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The Flying Tiger
Categories: Restaurants Tapas Bars Restaurants Asian Fusion Tapas Bars, Asian Fusion [Edit]
2958 4th Ave WVancouver, BC V6K 1R4
Neighbourhood: Kitsilano
(604) 737-7529
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 5:30 pm - 11 pm
Thu-Sat 5:30 pm - 12 am
Sun 5:30 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
46 reviews for The Flying Tiger
Review Highlights
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"Next, the Pulled Duck confit crepes." In 4 reviews -
"Yum yum, the papaya salad is yum yum." In 10 reviews -
"stuff your own poori fry bread." In 6 reviews
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46 reviews in English
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Review from Maria W.
Vancouver, BC
3/1/2012
I like Tigers! Especially the ones that can fly :)
This place is great for groups - their food are good for sharing and I'm the kind that delights in variety so the more dishes we can order and share, the better!
I don't eat here often but every time I visit, they are consistent on their portion and so I keep coming back when I am in the area.
Another note about this place is it's ok to stay past 9pm as they close around 10pm so it's good for hanging out for those "a tad later" dinners.
Try this place out if you are in the mood or in the hood! -
Review from Ellen L.
1/29/2012
Papaya Salad ($9) was refreshing and lots of peanuts! A tad too much dressing though.
Pulled Duck Confit Crepes ($19) was DIY food. The folded crepe skins looked nice presentation-wise but so impractical. They started sticking together and couldn't be peeled apart - so eat quickly! To be honest, I couldn't taste the beautiful duck flavour. Isn't confit supposed to be the duck cooking in its own delicious delicious fat?! Well, that didn't come through. It was masked by something that tasted like BBQ sauce. This sounds fusion on paper, but I didn't feel it was combining the best of both worlds.
Grilled Korean Kalbi Ribs ($16) was really good. Marinated with lots of flavour and grilled tender. The kimchee side was too salty.
The food is decent, but nothing really blew me away. The kalbi ribs were close though, but didn't think it was miles above what's served at a Korean restaurant. -
Review from Sam L.
1/19/2012
Good but we weren't wowed. Our server was really friendly and helpful and made a few suggestions, which started out pretty strong with the scallop/shrimp/shiitake dumplings, but fell a bit short with the mains which she said were their biggest sellers.
The duck confit crepes were ok, but were waaaaaay oversauced. It was a fun dish where you get to make your own little wraps with house made crepes, but you couldn't taste anything but the overpowering sauce on the duck. The other big seller was their Korean kalbi short ribs, which are basically like Maui ribs and you actually get quite a bit for your money. The ribs were good, but all they did was plop some kimchi on the side which they probably bought at T&T, and all of a sudden it's Korean. Still not bad, but I can make them just as good at home (sound of horn tooting).
I also found the menu to be a bit misleading, listing appetizers and entrees when they're basically all share plates, just different sizes. To me, 'entree' means a meal with several components. Listing them as small plates and large plates would be a bit more accurate in my opinion. -
Review from Nancy J.
Greater Vancouver Regional District, BC
3/6/2012
We discovered this restaurant about a month ago by accident, when I was shopping for a swimsuit. When we left the store, the wonderful aromas coming from this obscure looking restaurant attracted us up to their entrance to read their menu. We were there on the weekend and had their dim sum, a small selection of little delicacies, that were absolutely delicious. The kitchen is open and it is fun to watch the Chef preparing each dish, and all the pots steaming and bubbling away. We've been back twice for dim sum and I am really looking forward to trying their dinner menu.
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Review from Dawn W.
Vancouver, BC
3/5/2012
Delicious! As a vegetarian, my perspective on restaurants may be a bit different as I only sample the meatless food. But the indian platter has made me soo happy each time I have dinner here. My companions eat meat and have enjoyed themselves too. It's not in the most convenient location, but definitely worth the trip. Try the poori, they make them small here (I have had them much larger in other restaurants in San Francisco) but just mouth watering.
the place feels cozy to me so although you can fit groups, i don't know how large you could go comfortably. 4 or 5 is fine. the summer allows them to open the front wall and seat you on a patio which is a bit spacious feeling.Listed in: Kitsilano, Restaurants, Vegetarian Friendly
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Review from Robin M.
