Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant

This is my all-​time favourite Taiwanese restaurant. I’ve been eating here for more than 20 years now. So good and consistent, every single time!

We (a threesome) arrived at Kalvin’s at 10:55 am, the ‘open’ sign was not on, but the door was open, we were told to come in, and were seated and being served tea, along with menus, before it’s opening time of 11 am. A nice start. Other diners arrived shortly after, and during our time there, six tables were occupied, along with one person waiting at a small table near the service counter for a take-​out order, leaving only a couple of large tables unoccupied.
Service: was great — remaining prompt, helpful, and very friendly throughout our stay. Our young server was a delight — always smiling, and returning often to ensure our tea pot was full.
Food: the dishes we ordered, listed in the order they came to our table, along with corresponding menu numbers, and the restaurant’s descriptions of each dish:
– #224 — special fried noodle with seafood, pork and vegetable — was the first dish to come to our table and it came very quickly (my immediate thought, too quick, how was this possible?) — on the menu, it was called a ‘special’ noodle dish, I found very little «special» about the preparation or presentation. The long and wide noodles though cooked fine, were rather tasteless — the seafood, consisted of two small pieces of squid body, a few tiny pieces of squid tentacle, and two tiny shrimp — the vegetable, a few small pieces of mushrooms — I did not see any pork or other vegetables. The dish lacked a distinctive, flavourful taste, and aroma. The presentation was so visually unappealing — just a large, white/​brown/​greyish mass, laying on a white plate, with no other colours to add some visual ‘excitement’. A few colourful veggies within the dish (as described), or as a garnish, would have helped.
– #79 — squid in special sauce (a cold dish) — the squid (body) pieces were laid on a small bed of shredded cabbage, and the whole thing covered over with a quite thick brown sauce — the squid was very tender, the sauce quite spicy and flavourful. The presentation though, was just a pile of brown and white, on a white plate. Though it tasted quite good, it looked ‘yuck’, and unappealing. A little more colour as a garnish to overcome all that brown would have helped generate some visual appeal.
– #179 — pan fried chop suey (mixed vegetable) — the vegetables, mostly broccoli, with a few small, and very thin ‘slivers’ of carrot, celery, and bamboo shoot, and some small pieces of mushroom. Prepared well, but the portion size was small, and it sure seemed lacking in ingredients.
– #129 — pork bellies in brown sauce with pea tips — the dish consisted of a good sized portion of pork belly, with red sauce, and garnished by a few pea leaves — the server, when she brought the plate to our table, sliced the piece into six square pieces — the pork was ‘melt-​in-​your-​mouth’ tender, the sauce flavourful, and the presentation colourful. A nice, ‘rich-​tasting’ treat.
– #198 — five spice beef in Chinese pan cake — one of their dim sum offerings — the ‘stuffing’ of beef and green onion was tender, and flavourful, the pan cake covering sweet, and tasty, but a little ‘tough’ to chew, possibly because the preparation was no longer very warm when served to us.
Overall, we ended up being disappointed with our recent lunch dining experience at Kalvin’s. Heh, the restaurant itself was perfectly fine (it’s a small, in the neighbourhood place, our kind of place!), the staff and service were great, but the food was lacking — some dishes just looked and tasted hurried, seeming to lack real care and attention to detail, in both their preparations and presentations. In some dishes, ingredients, and distinctive, flavourful tastes and aromas were not there — and in most, presentations were just not very appealing to the senses.
I had looked forward to more when I picked Kalvin’s for our lunch that day.

Good spicy fish soup — Craigs #5

Most authentic and delicious Taiwan restaurant in town. I am from Taiwan and it’s difficult to find very authentic Taiwanese restaurant in Greater Vancouver. Kalvin is the owner and chef, his cooking is «wow!!!»
Inexpensive restaurant also :)

Very small place with limited seating. Reservations are recommended. Despite making one, you can still expect a short waiting time for them to ‘rush’ and clean the table before you. However, upon waiting you are provided with the menu so to expedite the ordering process. Downside is if you came with a party of 4 or more, there isn’t much room to stand and some may have to wait out in the cold.
The price portion is pretty good. You don’t get a whole lot but you do get a good amount of everything you ordered. This way you can enjoy more dishes and get a portion size more than from a tasting menu.
Dishes we ordered:
–Squid in special sauce (cold dish −4÷5): The squid was cooked perfect. Not rubbery at all. It was served cold with a Thai style sauce made from fish sauce, cilantro and chili. I also tasted bits of ginger.
–Lamb with caraway seeds (³⁄₅): Slices of lamb with onions and green pepper. Lamb was thinly sliced and tender. The caraway seeds were a bit too much for me and I’d like to see more lamb than veggies.
–Pork Blood & Intestines hotpot (⁴⁄₅): This was served in a mini hotpot and had a reasonable amount of pork blood and intestines with some napa cabbage. It’s a bit spicy but you can ask them to tone down the level of spiciness if needed.
–Minced Pork with rice (3.5÷5): A typical Taiwanese dish. Tasted good but not the best I’ve had.
–Xiao Long Bao aka soup dumplings (³⁄₅): You get 10 pcs per basket for $ 9. They were just ok. Not too much soup and the skin leaned a bit more on the thicker side.
–Taiwanese beef roll (4.5÷5): The slices of beef was soft and tender. The pancake was a bit thick but the flavour was so good. I could do another plate of these.
–Taiwanese style clams (⁴⁄₅): The clams were good. But most of the meat fell of the shells. It’s ok. Some people like sucking on the shells anyways. They did add some type of leaf to it– basil? It gives the sauce a nice taste.
The service was mediocre and I can understand because it’s a small place and they don’t want to turn down any customers so they try every way to speed up the service time –from taking the order to bringing out the dishes and clearing up used/​empty plates. We did want to order a few more dishes but they told us that this would be enough. We indeed could have but didn’t feel like ordering more dishes at the end of our meal so we just got an extra two bowl of rice to polish off the remainders.
There’s a high chance of coming back to try the other dishes if I’m in the area. Would order less spicy dishes next time since most friends can’t handle spicy as well as I can.

