Hawkers Delight Deli — Restaurant in Vancouver

Came here on a Thursday afternoon with a friend. Located on the corner of Main & king Ed, it's a hole in the wall restaurant with maybe 20 seats, and an exposed kitchen behind the front counter. Been a while since we had both last visited so we ordered a hand full of items.

You pay at the front, grab your own side dishes, Utensils, napkins, and grab a seat. Your table number is called up as kitchen staff places your food on the front counter for you to grab. Sometimes, someone will bring the plate straight to your table. It's a cramped restaurant so I found myself being careful not to knock into adjacent tables as I made my way to and from our seats to the front counter. There are bottles of a Sriracha-like chili sauce and soy sauce available for the tables.

We started with the spring rolls and tofu puffs. Spring rolls were oddly greasy (not on first sight but would soak a napkin), fillings were scarce and bland. I think it was cabbage, carrots, perhaps garlic and ginger. Served with "sweet sauce" which seems to be a thicker, sweetened soy-colored sauce. Tofu puffs were brought out shortly afterward. Pretty much puffed tofu, filled with bean sprouts and cucumber, and then topped with their inhouse peanut sauce (almost like a peanut and chili soup. On the thicker side.)

The roti dish was pretty good. It's a fried, flaky flat bread served with a thin curry dipping sauce. Flavors were not outstanding but texturally it was nice.

The Nasi goreng came next. It's a deeply brown fried rice dish, seemed to be fish cake, bits of cabbage and scallion mixed in and fried with the rice. Texturally and scent wise, the dish was nice. Portion is what you'd expect. Flavors seemed lacking.

Their laksa also missed the mark. Loaded with ingredients but the soup was thin and underseasoned.

The hainanese chicken was okay. It's almost hainanese but instead of the ginger scallion sauce, it comes with a vinegar-chili-orangeish liquid. Severed on a bed of coconut rice with some cucumber and tomato slices.

Overall, it isn't a bad restaurant but I feel like the rating is misleadingly high because it's cheap eats. Ambiance aside, every single dish missed. They all smelled and looked better than they tasted. I think even just a slight increase in salt would have given the food a much needed boost in flavor but I just found myself adding both soy sauce, chili sauce, and the remainder of whatever sauces we had on the table to give the food a lil help.

3/5 for this visit. You get what...

Having made laksa at home , I picked this one to test the place. I was impressed that the price is only $12, coz there are quite expensive ingredients in making laksa. Overall, the base lack certain things and had too much of something else. Same for the topping. So the whole thing lean aside and cannot stand on its own. I d give it a 3 but the vege balls are soooo good when hot so eventually it's a 4.

What I feel has been lacked in Laksa: Turmeric: you can see from the color Cashew nuts which makes it thick. Likewise probably no dry shrimp either. Shrimp paste: this is essential and used heavily in Laksa but haven't got that kick

What I feel have been a bit too much: Very salty. Did you use a bit more fish drop to replace shrimp paste? ginger or pepper: very very spicy to your throat coconut milk: this feels like some milk is added. Too white! And low grade coconut milk?

Saying so, I think it is outstanding that in a $12 bowl the following are included: Tofu puff, fish cake, shrimp, herbs, bean sprouts... However chicken was added..errrr...this is what I mean by some lean towards one side and others the other. The whole thing cannot stand on it's own. It has some proud of being authentic and slipped on somewhere else.

Overall, as a humble restaurant, with a very affordable price, it is not bad. Would I order it again? No.

But the vege balls are outstanding.

Very very big portion. (Tho I personally prefer less portion and right proportion.)

So it deserve a...

• No Washroom • Debit & Cash only • Very small & Narrow atmosphere for dine-in • Poor hygiene and cleanliness • Self order & pick up with order number • Self cleaning the table, put dirty dishes & trays away after eating.

At first, I entered the store feeling excited. I was happy because the food smelled good and felt like I was in Southeast Asia. But it didn't last a minute. After other customer used the table, the staff don’t wipe the table only received new orders and money at the counter. That’s all what I saw during my visit. I just sat in an empty seat with no hygiene choice and should think that the whole system is like ‘Help yourself’. Sanitation & cleanliness is so bad. Please set up the disinfectant spray & table cloth then I will do myself before my sitting. Also, the table spacing was so narrow that unnecessary contact with other customers was very inconvenient.

The taste is below medium! Especially the chicken is not much fresh. Roti was so-so. Fried kuey teow was off also too sweet. Advertisements that are cheap, tasty, and generous are untrustworthy . Just that much $15 quality.

:( I’m sorry to say this, but it was unfortunately the most disappointing Malaysian food I’ve had so far. That’s why I had to leave a detailed real review. As food influencers with a large following in Vancouver, I sincerely hope you’ll consider sharing an honest and thoughtful video, with your hand on your heart, for the sake of your followers. Please...