Kolachy Co.

Kolachy Co
888 Beatty Street
Vancouver, BC

One of the areas of town I tried to avoid during the Olympic Games was Yaletown. Part of the reason was the amount of people in the area, specially due to LiveCity Yaletown where nightly concerts took place. Now, I did pass by one night but I was on the back area of LiveCity. Probably that explains why pedestrian traffic was minimal… On one of my walks near different exhibits/pavilions without trying to go to Yaletown, I noticed a small shop near Alberta House called Kolachy Co. Kolachy (also spelled kolace, kolach, or kolacky)?! What #@$%@#$ is that?! After checking different sources, it seemed it was one of those cases were the exact item might have evolved so what you actually get is not necessarily what you would expect. Anyway…

Before I walked in, I noticed a sign that explains what they serve – whether if that is actually kolachy in the straight sense of the word, I can’t say. So, this is a case of taking things “as is” rather than aiming for authenticity or what not. So, what do they say is a kolachy?

“I know what you’re thinking!! What the heck is Kolachy co.??? Well, we sell kolachy’s (sic). They are whole wheat buns stuffed with various savoury fillings!! And… Not only do we have great buns!! We also have some of the best soup!

When I read that description, I couldn’t help but think about that infamous Chinese dish: pork buns! I mean, if you just remove “whole wheat” and replace “various savoury fillings” with cha siu or Chinese BBQ, won’t that gives you the basic pork bun?! Anyway, this is what I got

If it wasn’t because I saw them preparing some kolachy, I would have thought they were playing a prank. I mean, doesn’t this look like a regular bun you would get in a supermarket like Safeway, Superstore of Save-on-Foods? Well, a bit heavier and warm but… Otherwise, if you see one of these, there is no way you can’t think it is just your regular bun!

Rather than me biting into it directly, I decided to tear it to see how it is set up inside and compare too…

• A whole wheat bun. Actually, it is quite comparable; however, it is slightly stretchier. I guess that was expected, considering it had to hold the meat filling inside.
• BBQ bun. When I was there, the menu did not contain any pork filling (or as far as I could see). And, after asking them what they would suggested (divided between beef and Thai chicken), I settled for the later. As seen in the picture above, the chicken was actually chunks of chicken. I am not sure what part of the filling make it “Thai”, other than a slight hint of curry and very faint hint of coconut; otherwise, the sauce provided something for the dough so it didn’t ended up being, well, just a piece of bread.

Normally, I would have ordered a second one because, let’s face it, one is not enough for me. However, this wasn’t a “normal” situation and ended up going for that single kolachy. And… Here comes one of my “issues”: The “cheapo” Chinese in me kicked in and thought that, at slightly over $4.25, it is a bit too expensive. After all, you can go to some restaurants in the Downtown Eastside area where you easily get *three* pork buns for the same $$$! Now, by itself, I will have to say it was quite good but I am not sure it is something I will necessarily go back with much enthusiasm for the reason mentioned before. After all, on my way to Beatty Street (where Kolachy is located) from Vancouver West End (where I work), there are shops/restaurants, including (to be open soon) Japadog or (hope it is open by now), Gyu Don Ya. If it wasn’t for that one factor, I might be more interested in coming back.

Tagged under: Downtown • European • Pastry • Vancouver