10/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
**Fair warning: I'm fairly certain that I'm about to offend at least a few people. No apologies**
If not for Yelp Eats I don't know that I'd even try Flying Tiger. It's in Kits (sorry Kits folks, I just don't travel here), it looks fairly generic from the outside, the servers look like UBC students (nothing against UBC students in particular. I'm just making sweeping generalizations about Kitsilano UBC student-servers), and the name sounds suspiciously like it was created by a person who had briefly traveled in Thailand but has no actual connection Asia in any way, save for living in Vancouver.
But Yelp Eats duty called, and the like the good Community Manager I am, I listened. Turns out so did my stomach -- it was delicious. Postulate all you want, mind, said my tastebuds, you have just been proven wrong. Authentic flavours, the right amount of heat, a tasty Kitsilano surprise.
One more warning: I don't know where this Asian street food rumour came from, because it's not true. This is no street food. Good, but not street.Listed in: 30-Day Yelp Challenge, Kickin' It In Kits, Food Fusion
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Review from Peter S.
Updated - 9/23/2011 3 Check-ins Here
I am now an official repeat Flying Tiger offender.
Holy flying kitties this place serves up some serious grub.
We went for Yelp Eats the other night, and damn it was good once again.
They've earned a place on my "guarantees" list.
We diverted from the usual ordering somewhat.
Had to go with the Szechuan beans and Panang curry as they are done so well here.
And ordered the warm tofu salad, which I would say is completely unappealing for me ( the title just seems so ugh).
It was so good, I literally shot the quarter cup of remaining peanut sauce at the bottom of the dish. Maybe the cooks saw it? Maybe not. I refrained from licking the plates though. Gotta keep a bit of dignity when in public.
I went for the Dead Frog Pepper Lime beer, and was pleasantly surprised. I have had heinous experiences with said Dead Frog in the past. But it redeemed itself this night. A perfect combo with the asiany flavours.Listed in: Spicy Vancouver, Five star Vancouver bites and…, Guarantees
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/15/2009
An easy five stars!
And ya... if Tigers could fly, we would still be stuffed.
But... like on a mantle.… Read more »
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Review from Mark H.
10/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
First off, Kudos to this place for supporting Yelp Eats and the Vancouver Food Bank.
This place is usually pretty busy with lots of reservations, so come early or book ahead. We were seated at the kitchen bar which is kind of cool aside from the smoke and such.
In an appy mood (no pun intended), we ordered 4 dishes. Siu Mai was average, nothing different. Roti Canai was good, almost croissant like, super flaky. The spicy thai wings were the best of the bunch. Great flavour and sauce.
We also ordered the tofu salad, which obviously should have come first, but never showed. But when we told them to cancel it after eating all our dishes, the chef was kinda pissed. Timing is everything.
I'll give it another shot and try out the entrees. -
Review from Cathy S.
9/29/2011
Why have I never been here before? It's minutes from home and across the street from my hairdresser. Maybe it is because I am a wee bit of a history buff and to me, I associate "Flying Tigers" with a WWII flying fighter squadron, which doesn't exactly get the salivary glands all revved up.
I came with a couple friends so we were able to try a selection of their menu items as the dishes are tapas sized.
To summarize my experience, if you want to have a variety of slightly overpriced, decent, but not remarkable Asian cuisines all under one roof then this is the place for you. Personally, I would rather go have good Roti at East is East, terrific Panang Curry at Aree Thai, Szechuan Green Beans at Peaceful, Hawker Street Noodles at Hawkers Delight, etc, etc etc. Unfortunately, the expression "Jack of all trades, master of none" comes to mind.
