Hello internet friends! I’ve mentioned a while ago that Mr. Red Cafe relocated at their Grandview location. It’s a block down from where it used to be and the interior is similar to their Kitsilano location. I’ve been to Mr. Red Cafe once before but Mother deer has yet to visit this location so we decided to bring her here for her birthday.
Mr. Red cafe interior
Something new that Mr. Red Cafe offers now are stamp cards! If you know me, you’d know that I collect these like coupons. I have way too many that are half filled up and should really stop keeping so many but I can’t help it! You get a stamp each visit you make so that means I just have to come here even more often right? 5 stamps get you spring rolls and 10 get you a bowl of pho. Another thing they have been doing is offering 10% off for students so bring your IDs!
They also have a vegetarian menu now!
Shrimp salad rolls
These were pretty standard and as good as they get. Hurray for de-veined shrimp! The peanut sauce was on point and balanced between sweet and savory. I didn’t use the peanut sauce though because every time I’m here, I come for the house made fish garlic sauce concoction they have at the table. I can’t get enough of it.
#10 pho
It came with a variety of proteins including beef balls, rare beef, flank and tendon. You can either order it with a mix of all the meats or just one of them. I like the idea of having a choice in the matter. The broth actually tasted like bone broth not just MSG! Thank goodness for that. This and Bai Bui Thai are the only two places that get it right without the additives I swear.
Mung bean glutinous rice dumplings
You know I gotta get the mung bean glutinous rice dumplings. It’s what I get everytime I’m here. It should be no surprise by now. They also have a variety of steamed dumplings wrapped in banana leaves. I had those on one of my previous visits but this has always been my go-to here. I always try to get something else but I can’t help what the heart (and stomach) wants!
Family set meal
Now the original Hastings location didn’t offer the family menu like they did at their Kitsilano one but they brought it over when the re-location happened. Unfortunately it’s only offered on the weekends but it’s definitely worth a try! It used to be $34.50 but it’s now $40.50 for the set which is meant for 2 people but I think it can feed 3 if you’re not huge eaters.
Green papaya salad
This salad is unexpectedly spicy so if you’re not a fan of heat, make sure you only get the bottom pieces and avoid the hot chili peppers on top! The salad is seasoned with a mixture of fish sauce, sugar and lemon juice providing it with the perfect harmony of being savory and sweet. The green papaya is cut thin and doesn’t have flavor on it’s own so it’s sauce is essential!
Crab spring rolls
These spring rolls are filled with fresh crab meat, wood ear mushrooms, carrots, and bean thread noodles. The outside is crispy and crunchy so it holds up against the sauce without fail. The wrapper on the outside is also thin so you really taste all the fillings. It’s unlike any other spring roll out there!
The set meal also comes with…
Fried tofu
These tofu puffs are fried and then soaked in a broth which they soak up making them even more enjoyable
Claypot chicken
There’s a lot of options to choose from for the main but we went with the chicken. Last time I got the fish and thought it was tasty but Brother deer is not a fan of fish so we went with the chicken instead. One thing to note is that the chicken is bone-in so you need to be careful when you eat it. We found the chicken to be very fragrant with lemongrass and it was actually quite spicy!
Pickled baby eggplants
Apparently there are baby eggplants that are tiny ball shapes. We weren’t a huge fan of these and could have lived without. They are quite interesting to try out though!
Rice
Unfortunately this was plain rice! It would have been so much better if it was coconut rice!
Soup
We weren’t sure what type of soup it was but there was “choy sum” Chinese greens in it. The broth reminded us of bone broth.
Tapioca dumplings
This wasn’t part of the family set but mother deer loves her tapioca dumplings so we ordered them. They were $10 for 6 of them. This was unfortunate because it used to be 8 pieces and they also used to have a sampler tray with 3 varieties of them for $13. They no longer have this on the menu though ):
These tapioca dumplings were filled with shrimp and pork. I think they were oversteamed because it was slimy and mushy instead of being chewy in texture. Definitely not impressed with these and wouldn’t get them again which is to bad because they used to be soo good!
Taro tapioca dessert
Last but not least was the taro tapioca dessert that came with the family set. It was served hot and was lightly sweetened. The coconut milk on top helped cool it down and add creaminess to the pudding.
