The restaurant conjures images of old Japan, merging various looks into a funky, modern restaurant with a surprise-filled menu

Mia Stainsby
Sun

A few years ago, all a Japanese izakaya needed was to open its doors and we’d swoon with delight.

Now they’re all the rage, which is just fine. They have minds of their own and chefs are free to invent dishes and reveal more of Japanese cuisine.

But we’re so darned spoiled here, once a trend hits the ground we start goosenecking, checking the horizon for the next hot thing. Kingyo, an izakaya which opened more than a month ago, shows restaurants needn’t careen like drunkards from concept to concept. Kingyo simply raises the bar.

It is definitely much more than a hangout for Japanese students, which is what some izakayas have become. Owner and chef Minoru Tamaru was last at Guu with Garlic on Robson St., which fed legions of Japanese students.

At Kingyo, he built character into the place, conjuring old Japan with antiquey looking details. Sleights of carpentry merge the look of temple, ryokan and old Japanese dwelling into a swish and funky restaurant.

A communal stretch table takes centre stage with tall plumes of bamboo plants cutting down the middle, screening one half of the table from the other. Jazz percolates with the buzz in the room and cooks in the open kitchen create a din with their yelling out welcomes.

The place gets packed and we were lucky to snag the last remaining table one evening. Another night, we had to take a hike for 45 minutes waiting for one. (A server kindly called our cellphone when the table came up.)

I was impressed with Tamaru’s food, which is full of surprises — he tweaks traditional dishes with presentation. One such dish, the sashimi (lovely seafood) was served on half a bamboo stem. The darned thing kept rocking and spilling its cargo on to the table but the fish was pristine.

And yes, I’d order the rockin’ sashimi again. You can order a trio or a five-o ($15 and $20). Our trio consisted of tuna, prawns and mackerel. Tapas-sized dishes are priced very reasonably, most between $6 and $8.

Other dishes you should try include Tokyo sukiyaki, a mini version cooked at the table, with a twist, new to us, but not in Japan: a bowl with coddled egg for dipping your sukiyaki. In Japan, apparently, it would be a raw egg.

I loved the “Stone Unagi Bowl.” The server brings a very hot stone bowl (ishi) to the table and fills it with steaming hot rice, into which she mixes an egg and unagi (cooked eel). “Wait one minute,” she says, emphasizing the one. Patience is not my virtue but I do, and a good thing too, because in that one minute, the rice forms a crunchy crust from the heat.

Kingyo style mussels are nice and fresh. To get at the delicious broth, made with sake, snap off half a mussel shell and spoon away. The tempura prawn rice ball, the pressed salmon sushi, the ramen noodle salad, the daikon and shiso salad — all quite delicious. But I’ll pass next time on the octopus and pickles, marinated in a wasabi flavoured sauce. The texture verged on slimy.

The Japanese aren’t great at desserts but here the almond tofu was quite nice — delicate and smooth. Matcha custard didn’t work for me but I could have eaten a whole mess of the “Kyoto” style tira misu. There’s no such thing in Kyoto, but the jelly-roll-style dessert of green tea cake, mascarpone and red bean is a more delicate version of the Italian dessert.

The sake and cocktail menu offer interesting choices and the kitchen excels at hunting and gathering ingredients like special rices and Kobe beef, as well as Hataka, Himalayan and Utah salts.

I’m keen to go back.

– – –

KINGYO

Overall: Rating 4

Food: Rating 4

Ambience: Rating 4

Service: Rating 4

Price $$

871 Denman St., 604-608-1677. Open daily, 5:30 p.m. to midnight.

Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

 

Actor Woody Harrelson enjoys the healthy (and quite tasty) food from Gorilla when in town

Mia Stainsby
Sun

Gorilla is a tiny place and if you poke your face into the opening, you’ll see a slim blond guy called Aaron Ash in a tiny kitchen where all he needs to do is pivot to cover the sum total of his food domain.

Gorillas, as you know, are also animals but you might not know their diet consists of leaves, tubers, flowers, fruit, fungus and their favourites — bamboo, thistles and wild celery. Sometimes, they might take in a few insects, but probably, by mistake.

