Today we were at PNE, before The Fair opens for their annual food press tour. An event I look forward to as we are given a guided tour of what is new and unique, to the sendoff of summer. Some go for the attractions and the rides, others for the prize home draw and the performances, I go for the food. I love the weird, wacky, and the macabre and the PNE typically delivers.
The stops are curated by PNE’s full time marketing team as the highlights and expected trends. This year there is an Asian overtone, which tends to reflect on the happenings in the city, sometimes foreshadowing it.
We started at Jimmy’s Lunch where there was nothing weird or wacky, but instead they had all the classics. This is PNE’s longest running concessionaire and they are celebrating their 95th anniversary this year. They have been operating every year off The Fair, since the first, outside of war and covid.
This permanent fixture is now being manned by the 3rd and 4th generation and is still serving their iconic Jimmy’s Burger with fried onions. Fun Fact: British Columbians voted the smell of Jimmy’s fried onions one of the ten most iconic memories of the 20th century in BC.
The Jimmy Burger is your classic well crafted hamburger; dressed with mustard, a ketchup relish, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, and their popular grilled onions piled on generously. Everything is so soft that you chew through it with ease, and it felt like it almost melted underneath my teeth. A familiar flavour done right.
They are proud of the fresh potatoes used to make their fries and poutine. These were only in the ground a mere 4 days ago. They were extra crispy, starchy fries; tasty with its heavy salting, but best with ketchup.
The poutine utilizes the same fries, but smothers it in their runnier, light gravy, intermingled with bits of cheese curd. The gravy was on the salty side, whereas I would have liked it more meaty and peppery. And for there to be larger chunks of cheese for a more gratuitous chew.
They also have a poutine hot dog. A classic pork wiener in bun topped with the same gravy and cheese as above, and with the addition of their famous onions. This is a messy one, but the tastiest items usually are. I spent 8 napkins on this task.
I am already familiar with the Kyu Grill foodtruck with their all black exterior and cherry blossom pattern. They specialize in Japanese Hawaiian Fusion and this is their first year at the PNE.
Today we were trying their best selling birria tacos and their new mango chicken dog. But if I had my choice we would have tried there Tom yum poutine pictured with lobster or their Oko Nori Spicy Hawaiian Shrimp Fries.
Their birria is a pulled beef taco with cilantro and raw onion, served with a healthy cup of consommé for dipping into. Theirs is of the tastiest and crunchiest birria tacos I have had. The crispy cheddar cheese skirt makes all the difference, and this is their best seller for a reason.
By comparison the mango chicken dog was less memorable. The chicken hot dog was a little lean and its flavour muted, and the mango salsa was a thin as well. I would have liked a bolder, tangy chutney and a pork dog in between the toasted garlic bread. Or at least the addition of a barbecue sauce or a ketchup relish to give the dish depth.
The Little Donut Bakery is still an institution at the PNE and still run by the same family that originally brought mini donuts to Western Canada. They are still even using the same machines from 1968.
Today, they take the traditional mini donnut and make it more decadent with chocolate syrup, sprinkles, coconut, cream cheese, and caramel. They also have a buttered French toast mini donut and a corn fritter one that they top with pancake syrup and bacon.
New this year, and the one we tried was the ube mini donut. I was surprised to learn that many of the guests participating in the tour today did not know what ube was. Whereas this purple yam or purple sweet potato is a staple in Filipino cuisine, and frequently seen in desserts. The yam and its colour is incorporated right into the dough, speaking to the concession’s foundation as a bakery.
These rings were striking in colour. Each made to order and still soft at its centre. They were easy to pop into your mouth and break down within a couple of bites. Finished with their signature ube vanilla creme made with condense milk and a sprinkling of shredded coconut. This one is a must try for the ube lovers.
The Tochi foodtruck has been seen at Richmond’s Night Market and is now at The Fair for the very first year. Their specialty is combining Hong Kong and Japanese flavours in their one of a kind, French toast meets Japanese mochi creation.
I have never had anything like it. An eggy battered exterior of cinnamon and vanilla French toast with a gooey and stretchy mochi centre. Each filled with one of their 4 available flavours. The best way to get better acquainted with this sweet treat is through one of their flights.
The French Toast Flight is available in Nutella, Taro, Matcha, and Kaya (which is coconut spread). Each piped full and likely to ooze out if you are not careful with where you bite.
A familiar sight and my favourite of all the new offering is the deep fried squid and Takoyaki from the Happy Fish foodtruck. Based out of Calgary, this is their first time at the PNE.
Both available at the Richmond Night Market from any other vendor. It has been made popular there, but now more accessible in East Vancouver. And honestly both of these menu items from Happy Fish are tastier than what is available, and what I have had at the market in previous years.
A whole squid is soaked for hours in a seasoned bath, then breaded with their family’s recipe containing herbs, nuts, and flour. After, it is deep fried for a crispy treat that you can pull tentacle by tentacle. I got a piece of the mantle and the squid was so fresh and chewy with sinew, making it a wonderful contrast to the crispy breading.
They call their Takoyaki “Cowboyaki” as they top it with pork floss, which is not a traditional Takoyaki ingredient. And coming from Calgary they recognize that their cowboys love meat, so the name just fits. They were perfectly doughy balls of batter, hiding a piece of octopus at the centre. I have never had a Takoyaki more light and fluffy. I could have had a dozen instead of the sample, and the two additional balls I went back for.
And for those who don’t want a sweet mini donut, the Mini Donut Factory is doing a spicy one. Whereas our first donut stop classifies themselves as a bakery, this one is all about topping the classic fair treat in something fun and never been seen. They were the first to do the red velvet donut, which is now one of the staple mini donut flavours across North America.
This year they are celebrating their 25th anniversary at the PNE. And this family-run business, established in 1999 is now one of North America’s largest mobile food concessionaire businesses. And to further their list of achievements, they have even won the award for the best food vendor at this year’s Calgary Stampede.
Their featured donut this year is the taki’s, made using actual takis chips. These are the traditional minis coated in their special sweet and spicy sauce, featuring hot honey. The tray is topped with crushed takis like sprinkles. I love the contrasting flavours of this perfectly balanced blend of heat and sweet to have you licking your fingers and going back for more of.
And PNE’s own, owned and operated pizza stand, Cheeky Pizza has hired a new classically trained Chef. And with him at the helm this year, they have created a Chicken Chow Mein Pizza, which is exactly as it sounds. The popular Chinese noodle dish on a round pizza crust.
The pizza uses a stir fry sauce base made with garlic, ginger, soy, oyster sauce. This is topped with cheese, chow mein noodles, vegetables, and chicken with Szechuan seasoning. It doesn’t use the classic tomato or cream based sauce, but I wish it did. This would have helped to dampen the overwhelming one note tone of the noodles. Plus, the move would have made it a more even fusion, instead of one on the other.
I found this overly salty and after a bite I could not continue. However, don’t take my word for it, the Chicken Chow Mein Pizza was well received opening weekend. Sales show that guests loved the creativity, ordering whole pies for the entire family and to take home.
To end our tour we stopped at one of my favourite vendors, known of their annual “weird” soft serve flavour. They brought the pineapple dole whip to PNE and now have a Sour Candy flavour for the season.
I was expecting this one to have me puckering with the promise of sour, but it did not deliver. It reminded me of a lemon drop, but without the top layer of sour crystals. And I guess that is just as well, as I cannot see a totally sour cup of this bringing customers in and coming back for more. Others found it reminded them of bubblegum in colour and candy coated sugar.
In closing, PNE delivers on another year of exciting eats. Offering the unexpected for those curious.
