The Vancouver Foodster Rice Bowl Challenge was a great success featuring unique creations at restaurants around Vancouver, Richmond and Langley. Each restaurant featured their creation on their menu from March 3-27, 2016. and their customers voted for their favourites daily throughout the challenge.
Our media judging panel determined the ultimate winners of the challenge, and this was quite the task as each judge who tasted each creation with a rigorous process based on taste, originality/uniqueness and presentation/appearance.
Our Media judges for this challenge were: Jay Minter, Joyce Lam and Mary Sheridan.
The Winners are:
1st Place (tie):
Siam in the City Rice Bowl
Ban Chok Dee
Price: $14
Description: Cured chicken, water chestnuts, Thai basil fried rice with avocado green curry sauce, caramelized almond and pumpkin seeds, topped with carrots, sprouts and crunchy kale. Served with the side of salt & pepper chicken skin salad!
Created by: Executive Chef Parinya Lopston
Offered: All the time
Ban Chok Dee
20563 Douglas Crescent, Langley
Tel: 778-278-3088
Web: http://www.banchokdee.com
Twitter: @BanChokDeeThai
Executive Chef Parinya Lopston
1st Place (tie):
Oka-San Kitchen
Oka-San Kitchen
Momma’s style Poke Rice Bowl
Price: $10.95
Description:. A Hawaiian influenced classic that includes a variety of fish tossed in our homestyle poke recipe which is served over sushi rice with wakame, sesame, furikake, masago, green onions and grape tomatoes.
Created by:
Offered: All the time daily (closed Tuesday’s)
Oka-San Kitchen
3578 Fraser Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-620-9898
Web: http://www.okasankitchen.com/
Twitter @Okasankitchen
1st Place (tie):
Saj & Co.
Saj & Co.
SHAMS Rice Bowl
Price: $13
Description: Shams means the sun; is Vibrant, is Life, is warm and is health. A mix of organic wild rice, organic brown rice, organic quinoa, burgul, cheese, chickpeas, oven roasted free range organic turkey, pine nuts, roasted vegetables and lots of love.
Created by: Chef Malek Anouti
Offered: Dinner Monday – Friday 6pm – 9 pm; and Saturday and 6pm – 10pm
Saj & Co.
813 Davie Street, Vancouver
Web: http://sajandco.ca/
Twitter: @Sajnco
Chef Malek Anouti
2nd Place:
American Grille
General Chau Rice Bowl
Price: $17
Description: Korean style bowl similar to a Bibimap with Cajun spiced chicken, prawns with garlic, egg, scallion served with General Chau sauce on rice.
Created by: Chef John Chau
Offered: All the time
American Grille
7571 Westminster Highway, Richmond
Tel: 604-232-2804
Web: http://american-grille.com/
Twitter: @GrilleYVR
3rd Place:
U & I Thai
Red Rice Bowl
Price: $14
Description: Pork jowl, Red Currie paste, coconut milk, bell pepper, bamboo shoots, rice and basil.
Created by: Chef Ui Ratsomjit
Offered: All the time
U & I Thai
3364 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 875-6999
Twitter: @UIThai2
Instagram: u_and_i_thai_
Chef Ui Ratsomjit and her team
In the People’s Choice Awards category, the public who tried the Rice Bowl Creations were the ones who had the opportunity to cast their vote throughout the challenge.
The Winners are:
1st Place People’s Choice:
Siam in the City Rice Bowl
Ban Chok Dee
Ban Chok Dee
Price: $14
Description: Cured chicken, water chestnuts, Thai basil fried rice with avocado green curry sauce, caramelized almond and pumpkin seeds, topped with carrots, sprouts and crunchy kale. Served with the side of salt & pepper chicken skin salad!
Created by: Executive Chef Parinya Lopston
Offered: All the time
Ban Chok Dee
20563 Douglas Crescent, Langley
Tel: 778-278-3088
Web: http://www.banchokdee.com
Twitter: @BanChokDeeThai
2nd Place People’s Choice:
Oka-San Kitchen
Oka-San Kitchen
Momma’s style Poke Rice Bowl
Price: $10.95
Description:. A Hawaiian influenced classic that includes a variety of fish tossed in our homestyle poke recipe which is served over sushi rice with wakame, sesame, furikake, masago, green onions and grape tomatoes.
Created by:
Offered: All the time daily (closed Tuesday’s)
Oka-San Kitchen
3578 Fraser Street, Vancouver
Tel: 604-620-9898
Web: http://www.okasankitchen.com/
Twitter @Okasankitchen
3rd Place People’s Choice:
U & I Thai
U & I Thai
Red Rice Bowl
Price: $14
Description: Pork jowl, Red Currie paste, coconut milk, bell pepper, bamboo shoots, rice and basil.
Created by: Chef Ui Ratsomjit
Offered: All the time
U & I Thai
3364 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 875-6999
Twitter: @UIThai2
Instagram: u_and_i_thai_
Thank you to all the chefs and restaurants that accepted my invitation and featured the Rice Bowls creations on the menu for the past few weeks during this challenge.
I encourage you to visit the winning restaurants to try their Rice Bowl creations! See all the Rice Bowl Challenge entries here.
By: Richard Wolak