In other words, they’re vegans. Not only that, they’re raw foodists, for they sure don’t cook with gas. That pretty much sums up Gorilla the takeout window, too — the cuisine is raw and vegan. Ash’s menu is more polished than the furry gorilla’s, though. His plant life is transformed into pizzas, lasagnas, wraps, salads, soups, burgers, nori rolls, dips, shakes and smoothies before it becomes your meal.

I went with a vegan colleague to try a little Gorilla quite prepared for disappointment as there’s not a lot of apprenticing or role modelling going on for raw vegan chefs.

Well, behold! Ash’s food is quite tasty, with an extra dose of healthy. Ash has passed muster with famous vegan, Woody Harrelson, who he has prepared food for during the actor’s visits to Vancouver. As a matter of fact, he was in town as we spoke on the phone. Ash also lived in Hollywood for a short time and was personal chef to Mike D of the Beastie Boys and his wife, film director Tamra Davis.

As for Gorilla food, I loved the kale salad, which is a simple mix of scrunched kale (it loosens and tenderizes the sturdy green) dressed with lemon juice and salt. For the lasagna, thinly sliced zucchini stood in for pasta noodle with layers of tomato sauce, shredded greens, avocado, jerusalem artichoke and sprouted sunflower “raw-cotta” (germinated seeds blended with garlic, olive oil).

The pizza crust is made of sprouted sunflower seed, buckwheat, flax seeds, shredded carrots and herbs, blended and dehydrated (to 105 F, well below the 117 F where enzymes and nutrient loss begins). My vegan friend’s pizza was topped with tomato sauce, kale, tenderized zucchini, red pepper, mashed avocado and lemon juice with crushed walnut topping.

For dessert, there’s halva, chocolate fudge and pie, and to quench thirsts, there are loads of fruit and veggie juices, fruit smoothies and almond shakes.

If you want to snap your fingers and have vegan food come to you, Gorilla delivers in the downtown area. It’s open Monday to Friday from 11 to 6. Ash is currently working on snagging a space nearby to possibly open a Gorilla with tables.

– – –

GORILLA

422 Richards St., 604-722-2504. www.gorillafood.com. Cash only.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

 

Lunch and dinner at Vancouver Community College features seafood and meat entrees

Mia Stainsby
Sun

It’s generations old and still going strong. The Vancouver Community College cafeteria is one of the city’s best buys for lunch or a quick dinner. Unlike its fancier counterpart, J.J.’s, just down the hall, this is an old-fashioned cafeteria where you grab your tray and survey the offerings from the entry level culinary arts students at the college. They cook everything and serve on the line as well.

The best part of the smorgasbord of offerings is on the hot line where you’ll find four seafood, four meat and poultry entree choices as well as a vegetarian, pasta and roast every day. The menu changes every second day on nine-week rotations. Entrees include two vegetable choices and a starch. And here’s the coup de grace: The pasta and vegetarian dishes are $4.50. The meat or seafood dishes are $6.20.

I tried a chicken dish the other day and here’s what I got: two juicy drumsticks, a big slice of scalloped potatoes, a mittful of green beans, and more sauteed veggies than I could eat. And the young staff are on their best behaviour.

Other entrees that you might come across? Navarin of lamb, pan-fried pork cutlets Oscar, halibut filet with olive oil fruit salsa, spicy penne pasta with meat sauce, grilled vegetable-stuffed pita. If you can handle dessert, the chocolate mousse should go down smoothly.

The no-name cafeteria is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and for dinner, 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., Monday to Friday.

– – –

VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAFETERIA

250 West Pender St., third floor.

604-443-8300 (college switchboard).

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

Claire May, who has been catering for six years, sells frozen meals as well as daily selections

Mia Stainsby
Sun

For most of us, at the end of the work day, up pops that pesky question: What’s for dinner?

Sometimes, when you’re sick of cooking but want something better than a limp and pale pizza, let Chef Claire take that question.

She’s a relative newcomer to Main Street and she’s got meals like osso bucco, pulled pork, Thai chicken curry, braised lamb shanks, Moroccan braised chicken, chicken marbella, chipotle beef chili, as well as soups, desserts all ready to go. Single portion entrees are $7 or $8 and doubles are $15 to $17. If appetites are within reason, the meals for two can feed three.

She sells frozen meals as well as daily selections. A beef bourguignon I tried from the freezer section was very good — gently stewed for hours, tender and intensely flavoured. And the same goes for the braised lamb shanks.