Their participation in Yelp Eats earned them an extra star. -
Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
Our heroine, now Duchess of the Flying Tiger, Crystal, might now travel the world (okay -- just Canada and the US West), but that doesn't stop her from visiting The Flying Tiger TWICE in one week.
And why? With so many dining choices out there? Well, for one, it was Yelp Eats week, and for two - the epic Korean ribs are the stuff fantasies are made out of.
Hark, is that the green beans and roti beckoning? Perhaps they are staples, but the new crowned princess of all the land is the Warm Tofu Salad. Something I'd never thought to order before, this is one dish that should not be missed.
Did we over order on the Hawker Noodles.... again? Yes, but sometimes happy endings are just worth repeating over and over again.
(Not) the end.Listed in: 5 Star Reviews - You deserve…, Kitsilano for Sunny Vancouver…, A Halfer's Guide to Asian…, Off the Beaten Tourist Path, Noodling it up in Vancouver
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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6/10/2010
An epic tale continues....
Caught up in eating her way through most of Vancouver's new… Read more »
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Review from Purdy J.
8/15/2011 4 photos
The Flyer Tiger is in a trendy neighborhood on busy 4th avenue just outside the popular 4th avenue shopping area. The restaurant is long and narrow, dimly lit room that opens up to their bright and loud patio (faces 4th ave which is quite busy with cars and buses driving by all the time).
Service is friendly and quick but the restaurant was pretty quiet (around 5:30pm on a Friday evening). A few tables were reserved. Bathrooms are spacious and clean. A little pricey but a unique experience.
Beer selection: Not much selection; Out of the dozen beer options, all were light lagers.
Food: Shared Asian Fusion tapas style where items come out one at a time and are meant to shared. They approximately 1.5-2 items per person. Food is nicely presented, hot and fresh. There have a few vegetarian options but it's definitely not health food but most Asian fusion isn't ;). What we tried:
-Papaya Salad, $9: Cold salad with green papya, mint, basil, cilantro, peanuts, garlic and lime. It was fresh and flavourful. Not sweet at all.
-Shitake Scallop dumplings, 5 for $7,: Similar to the har-gow you get at dim sum. These dumplings were wrapped perfectly and filled with shitake mushroom and scallops. The red vinegar sauce paired with this perfectly. I would definitely order again.
-Roti Canai, $7: Malaysian fry bread with yellow curry. Bread was very flaky and hot but did not absorb the curry well. The curry was sweet and creamy. I wouldn't order again.
-Pulled Duck Confit Crepes, $19: Their most popular dish. Duck was nice and soft but quite sweet. I expected a little more spice and complexity. Crepes were small, flat, round pieces of rice flour. The cucumber salad, mint, basil and cilantro were delicious additions to the meal. I wouldn't order again.
Note: Open for dinner 7 days a week and brunch from 10:30am-2:30pm on Sat/Sun only.
Bonus: They have Ocean wise options and offer natural, free-range meats, organic produce and wild, sustainable seafood that is locally sourced when available. -
Review from Samanthi G.
Vancouver, BC
2/1/2012 Seated via OpenTable
The place was really busy so the service was a little lacking, but the food was good, and that's why I go out to eat. I would recommend this place although it was a little on the pricy side.
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Review from Julian H.
1/1/2012
Loved this place! Asian fusion (strong Thai influence) served tapas style, for example: duck confit crepes served with shredded asian veggies and herbs. Great food, nice servers.
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Review from Karen L.
Richmond, BC
4/23/2011
I have come to this place 5x for dinner. My experience has generally been positive. Service is decent. The place is small and fills up quickly on weekends.
NOT to order again*
hawker street noodles - wasn't suprising, and a bit bland.
The "okay" dishes*
Szechuan green beans - delicious but nothing too special
Grilled korean ribs - savoury but a bit too charred for my liking
Mumbai chaar masala - SO many flavours on one dish! stuff your own poori fry bread. liked the yogury dressed cucumber to balance out the dish.
