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Café D'Lite
Categories: Restaurants Singaporean Restaurants Malaysian Singaporean, Malaysian [Edit]
3144 W BroadwayVancouver, BC V6K 2H3
Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
(604) 733-8882
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 8 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
23 reviews for Café D'Lite
Review Highlights
-
"Best place hands down for homemade hainanese chicken." In 11 reviews -
"...a red chili garlic sauce topped with a green ginger sauce." In 3 reviews -
"The beef brisket is awesome." In 3 reviews
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23 reviews in English
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Review from Lise P.
Vancouver, BC
I'm always on the hunt for good Malaysian/Singaporean food. Pretty good Nasi Lemak. I really miss this dish from my childhood. Been here a few times and I've always been happy with the food. Roti Canai, Curry Laksa (had the fish ball version), Hainese Chicken - none have disappointed thus far :)
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Review from Johnson C.
Vancouver, BC
Am I the only one that thinks of slide-whistles and hum 'Groove Is In The Heart' when I see "D'Lite"?
Anyways - the boneless Hainanese chicken rice is the main attraction here. The chicken is good. But felt pretty let down by the rice - it was dry and didn't have enough chicken oil flavour for my liking. Maybe it was a mistake coming here right when they opened first thing is the morning? -
Review from Kwoky L.
Apparently Hainanese chicken is the thing to order at Cafe D'Lite but I saw the picture on the menu and I could not bring myself to order it. Authentic Hainan chicken rice is NEVER boneless and their's looks "butchered" and flat. It was unfortunate that I was not able to taste it. =(
So I ordered the Malay Spicy Pan Mee instead because pan mee is one of my favourite Malaysian dish! The wide noodles were served with minced meat, chlli dust, fried anchovies, green onions and a poached egg in the middle. I found the noodles lacked flavour and the chilli dust was barely spicy. And if you had pan mee in Malaysia or Singapore, the best part is the special chilli sauce. I was disappointed I was not served any.
Service was pretty much non existent. The cook came out to take my order but never came to check on me or fill my tea even though I was the only person in there. I love to support hole in the wall places, especially ones with good food. But it was not as d'liteful as I hope it would be. -
Review from Wendy Y.
1/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
This tiny cafe ran by an Asian family is famous for its Hai Nan chicken on rice and chicken curry Laksa. When we arrived, the place was packed with only a table for two left. I was hesitant to take the table as we were supposed to be home for dinner. But my weak will power soon gave in. To heck with New Year resolution, since I am here, let's eat!
Considering we needed to make room for dinner later we went ahead and ordered the compromise - chicken curry Laksa. We called it a compromise because my partner wanted to try the chicken on rice and I wanted to try the Laksa. By ordering the chicken curry Laksa, we were getting a taste of the chicken and Laksa.
We saw many polished plates of Hai Nan chicken on rice. Bowls of Laksa were ordered too, but not as many as the former.
We didn't wait long for our order to arrive. The bowl of steamy goodness looked mouth-watering. The baby yellow broth immersed two types of noodles: thin rice noodle (thinner than vermicelli) and yellow noodle, bean sprouts, chicken bits, fish balls, tofu puffs etc. The chicken was very good. It was tender and fresh. The rest was just alright. I find the soup base not "flavorful" enough. It was very mild in taste, something you'd eat for breakfast. With the dual noodle combo we got a lot of different texture. Would I order this again? Probably...*thinking...still thinking....* yes, but not any time soon.
I'd come back here again to try their Hai Nan chicken on rice and amongst other dishes. We were surprised to find their menu items quite extensive.Listed in: Malaysian/Singaporean/Vie…
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Review from Herman E.
11/29/2011
Hainanese chicken is what to have here. They do it pretty good. I've also tried the curry, but compared to Mui Garden, this place is no match for the beef brisket curry at Mui.
I've noticed that the prices have gone up and the portions have gotten smaller over the years.
The place is small and is a hole in the wall. In the winter months you can see the windows all steamed up, and you cannot see the inside. Also, the place freezes over if someone opens the door to come in or leaves. -
Review from Jacqueline T.
My coworkers like this place, a little bit too much for my liking :P
Good hainanese chicken, and hainam rice. Not too big of a fan of their curry, or their laksa. But I think I might just not be too big of a fan of Malaysian food. When I go, I usually stick with the hainamese rice and chicken :)
Will keep this review short because maybe I don't have that Malaysian acquired crave. I would prefer Indonesian bakmi goreng or nasi tim any day.
Place is decribed as hole in the wall, service is friendly, and price is.. mediocre. -
Review from Rhett S.
1/26/2011
I've had Hainan Chicken twice in my life, so by no means am I an expert. That being said the Hainan Chicken at D'Lite was very good.
For those not aware of what Hainan Chicken is, it's sliced and de-boned chicken served cold in a warm ginger soy sauce. The skin which I don't eat seperated very easily from the meat. The meat itself was extremely tender, moist, and full of flavor.
I think what I liked the most, however, was the chicken dipping sauce. It's a red chili garlic sauce topped with a green ginger sauce. It's so good that D'Lite sells it by the bottle. I regret not buying some to take home.
