Downtown Vancouver: Heritage Asian Eatery Review

Disclaimer: This was a media tasting, all opinions are my own.

Opening its doors earlier this Summer, Heritage Asian Eatery is a casual, modern restaurant located in downtown Vancouver. Using fresh and locally-sourced ingredients, the eatery offers up an affordable selection of breakfast bowls, rice bowls, and Taiwanese steamed baos. Last week I visited the place with my boyfriend and tried quite a few lunch items. To read a bit more about all the dishes, click.......

Heritage Asian Eatery | Interior

Located on Pender Street near Thurlow, Heritage Asian Eatery has a super simple and minimalist interior. The place caters to the downtown office crowd so the place has mostly bar seats and long picnic tables. The space is very well-lit so you can definitely capture some Instagram-worthy snaps.

Heritage Asian Eatery | Fried Cauliflower

1. Fried Cauliflower ($5):
Crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, this heaping bamboo steamer full of fried cauliflower reminds me a lot of other fried cauliflower dishes from various Lebanese restaurants in town. However, the Heritage Asian Eatery fried cauliflower is perfectly fried so it's not too soggy or greasy. The seasoning is done as well and I honestly can't believe you get this much cauliflower for only $5!

2. Five Spiced Chicken Wings ($5):
Another appetizer plated in a bamboo steam, these chicken wings are again very well seasoned with a super crisp and non-greasy skin. The flesh inside is pretty tender but the wings are lacking some serious meat. With $5 for five pieces though, I'm still very satisfied.

Heritage Asian Eatery | Five Spice Chicken Wings

3. Pork Belly Bao & Shiitake Mushroom Bao ($7 each):
With the opening of Bao Down in Gastown last year, I've been addicted to Taiwanese steamed baos. So after seeing that Heritage offers several varieties of baos (duck, pork belly, shiitake mushroom, and cotechino), I was pretty darn excited! The pork belly bao contains tender and fatty slices of pork belly full of sweet and savory flavors. The bao is topped with fried crispy onion bits and there are crunchy pieces of pickled radish inside that add a great balance of textures.
The shiitake bao, on the other hand, is stuffed full of mushroom slices. Again, the filling is very flavorful and juicy but I think this one could have benefitted from some pickled veggies as well, just to added a bit of crunch to the soft mushrooms.

Heritage Asian Eatery | Pork Belly Bao (left) & Shiitake Mushroom Bao (right)

4. Duck Rice Bowl ($15):
This is a filling rice bowl topped with mixed greens, pulled duck, roasted duck slices, crispy fried onion, and a soft boiled egg sliced in half. With the incredibly tender and perfectly cooked duck slices and the super flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth yummy pulled duck, the bowl has plenty of meat to devour. The egg is also super supple and well-cooked. I mean look at that yolk! I personally would have preferred a higher veggie to rice ratio but this bowl is pretty much perfection for a reasonably-priced duck dish!

Heritage Asian Eatery | Duck Rice Bowl

It's been a while since I wrote a restaurant review but after visiting Heritage Asian Eatery I knew I had to share news on this amazing place. Both in terms of price and quality, the eatery is an A+ for me! I will definitely be returning for more fried cauliflower and duck rice bowl!

About the Heritage Asian Eatery:

1108 Pender St., Vancouver BC | www.eatheritage.ca | Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am–4 pm.