Chef Claire is Claire May, who had been catering for six years when she added this retail store in September. She took over the spot from Anona, renovating the space so the kitchen is in full view. “I wanted people to see the chefs at work and see that everything’s made fresh on site.”

She says selections in the freezer section change every couple of weeks, especially as she’s feeling out the neighbourhood. The fresh section changes daily.

Her food, she says, is eclectic as she has lived in different parts of the world. “My parents were foodies so we ate in restaurants all the time,” she says.

Chef Claire’s is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CHEF CLAIRE’S

3610 Main St. 604-875-6400.

Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

 

Fourth Avenue eatery flares with pyrotechnics from the kitchen and buzzes with an appreciative clientele

Mia Stainsby
Sun

You know how we think we’re so hip to spicy heat? “Mild” is Pablum so we order “medium” as a matter of course. Even “hot,” we figure, isn’t exactly flicking a Bic to our tongues.

At the Noodle Box, beware! The heat isn’t adjusted for the rosebud tongues of North Americans. After an encounter with their medium hot, I thought I should correct their heat-level guide to read first-, second- and third-degree burns. Seriously, you’d better watch your tongue.

In spite of its incinerating capabilities, The Noodle Box has line-ups at lunch and dinner, eager for their fast-food style of noodle and rice dishes from Asia. Price is part of it — the menu tops off at $14 for the slow-cooked lamb curry with jasmine rice. The rest are about $10 and for that, you get plenty of fuel to burn.

It’s also a cool place with its 20-foot-high ceilings, wall of glass facing Fourth and good music that competes with the buzz of activity including the cacophony at the six wok stations in the open kitchen. Flames leap, sauces sizzle, cooks hustle behind the counter.

I like the Chinese-style takeout containers that main meals are served in. Inevitably, there are leftovers to take home, so it cuts out a step. Appies are served in porcelain versions of the takeout containers.

The regular menu board features Tom Yum soup; Singapore Cashew Curry; Cambodian, Thai and Malaysian curries; Black Bean and Garlic Hokkein Noodles; Thai Chow Mein; Teriyaki Box; Spicy Peanut Noodle Box; Malaysian Fried Rice and Chili Plum Hokkein Noodles. As well, there are daily specials suited to the season. Comfort foods, all.

On the appies side, there are spring rolls, satay, fried dumplings and Malaysian roti.

Noodle Box is the third of a series. The first two are in downtown Victoria, and it all began five years ago when Nick Crooks and Jodi Mann returned from Asia and opened a streetcart with hawker style food. The city shut them down so they opened up a shop.

Suzanne Goligher and Robyn Donio came on board to run the Vancouver location. She runs the front and he oversees the pyrotechnics in the kitchen. Most of the sauces are house-made although they bring in their black bean sauce, dumplings and roti. The noodles come from the delightfully named Double Happiness and Hon’s.

Getting back to the chili factor, there’s a water tap at the counter where diners (including me) instinctively go to douse fires in their mouth. It’s counter-intuitive but water doesn’t help. Capsaicin, the irritant in chili pepper, is better quelled by a fatty or fat-dissolving liquid, like milk or beer. (It’s not a temperature thing so much as upset nerve endings.) Since Noodle Box doesn’t sell milk, better order a beer.

– – –

THE NOODLE BOX

Overall: 3 1/2

Food: 3 1/2

Ambience: 3 1/2

Service: 3

Price: $

1867 West Fourth Ave., 604-734-1310.

Open Monday to Thursday, noon to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday to 10 p.m.; Sunday to 8 p.m.

Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars. ([email protected])

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

Mia Stainsby
Sun

I’m not a schnitzels and sausages fan but I can say that every now and then, readers ask me where they could go for schnitzels. Well, for those of you who have asked, Cafe Katzenjammer offers up schnitzels as well as other German and Austrian dishes.

The name is from the Katzenjammer Kids comic strip which was created in 1897 and is still in syndication. The cafe displays some of the comics as well as very old German movie posters.

Gordon Matheson opened the cafe three years ago. His background happens to be Scottish. No matter. Studying German at the Goethe Institute in Germany and in Vancouver steered him in the direction of schnitzels, bratwurst and kartoffelreibekuchen (potato pancakes). “What a long word,” I say, and Matheson explains that Germans tend not to put spaces between words and that Hausspezialitaten, writ large across the menu, means house specials.