The dishes I would order again*
Duck confit crepes - VERY salty on its own, but tasted and blended so well with all the vegetables and herbs wrapped up into a crepe.
Sablefish - was a small portion but tasted so creamy and went so well with the garnish they had plated with it.
Specials* available for limited times only
babyback ribs & satay chicken skewers were tender, moist and flavourful.
EXCEPTIONS*
mussels with chili fry bread: this dish used to be the SOLE reason I came back to flying tiger again and again. It was served with red curry sauce and had chewy yet crunchy chili fry bread. This dish was incredibly scrumptious. The 5th time I visited, I was VERY disappointed with the dish. The mussels were TINY, the sauce had changed to a light, diluted citrus. The bread was not nearly as hot, chewy, nor spicy.
After the mussels had changed, I don't know if i'd go back again any time soon.... -
Review from Dee B.
6/5/2011
Pros:
- Good wine - Babich to be precise.
- Duck confit crapes
- Green beans
Cons:
- Prawns overdone
- Ribs rubbery
- Panang curry way too spicy
- Server kept touching her hair and serving our food with the same unwashed hands.
I've never liked this place and got sucked into to going back there for a friends birthday.
Bah Humbug. -
Review from Sy M.
Vancouver, BC
3/5/2011
Good service. It's a small restaurant but seating is comfortable. It's a bit darker so perfect for a first date! We came here on a friday night so we made reservations and we were escorted to our table right away. Given the size of the restaurant, I think I'll make reservations again next time regardless of the day of the week.
Drinks selection is adequate. I like their beer list - mostly all my favourites.
The food was very good. We had the Duck Confit crepe, Pork Belly, and Hawker street noodles. That was just enough food for my friend and I. Next time I will invite two more friends so we can order more dishes!
Parking is free on the street all around. I work nearby so I already have my usual favourite spot to park. -
Review from Theresa W.
Vancouver, BC
1/29/2011
A friend and I showed up for some 2011 Dine Out action here since it was on our list of restaurants to try in the city, and while we came away full, I can't help but think it was just okay.
The place itself is really nice, the server was super friendly (she offered to take back my cocktail when I told her I wasn't big on the aftertaste), and the dishes looked fabulous, but it just didn't seem worth it's money. They brought the Dine Out menu and regular dinner menu to my table, and for $28, the meal I ordered probably added up to the same amount if not less than on the regular menu (I can only assume, since my prawn starter wasn't there). But the sablefish was $12 and the dessert was $8. Taking into consideration that some places serve smaller portions for Dine Out, I was a little off-put seeing the dollar values - it made me want my selections less.
It also didn't help that when my sablefish came, it was a fairly small portion size. You get more rice than sablefish. Disappointed! But my appetizer was delicious, as was my dessert. And those three mushroom slices that came with the sablefish were absolute heaven. I've never had such flavourful shiitake! I was still full in the end, but I'm not sure I'd come back here on their regular menu. We'll see, perhaps after trying a few other Asian fusion restaurants in the city I'll realize that this place may actually be on their game.
Plus one for their selection of Asian beers. I was very tempted to order the Tsing Tao since I haven't had one in ages. Mmmmm... -
Review from Nam N.
Vancouver, BC
1/29/2011
Awesome place, great atmosphere, if their special Caeser is any indication I'm good to go to eat their food. We actually came all the way here just for the Caeser after our dinner. Being a Caeser fan I had to try it.
Its a mix of Clamato, Rooster sriracha, vodka mixed with thai basil and wasabi, salt/pepper on the rim. This drink's got a good kick! Very tasty and love the spice, not for those who don't like spicy stuff.
Update once I get to eat, I hear the food is excellent.
PRICE: Since we just had drinks, can't say much but 5 Caeser's came to close to $50.