I also had some soup and veggi dishes. They were good but nothing like the chicken.
If you are looking for de-boned, moist, juicy, flavorful chicken with a kick-ass dipping sauce come to Cafe D'Lite. It's a small place and fills up quickly. Come early!Listed in: Vancoooouver!
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Review from food-voice l.
Vancouver, BC
1/20/2011
Average and Expense
Café D'Lite - west Broadway 1/20/2011
The myth that Café D'Lite serves the best Hainanese Chicken Rice is nothing more than a myth. In my opinion their Hainanese Chicken Rice is far behind of the HCR served by Café Gloucester; Mui Garden Restaurant and Penang Delight Café. In fact the HCR served by Café D'Lite lack texture and taste, most of them are chicken skin. Due to the way they cut the chicken, it reduces the taste and favor of the chicken. It's the presentation of the dish makes it look difference. $8.95 for 16 small cut pieces of chicken is expensive.
The SEAFOOD NOODLE IN SOUP only has 2 shrimps and a lot of imitation crab meat. For $8.99 is very expensive. Cattle Café on Kingsway has a much better value and taste than this place. For $7.25 you can have 2 items of your choice, like shrimp and slice of fish (real fresh sliced fish, not imitation stuff) for $1. more you can have an extra item like real slice beef brisket. They have 5 specialty soup base for you to choice; The Malay laksa soup which is far better the one served by Café D'lite.
Café D'Lite serves the spicy Malay type curry compare to the mild coconut milk type by Mui Garden Restaurant. I prefer the spicy type, it has more taste but they only give you 5 small pieces of beef brisket and 3 small pieces of potato and a lot of rice. Their curry is far better than the one served by Angel Café on Fraser, but such a small portion for $10.85 is too expensive.It's like eating a gold nuggets.
I was told this place is very busy and line up, we were there yesterday (1-18-2011 Tuesday @ 5pm) we were the only table in the restaurant. My memory tells me I eaten at this place 2 years ago, I wasn't too impressed, that's why haven't been back since. The place looks cleaner and they have a new menu with picture in it. Is this place change hand? Or they up grade the look of the place? It looks like a family operating restaurant. The place is small and has a lot of tables and chairs, it's very uncomfortable. They don't refill your tea (green tea usually free in all the Chinese restaurants) unless you asked for it. Service is non-exist -
Review from Karen W.
11/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
My sister has been talking about this place for years because their Hainanese chicken is boneless. Drove around Kits to look for it and finally found it. It's good but compared to how some places like Mui Yuen on Main make it...I really can't say. It's not traditional Hainanese chicken where the rice is greased with oil and it's really yummy. The rice that comes with the meal is very reflective of the neighbourhood: healthy. They put sweet tasting soy sauce on the chicken and there's some red and green spicy/sour/chili condiment in a dish. It's very new age and I don't know about people but I crave nostalgic and it's not in Kits.
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Review from Thu N.
8/4/2010
So glad to find an authentic hainan chicken place near me!! I finally got take out from here since the restaurant was packed! The chicken, the hot/garlic sauce and rice were all delicious!!! If you're craving Hainanese Chicken Rice, definitely come here!!
I'm going to come back here to try other Singaporean/Malaysian food like Laksa!! The inside is way more clean that Hawkers Delight but I think the prices are a little bit more as well. -
Review from Phil S.
Vancouver, BC
6/8/2009
This was my lunch grub today. I had full intention to take a nice super clear digital pic of my lunch but I wolfed it down without coming up for air and totally forgot about snapping a pic *sigh*. Their boneless chicken rice is THAT good! You have to like poached chicken tender pieces of chicken to like their signature dish. Its poached to such tenderness you barely have to chew it. This is Singapore's known national dish I believe. The room is small and decor minimal. I have tried their curry and laksa dishes as well but those are nothing to write home about.
Service is fast and friendly and if you are hooked on their home made chili sauce, you can buy a jar home and seriously it goes with anything and everything. The only one downer is its cashola only but that doesn't take away from their most deserving 5 star rating! -
Review from Dee C.
Vancouver, BC
2/23/2011
We always come here for a quick lunch of Hainanese chicken.
Why do we keep coming back?
Their de-boned chicken is served very fresh and moist everytime. The chicken is not under cooked or over cooked, It was just perfect, with two sauces on the side for the chicken dipping. The rice was quite flavourful and freshly steamed. This meal also comes with a melon soup.
They also have a Cafe D'LIte Express at Aberdeen Centre Mall if you find the W. Broadway location to be too far. -
Review from Alan C.
Burnaby, BC
9/9/2009
I brought a few friends for dinner at this place recently. After reading a few reviews, I thought I give it a try despite living on the other side of the town.
We arrived there just before closing 8pm. Their friendly staff still welcomed us in despite the mere minutes of closing. That was a very good sign to start.
Their signature dish - hainese chicken with rice was amazing.
Their tender de-boned chicken was finely cooked with a golden shimmer to it. Served with freshly made rice steamed with chicken stock is something not all restaurants will offer. It also came with a uniquely fine blended ginger/onion sauce served on the side.
