Maxim’s to buy some buns and we noticed that some of their customers were down and out (if you know what I mean). So that formed an impression in me that this is not exactly a family restaurant.

To me I am no snob when it comes to food. I will go where there is something to learn about even if the food is nothing great. Sorry you gotta take this blog as it is – warts and all. I don’t usually got to fancy schmancy places.

I am just fascinated with the New Town Bakery and Restaurant because it is a restaurant before my time. Being someone who are relatively new to Canada, I don’t know the background of all these historic restaurants.

You know, as much as I spend a couple of hours everyday hacking away at writing a blog post, I spend equally as long, if not more, reading and digesting your comments. Indeed chowtimes had turned somewhat into a forum of sort.

I always enjoy reading your comments about the history (and gossips) behind these restaurants. Some of you would comment publicly and some would write emails to us in private. Sometimes we get juicy gossip about some restaurants … about gang affiliations and bosses who are hamsap and wives who gambled away the family fortunes and stuff like that. Some things just cannot be published on a blog. If I do, maybe the triads will send someone to take care of chowtimes. LOL!

So yeah, I was determined to go to New Town and accompanied with people who had a big part of their lives living in Chinatown. In all there were eight of us who showed up and I had such a great time.

Here is where I need you old timers to help me describing the history of New Town, OK? Let me know if I get this correct:

This could be confusing. There are four bakery or restaurant with the name New Town. This one in Chinatown which is 30 years old now is directly affiliated with the New Town bakeries in Richmond and in Surrey.

There is also another New Town on Cambie and 19th called the Original New Town Bakery (which is just a bakery and no restaurant). The Original New Town was the one which has its beginnings in 1948 (making it twice as old). I think the owner of the original New Town sold the restaurant and name about 30 years ago and then had regrets and restarted his bakery business with the Original New Town Bakery.

Is that correct? Yes? No? Anyway, I know who knows … Buddha Girl. So I am gonna reserve the box below for her comment. 🙂

[Box reserved for Buddha Girl to provide history of New Town … would you be kind enough to repeat the history? Pretty please? Thanks!]

Not sure how it goes though. New Town is Chinese and yet it is Filipino. You can see evidence of this on the door with the Mabuhay word. Some of their food in the bakery too has Filipino names although they are Chinese Filipino food.

See the pix on the right? Hey it is half off after 6:00 PM! Too bad it is out of the way for me or else this would be a great place to pick up something for the next days breakfasts on the way back from the office.

Hey don’t sneer at New Town. They had won CRA awards before – awards as in plural OK? Their Apple Tarts are legendary.

Don’t play-play!

We were not sure if they would even take reservations for a place like this but when we called, they apparently do take reservations. For once, I thought I had to go early to “chuup” a table big enough for eight of us. No, we did not have to. The table was there waiting for us when we showed up.

Yeah, most of the people who showed up doesn’t know one another. Apparently when we showed up some of the party were already there and they were waiting for Suanne and I in different sections of the restaurant. Everyone settled down very quickly and we all started to chat like we were old friends – instantaneously. LOL!

It’s amazing how food unites people.

The dining area was relatively busy but the bakery area was extremely busy with people coming in for take outs. Service was very fast and good and friendly. It does help to have Thomas who knows the restaurant workers personally. The “jeh-jehs” (elder sista) and “ah-sohs” (aunties) seems to treat Thomas like their darling. It’s good to be loved.

Let’s face it. New Town is really a dive of a place. It does show its age at all fronts but to me it also shows its charm in many ways.

I just wonder if there is anything they don’t have here. It is bewildering how many menus they have and I wonder if these are all coordinated at all.

There is a long list of Special Set Menu on the sandwich board outside. We also have the (orange color) menu for Special Mini Set. And then there is the specials of the day on the table holder.

And there is also the main menu (the landscape picture on bottom right). Take a look at the number and see how many items there are (click if want to show it larger).

It’s amazing isn’t it?

Thomas was raving about their Braised Lamb and Beancurd Stick. We wanted to try it but it’s a special that is only available when they make it the day before. Our timing was off. So we did not get to try it.

Dashed!

I don’t know if I heard Thomas wrong or if he was pulling my legs. I thought I heard him say that the aluminium pot makes tea more smooth.

I have never heard of that before. *shrug*

Nice and strong. Their Hong Kong style milk tea is good stuff … up to snuff. Just look at the smoothness and richness. We took a while to decide what we wanted.

Since we have numbers, I was a bit bolder and said we will order drinks and some pastries first and real food later. Yeah, normally I am a bit more timid if it was just Suanne and I. We would try to order everything all at once and not hog the table for too long since this restaurant is quite a busy place.

“Bo Chup” (don’t care) because we have the numbers.

The best Apple Tarts on the planet according to … (more…)