Reviews for East Is East in Vancouver, BC
0/10, go literally anywhere else. Should change name to Silk and Sweet. Though the decor, music, chai tea, and ambience was... second-to-none, after going through the entire menu I have to regrettably come to the conclusion that the food was verydisappointing. All the Mediterranean/South Asian dishes were overly sweet (which is not usual) and contained no spice at all.Zero. The curries I've had time and time again tasted so strange with this crucial component missing. Even the dessert, gulabjamun, was overly doused in rose water and you could smell it before you even took a bite. It's as if all the food has beenwhitewashed for lack of a better word and sweetened to make up for bad cuisine. I know there are people out there who "don't eatspicy." If you are one of those people then this place is heaven for you and you'll love it. However, for myself and my partner,as diners of culture, this place's is food was disappointing and disrespectful to put frankly. I have never had to negativelyreview a restaurant until today, it is a shame that it had to be this place which we thought had so much potential. If anyonewith the power to change is reading this, please save this awesome location and help them achieve the flavours the world wasblessed with through the Silk road and the spices that were traded to the western world. Help this restaurant live up to itsname. If/when that day happens, we will be happy to give it a second chance. Read more
Try the mango chicken with basmati rice but first have a chai tea. Very aromatic and cool place. Entertainment every night! ... Harps, cello etc Read more
The decor is great, we loved all the wood. The food was fine but very lacking compared to other places. All the dinners we... ordered were in a roti (like a big burrito). There was also no options on how spicy of a dish you wanted, so very disappointedthere. I still gave them 3 stars as it may just be my expectations as there was nothing bad in the experience. Read more
Service and ambience: 5 stars - Great service and ambience. One of the better places when it comes to overall ambience for an... Indian restaurant. You are greeted with a chai sample when you come in and the servers are fast, efficient andcourteous. Food: 1 star - This is not Eastern cuisine by any standard. If you are visiting this restaurant for Indian/Afghanfood - you shouldn't form an opinion of this being that cuisine in true sense. You will be sadly disappointed. Now, did the foodI tried tasted bad? No. The reason for my rating is purely because of my expectations of Eastern cuisine and what I was servedwere very far apart. Another observation - the food here is not fresh. We ordered chai and some rice bowls and we had it on ourtable in under 5 minutes. Probably this is their business model and to each its own - but if you are reading this review to geta glimpse of what to expect for Indian/Afgani cuisine - don't expect much. You will get an introduction to the flavors but theuse of those flavors was either overpowering and/or used incorrectly. I see a lot of great reviews about this place and that'sprobably by those who haven't either been to those countries or haven't yet had the experience of trying this cuisine. Read more
The best option here is to order the Chai Feast tasting menu. Great value for how much you get and it's a fantastic way to try... everything on the menu in a proper set, with your choice of soup, salad and 2 mains. Mystic soup, Persian salad, Chicken masala,chana masala, wild salmon, mango chicken, Afghan eggplant, alu gobi, creamy mushroom and eggplant were all super delicious. Iwasn't so thrilled about the lamb curry but maybe lamb lovers will like it... would like to come back here for live music Read more
I really love this restaurant. This is by far one of the best restaurant in town. The service is always perfect. The... renovation is also stunning. The rock salt accent wall and the rustic furniture combining with the lighting give this place avery unique warm atmosphere. The food is unspeakably good. There is never a dish that disappoints me. If you are a tea person,you must try the Chai tea here. You will not regret visiting this restaurant. Read more
I know it's in their name, but wow, their chais are spicy! the good kind of spicy though. overall great service! you might need... to go up to the counter when you first go in, or otherwise you might not get their attention, especially when they're busy. buteveryone I interacted with was really accommodating of everything! the food is awesome. I cannot recommend the boulani breadenough. the more expensive sampler package gives you unlimited orders of lots of small plates, but you'll be too full to moveefficiently after just one reorder... so plan ahead. Read more
Really nice experience, one of my go-to restaurants when I am in Vancouver. You hardly find live music with good dining... experience anymore. This is a 10/10 for me. The Chai Feast makes it possible to try different dishes. We like that it comes insmall portions but you can reorder as much as you would like for the fixed price which is very reasonable. The menu is largewith veg options so you have plenty to try. I will say must try. Also very romantic atmosphere Read more