903 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Tel: 604-558-1125
Twitter @kinkaokitchen
Advice: No reservations, small plates.
Since I love Thai cuisine, I am always on the lookout for new spots to try, my friend Jordan Rogers joined me to share some plates over dinner. This 25 seat eatery is owned by chef Tang Phoonchai, and Terrence Feng, with it’s hip vibe and the emphasis on small plates with bold flavour, this eatery is sure to satisfy cravings for Thai cuisine done well.
Papaya Salad
Spicy Grilled Beef Red Grape Salad
Stir-Fried and Spicy Eggplant
Jasmine Rice
Thai Iced Coffee
Iced Lemongrass
We started off with the Papaya Salad ($8) it’s a colourful dish made with Green papaya, tomatoes, dried shrimp, long beans with spicy dressing made of Thai chilies, fresh lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind, garlic, palm sugar and peanuts. Next was the Spicy Grilled Beef Red Grape Salad ($14) which I wanted to love, looked so unique and different though it fell just a tad short on flavour, made with sliced sirloin strip steak, red grapes, lemongrass, mint, lime leaves, garlic, Thai chili, fish sauce, and lime juice. My favourite dish of the meal was the outstanding Stir-Fried and Spicy Eggplant ($12) with garlic, long beans, soy sauce, fish sauce, Thai chilies, onions, Thai basil. We added some jasmine rice, an iced Thai coffee and a home-brewed Iced Lemongrass to round out the meal. The menu is fairly simple, with some traditional dishes and others that look unique and different, all I can say is they should add a tad refinement in the savoury dishes and then let us all enjoy this wonderful Thai eatery.
Review by: Richard Wolak
Vancouver, BC V5L, Canada