Advertisement 1
Charm Thai restaurant follows the success of Zab Bites and there’s more to come
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Article content
Charm Thai Eatery
Article content
Where: 3293 West 4th Ave., Vancouver
When: Dinner, Monday to Thursday; lunch and dinner, Friday to Sunday
Info:charmrestaurant.ca/
Article content
Article content
There’s discretionary income in the tony west side of the city and, you would think, an appetite for good food. Yet, restaurant activity west of Macdonald rarely gets pulses racing.
Article content
Well, I’m happy to inform you of a new one that accelerated mine. Charm Thai Eatery on West 4th Avenue is run by the owners of Zab Bite, which received a Michelin Guide nod in 2024. My review of Zab Bite that year described it as cheerful and affordable, with the food hitting yum notes with bright, pleasant, clean flavours.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
Well, same, same at Charm, although this second spot is more upscale and ambitious than their first, on Fraser Street. But, wouldn’t you know, their first dine and dasher was at this west side location. “It’s crazy, the guy actually drove a Mercedes SUV,” says Gift Laohongvichit (goes by the shortened surname Lao), a co-owner and marketing point person.
Article content
West Coast Table
Article content
The West Fourth location previously housed several pub-like iterations, including Displaced Hashery Beach Bar, which was frequented by Michael Bublé when his sister was co-owner. Charm Thai gave it a cosmetic cleansing, asserting its Thai conversion.
Article content
At Zab Bite, the food is northern Thai, but at Charm, the amped-up chef and co-owner of both, Percy Tanwattanaku (goes by Tan), expands to other Thai regions. And his amplitude reaches beyond the Vancouver restaurants. He operates five casual restaurants (“poke bowls with a twist”) in Bangkok. “I would have opened more than 10, but COVID happened and I stopped extending and came here,” he says.
Article content
Although not formally trained as a chef, Tan’s family operates a resort in Thailand. “When I was young, I grew up in the kitchen,” he says, “and I opened a restaurant after I graduated.”
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
That’s not all. By this summer, the owners will open Zab Bite Express in the revitalized Burrard Food Court concourse of Bentall Centre, along with some other local concepts. “They reached out to us to be a part of it,” says Lao.
Article content
The food at Charm isn’t all from scratch nor does it have the sophisticated techniques and depth of, say, Maenam, but flavours are focussed and bright and friendly. The menu doesn’t overlap the one at Zab Bite except for some classics like pad Thai and the green curry.
Article content
On my visit, I began with shrimp crackers served with a pork and peanut dip, with two whole Thai chilis served as a garnish for heat-resistant diners ($14). The crackers were light, non-greasy and the sauce brought all kinds of umami. “It’s usually served with rice crackers,” he says.
Article content
Shrimp cakes with sweet chili sauce ($23) was a tasty and good-value starter with six large pieces. “It should be with plum sauce but I ordered the sweet chili sauce from Thailand,” Tan says.
Article content
A trio platter of appetizers, with crispy tofu, taro fritters, and corn cakes and chili sauce ($16) was another good-value dish, enough for two, and gluten-free and vegan.
Advertisement 1
Advertisement 2
Advertisement
Article content
Article content
A best seller, for good reason, is roasted duck breast red curry ($35). Tan sources his curry pastes from Thailand but tweaks with more spices. Coconut milk delivers soothing magic. Eggplant added more savoury tones but grapes and sweet pineapple lifted the mood with flirtatious notes. “I met a celebrity master chef in Thailand and she told me that in the (Thai) palace, they add sour fruit like grapes to red curry to make it balanced,” Tan says, explaining the presence of grapes.
Article content
Article content
Tiger prawns with glass noodles ($26) was nicely executed with loosely tossed noodles in a sauce that, in Tan’s words, includes shrimp fat extracted from the head. It adds a hint of ocean to the dish.
Article content
Another popular main is the khao soi soft shell crab ($29), with crispy egg noodles in coconut curry broth. “I make my own paste for this and pickles to add a bit of sour to balance,” Tan says.
Article content
Wok-fried squid with salted egg yolk ($29) is actually not squid, but cuttlefish. “It’s bigger and the texture is more bouncy,” he says.
Article content
I worry when classic dishes I love, like mango sticky rice, are tweaked. Here, the sticky rice is infused with butterfly pea for colour (usually blue, but in this case, warmly pink) but crisis, averted — the rice, heart shaped, had lots of chopped mango hugging its curvature, along with a tall wave of piped whipped cream and honey tuile. I loved it.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
Tan says he’ll change up the menu for the regulars who visit as much as twice a week. In summer, as beachgoers come out of hibernation, he’ll do a regular lunch menu (now only available on weekends). He also plans on an occasional chef’s set menu.
Article content
There’s a wide selection of beverages available, including signature cocktails and mocktails, a reasonably priced and well-chosen mix of BC and international wines, bottles of local craft beer and a couple of Thai brews. Other Thai beverages include teas and coffees, fresh longan ice and violet lime soda. Of note are the herbal teas, blends that focus on specific health benefits. One is even called Spa in a Cup and combines lemongrass, Japanese mint, and mulberry leaves to support digestion and relaxation. And count on fun. On April 22, for example, Charm hosted a drag show with the winner of Drag Race Thailand performing. “We’re not planning on stopping (with projects),” says Lao. “We’ll be moving forward but want to make sure each place is up to par.”
Article content
Article content
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
Article content
Article content
Article content
SIDE DISHES
Article content
Alex Kim, culinary director at Five Sails restaurants and current Canadian Culinary Champion, doesn’t rest on laurels and he doesn’t park his culinary skills on a plateau. It seems to me, with every visit, he’s hoisted himself to another level. Upon experiencing a new spring tasting menu, well, he’s done it again. It’s a complete wow!
Article content
The menu is part of a seasonal series called The Altitude, inspired by Kim’s visit to Peru, and I’d guess, Central restaurant in Lima. There, one of the world’s top chefs, Virgilio Martinez, creates menus guiding diners, vertically, through various Peruvian ecosystems starting from sea level and ending in the Andes. His restaurant is a regular on the World’s 50 Best Restaurant, and it took top spot in 2023. I’ve dined at this famous restaurant in Lima and was gob-smacked by the depth of research, scientific and culinary, through all the country’s ecosystems and by the exotic ingredients.
Article content
But, were I forced to vote on which restaurant gave me the most pleasure and excitement in the mouth, I would give it to Kim’s Pacific Northwest Altitude menu for the sensual flavours, gorgeous visuals, playful inventiveness and creative agility. The dishes journey below sea level, to shore, then elevate inland and upward. Out of the gate, his famous oyster tartlet has a faux shell so real, you must command your teeth to bite. At alpine level, wild berries, spruce tips, and wildflowers feel like a fresh, cool mountain breeze.
Article content
Dishes on multiple-course tasting menus rarely hit home runs with every course but Kim pretty much did. Only one dish felt less than perfect — it dazzled with flavour and technique but was visually overwhelmingly white and pale — a silken rice and almond coverlet hid a couple of chicken surprises underneath, where some pops of colour would have clinched it. Overall, though, what an impressive choreography of story, taste, sight, and talent.
Article content
