My friend A.C. lives in the Port Moody area, and I asked him to give me a before-dinner tour of this quiet suburb of Vancouver.  We walked down by the railroad tracks north of the restaurant into Moody Centre, an eclectic and historic shopping district. Many small independent shops and several art galleries can be found, living up to Port Moody’s reputation as a city of arts and culture.

The city is also situated in a beautiful natural environment, perfect for outdoor activities. Visitor information about the city of Port Moody can be found on the official web site, which says:

Port Moody has something for every member of the family. With over 27 kilometres of waterfront, water sports such as boating, sailing and kayaking are popular. We also have trails from easy boardwalk strolls to strenuous mountain hikes.

Little Thailand Restaurant has been getting excellent reviews on the website Dinehere.ca, including mapia who writes (click here to read review):

We started with the fresh lemonade and loved the cool and sweet/tart taste. We ordered spring rolls, a small tom kah gai, and (the main event) chicken and prawn pad thai. Hubby (a pad thai virgin) enjoyed every bite. The soup was spicy and delicious. The spring rolls were crisp and not too greasy. The portions were plentiful enough to feed us both to the brim.

We also ordered the Pad Thai (pictured below, $12.95). It was a generous portion and had a great combination of flavors: sweet (as some sugar is added), spicy (chili pepper), salty (fish sauce), and slightly tart (lime juice). The large prawn placed on top was an appealing way to present the dish.

Another dish we ordered was an Indian-influenced Thai curry with chicken and potatoes ($12.95, pictured below) which went well with a bowl of rice ($2.00). For a refreshing drink, we tried the mango juice ($2.50) – a bit watery, but good nevertheless.

If you are lucky to live in the Port Moody area, I’d definitely recommend checking out Little Thailand Restaurant. But visitors to Greater Vancouver without a vehicle may find it difficult to get out to the area from downtown (it’s about a 30-45 minute drive). It is possible to take transit (via the skytrain to Lougheed Mall station and then the 97 B-Line bus up North Road).

Hopefully our local and provincial governments will make the Evergreen Line a reality. It’s the proposed Skytrain transit line which will link Vancouver and Burnaby with Port Moody and Coquitlam. According to the Provincial Government’s web site:

Construction of the Evergreen Line is anticipated to begin in late 2010 and be completed in 4 years.

The proposed Port Moody station on the Evergreen Line is very close to Little Thailand Restaurant.

Happy travels, and keep enjoying Greater Vancouver’s restaurants!

-Geoff Peters

Indian Thai Curry with Potatoes and Chicken ($12.95) from Little Thailand Restaurant in Port Moody, BC, Canada.

Pad Thai ($12.95) - a national dish of Thailand, served at Little Thailand Restaurant in Port Moody, BC, Canada.

The restaurant has won numerous awards for their innovative and unique decor, and more importantly for their food. Their menu, which is full of wonderful mouth-watering photos, makes choosing dishes a snap – even if you’re not so familiar with Malaysian or Thai cuisine. Simply look at the photos in the menu and let your eyes decide what to eat!

On a previous visit (over two years ago) I enjoyed the satay skewers and the Hainanese chicken.

This time we tried the following dishes (all pictured below): Indonesian spring rolls filled with chicken ($2.50 each), some delightfully puffy roti canai bread served with a special sauce ($2.95), the marvellous sambal clams ($13.95), an hot and sour eggplant hot pot with minced pork ($11.95), and the pineapple fried rice with ham and chicken ($12.95).

An interesting drink that we tried was the Coconut Juice served in a real coconut (also pictured below). This was a huge coconut filled with some refreshing and slightly sweet coconut juice, that we could enjoy with a straw.

In addition to Tropika’s Robson Street location, the restaurant also has a couple of other locations: Tropika Cambie Street (map, 2975 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-879-6002), and Tropika at Aberdeen (map, unit 1830, Aberdeen Centre, 4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, BC, Canada, phone: 604-233-7002). More info is on their web site.

Indonesian Spring Rolls from Tropika on Robson Street ($2.50 each)

Roti Canai bread from Tropika on Robson ($2.95)

Sambal Clams ($13.95) from Tropika on Robson

Hot & Sour Eggplant Hot Pot with Minced Pork ($11.95) from Tropika on Robson

Pineapple Fried Rice with Ham and Chicken ($12.95) from Tropika Restaurant on Robson Street.