This is something worthy trying for those who love asian dishes.
We ordered both the large order and small order, and the quantity wasn't different by much, instead they just gave more rice. This is something they could work on for improvements.
We had also ordered their curry beef stew. The beef was probably the best tender young beef I had ever tasted dining out. At one point, I wondered if they had their had their own cattle farm to have it this tender. The curry sauce was delicious. Although the taste was excellent, the quantity was very disappointing. Again, something they could improve on.
Will return back to this place in the future for their hainese.
Happy eating =) -
Review from Sonya J.
Richmond, BC
1/4/2010
Great hainan chicken and authentic and good amount of yummy malaysian style drinks.
I think they make the best "oily" rice in the vancouver area. Bonus that their hainan chicken is boneless! -
Review from Stephen Y.
Richmond, BC
6/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Was in the UBC area and decided to take a scenic drive down to Spanish Banks and back up to West Broadway. Famished, I dropped into this local favorite for some Hainanese chicken rice. A health portion came to my table and I quickly devoured the famous dish, with it succulent poultry and homemade ginger sauce. I remember going to the old location when the wife and I were younger. Ahhh...good times.
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Review from Sarah M.
Vancouver, BC
3/2/2011
I L O V E this place, must be family run as the service is very friendly.
MY ONLY COMPLAINT IS:
THEY CLOSE TOO BLOODY EARLY!
TOO EARLY!
I went yesterday for the third time and it was close as early as 8pm.
sucks!
Dear owner,
please open untill 9.30 at least.
thanks :) -
Review from Renee C.
2/2/2009
I love it cause it's a whole in the wall neighborhood gem! And it's a family owned joint!
Hainan chicken rice plate is FLAWLESS with the perfect pieces of boneless tender chicken, perfect amount of really good chicken fat smothered rice, and fresh slices of cucumber.
The dipping sauce is amazing...a ying yang sauce with red hot chili sauce and bright green scallion and ginger!
The staff members are friendly and it's never a long wait.
The laksa is ok, not the best I've had though. -
Review from Gladys M.
9/3/2008 3 photos
This is a hidden gem in Vancouver as you won't see their ads anywhere.
Their specialty is Hainan Chicken and rice which is by far the best I ever had. The chicken is soft and tender and juicy, and it's boneless. It's so tasty ... just absolutely delicious!!!!! The "soy sauce" and the special sauces on the side for the chicken are also great! You can actually purchase them along with the dishes if you like. Order the Gailan (veggie) and have it along with your chicken. You won't be disappointed! Their curry beef stew is also very good!
I will sure miss this place when I return to the US. :-( -
Review from Wendy C.
West Vancouver, BC
3/28/2011
Best place hands down for homemade hainanese chicken. The beef brisket is awesome. Love the fact that it's a family run business. Best thing about the hainanese chicken for me, is that it's boneless, juicy, and flavorful.
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Review from Song K.
Burnaby, BC
6/3/2011
Great place to have a quick lunch..^^
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Review from JJ L.
Vancouver, BC
10/29/2011
Hands down the best hainanese chicken around. I personally don't even really like hainanese chicken because I find it cold and usually there's more bone than meat, but this place - there are no bones, it's warm, the sauce is yummy, the rice is flavoured - I ate my whole plate! It looks pretty also. I heard there are long line ups, so luckily it was dead when we went. It is family owned, so not the most efficient, but good enough. The second time we went (hubby absolutely loves this), we ordered take out instead. I find it very strange that they charge $1 for take out on top of your order when you would think they would prefer this since it can get busy. That was my only beef. The other noodle dish I ordered was not very good, so I think we will only be ordering the hainanese chicken every time we are in the area.
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Review from Elaine D.
10/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
I wanted to like this place, but the goal of service is to ignore you and to provide pained expressions when you ask for something. When we asked what chicken order might best suit a family of five, the response was so convoluted we had no idea what to order or expect. This place is "famous" for their Hainanese chicken rice so you would think they would list it in a way that makes sense on the menu, or the staff would know how to make suggestions. Not so; too much bother it seems. The food is okay but in no way memorable, but the terrible service is. They obviously don't need our business, so I'll be sure to choose the hundreds of other restaurants nearby next time.
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Review from Christine F.
Vancouver, BC
2/8/2011
They serve traditional and very authentic Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine. We each ordered a regular Hainanese Chicken Rice that came with a small bowl of their soup of the day. The boneless chicken (cold) was juicy and perfectly marinated, covered in their sweet soy sauce. The chicken oil rice was average, but what made this dish so popular was the ginger sauce. The sauce is a perfect blend of garlic and ginger and spring onion. Simple goodness - I could eat a whole jar by myself! The restaurant sells their special ginger sauce and chili sauce by the jar, if you would like to talk some of that goodness home. I've also had their Hainanese Chicken Laksa with Fishball and Bah Kut Teh (Pork Ribs Herbal soup) before and loved it. The restaurant is really small so avoid coming during lunch times as it can fill up fast, although turnover is fairly quick. Definitely a must-go if you live near Kitsilano, UBC area!