And those specials would be goulash, beef rouladen (beef rolled with bacon, onion, pickles and braised in a red wine gravy), duck breast with mushroom and orange jus, B.C. venison roast with poached cranberry pear jus and salmon filet.

My partner’s Jager schnitzel, one of five offered on the menu, was a massive affair with two pieces of meat, spaetzle and red cabbage. I liked the goulash better — it, too, came with spaetzle as well as rye bread. The potato pancakes are grated potatoes with fillings of spinach and feta or smoked salmon or apple sauce. I thought it might make a good starter but we went too far and ate the whole thing, which put me in a bad way for my goulash.

Since it was pelting with rain outside, we felt compelled to stay dry, loosen our belts and try the Viennese apple strudel, a light and flaky pastry filled with apples, raisins and nuts.

To cut some of the heaviness of German food, there are 14 German beers.

The evening we visited, a young server called Michael was working all the tables at astonishing speed. The place was full and I was impressed. He managed to keep cheerful and professional against all odds. (Cafe Katzenjammer, like many restaurants in the city, is finding the city’s in short supply of servers.)

The cafe is closed on Monday and open for lunch Thursday to Sunday and dinner, Tuesday to Sunday.

Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone.

– – –

CAFE KATZENJAMMER

4441 West 10th Ave., 604-222-2775.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

 

It offers big helpings of inexpensive, decently cooked food, a varied menu and good music

Mia Stainsby
Sun

When The Sun offices were in the South Granville neighbourhood, one of the places I liked to go for a really satisfying lunch was Caffe Barney. The menu was varied but I inevitably ordered the Burt Wong salad, a melange of spinach, prawns and wonton chips with a maple soy dressing.

Some nine years later, the salad’s gone, and I’m told there never was a Burt Wong. But the place is still jumping. It was packed when I stopped by for dinner recently. We shared mussels in a white wine broth; I had pad Thai and my husband, the Tennessee chicken. (I don’t mean he’s a Tennessee chicken — he had it and liked it fine.)

Next to us, a couple were on one of their first dates, all lovey dovey. “You’re joking!” the guy exclaimed when the server brought his fully loaded plate of food. “I ate it all,” he boasted when he cleaned the plate. This is to say, they don’t starve you at Caffe Barney.

The place has survived since 1988 because it has several things going for it. Inexpensive, decently cooked food, good music (The Arcade Fire and The Smiths were playing when we were there) and very personable staff.

“We’re known as the place where servers go to retire,” says manager Lisa Johnson. “They’re in the early-to-mid-30s and they’ve left the downtown scene. They bring a lot of experience and a ton of personality.”

The menu reaches out to a diverse customer base with pastas and burgers as well as entrees. “We’re known for our burgers,” Johnson says. “The meat is lean, fresh ground, never frozen and served on whole wheat buns.”

There are breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. And for all you sleepyheads, breakfast goes to 4 p.m.

Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars. ([email protected])

– – –

CAFFE BARNEY

2975 Granville St., 604-731-6446

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

It was a happening place in the summer and the Southern California vibe seems to be working in the fall

Linda Bates
Sun

The last few years have seen several restaurants cycle through this location at the corner of First and Yew in Kitsilano, but Chris Hannan, one of the owners of the newest eatery, Karv, thinks they’ve got the formula right this time.

“There were three different places in the last four or five years, but always fine dining,” he said in an interview. “We tried to ‘caj’ it down a lot to fit the neighbourhood. We tried to give the locals a place to come and have a great meal with a laid-back atmosphere.”

Karv, which opened in mid-June, was a busy place during the summer, with its proximity to the beach and large wrap-around patio. But would the Southern California vibe work in the rain-soaked fall and winter?

It initially didn’t look too promising as my son and I sat down at 6 p.m. on a recent dreary evening, the only diners in the place. But the hockey game was on (not too loud), our server was cheerful, the food was fresh and good, and by the time we left at 7:30 the place was two-thirds full.

It had, if not really a California vibe, a good, warm, neighbourhood Vancouver one.