Coconut Juice served in a fresh real coconut (around $4.00) from Tropika Malaysian and Thai restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

The restaurant has some great lunch specials which are $8.00 plus tax and tip, and include a salad, spring roll (with sweet plum dipping sauce), and a main course (such as a Thai curry dish) served with rice. Pictured below is the dish I ate, the pork with red curry paste, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, basil and coconut milk. It was really delicious!

The restaurant offers vegetarian versions of some of their curries, with Tofu instead of the meat, and they were also able to accomodate the special dietary needs of a person in our group requiring gluten-free foods. (For more information about Special Dietary Needs and restaurants in Vancouver be sure to check out Food Vancouver).

For more info please view Part 4, Part 3, Part 2, and Part 1. Their menu is also available on their website.

Also check out this video made by the restaurant that describes how to make Thai Curry at home.

Pork with red curry paste, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, basil and coconut milk from Urban Thai Bistro in Vancouver.

At lunch time, there are some great specials which include a salad, spring roll, a main entree and rice for $8.00 before tax and tip. Service is fast and attentive, and the restaurant’s decor is pleasant and inviting. Urban Thai Bistro also serves a good selection of vegetarian and tofu dishes which make it a regular place to visit for some of my vegetarian friends. Dinner time prices are also reasonable, in the $12 to $18 per person range.

Pictured below is Lunch Special 76S ($8.00), which their menu describes as beef with green curry paste, eggplants, bell peppers, peas, basil leaves and coconut milk. It is also served with a spring roll and a green salad (not pictured).

For more photos and info, please view Part 3, Part 2, and Part 1. Their menu is also available on their website.

Beef with green curry paste, eggplants, bell peppers, peas, basil leaves & coconut milk

The Noodle Box also has two locations in Victoria: Chinatown (626 Fisgard, Victoria, BC, Canada, phone: 250-360-1312) and downtown (818 Douglas, Victoria, BC, Canada, phone: 250-384-1314).

Thai Green Curry from the Noodle Box restaurant in Vancouver

Pad Thai at Urban Thai Bistro

Located conveniently in the heart of downtown Vancouver near hotels such as the Vancouver Westin Grand, as well as the Vancouver Public Library, Khai Thai Cuisine has affordable lunch time specials, with a variety of choices of curries and other Thai dishes such as the Pad Thai.

The combinations are $9.95 at lunch, and come with a green salad (pictured below), rice, deep fried spring roll, and a main course such as the Penang Curry with Chicken (also pictured below). I found the service was excellent and the flavors of the curry were so good that I finished every last spoonful!

Panang Thai Chicken Curry, served with rice, spring roll, and green salad (pictured above), all for $9.95 (at lunch time).

Pictured below are the satays (meat skewer appetizers, $1.20 each), roti canai (Malay bread, $2.95), Hainanese chicken (half chicken, $12.95), pineapple fried rice with ham and chicken ($12.95), and a special drink: coconut juice served in a fresh coconut. We had a large group (9 people) and made reservations a few days in advance. The serving staff and kitchen handled our group flawlessly and we enjoyed the flavors of the dishes very much.

Two other locations of Tropika Restaurant in Vancouver are: Tropika at Cambie (2975 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone 604-879-6002) and Tropika at Aberdeen (Unit 1830, Aberdeen Centre, 4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, BC, Canada, phone 604-233-7002)

Beef, chicken, lamb, and pork satay skewers ($1.20 each)

Roti Canai (Malay Bread, $2.95) – this was really puffy and tasted great with the accompanying sauce.

Hainanese Chicken (Half $12.95)

Pineapple Fried Rice with Ham and Chicken ($12.95)

Coconut Juice – served in a real coconut!

I ordered the Chicken Gai Yang ($14.99, pictured below) which their website describes as, “Fresh pineapple, red pepper, green onions, mushrooms and bean sprouts simmered with coconut milk, lemon grass and lime juice over Jasmine rice. Topped with fresh grilled chicken breast marinated in lemon grass, curry paste, ginger and cilantro and garnished with house-made peanut sauce, a traditional Thai cucumber relish and cilantro.” It was nicely presented, and had some tasty combinations of flavors.

Video from White Spot restaurant: