Lost in speedy translation
Mark Laba
Province
Wendy Ang of Prima Taste Restaurant on Robson, with the Laksa with prawns, Prawn Tofu hotplate and the chicken satay. Photograph by : Nick Procaylo, The Province
PRIMA TASTE
Where: 570 Robson St., Vancouver
Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-685-7881
Drinks: Fully licensed
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; Sat. noon-10 p.m., Sun. noon-9 p.m.
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I thought I’d never see anything faster than the food replicator on Star Trek until I hit this place. It seems the words were barely out of my mouth before the dishes arrived in a flurry. And this wasn’t simple stuff like a cup of Earl Grey tea, hot, or quiche or Klingon blood pie but curries and laksa and spicy prawns.
Well, the food replicator is a concept and this restaurant was begun by the Prima Taste Concept Restaurant franchise from Singapore, so they both have that in common, along with the amazingly quick delivery of the edibles. The franchise has gained much success in South-East Asia, China and the U.S. and this version, with it’s sleek, ultra-modern stylings, looks very spiffy and, as I always maintain, the future looks better with plush velour seating.
Hit the joint with painter Benny Verschmeer, now into a new phase of his velvet period.
“I’m working on sad clown faces but on blue and red velvet instead of black. Incorporating the colour fields of Mark Rothko so that the clown faces virtually shimmer off the surface.”
“Sounds very subtle, Benny.”
“Subtle! Are you nuts? It’s bold! Sheesh, stick to your food criticism.”
I wish I could say the food here was bold in statement but, unfortunately, there was a kind of overall uniformity to the dishes. Singapore cuisine should be a melting pot of influences, from Malaysian to Thai, Chinese to Indian and you’d imagine the flavours and spicing would reflect the complexities of these origins.
Prima Taste not only franchises restaurants, they also sell a line of packaged spices and sauces available for home-cooking that seem to be utilized in the restaurant kitchens. The dishes seem evolved by consensus, as if judged by a focus group.
Not that this is a completely bad thing. There is a qualitative pleasure in the quantitative process. Sound scientific? Don’t worry — science is your friend, unless you’re handling uranium in your basement using oven mitts. The truth is the results here are satisfying and there are even a few highlight items.
The Nonya sambal prawns ($13.95) were more fun than a barrel of sea monkeys with portly crustaceans lounging in a saucy mix of chilis, tamarind, tomato and shrimp paste with a smattering of green peppers for crispy texture. The fried chicken rice ($8.50), with its sesame- soy dousing, had a light touch in the saucing, which was most welcome after some of the thicker concoctions that Benny described “as glutinous as a snail’s underbelly.” The pepper beef ($14.95), I believe, suffered from too heavy a gravy, not allowing the peppery flavour to ring clean and clear, but the laksa with chicken ($7.50) was a pleasant mire simmering with poultry, noodles, two golden pillows of tofu and swirls of curry atop the coconut-milk surface.
Desserts here are intriguing, to say the least, although perhaps an aquired taste with ingredients like white fungus, gelatinous strands and mung beans. But the fried bananas with ice cream was perfect for a culinary wimp like me. All in all, the food was OK but didn’t send my tastebuds spinning, although at least this food replicator will probably never go on the blink.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Prefab culture hits Singaporean street-hawker dining.
Grade: Food: B-; Service: B; Atmosphere: B
© The Vancouver Province 2007
