On Malaysian/Thai Cuisine & Feeling Artsy

What goes best with exhaustion and a bad feeling about an exam I had just taken? Poutine. Yes, poutine, my comfort food, my nirvana, my love. After class, I received a text message from my uncle asking me what I had planned at 4:30. I called him up and he asked if I wanted to get poutine in Vancouver. How timely! Who in the right mind would say no? No one, of course! And since I have been limiting the food I eat, I haven't had potatoes in a while.

So I get off at 2:30; I go the mall, do a couple of things, run into my cousin, fetch my mom, run to the train station and meet my uncle at 5 pm. And if the exam I took was not enough to down me, Frenchie's, the poutine place, was closed. F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C. There was no point in coming back to Richmond so we decided to walk along Robson and eat somewhere we haven't tried. We passed by this Malaysian/Thai restaurant and thought we'd give it a try.

At Tropika, you get very good Malaysian/Thai food for a reasonable price. The Sambal Kang-Kong (Tung Choi) was around $14, the Satay (Chicken/Beef/Lamb) were $1.30/stick, and the Red Curry Duck was around $15, I think. They have a wide variety of dishes on their menu but we opted to stick with these three. Kangkong is like a staple vegetable back in the Philippines. It's really difficult to get a hold of them here and so, first sight of it on the menu and we were sold.

The servers were very nice and accommodating too. Funny, actually. If they catch you looking towards their direction, they will come to your table at once, even if you weren't even calling them.



And so, as all of our dining ventures go, coffee & dessert after was in order. We went to The Gallery Cafe which is right in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery (you won't miss it). Their coffee is cheap, and so are their desserts and entrees. We got a banana chocolate bread pudding with whipped cream on top, as recommended by the girl behind the counter, coffee, and a chai latte for me. They also serve wines, beers, cocktails.

Everyone who ate or drank there either looked like artists, hipsters, or hipster artists. Heh, and that's not a bad thing. Nice, casual, artsy-fartsy place. I'd go back.



I'm glad we discovered new places to eat at. A new restaurant every time you go out - that should be a thing! Oh wait, it already is!

Richmond Food Blogger Lindsay Anderson has finished her 365 Days of Dining - eating out everyday for one whole year to try 365/800 restaurants in Richmond, BC! I go to her blog to choose where to eat out next. I think her reviews are very honest and credible. You should visit her blog and follow her on Twitter!