Noshwellmenu

[rating:4]

Whenever we crave a little Southeast Asian cuisine, Tre and I get our fix at Tropika, a Malaysian/Thai restaurant on Cambie. It’s been awhile since we’ve been to this location, so when my mother in-law suggested dinner at Tropika, we happily obliged.

We arrived just before the dinner rush and the friendly host seated us immediately. To save time, we each picked a dish starting with Sambal Prawns: spicy prawns slathered in the distinctly South Asian, Sambal sauce; coconut seafood fried rice: rice fried with fresh seafood served in a coconut shell, topped with coconut milk; Thai Kang-Kong (Tung Choi) is a seasonal vegetable that is very similar to pea tips and is stir fried with shrimp paste. And our meal wouldn’t be complete without the famed Roti Canai — a sweet, Indian-influenced Malaysian bread.

(Clockwise: 1. Sambal Prawns. 2. Stir fried Thai Kang-Kong. 3. Roti Canai)

All our dishes arrived fairly quickly, except the Roti Cani, which took awhile but was well worth the wait. The coconut seafood fried rice was perfectly fried with fresh pieces of squid and prawn (not the usual leftover seafood surprise you’d expect to find at some restaurants). The Sambal prawns were good, but weren’t quite as spicy as we remembered. It was also slightly under seasoned. The vegetables were my favourite dish: perfectly stir-fried Tung Choi with a slight crunch with a touch of shrimp paste for body. The Roti Canais were yum! Fluffy sweet bread served with a light curry dipping sauce.

Not only was the food good, but the service was top notch. Service has always been okay for us at Tropika, but I don’t remember receiving this level of service before. From the moment we stepped in, we were treated with the utmost care. Every time I took a sip of water, a waiter magically appeared out of nowhere to fill my glass; and extra napkins were plentiful. We’re happy to see that Tropika has survived the Canada Line Construction, and look forward to visiting again.

Perfect for:

A little taste of Southeast Asia.

The Details:

2975 Cambie Street, Vancouver
604. 879.6002
tropika-canada.com

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