And a neighbourhood place is just what Hannan and his partners Bobby Elliott and John Carroll have tried to create. Here, there’s nothing on the menu over $17 and many items are meant to be shared. The place has a casual pub-like atmosphere with a greater variety of food than a pub usually offers.

The three partners and chef David Strand developed the menu together — Southern Californian/Mexican (fish tacos, chicken burritos) with some Asian influences (red curry rice bowl, tropic-Asian fried rice). For dinner, there are mains like Maui ribs, salmon and steak.

We enjoyed everything we tried: the Baja house salad with avocado, strawberries sand pumpkin seeds with a touch of tangy poppy seed dressing; pork-filled spring rolls made from a “secret Filipino family recipe” with Hoisin dipping sauce; and fish tacos, fresh and spicy with grilled vegetables.

Especially good, and reasonably priced ($11), was the fish and chips, a large piece of halibut in tempura batter, “beer battered” fries and freshly made cole slaw. The signature boneless Maui ribs, though well marinated and grilled, were a little fatty for me; I’m not usually a fan of ribs and these didn’t make me a convert.

The fresh, tasty $5.25 Margaritas might convert me to a cocktail drinker, though.

The menu also includes burgers and sandwiches in the $10 range. Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays.

One comment about the atmosphere: Although it’s a warm, cosy-feeling place, now that fall is here they might want to work on the ventilation. With all the grilling and deep-frying going on, the dining area gets a bit smoky.

And what about the name? Keeping with the California theme, it’s a surfer (and snowboarder) term — to “karv” a wave. I thought it might refer to carving a steak — and that meaning too is okay with Hannan and company. Whatever makes the customers happy.

– – –

KARV

Overall: 3

Food: 3

Ambience: 3 1/2

Service: 3 1/2

Price: $/$$

2201 W. First Ave., 604-730-0900.

Open Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to midnight and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to midnight.

Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

 

Modern restaurateurs are transforming Asian dining by offering new, dynamic beverages to complement fine food

Tara Lee
Sun

‘Martinis and Chinese food, who knew?” When Wild Rice first opened, it used that tagline to draw attention to its departure from the stereotype of quick, alcohol-free Chinese eating. Indeed, up until the last few years, Vancouver diners have satisfied themselves with paltry wine lists and the “special tea” that Chinese restaurants used to serve to drinkers seeking a furtive rye or rum nightcap.

However, new restaurateurs are breaking away from conventional sobriety by transforming Asian cuisine into a leisurely eating and sipping experience. Tom Poirier, co-owner of Wild Rice, explains: “We wanted to still have that Asian influence but create an atmosphere where you would like to relax and enjoy a really high-quality meal with a good beverage, whether it’s a glass of wine, a martini or a cocktail.”

This break with tradition has led to innovative fusion cocktails that bring together Western and Eastern ingredients. Both Poirier and James Iranzad, owner of Flying Tiger, felt it was important to offer drinks that could pair well with the dynamic melding of cultures, techniques and flavours that occurs on their food menus. As Poirier says, “It’s almost like having two dishes, the best of two worlds.”

This dynamic between bar and kitchen has produced drinks inflected with such exciting flavours as cilantro, Thai basil, tamarind, cardamom and lychee. Iranzad says that Asian cocktails are “just more interesting” because they invite experimentation beyond the classics into a world of mixed flavour combinations.

These experiments add a twist to popular drinks like the Caesar by replacing ingredients like Tabasco with the heat of wasabi or sambal chili. Wild Rice is working on its version of Long Island iced tea that takes pear green tea as its inspirational ingredient. Meanwhile, a drink like the Flying Tiger’s Chinese Jimmy offers a concoction of sake, Hendrick’s gin, Cointreau, soda and muddled lime — a unique Asian fusion creation.

The intention is to come up with cocktails that, Iranzad emphasizes, are original without becoming “contrived.” Exotic garnishes like daikon radish, star fruit or tiger prawn are used only if they incorporate well with the drink.

Both restaurants are careful to select Asian ingredients that not only fulfil the important taste and aesthetic factors, but are also in Confucian harmony with the flavours of the dishes. For instance, Poirier suggests pairing subtle menu selections with a cocktail that features the spicy bite of ginger beer, while cooling down piquant mains with drinks that refresh using lychee juice or Asian pear liqueur.