Might not be really Szechuan and more Taiwanese, but this is a very tasty spot. The menu is very large, so it’s easy to order dishes that might not be very tasty. This is definitely a place where it’s better to come in a large group so you can order multiple things and share. As noted by other reviewers, the beef noodle soup here is pretty delicious and I would highly recommend them if you’re a fan of beef noodle soup.
I ordered the fermented red pork because I really wanted to see how well they prepped the pork belly and I was also amused that when I ordered it, the waitress confirmed with me that I knew it would be pork belly. Maybe people have ordered it and were appalled by the fat in the dish. I really enjoyed the fermented red pork, it had a perfect salty crusty flavouring to it. It is essentially a pork belly cutlet with great flavours. The XLB here are just average, the skin slightly too thick for my liking but I think I’ve been spoiled by the XLB at Long’s.
The beef rolls here are very well made and make great snacks if you’re just walking by and don’t want to sit down for a full meal. One thing that I’d like to come back to try is the fish head curry, and the hot pot stew they have. They do get really busy during dining hours, so reservations are recommended, since the restaurant is fairly small

First, this is a small restaurant, with about 7 to 8 tables. As they do take reservation, that would be wise if you want to dine during peak hours, especially on the weekend.
Being family run, the service is good. We got our tea pot filled several times over the course of a quick lunch. The owner and servers are Taiwanese, so brush up on your Mandarin, if you want to order verbally.
The reason for the two stars is that the food is just not so special. The Xiao Long Bao was most disappointing, with thick and somewhat doughy skin. We did enjoy the stir fried vermicelli, but one good dish out of four was just not good enough in the competitive foodie Vancouver market.

Great place for beef noodle.
I come here at least once a month.
Their beef noodles are so rich with flavor and the noodles are chewy. Never had better soup noodles anywhere else. I have to get it every time I go.
I recommend you go with some friends so you can get a few dishes.
Their beef wrapped in green onion pancake is a signature dish and most people order Xiao long bao and pot stickers.
They also have traditional dishes that are not for the fain of heart such as spicy pig ears with green onion and the spicy pig blood and intestine dish. Despite sounding a little gross they are flavored well and not too salty. You can choose level of spiciness with those two dishes
P.s sorry about the specific names we always order in Chinese and I don’t know what they label it in English.

Being a Taiwanese and having friends here who are Taiwanese we of course visited Kalvin’s just to see what the whole fuss was about, and he did not disappoint. The restaurant was small but the staff was helpful and you can see Kalvin interacting with his costumers while going back into the kitchen to cook every now and then. It’s really a homey, welcoming atmosphere.
The food, is mostly very good but it can be a bit starchy on the sauce end. The flavor though, is very spot on and authentic to those good places in Taiwan. For someone being far away from home (Taiwan) I can definitely see myself going there very regularly if I were to stay in Vancouver. The price is also great, but remember, get more people there so you can try lots of stuff on its menu!

PROS
+ Great tasty food
+ Affordable price
CONS
— Designed for a large group of people (5+)
— Tiny space between tables
RATING
Food 4.0÷5.0
Ambience 2.0÷5.0
Service 2.5÷5.0
Price $$

Awesome experience! Great food and good people. Will be back. (Make reservations!!!) the wait can be Long and there’s no where to wait

With the help of Unilocal,discoverd a new hole in the wall restaurant with delicious food!
Made a reservation as I was driving to the restaurant which is 20 minutes away from where I was and the 2 of us were seated right away. HIGHLY recommend making a reservation as minutes after we arrived there was a lot of people waiting.
The thai style beef brisket and Szechuan beef noodle soup was fantastic. Could have done without the five spice beef roll. There wasn’t much meat in it and it was pretty dry.
Great service, good food and fyi cash only.

Quite possibly the best Taiwanese restaurant in all of Van, bar none. Despite being named «Szechuan,» the focus here is mainly on Taiwanese dishes but they have a few szechuan dishes too.
Being Taiwanese myself, I have really higher standards for Taiwanese food. All the Taiwanese restos I’ve been to in Van for the most part, have been unimpressive. Kalvin’s is the first Taiwanese restaurant that I’ve really taken a liking too. All of the dishes we ordered were yummy and well executed! Overall, well priced, large portioned, and delicious!

