Corner of Tastes — Restaurant in Vancouver

Corner of Tastes is an interesting intersection of the cosmos. An unexpected conjunction of known culinary universes, like Marvel and DC accidentally bumping into each other on a random paper menu in an obscure restaurant off in a remote parking lot.

It’s the traditional Chinese menu that you grew up with coupled with fun Latin inspired delights. I had BBQ Quesadillas along with my Crispy Garlic Chicken. Somehow it all seems simpler and more obvious than it sounds when you’re actually sitting there.

The server seems genuinely happy to have us, he is friendly and cheerful, feels very much a part of the place. And his mother, it must be his mother, checks on us regularly to make sure we are content.

She brings me Hot and Sour Soup to start and it’s good. There is a slight sweetness to the heat that I like, and the Garlic Chicken is text book crunchy, good meat, no gristle, hot, good rice. Nothing fancy, just good solid Chinese. My wife had Sesame Chicken and loved it and that speaks volumes because honestly she is picky. She doesn’t want fancy or wild, she wants quality. She wants direct.

The BBQ quesadillas are great, not sloppy or anything, but great with the fresh sweet salsa dip. Next time I explore the Latin menu more in-depth. I suspect that’s where the things get more creative.

Speaking of strange, a conjunction of universes, as I prepare to bite into my BBQ quesadilla I happen to glance up at the twin television sets overlooking the room, where on one screen This Old House is playing and on the other Jesus of Nazareth by Franco Zeffirelli is playing and Jesus is giving me a stare down and I briefly think of my youth taking communion at the altar.

So it’s this funny place of surprises and no surprises. The Chinese was standard good quality no surprise coupled with a dose Latin surprise. They seem like good, kind sincere people providing good, honest sincere food. If I lived in the neighborhood I’d go there regularly and when I’m in the area, I’ll keep them on my list. The place is clean, the food was uncomplicated and well prepared. Ingredients tasted fresh. It felt like family....

As this spot is new and we had heard relatively nothing about them (saw someone post a new restaurant recommendation on FB), the husband and I grabbed two of our teenagers and went in for some dinner. Walking into the door, I knew we were going to be leaving satisfied. We were met by super friendly workers, a clean and inviting atmosphere, and some of the most yummy aromas! We ordered a variety of items to get a feel for what they offered. Wonton soup, pot stickers, salt and pepper squid to start. For our mains, we chose crispy garlic chicken, Pong Pong chicken, Singapore noodles and Chow sliced noodles. EVERYTHING WAS DELICIOUS!!!

A few takeaways: -Our favorite dish was the Singapore noodles. It had the perfect amount of curry and they were super generous with their meaty additions. -Though I preferred the Pong Pong chicken, my husband and kids said they liked the amount of sauce on the crispy garlic chicken better (there was more sauce on the crispy garlic). Both had great flavor and we're cooked perfectly. -The Salt and Pepper squid had nice plump pieces of squid. I feel the need to add that the only spice was the jalapenos on top. Don't shy away if you're not a fan of spice. Just omit the jalapenos. Personally, we're asking for more next time. -The main dishes came with small salads and steamed rice or basic fried rice. We liked the fried rice plain so I can only imagine how good their basil or pineapple fried rice is. Next time... -The chow sliced noodles were cooked perfectly! The dish reminded me of a more traditional chow fun, but without all the grease. The beef we had added was nice and tender. The kids remarked how there were no strange, grisly pieces in anything we tried. Good because that is just so disappointing when it happens. -Even with all that we ordered, the workers were kind enough to throw in a free order of spring rolls which everyone enjoyed. I saw another couple come in and place an order to go. They were offered free cups of sweet and sour soup. So generous!

Overall, we highly recommend you give this place a shot. We will...

This is the first time I've never seen soy sauce at a table automatically at a Chinese restaurant. And now I know why. It's not needed. My entrees were very strong soy based flavors, to the point of being too salty.

It's frustrating. Everything was the opposite of what I expected or wanted. I was expecting the Pong Pong Chicken to be salty, tangy and spicy with a bunch of garlic and onion. It was sticky, salty and that was kinda it. I could tell they use garlic from a jar ("jarlic"), not fresh. And it wasn't spicy at all. Honestly, my wife's dish of the garlic chicken was much better and what I would have preferred. It's just super salty in my opinion. Should be more spicy. We were offered some soups, and they didn't charge us, but they were both not full bowls. The egg drop soup was bland, to the point my wife had to ADD salt... the hot and sour was more of a sweet and sour soup. Even the salad was drenched in sugar dressing. The spring rolls were crispy on the outside, soggy and bland on the inside. The Rangoons (both salmon and crab) were good, but I'm not the biggest fan of melted cream cheese. She likes it, so it's fine. Some of my steamed rice was undercooked and crunchy. That's gotta be a big "nono" in all Asian cuisines. I also ordered the Ron's fried rice, and it's just super confusing of a plate. It's ground beef, bacon, and cheese. It didn't taste particularly cheesy to be honest, and the ground beef was both crispy in some spots and gummy in others. Honestly they should drop the beef and just do bacon or even ground sausage.

So, I'm disappointed. But I'll come back and give it another try. But it's just another Chinese place in Vancouver I'm disappointed with.

Also, the staff are nice guys, very...