SERVICE: Great service, they have great personalities and will chit chat with you at the bar if they have the time. It was first days of Dineout so even though it was hectic, they were still friendly. A+
SUGGEST: If you're a Caeser fanatic, they have one of the best in town. The fusion Asian food looks like pretty tasty to me too and I like the atmosphere so I will definitely swing back in the future. -
Review from Simon G.
Vancouver, BC
3/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Awesome! Fabulous food which is a real experience, with every dish. Superb service - professional and friendly at the same time. Great selection of Asian beers that complement the meny beautifully.
Papaya salad - Yes! Szechuan Green Beans - good (a bit too fishy-tasting). Roti Canai - orgasmic! Toro Tuna Sushi Tempura (which my friend had) - awesome! Panang Curry - Yum!
Just note that if you are a pure and inflexible vegetarian/vegan, you won't have much to eat there, as there is fish sauce is almost everything. Good thing I can be adaptable here... -
Review from Sophie P.
Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC
2/5/2012
My hubbie and I went on a Thursday evening for his Birthday dinner. Our server explained that it was a tapas style restaurant meaning that meals came out when they were ready. We were fine with that. We assumed that if we ordered together the meals would come out relatively in quick succession. We were wrong. My meal came out first and it just so happened it was one of the 3 dishes we ordered which we weren't sharing. My hubbie on his Birthday dinner had to sit and watch me eat until his food arrived which wasn't that quick. The service was pretty slow. I'm guessing that it's more attentive the busier they are. The food was OK. I had the steamed clams in coconut-lemongrass broth. The clams were great, but the broth got so intense to the point I couldn't eat any more. The Birthday Boy had the Panang Curry and the Mumbai Chaat Masala. Both were good dishes - flavourful, but not really wow. We thought the meals and the especially the drinks very expensive for what they are. The lady sitting at the table next to us asked for the background music to be changed and we were so thankful that she did that. It was annoying - some kind of Ibiza dance track and super loud. We'll probably give the Flying Tiger another go at some point, but not soon.
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Review from Renee C.
11/14/2009 ROTD 7/24/2010
As I wander out the door, dressed casually but nice, I venture with some friends to The Flying Tiger. With metaphorical checklist in hand...
Great atmosphere....check
Roti that makes me daydream at work about roti....check
A fantastic Indian dish made to perfection....check
Lovely and helpful service....check
EVERY SINGLE person at the table enjoying their meal....check
Super happy fate brought me there that night.....check
The Flying Tiger in fact does much more than that....it flies, leaps, lunges, and transforms into something quite wonderful. -
Review from beki L.
Vancouver, BC
7/14/2010 4 photos
Im a fan of Tigers...especially FLYING TIGERS!
Me and my bestest trekked over here hungry for some eats..we knew this was a asian fusion fare...we didn't expect to be blown away!
The lady who served us was so bubbly and sweet...everytime she spoke to us, i wanted to reach over and pinch her cheeks she was so darn adorable!! And after she found out it was our first time here, she always explained each and every dish we ordered, i felt like i was on iron chef-- my dream had come true!!
1st tapa: sablefish inar
presentation was beautiful, sablefish perfectly cooked, the beancurd with sweet rice complimented it well. i loved the ginger placed to the side that i added to the delicious morsels. (this was my friends FAVORITE)
2nd tapa: mussels in curry sauce with deep fried bread
another beautiful presentation! every single mussel was opened so nothing was wasted...the curry sauce was what sold me on this one. it was SO good. i ripped a mussel shell in half and used that as a spoon to slurp up the sauce like a soup. we only got 3 pieces of bread, so i asked one of the boys in the kitchen to make me one more so we both had 2 and he did it without hesitation. (plus, i noticed i wasn't even charged for the extra piece! nice!)