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from a place that showed up as a Taiwanese restaurant in Unilocal but has «Szechuan» in its name. But my fears were laid to rest when I saw the menu. The restaurant should more accurately be simply described as a restarant that serves a variety of Chinese cuisines as I saw Taiwanese, Shanghainese, Szechuan, Cantonese, and others on the menu.
Overall a solid three stars for the food with some like the chicken nuggets a five. Where I was totally surprised was the excellent service I received. In all my years going to a Chinese restaurant I have NEVER been asked by the waiting staff, «How was your meal?» Except for this place! I almost didn’t know how to answer her being caught off guard. When we got up to leave, another waitress said to us, «Have a nice day!» Wow. Extra stars for that service :-)

Been here a few times. Small restaurant with few tables. Food is only ok –nothing fabulous. Cash only which sucks. I like buying the frozen potstickers and pan frying them myself. The ones they serve in the restaurant don’t have a good crisp. Plus I get like 40 potstickers for $ 11. Very good price for a huge bag.

It was a very good lunch experience. The food here is more expensive than other restaurants in the same area. The beef was tender. The broth was flavorful. If you are looking for a quick lunch this is the place to visit.

The Chinese food here is a fusion of Taiwanese, Shanghainese, Szechuan and other styles. Somehow, that makes it so much better. Normally, I cannot say much for Chinese food, only that I do not love it. But this place I can do.
My hubby’s colleague brought us here per his wife’s request. They did all the ordering while my hubby and I waited to be surprised. The first delight was the «Drunken Chicken». It’s chicken, steamed and soaked in wine (don’t ask which was done first). Next, we had a delicious plate of red duck. We were told that the duck is spiced with some sort of tea. It was a little salty, but tasty nonetheless.
Next, we had 2 varieties of onion pancake: pork and beef. It’s beef/​pork rolled in a crispy pancake, which resembled our Malaysian roti canai. I’m almost certain that the sauce is the same sauce used in Peking Duck. My hubby polished quite a few pieces of these yummies!
But, what really got me going was their house specialty stir fried noodles. Home-​made thick chewy noodles sauteed in black sauce with some meat, mushrooms and cabbage. Perfection.
We also had a bowl of very peppery soup to start. I can’t tell you what it’s called, but it’s peppery and it’s good. There was a red, saucy dish with chicken blood pieces and intestines that I skipped over completely. The rest of them who braved it — hubby included — say it’s good, but I won’t say anything about it.
Just a tip about this place: always make a reservation! Why? Because they have 7 tables. It’s a tiny, tiny little space with lots and lots of people. Throughout our meal, I did not once see the door free of a line-​up. The regulars know what they want, so they wait.
The owner, Kalvin, is also good about getting his hands dirty by helping around the restaurant. That night, he strapped on an apron to serve and supervise. Every now and then, he stops by a table to chat and also makes sure the people in line are happy.
I reckon I’ll be back. It’s too bad we can’t just walk here. But I will make an effort and try to come back in the near future.

Soild home style chinese food. I recommend clam w basil, hot and sour soup, tong choy w fermented bean curd sauce. Small place so it gets packed, I recommend going after 830 pm for dinner.

Dropped in as a first-​timer with my lovely Asian pal and her sweet husband. They ordered.
Eggplant with minced pork in garlic and chill sauce. Luscious eggplant smothered in tasty bits; so good I was licking my chopsticks.
But the winner is: smoked duck! Half a duck for $ 17.00. Exquisite taste, just amazing. Like smoky tea, tender and wonderful. We came here because my friend was craving duck — we stayed for the sliced fish in sweet and sour sauce. Slices of white fish smothered in a very good-​tasting sauce; a taste surprise. Steamed black fish was so butter tender that we just scooped it up quickly and devoured it.
String bean with minced pork was a touch overcooked; too bad, as the beans were very fresh.
Chinese pancake with green onion was not to my liking, but dipped into the sauce from the steamed fish, it improved.
Serving staff is wonderful. Joanne took our order as we waited for our table. A great family-​operated restaurant, suitable for all ages.
Kalvin’s is small, reservations recommended, cash only. Street parking.

I have no idea why this restaurant’s name has the word «Szechuan» in it… Because it is 100% Taiwanese. And damn legit Taiwanese food, too!!!
First of all, the owner is super nice. Reminds me of the genuineness of restaurant owners in Taiwan. She’s also the owner of Cabin 5555 apparently.
The food is really authentic, reasonably priced, and in large portions. I ordered minced pork rice (), spicy intestine stew (), scallion cake wrapped beef (), chives dumpling (), spicy pork ears (), Taiwanese rice noodles (), and clams! And guava juice.
Let’s just say… This could easily feed a family of 5. We ordered this amongst 2 people. The bill came out to be only $ 50. I must say, I have absolutely no complaints about this restaurant (I’m pretty picky)… I would recommend making reservations because it’s going to be full for sure.