The 4th Vancouver Foodster Curry Challenge was a great success featuring unique curry creations at restaurants around greater Vancouver. Each restaurant featured their creation on their menu from March 7 – March 31, 2019. and their customers voted for their favourites daily throughout the challenge.
The Winners are:
1st Place (tie):
{107 points}
BCD Culinary Academy & Bistro
Gaeng Singhol Ribs
Price: $16
Created by: Chef Parinya Loptson and Chef Sadapphin Phothong
Description: Aromatic curry dish originating from Sri Lanka (Singhalese) and brought to Thailand during the Rama 2 Period. Over the years, the strong flavors have been modified to blend in better with Thai cooking techniques. Not commonly made nowadays, our paste was made from scratch and used to marinate the pork ribs before sous-vide cooking to enhance the flavors and tenderness. This curry dish is served with pandan leaf infused jasmine coconut-rice.
Offered: Lunch only.
Bcd Academy
20542 Fraser Hwy #107, Langley
Tel: (778) 242-1344
Instagram @bcdacademy
Chef Parinya Loptson and Chef Sadapphin Phothong
1st Place (tie):
{107 points}
Sabai Thai Restaurant
Scallops Rainbow Curry
Price: $10
Created by Jau Sekhon
Co created Chef Saeng Phongpradith and Chef Samlee Panpadungkul
Description: This Curry is a starter plate to share for 2 persons; it’s has a variety of little spicy sweet tastes of all 3 different ingredients of curries.
Offered: for lunch and dinner from 11-2:30 4:30-9:30 weekdays; and 11:30-3:00 4:30-10:30 weekends
Sabai Thai Restaurant
10391 150 Street, Surrey
Tel: (604) 588-9819
Web: http://allianceweb.ca/sabaithai/
Instagram @sabaithaisurrey
Jau Sekhon
2nd Place:
{99 points}
Unchai Restaurant
Khao Soi
Price: $12.99
Created by: Chef Narong
Description: The most popular dish in the northern part of Thailand, a unique recipe of Khao Soi, which is a specialty of Unchai restaurant to give a pleasant taste of Thai and foreigners people. Various ingredients are carefully selected to have quality Khao Soi curry paste and full of flavor like no other but still keep Thai identity.
Offered: All the time
Unchai Restaurant
2351 Burrard Street, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 559-6484
Web: https://unchairestaurant.com/
Instagram @unchairestaurant
Chef Warsiara and Narong
3rd Place:
{98 points}
Davie Dosa Company
BC Wild Sockeye Salmon Curry
Price: $22
Created by: Chef Emerson Periyasamy
Description: Served with kuchumber salad, flaky bread and cumin rice
Offered: All the time
Davie Dosa Company
1235 Davie Street, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 669-5899
Web: http://daviedosacompany.com/
Twitter @daviedosa
Instagram @daviedosacompany
Chef Emerson Periyasamy and Sharv
In the People’s Choice Awards category, the public who tried the Curry creations were the ones who had the opportunity to cast their vote throughout the challenge.
The Winners are:
1st Place People’s Choice:
Gulberg Restaurant
Beef Nihari
Price: $9.50
Created by:
Description: This dish is a slow cooked spicy beef curry prepare with beef shank. It was created in the late 18th century during the reign of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. Currently, nihari is ate all periods of the day, however it used to be a dish that people cooked overnight and ate for breakfast. The word “nihar” originated from the Arabic word, “nahar” which means “morning”. Nihari is also considered to be a fusion of Indian and Persian cooking and has become a big part of the cuisine of Muslims in the subcontinent, especially in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Traditionally, nihari is eaten with tandoori naan or parathas (traditional pan-fried flatbread). This curry is popular for its unique taste, spice and texture. Also, nihari is garnished with cilantro, ginger, lemon and green chilies.
Offered: All the time
Gulberg Restaurant
7181 126 Street, Surrey
Tel: (604) 543-2080
Web: http://www.gulbergrestaurant.com/
Instagram @gulbergres
2nd Place People’s Choice:
Sabai Thai Restaurant
Scallops Rainbow Curry
Price: $10
Created by Jau Sekhon
Co created Chef Saeng Phongpradith and Chef Samlee Panpadungkul
Description: This Curry is a starter plate to share for 2 persons; it’s has a variety of little spicy sweet tastes of all 3 different ingredients of curries.
Offered: for lunch and dinner from 11-2:30 4:30-9:30 weekdays; and 11:30-3:00 4:30-10:30 weekends
Sabai Thai Restaurant
10391 150 Street, Surrey
Tel: (604) 588-9819
Web: http://allianceweb.ca/sabaithai/
Instagram @sabaithaisurrey
3rd Place People’s Choice (tie):
Davie Dosa Company
BC Wild Sockeye Salmon Curry
Price: $22
Created by: Chef Emerson Periyasamy
Description: Served with kuchumber salad, flaky bread and cumin rice
Offered: All the time
Davie Dosa Company
1235 Davie Street, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 669-5899
Web: http://daviedosacompany.com/
Twitter @daviedosa
Instagram @daviedosacompany
3rd Place People’s Choice (tie):
Unchai Restaurant
Khao Soi
Price: $12.99
Created by: Chef Narong
Description: The most popular dish in the northern part of Thailand, a unique recipe of Khao Soi, which is a specialty of Unchai restaurant to give a pleasant taste of Thai and foreigners people. Various ingredients are carefully selected to have quality Khao Soi curry paste and full of flavor like no other but still keep Thai identity.
Offered: All the time
Unchai Restaurant
2351 Burrard Street, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 559-6484
Web: https://unchairestaurant.com/
Instagram @unchairestaurant
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.
Each media judge scored each creation with a maximum of 40 points as follows: Overall Taste 20 points, Originality and Uniqueness 10 points, Presentation and Appearance 10 points. The highest number of points a challenge creation could have been awarded is 120 points.
Our Media judges for this challenge were: Roanna Young, Shelley Hayashi and Jacqueline Chui.
Thank you to the chefs and restaurants that accepted my invitation and featured their curry creations on the menu for the past few weeks during this challenge.
I encourage you to visit the winning restaurants to try their curry creations! See all the Challenge entries here.
By: Richard Wolak