Tim E.
Yelp
My first-ever experience with Armenian and Georgian food was at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant north of Toronto a few years ago, while visiting the big city. A few friends and I rolled the dice on that place, feeling fatigued with the usual options, and were pleasantly surprised by what we found there. It wouldn't have been something on the bucket list, as they say, but it did open my eyes to another world of flavours and dishes. Fast forward to 2024; I discover that we have an Armenian restaurant right in our own backyard, and not only that, almost everyone is raving about it. After waiting out their holiday closure, my partner and I ventured down to Richmond on a cold, sunny day to check the place out, and we were not disappointed. Tucked away in an unassuming industrial park near the Richmond IKEA, we came across a busy scene on our arrival, a group of people eating take-out wraps while leaning on their car, and a packed indoor seating area as the restaurant worked through their lunch rush. The process is novel; you place your order and pay downstairs at the counter and you're given a number, and then, after several minutes, the staff place your food on a tray or two, and send it up on a dumbwaiter. We had four items off the menu. A khinkali - sort of like an oversized soup dumpling with black pepper - which was delicious and brothy, nicely seasoned and piping hot. The "pide", which is also known as a khachapuri, was stuffed full of briny cheese and an egg, and the house hot sauce went really nicely with that and cut through the saltiness and richness. I had the shurpa, or lamb soup, which was hearty and well-seasoned, with lots of chickpeas, potatoes, and cilantro. My partner had the grilled chicken thighs and peppers, which were wrapped in lavash. Everything was very tasty and you get a solid understanding the uniqueness of the cuisine, and those hints of influences from neighbouring parts of Europe and Asia. There were really only two things that needed improving. The washroom needed a cleaning, and the ventilation upstairs is poor: as all the seating is above the kitchen, when they are cooking meat, the smoke off the grill goes vertical. The staff ended up running upstairs to open windows, which made the food cool down before we finished eating it. Prices are a bit on the high side given the location and the ambiance, but quality is good and service is warm and friendly, so, in that context, what you pay is not really offside with typical Vancouver cafe prices. If you happen to be by the area one day and hungry, give this place a try. I plan to come back a second time to sample some of the other menu items.
