A.Bento is an unassuming restaurant tucked along Broadway in Vancouver. This cozy little spot is serving up traditional and authentic Taiwanese cuisine with a modern twist. At A.Bento you can expect to find classic Taiwanese dishes like Oyster Pancake, Crispy Chicken Nuggets and more. But, you can also try unexpected dishes like Steamed Avocado and Century Egg Tofu Tartar! A.Bento is my favourite spot for Taiwanese food in Vancouver. The love and care they put into each and every dish cannot be beat. Everything is made from scratch – including their Taiwanese sausage!
I came by to try a very generous spread of their Spring menu and I will highlight my favourites and must try dishes below!
A.Bento Vancouver – Taste of Taiwan Set
One of the staples of Taiwanese eating is Nightmarket food. For those of us that miss Taiwan, or if you’re new to the Taiwanese night market experience, this Taste of Taiwan set is a must order. Available in limited quantities during lunch and dinner, this set features 9 delicious bites. In this set you will try:
- Pork Ragu on Rice 滷肉飯
- Taiwanese Sausage on Sticky Rice 大腸包小腸
- Tea Leaf Egg 茶葉蛋
- Fried Tofu with Pickled Cabbage 泡菜炸豆腐
- Tomato with Pickled Plum 蜜餞番茄
- Roast Corn 烤玉米
- Pepper Bun 胡椒餅
- Sticky Rice Cake 豬血糕
- Deep-fried Chicken Nugget 鹽酥雞
Every bite will just leave you wanting more and more! It is so tasty, and each bite is just perfection. My favourites from the set are – Taiwanese Sausage on Sticky Rice, Fried Tofu with Pickled Cabbage, the quintessential Pepper Bun and of course Deep Fried Chicken Nuggets. This set is a must order in my opinion, so definitely reserve it in advance if you can! It will be available starting March 1.
A.Bento Vancouver – Appetizers
From the appetizer section we had:
- Oyster Pancake 蚵仔煎
- Century Egg Tofu Tartare with Taro Chips 皮蛋豆腐塔塔
- Steamed Avocado 蒸牛油果
- Deep Fried Pork Intestine 炸豬大腸
Oyster Pancake is such a classic dish in Taiwanese cuisine, but it’s so hard to find in Vancouver. The rendition here is spot on. The ooey gooey pancake with plenty of oysters and sauce was such a delicious bite.
The Century Egg Tofu Tartare with Taro Chips was also quite unique. It was a very refreshing dish, and I can see myself really enjoying it in the summer. The sesame oil was a great complement to the chopped tofu and egg and the crispy taro chip was the perfect crunch.
The Steamed Avocado was by far the most intriguing dish on the menu. I wouldn’t have thought avocado could hold up to steaming but it does! Avocado is steamed with soy fish sauce and the intent is to mimic steamed fish. This dish is creamy and buttery from the avocado and the soy fish sauce is such a great accompaniment.
Another great Taiwanese dish is Deep Fried Pork Intestine and this was excellently prepared. Chef spends 3 days to ensure the intestines are clean (which is so important!) and the garlic dipping sauce with this dish is just excellent. It’s crispy, funky and slightly chewy.
A.Bento Vancouver – Entrees and Stir Fry
Moving onto the entrees we had the following:
- Braised Beef Noodle 紅燒牛肉麵
- Night Market Style Bone-In Short Rib on Sizzling Plate 鐵板帶骨牛小排
The Braised Beef Noodle is the best Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup you will ever have in Vancouver. It is available in limited quantities for dine in only. The dish comes to you with a dome and the lid will be ceremoniously lifted in front of you tableside. I will be the first to admit that Beef Noodle Soup isn’t my favourite dish, but this version has completely changed my mind. The noodles have the perfect bounce, the soup is such a rich beef broth and the beef is just fall apart tender.
The Night Market Style Bone-In Short Rib on Sizzling Plate is another show stopper. A giant rib sits on top of a pile of noodles with a sunny side up egg and a sizzling black pepper sauce. The rib is fall off the bone tender and the sauce packs a great peppery punch.
To round off our incredibly filling meal we had:
- Deluxe Tri Sauce Chicken 豪華三杯雞
- Seafood Steamed Egg 海鮮蒸蛋
- Stir Fry Dungeness Crab with Black Pepper Sauce 黑胡椒炒螃蟹
The Deluxe Tri Sauce Chicken is another classic dish. This particular version features chicken, tofu, king oyster mushroom and sticky rice cake. This dish was so flavourful and I particularly enjoyed the mushrooms as they were caramelized on the outside.
The Seafood Steamed Egg was definitely the fanciest steamed egg I have ever had. There was no shortage of seafood on top and the egg was so silky smooth.
The Stir Fry Dungeness Crab with Black Pepper Sauce was an excellent dish to end the night. The crab was nice and meaty and the black pepper sauce did not overwhelm the delicate crab.
Worth a Try?
ABSOLUTELY. I have been to A.Bento several times and they have never disappointed. You can taste the passion of the chefs in their cooking. I love Taiwanese food and it’s so great that they are serving up a mix of traditional Taiwanese food but also add their own modern and unexpected twist to the classics. Their bento boxes are a go to for me as I work quite close and I highly recommend you check them out! If you love their dishes as much as I do, be sure to check out their frozen foods section on your way out to pick up some goodies.
PRO TIP: Their nitro cold teas are a gamechanger and an absolute must try.