Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Dougie Dog, started by a proprietor with a clear passion for hot dogs, is located in the entertainment district on Granville Street. Sure, there are various toppings to be had but unlike most hot dog vendors, Dougie Dog starts off with wieners that are all natural and free of hormone, chemicals and preservatives. Then, they lay on the toppings.

(Above: the New York Style dog — classic with mustard and sauerkraut.)

Dougie Dog has a sizeable menu influenced by a road trip across America to discover the best hot dog. This lead to such menu items as the Dave Grohl (whiskey infused, cole slaw and hot peppers) and the Downward Dog (a veggie dog topped  with tomato, onion, spinach, avocado and feta). But it was the more familiar New York Dog we ended up selecting — a classic with spicy mustard, piled with sauerkraut and served on a warm soft hot dog bun. It finished with a satisfying snap after each bite.

(Left to right: Mac ‘n Cheese, and a side of slaw.)

To accompany our dog, we ordered a side of their homemade mac n’ cheese, which looked a lot more tasty than it really was. The pasta was sorely overcooked and despite all the cheese — tasteless.

Dougie dog is also home to a wide variety of root beer, both bottled and tap. We opted for the tap variety which was cold and frosty and tasted smooth with a slight hint of medicinal spice.

(Above: Root beer on tap. Serious business.)

Our bill including taxes came to under $20, on par with most hot dog prices in the Downtown area. I can see Dougie’s being extremely popular after a hard night of clubbing, with patrons one upping each other trying some of the crazy combos. Skip the sides, however, and stick to the dogs and root beer.

Perfect for: a street meat alternative.

The Details

1011 Granville Street, Vancouver
604.468.3647
dougiedog.com

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Penang Delight Cafe is a small restaurant located in the same neighbourhood as Universal Bakery and Golden Oscar Cafe. It’s a restaurant that identifies as authentic Malaysian cuisine. We can’t speak to its authenticity, but we were curious to see how Penang would stack up to other Malaysian restaurants in Vancouver.

(Above: Penang Asam Laksa — Hot and Sour Noodle Soup with Sardines. )

Inside, the restaurant’s seating is cramped, but the wood paneling and Malaysian decor with intricate, colourful patterns is pleasing to the eye. We arrived during the lunch rush, when select dishes are offered at $1 less than the regular price. Although Penang was buzzing with activity, we were seated promptly and service was efficient.

We started with a cold drink — grass jelly soya bean. Grass jelly is a jello type substance made from a plant belonging to the mint family. It is known to have a cooling effect on the body. Because of the grassy taste, it’s an acquired taste, but the combination of the milky soy and ice made for a refreshing and interesting beverage.

(Above: Number 11)

Tre had the Penang Asam Laska: a spicy, hot and sour broth with laska noodles, sardines, cucumber, pineapple, onions and garnished with mint leaves. The broth had a subtle kick, but wasn’t all that spicy. The sourness, however, was less subtle.

For myself, Curry Laska: a mixture of yellow noodle and rice vermicelli with fish balls, bean sprouts, fried tofu in a coconut curry broth. The broth was comforting and familiar, but didn’t stand out particularly amongst other laksas I’ve tried.

(Above: Grass Jelly and Soy Bean drink.)

Next, the sweets, starting with Kuih Dadar: a vibrant, green crepe flavoured with pandan juice, stuffed with grated coconut and steamed. It was steeped in palm sugar. They looked pretty, but our jaws grew tired from the overwhelming volume and dryness of the grated coconut.

Lastly, Malay Kuih: a steamed gelatinous dessert topped with grated coconut and milk that resembles a Chinese dessert often served during dim sum. This dessert arrived looking messy, like it fell off the plate first and was quickly rescued, but the flavour was nice and the texture more pleasing than the Kuih Dadar.

(Above: Malaysian Dessert — Jello-like, topped with crunchy coconut shreds.)

Our bill included taxes and tips came to just under $40 — which felt pricey for a menu serving lunch specials. The meal had its ups and downs, but Penang would serve well as as a trusty back up plan.

Perfect for: Malaysian cuisine on the East side.

The Details

3885 Rupert Street, Vancouver
604.566.9898
penangdelight.com

Rating / 4 out of 5 stars

Universal Bakery is an East side Portuguese bake shop located on Rupert Street, just off 22nd Avenue. They make a variety of pastries and breads, but are well known for their egg tarts — pastel de nata — as well as their bird’s nest cookies.

The bakery is spacious with bare walls, cluttered shelves. Overall it’s uninteresting and not much to look at. On display are cookies, tarts, breads and a shelf of random grocery items.

(Above: Pastal del natas — Baked portuguese egg tarts.)

