Hawker’s Delight
4127 Main St
Vancouver, BC
As mentioned in my Menya post, I seldom go to some areas of Vancouver. The restaurant of today’s post is located in Main Street, where, although have good restaurants of it’s own – for example, Rekados, I don’t usually end up there for a lot of reasons (parking, driving, etc. etc.). However, the day I went to VanDusen Botanical Garden and Queen Elizabeth Park, post here, I was nearby and the rest is history, hehehe.
Now, why Hawker’s Delight? I will admit it was partially due to the name, as I associate it to fast, cheap food. After all, food courts are referred to as hawker centres in some countries in Asia! Now, just like in food courts, there are a couple of things you should NOT expect… (But that is beyond the point of this post). And, now, to the food:
To start, I had some spring rolls. These were filled with cabbage and carrots. Not sure if it had any shiitake, though, in this case, it was not that important. Also, it was crunchy, slightly greasy and served with a sweet sauce which served to contrast the savoury side of the roll.
For the “main”, I had Hainanese Chicken Rice. Feel free to call me predictable as this has been a dish I order a lot in Singaporean places. However, it is simplicity that counts here. Some poached chicken (here it was leg/thigh), served with a garlic/sweet chili sauce. The rice did had a slight hint of chicken flavour but not as pronounced as other “higher end” places. Regardless, the rice did not have the blandness as some places (Greek restaurant, anybody???). The chicken on its own did not have that much taste, so it was up to the garlic/sweet chili sauce to make it up. While not strong, after the meal, I did have some garlic breath… ^_^;;;
Overall, I was almost sure I would have good food when I made my order, as I could see the big pot simmering a large batch of broth, with the cook furiously stir frying right next to it in high flame (didn’t really see the high flame but I did see some smoke going on). The food is simple and, at $5.00 for the Hainanese Chicken Rice and $0.75 each spring roll, even if it was so-so, I would give them so slack. There was no need, though. If I am in the area, I would certainly go there again.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
$5? That’s pretty cheap. I need to try this place out. I didn’t expect the food you ate at a place called Hawkers Delight… Thanks for the post!
hm for some reason, my family was never a big fan of the haianese chicken; i wasn’t, either :/
Wow! Those are some really clean looking eggrolls. And it looks like I could eat some of that Hainanese chicken with rice right now.
Sherman, in addition to the Hainanese chicken (rice) there was also other Singaporean/Malaysian goodies, like Nasi Goreng (fried rice), Mee Goreng (fried noodles), laksa, lamb/beef curry with rice, et al. Most of them around $5, with the curry with rice being the priciest at $6.75!
Pearl, I think Hainanese chicken (rice) is a bit of an acquired taste. After all, it is a cold dish and a bit slimy due to the gelatin surrounding the chicken. However, you don’t have to make it that way and have it as white cut chicken instead.
Dave, welcome and thanks for your comments! Well, if you are in the area, you know this option exists! XD
Dear KimHo,
I am a Malaysian visiting Vancouver who have a craving for home food. Thus I am looking for good and authentic food. Any suggestions what I should order from your restaurant?
May
Mei, welcome! I have some suggestions; however, I will also mention that I myself I am not Malaysian so I can’t vouch for authenticity. They are:
Seri Malaysia (2327 E Hastings Street, Vancouver) – My post here.
Kedah House (1652 SE Marine Drive, Vancouver)
Bo Laksa King’s (4910 Joyce Street, Vancouver)
Tamarind Hill (628 6th Ave, New Westminster) – There is supposedly one location in North Vancouver.
Out of all these, I have only been to Seri Malaysia. I guess it is time for me to go there! If you do go to these places, please, let us know what was your experience.
Hi Kim! I enjoyed your blog very much. However, out of your 5 recommendations I am only partial to Bo Laksa King.
The rest are very authentic malaysian restaurants. Bo’s place is not authentic at all except for the thai dishes he makes. That is not to say it is not edible, just not authentic. I am malaysian and I know what it should look like and taste like.
Just my two cents worth. Not trying to offend anyone.
Westvanlady, welcome and thanks for your thoughts! At the time of writing, as I mentioned, I have only been to Seri Malaysia and, since, I have also been to Bo Laksa King. Since I am not Malaysian, I will leave the authenticity point out and trust what you said. But, as for the food itself, I thought it was overblown by other food bloggers. And, no, I don’t think you offended anybody!
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