Ultimately, these drinks perform what the food and the population at large are already doing. Iranzad explicitly recognizes his own personal Asian influences with drinks that are named after the many friends, such as Abner Chong, who have been such an important part of his social community. His naming choices highlight palate-pleasing drinks that provide a liquid reflection of the Asian flavours that are now an integral part of Vancouver’s taste makeup.

WILD RICE’S LOTUS

2 oz. vodka (lychee-infused)

3 oz. lychee juice

2 oz. ginger ale

Couple of squeezes of fresh lime juice

Pour over ice in an 8 oz. glass.

Note: To infuse vodka, take a can of lychees and place lychees in 4-5 oz. of vodka. Leave to infuse for 3 to 4 days.

THE FLYING TIGER’S BRITNEY WONG

Couple of cucumber chunks

Couple of sprigs of mint

1/2 cup fresh watermelon

1 oz. lychee juice

2 oz. Shochu or 1 1/2 oz. regular vodka

In a shaker, muddle (mash) together the cucumber and the mint using a stir stick. Then, muddle with the watermelon. Next, add the lychee juice and the vodka. Shake and then strain through a sieve. Garnish with mini scoops of watermelon and mint leaves.

© The Vancouver Sun 2006

 

A whirlwind of flavours whipping across the palate

Mark Laba
Province

I’ve always believed cutlery is overrated. We’ve lost the childish joy of sinking our fingers into our food to experience the pure visceral pleasures of gravy dripping off our elbows. The only adult demand I would make for this style of eating is refraining from throwing the stuff at the ceiling.

So it was with great anticipation that I was looking forward to joining The Brain and his gal, Divine Miss D., for a little soiree at this African eatery where we could let our fingers do the walking through our entrees.

A long-time fixture on West 4th, Nyala has relocated to Main Street and the red and gold walls and two large carved giraffes in the centre of the room evoke a simmering sunset on the African savannah.

Dinner begins with hot towels brought to the table so that everyone’s hands are clean before they go dipping them into the edibles. There are forks, though, for who don’t wish to risk trapping hot sauce beneath their pinkie ring.

“I wonder what the etiquette is on double-dipping?” I asked.

“About the equivalent of just face-planting into the food,” The Brain suggested.

The menu wanders the African continent but there’s a definite Ethiopian connection due to the spicing and recipes. We began with a large appetizer platter ($16.95) that included hummus, veggie pakoras, deep-fried and battered spicy squid and pita. The hummus was especially good — reddish pools of hot sauce gathering in the chickpea peaks and valleys. Squid were tender and the spicy hot sauce and mango chutney dippers added a little sweetness and zing to everything. A mound of cool lentils were piled in a corner of the plate and I proclaimed, “Mmm, good barley.”

“Those are lentils,” Miss Divine informed me. “How did you get this job again?”

For entrees Miss D. took on the yesega watt ($14), a beef stew brooding in red pepper, spiced butter, garlic and ginger. I tried the yedoro infille ($14.50), a chicken shlimazel spiked with Nyala’s very own hot- sauce concoction, and The Brain had the shrimp watt ($15.50), another tastebud blazer lathered in red pepper sauce and finished with onion and green pepper. All three dishes were then ladled on top a communal plate of injera bread and more injera was supplied on the side for tearing up and using like spongey pincers to grasp the food.

A word about injera bread. Its spongey texture seems to expand in the belly and we were soon stuffed before we even made a dent in the huge portions. A side order of lentil sambussa ($4 or $4.50 for beef), a variation on the samosa, didn’t help but they were excellent. Our entrees were just as tasty, a whirlwind of flavours whipping across the palate and feeding the brushfire of spices.

Look for dishes like yedoro tibs, a chicken dish mixed with awaze, a red chili paste; kitfo, an Ethiopian version of steak tartare with fiery mitmita, a red chili powder, or yeshimbera asa, chickpea-flour cakes with the complexly spiced berbere sauce.

“Y’know,” Miss D. said. “My parents were hippies and I’m used to not having cutlery, whether by design or just lack of money. This brings back memories but the food is way better than flax-seed lasagna.”

NYALA

Where: 4148 Main St., Vancouver

Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-876-9919

Drinks: Fully licensed.

Hours: 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, closed Monday

© The Vancouver Province 2006