Urban Fare

Urban Fare
Several locations in Vancouver
1335 Alberni Street (Location visited)
Vancouver, BC

One of the “problems” from travelling is that, when you are back, you have to catch up on a lot of things. Check all the mail, tidying up, laundry and so on. While I did much on a single day, I had to put a lot of other things on hold – one of them cooking. Despite there is proof I eat out a lot, I cook at home as well, you know! So, on the Monday I was back to work, I wanted to try a place Tana of Cheap Appetite wrote about: Urban Fare. And, let me tell ya, what was ordered looked good!

I will make a small admission: Urban Fare is not a place I would go for groceries. Partially it has to do with price, the other is the quality of the products. Granted, some of their products are really good; however, some of these goods (or a reasonable substitute) can also be found at a cheaper price and others a reasonable substitute can be found at a cheaper price. OK, for the most part – they might have some unique goods but… I think I will leave it at that since this trip was for their restaurant/coffee bar, not groceries…

Yup, this is among several hot items they have available for lunch. Here, half a chicken with a side. Normally, half chicken would be under $7 and the side would be an additional $3. Now, here is a case of lost in translation: After I ordered chicken, I was asked if I wanted a side to go along (“yes!”). I was given the option of mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables and rice. What I wasn’t sure (and wasn’t clear about) was it was one large side or split in two mini servings. According to Tana’s post, the later was an option, so I asked exactly for that. However, when I was given a slip (to pay at the cashier) that was for *two* sides, i.e., total of $13! Fortunately, the cashier noticed that was counted as one side and ended up paying $10 instead. Hmmmmmmm….

They have three chicken “flavours”: BBQ, Italian and Cajun – Here is a piece of Cajun. To me, Cajun is one of those cuisines that I don’t completely grasp in the sense there are so many misconceptions, as what we sometimes think is Cajun is actually Creole. And, do you know the Cajun (culture, that is) has some Canadian connection, as they were originally settled in the Maritimes before they were exiled? Enough history lesson and back to the chicken. Here, it had some smooth texture, specially the thigh portion; the drumstick, on the other hand, was starting to get a bit dry. My conception (misconception?) of Cajun food is that it has some heat (as in spicy) element in it; in this case, it wasn’t like that, instead, it had some hint of smokiness. It was OK, not something I would rush back for.

Here is the other quarter, in this case, the Italian seasoning/flavour. Hup, that is another thight-drumstick piece! Being Chinese, when it comes to poultry, I will skip white meat in favour of dark meat. What makes this “Italian” is the herb-y (Oregano?) seasoning, which I think is better than the Cajun one. Furthermore, it was juicier than the Cajun but, otherwise, they are pretty much similar to each other.

The sides were borderline average. If you have had rice in Greek restaurants, they are pretty much the same parboiled rice. As for the vegetables, I wished they seasoned it a little bit. Also, while cooked fine, I wished they did not overcooked the vegetables; but, then again, it was sitting there waiting to be served so there is a logical explanation.

In the end, At $10, I am not sure if it is the beast deal. Don’t get me wrong, it is good in its own ways; just that I would be more tempted to buy the whole chicken ($11?), fix some sides myself and share it with somebody. However, if you are in a hurry, $10 sounds reasonable.

Tagged under: Chicken • Downtown • Lunch • Vancouver