Broli Kitchen is competing in this year’s Vancouver Foodster’s #pizzachallengeyvr. I am not a judge, but Emma of @we.eat.vancity is, and she had asked me to help her critique a tomato-based pasta featuring lobster, as she has a tomato allergy. And of course I was more than happy to be her surrogate mouth.
I was surprised to learn that this makings of a higher end restaurant was located in a strip mall. And the whole experience would be a juxtaposition in service and setting, what is being served and where it is being served; having me deem them a hidden gem.
You expect a chain property or fast food option from any vendor residing in an outdoor mall, neighbouring the likes of Starbucks, Subway, and a Loonie Town. You would not suspect this to be a great steak, pasta, and pizza restaurant.
Although the decor may not set the tone with tables and chairs you would find from your mass fusion sushi shoppe, and photos of their food in advertisement posted on the walls. But the dim lighting, romantic jazz playing, and chefs dressed in full black uniforms do. The latter were visible from behind the open kitchen, with a clear view from the dining area by the door.
Sitting down, I amazed by the complexity of the menu. There was so much I wanted to try. They had foie gras, duck confit, pork belly pizza and lobster bisque. They even had a tomahawk steak, which you would have had to preorder. Once again so unexpected from the area and the setting.
We played it safe and ordered a half dozen of their lemon salt and pepper wings and half a dozen of their honey garlic to start. We both preferred the former. Crispy and crunchy with plenty of lick your lips salty tang. Whereas the honey garlic was sweet and syrupy, having you licking your fingers clean.
I had to try their durian pizza. You don’t often see durian on a menu, especially on one as eclectic as this, and on a pizza no less. This is actually their best selling pizza. Durian fruit baked into their house made pizza dough with mozzarella and a cream cheese base. The result is a dessert-esque pizza, sweet and creamy with notes of salty sharp cheesy. Tasty the first few bites, but the closer to the crust, the more I wanted a dip to help pick things up, something to change the taste. I was missing a tang from this, which some ranch dressing would have easily remedied.
Then we got to the reason why we were here. Only available during the duration of the competition: October 4th to 29th, 2023 The Lobster Crab Spaghetti is lobster and crab meat with fresh tomato in a lobster butter sauce, topped with micro basil and Grana Padano. Available Tuesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner service. The textures were all spot on, and I appreciated the generous amount of sauce and large chunks of actual lobster meat. With both lobster and crab, plus tomato, this dish ate on the sweeter side and left me missing some contrast. In the end a splatter of Tabasco sauce and its heat did the trick to help add some depth to a very sumptuous pasta dish.
Emma would order the Miso Carbonara as a white cream sauce base that she could have. Spaghetti, English peas, pancetta, and miso cream sauce. A lovely light pasta with crispy meat, sweet firm peas, and a saucy cheese sauce. Emma raved about the dish, I got a taste and did like what I had. It covered all textures and flavours as a slurp-able plate, not to mention I love anything with peas in it.
Fun observation, every dish came served with a set of knife and fork. And at the end we had 6 pairs, including the two that were pre-set at our table.
In short, I liked everything I had and would like to return to try and review more of their menu, especially their premium items to help wrap my head around this luxury restaurant located non-traditionally in a strip mall.
Broli Kitchen
186-8180 No 2 Rd, Richmond, BC V7C 5K1
604-271-0268
brolikitchen.com
