Author: Stefanie_Wojt

I admit I’m a sucker for names. If a restaurant’s name grabs me for whatever reason – be it catchy, silly or whatever – you can bet it’ll inevitably hit my “must visit” radar. That was the case with Peaceful Restaurant. I’d first spied it...a little over a year ago on Kingsway and thought, “Peaceful Restaurant? What an awesome name!” After that, Peaceful didn’t return to my thoughts until some six months later when I spied it again on West Broadway. This time I noticed that their exterior sandwich board featured a picture of Guy Fieri at the establishment. While I’m not the biggest Fieri fan (see my review of his Vegas restaurant on this site), I will nevertheless concede that his visits will bring a restaurant a lot of notoriety and “put them on the map,” as the saying goes. Thus, my interest in attending Peaceful Restaurant piqued even further. It took a bit more time, but I FINALLY made it to Peaceful Restaurant early in the New Year. I attended their Seymour Street location, which is new-ish – having opened its doors only a few years ago. It’s a convenient location being right in the heart of downtown and steps away from both Pacific Centre and the Granville Street SkyTrain station. Indeed, having just concluded a business meeting, attending Peaceful on Seymour just made sense. I arrived at dinner time – just before 5PM – and Guy Fieri was there to greet me at the door, albeit in sandwich board form. The interiors of this location are fairly vibrant and bright, hinting at its relative newness. The walls and windows are high; the lighting moderately bright. The ceiling features that exposed pipe look so common in most contemporary eateries. Importantly, though, the premises were very clean. Admittedly, I was somewhat surprised by how quiet the restaurant was, especially given the hour of the day. It was, pardon the pun, peaceful. Besides myself, there were only two other patrons occupying the ample, open seating area. Oh well! That usually means faster service – and that held true in this case. Service throughout my time at Peaceful was cordial and very business-like. I think a little bit more in the way of “friendliness” would go a long way here. In any event, Peaceful Restaurant specializes in Northern Chinese Cuisine. The owner of the restaurant has referred to what’s produced here as Chinese “comfort food,” which is music to my ears. With the closure of Hon’s on Robson in April of last year, I’ve been on the lookout for good Chinese comfort food. Would I find it at Peaceful? One would assume, given the significant press this place has received over the years, that the food is really good. I mean, it would have to be, right? After all, Vancouver is recognized as being home to the best Chinese cuisine outside of China. Indeed, the numerous accolades Peaceful has received would certainly seem to confirm this. They’ve been featured in Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2013); they’ve repeatedly made the Georgia Straight’s “Golden Plate Awards,” including “Best Chinese restaurant” in 2018 (and 2nd place in 2019); they’ve also been noted by Fodors, the Vancouver Sun (“best restaurants”), USA Today, Asia Pacific Post and Vancouver Magazine for their hand-crafted noodles and Peaceful Beef Rolls; finally, notable food bloggers have also put in a kind word, including Nosh & Nibble, Foodology and Vancouver Foodster. That’s what you call a lot of praise. When so many say so much, it can kind of be a double-edged sword: 1) It increases your presence and profile; but, 2) It may set unrealistically high expectations (and that’s what I’ve seen in some TripAdvisor and Google reviews). For me, I always like to temper such idealism with realism. After perusing the menu, I settled on a few items: The Peaceful House Rice, Spicy Chilli Garlic Prawns, Xiao-Long Bao Steamed Buns (XLB) and Peaceful Beef Rolls. As it turns out, I ended up ordering a LOT of food but, without getting too wordy, I will say it was all really good – excellent even. Really, after dining here, I was happy and excited. I’d finally found some well above average Chinese “comfort food.” The icing on the cake? The price for everything was extremely reasonable. Peaceful House Rice: I’m usually not the biggest cheerleader for fried rice dishes of any kind because, in my experience, they’ve always been kind of “ho-hum.” Certainly, there are some better than others, but very rarely am I left thinking, “Wow! I’ve definitely got to get this again!” When it came to the Peaceful House Rice, though, I was thoroughly impressed. Plating was straightforward, but the simple ingredients – diced pork, shrimp, mixed veggies and cilantro – came together and elevated the dish in a big way. Spicy Chili Garlic Prawns: This was another homerun. Featuring stir-fried prawns with diced peppers and chilli-garlic sauce, the dish was vibrant in colour and just packed with flavour. The prawns were ample and tender; the vegetables added a nice splash of colour + texture contrasts; and the sauce carried just enough kick to give a little spice, but still allowed the flavours of the prawns to speak for themselves. I’d come back for this dish alone. Xiao-Long Bao Steamed Buns (XLB): Anyone who enjoys Chinese cuisine knows that dumplings are a proverbial hallmark dish. Peaceful Restaurant’s XLB did not disappoint in this regard. Coming in eight pieces, they looked attractive and plump. The exterior was lightly chewy, which is what you want with this kind of “steamed bun” (also known as “soup buns”) because you want them to maintain their shape between picking them up and eating them. The small bit of soup and meat inside the XLB were flavourful and left me wanting more. Indeed, I’ve had these “soup buns” elsewhere, but they don’t even begin to compare with the version offered at Peaceful. Peaceful Beef Rolls: What would a visit to Peaceful Restaurant be without trying their namesake? Highlighted by many a pundit as a “must have,” these rolls were indeed pleasant and, much like everything else I’ve tried here, did not disappoint. The beef rolls are basically made from tender green onion pancakes that are rolled up with thin slices of beef and hoisin sauce. To be frank, these items were things of beauty. I enjoyed the flaky exterior. The beef was so flavourful – so tender – and worked well with the hoisin, which did well in holding everything together. A perfect balance. FOOD: 5/5 SERVICE: 4/5 VALUE: 5/5 RECOMMENDATION: It’s kind of funny that I only just “discovered” Peaceful Restaurant recently, despite the fact that it’s been around since 1997. After dining here, I’m sad I didn’t come sooner. Everything from start to finish was excellent, nicely presented and a proverbial burst of flavours. If you want authentic Chinese cuisine that transcends a celebrity’s mention, come here. You won’t regret it. Highest recommendation! PS: If you found this review helpful in any way please consider hitting the "helpful" button!More