We are here for the pastel de natas — a Portugese egg tart with caramelized creme brulee like consistency. Its dark, golden, flaky crust is puffy and is a perfect vessel for the sweet, egg custard filling. The filling is more dense than the Chinese variety, but the texture is reminiscent of a Vietnamese tapioca dessert. The scorched custard also finishes with a candy-like stickiness with each bite.

Universal Bakery’s bird’s nest cookies is a light, flakey, coconut shortbread cookie with fruit preserves. They’re rich, buttery and crumbly, and pair perfectly with a good cup of Americano. Tre and I both agree Universal makes the best bird’s nest cookies we’ve tried so far.

(Above: Bird’s nest cookies — a light, flakey shortbread cookie topped with fruit preserves.)

Our bill for four pastel de natas, two bird nest cookies and taxes came to just under $7 — a reasonable amount that’s brought us back numerous times. And we’ve have yet to be disappointed. The pastel de natas are located in the back, so you might have to ask for them if you don’t see any. The service here doesn’t seem to match their quality of baking, but that shouldn’t dissuade you from hunting down some egg tarts.

Perfect for: Portuguese baked treats.

The Details

3815 Rupert Street, Vancouver
604.438.1920

Rating / 2 out of 5 stars

Pa’ina, meaning gathering, perfectly describes this cafe in the Ward Warehouse’s outdoor food court in Honolulu. Long line ups and group gatherings seem the norm for the popular cafe. We managed to grab a seat out in the beautiful weather while waiting for our meals.

(Above: Hawaiian Poke Bowl, Kalua Pig, Lomi Salmon and Tuna Poke Bowl.)

Pa’ina Cafe has an extensive menu offering a variety of salads, Paina plates, poke bowls and sandwiches. Daily specials and colourful pictures of entrees are hung up on one side of the wall.

We managed to narrow down our orders. First, a small Hawaiian Poke bowl with brown rice, shredded nori and green onions. The bowl was mostly heavy brown rice topped with our fillings: shredded Kalua Pig which was disappointingly dry; large, fresh chunks of spicy tuna and a side of Lomi Salmon. The combination was refreshingly nice in the hot breezy weather, but the flavours lacked seasoning and were extremely tame.

(Above: A gigantic, grilled Ahi Gyro.)

Next was a grilled ahi gyro loaded with tomato, red onion, romaine, cucumber and yogurt sauce. The ahi gyro was gigantic and bursting with veggies and yogurt sauce — eating it was very messy. My bites hardly put a dent in the gyro and it took a doubled effort from Tre to help tackle the wrap. The gyro, however, also suffered from a lack of seasoning, and the pita — soaked by the sauces — fell apart before we could finish it off.

Our bill including taxes and tips came to just under $22, which is a bit pricey for a lacklustre food court meal. Pa’ina is a great place to people watch, however. We noticed a couple of hipsters wearing beanies with boots and skinny jeans with sweat dripping down their foreheads in the 30 degree weather. It was the highlight of our meal, which made for a good laugh.

Perfect for: emergency mid-shopping energy boost.

The Details

Ward Warehouse
1200 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu
808.356.2829
painacafe.com

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Xu’s Wonton House in Crystal Mall’s food court are the new owners of the stall previously occupied by Wang’s Shanghai Cuisine. With new owners come expectations, or doubt. Can they do well and keep up with the previous owners’ success or will they flop like a fish? The menu has remained relatively the same, but what about the taste?

(Above: Xiao Long Bao in a bamboo steamer.)

We ordered our usual: Shanghai mini wontons in soup, regular wontons in soup and Xiao Long Bao. I eat with my eyes first, and my eyes were telling me these were not the same dishes.

Tre’s Shanghai mini wonton wrappings were nice and light, but the meat was scarce. Some didn’t have any at all. The broth however was comfortably piping hot.

My empty wontons were swimming with large strands of seaweed and dried shrimp. The broth was a bit bitter and more concentrated than Wang’s. The large pieces of seaweed were clumped together in chunks. I wanted to enjoy my soup, but I couldn’t.

(Above: Shanghai style mini wontons in broth.)

The Xiao Long Bao was juicy, but missed — just missed the mark. The wrapping was thicker, making the soup dumplings heavier. It was good, but if you’ve tried Wang’s before, then you’d be bitten with a slight disappointment.

Our bill came to just under $13 which is about what you’d expect for Chinese food court meals. I’m not sure if we came on a off day or Xu is still ironing out their kinks, but the food doesn’t quite match Wang’s. The new owners, however, are much more friendlier than the previous. For now, we’ll just have to get our dumpling fix elsewhere.

Perfect for: Runner up for best food court xiao long bao.

The Details

Crystal Mall Food Court
4500 Kingsway, Burnaby
604.909.6688