Alberni Food Fair
1070 Alberni Street
Vancouver, BC
I once wrote this about food courts:
“Food courts in Metro Vancouver (and North America in general) are, more often than not, just places for you to buy something, sit on a table and eat it. Whether is something edible, good for you, entertainment or anything on these lines, well, just don’t raise your expectations“.
Of course, there are always exceptions to those rules. For example, the one instance when I visited Crystal Mall’s food court and had BBQ duck and BBQ pork. Of course, that could be an exception to the rule, after all, Crystal Mall is one the lines of a Chinese/Oriental mall. Now, what are the chances I would like a food court in Downtown Vancouver, surrounded by high end restaurants?
Entrance in Thurlow street.
Entrance in Alberni street.
I ended up here almost by chance. Despite I used walk by almost everyday, I never realized there was a food court there. Yes, it is one of those cases where you can’t see the forest because there are way too many trees. But how I ended up there? It happens I was hungry by 11:00 a.m. and most restaurants were closed. Urban Fare or Tim Horton’s would have been an option but I wanted something else.
Yes, it was empty when I walked down the stairs.
As for the food, there are several options, from:
Middle-Eastern to…
Vietnamese and others including Thai, Japanese, etc.
The day I went there was a really cold day, which translates into wanting something pipping hot. Something like…
A bowl of pho from Treat. But not the regular pho, rather it was topped with spicy lemon grass beef. I know this sounds strange but it was better than expected for $6. Now, the noodles, as seen in the picture above, were a bit of a let down; however, again, at $6, and compared to some places with more expensive bowls – like the one I had at Gold Train Express, this one was quite good.
Given the meal was better than expected, on another day, I went there and bought a meatball sandwich to go. And this is what I got for ~$3:
Think a Vietnamese sandwich but, rather than cold cuts, you get a meat sauce with grounded beef instead. It was quite good, I must say. Feeling I was on a run, on another day, I dropped by a stand called Vegety, where they serve Japanese style curry.
I went for the baked chicken curry ($6.50). Not sure how noticeable it is but it had some pieces of potatoes (it had the texture of baked), three pieces of chicken with rice, topped with a Japanese style curry sauce. It wasn’t hot (as in spicy) and wished it had also some other vegetables, like carrots. But, it was interesting in its own ways.
Finally, for dessert, I had a somewhat odd dessert: a tofu chocolate brownie ($1.50).
It felt short of a really good brownie, as it didn’t have that creamy/fatty texture. However, again, it was quite interesting.
Overall, I must say this place was better than expected. Cheap food with a good variety. If I want a cheap meal in Downtown Vancouver, out of all places, this might be a good option.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I’d so like to try a tofu chocolate brownie!!! This is a wonderful post, it’s nice seeing how food courts are in other countries, and it looks very similar to the ones in the UK, and in other countries I’ve been to. The food again, seems to be more varied than the ones I’ve seen though, you guys have lots of good choices over there.
I got food from the chinese place beside the Thai Food last summer..it sucked. Never went back for lunch.
Monchichi, i would say the type of food courts found in Vancouver is a reflection of the multiculturalism in Vancouver. When I go to food courts in the US, I can only find your usual McDs, Burger Kings and similars.
Kevin, the reason I went more than once was to address exactly what you mention: it is possible one stand was quite decent but others might really suck. In my experience, unless you are there when they open, I try not to go to stands where they have things sitting under the heater/lamp for a long time.
Yes, this little food court is a gem. Haha, I used to work in that area as well and found this food court accidentally too. I’ve noticed there are a few hidden food courts like this scattered in downtown Vancouver.
Is that Indian restaurant still operating there? I remember they served local BC dishes like salmon curry.
That tofu brownie looks delicious! Was that a Vietnamese meatball sub?
Mia, welcome! Yes, there is a lot of food courts; however, they tend to be more expensive due to their location. For example, the one in Bentall Centre. Yes, that’s a Vietnamese meatball sub. I don’t think I saw an indian restaurant. Should I visit once more to find out?
Sadly, this food court seems to have been shut down…closed forever. A co-worker was going to have Taiwanese noodles there for lunch and she saw the doors shut and inside was dark. Too bad because I was going to go there this week for some cheap $5 Taiwanese noodles.
Anonymous Coward, after you wrote your comment, on my way back home, I checked and, indeed, it was closed. If it is a permanent closure, the only thing I can say is that it will be missed…
I was so sad to find out it was closed… it was my favourite lunch spot, especially the Taiwanese noodles… cheap and yummy…to bad i didnt have the chance to ask if they moved somewhere else…
I miss this food court. There was no place cheaper for a decent lunch downtown. Loved the Taiwan noodles and all the Thai noodle soups. Wonder if any of the tenants reopened elsewhere?
Jeff, unfortunately, absolutely no idea where they might have gone, nor aware of any decent cheap lunch nearby. However, if you do know of such option, please, let us know!
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