3rd tapa: shredded duck with sesame crepe
the sesame aroma floating from the freshly made crepes was enough to make my water salivate all over again. there was a medley of herbs in the center for us to pick and choose to make our wraps into our perfect little original creations. i LOVE getting away with eating food with my hands... =)
4th tapa: dessert!! surprisingly..after the 3rd dish, we were both getting full! we almost passed on the dessert until we heard.. DARK CHOCOLATE STUFFED DEEP FRIED BANANAs
oh my goodness...this is a twist of the deep fried bananas that most thai/malaysian restaurants offer... and i will have to say, this is the way it should be eaten!!! i can't even begin to tell you that you have to try this...just do it.
i have pics of every single dish... if you dare to look at it with an empty stomach!
everything about this place was beyond great! will def. be back. -
Review from Jasmine T.
Burnaby, BC
Updated - 11/6/2010
Yeah, got free parking again! Came here for dinner to celebrate finding a wedding photographer. Again, got asked if we had reservations... it was like 7pm on a Sunday... again, we said no. Got to sit at a different part of the bar that night, this time in front of the bar bar, near the front door.
I ordered a coke and my fiance got a Sapporo that was on special. We ordered the papaya salad, the roti canai and the korean ribs.
The coke was weird... I wasted a coke day. It tasted like it had cranberry juice in it. Even the restaurant knew something was wrong with the coke because they told me they would take it off the bill... I didn't say anything...
Yum yum, the papaya salad is yum yum. Not scorching spicy hot, it had a nice heat that builds the more you eat. It had the right combination of papaya, spice, nuts... and mint. The mint just added the right touch.
The roti canai: a small bowl of curry with eight little triangles to dip... I almost fought my fiance for the piece he stole from me. It was so good. The bread was light and fluffy, the curry was kind of sweet. It came piping hot...
I love meat. This was good meat. The ribs were cut a little thicker than I'm used to, the meat was also a lot softer than I am used to. I think it was due to the meat being a little fattier than "normal". I loved it! Plus, it came with kimchee... it was okay, but way better than other places that attempt to make it.
Again, no dessert, but I was too full anyhow... the portions are not huge, but "enough is as good as a feast."1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/17/2010
FREE PARKING! Where in Vancouver can you find free parking?? Right in front of this place...… Read more »
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Review from Jenn W.
Vancouver, BC
10/27/2011
Loved this place. I went there with my mom (after living 4 blocks away, and driving by it repeatedly thinking "Tigers can't fly - that's a stupid name") I had an Entertainment coupon! woot woot, I love coupons. Not because I'm cheap, I mean who doesn't like a free appy or two, but because it allows/forces me to go out and experience some place new. I'm as guilty as the next person going to the same place ordering my same fav dish (hunan kung pow, Earls). So we got there and they were busy, but you could tell they were going to fit us in. Me, working in the industry, asked to sit at the bar. Usually better service and I can see if you short pour my martini.
We started off with the steamed dumplings special which was scallops and mushroom. They were very tasty but each one stuck to the bottom of the wicker basket thing, so we ate them in many different pieces instead of whole. We then moved onto the steamed clams with
coconut-lemongrass broth, which were AMAZING! Yummy, and a really good portion too. It comes with chill fry bread, which I had never had, to dunk in the broth and it was heavenly. We finished up with the Hawker Street noodles - which were tasty too but a little oily for my taste. After 2 beers (my mom) and 2 glasses of wine (guilty as charged) we handed our lame coupon over (up to $14.00 off). One would think she would take off the steamed dumplings being only $8 but instead she just discounted our bill $14.00. Hooray! I love when restaurants do this out of pure principle!... and obviously the extra $4.00- I can now tip extra...or buy a coffee, whatever. Also when I didn't like any of their red wines she opened a bottle of shiraz they were thinking of putting on the menu, which in my books is just great service.
SOOOOO I told my bf and my bff and her bf about this place and they had a coupon, so we went again 5 days later. This time we had the Har Gow (still stuck to plate), Ebi Mayo (had better at Hapa Itzakya), Roti Canai (SOOOO DELICIOUS!), baby back ribs and korean rib (both sooo good and I don't even like ribs), duck confit crepes (AMAZING!, I didn't even want them and actually pouted when I was out-voted), and the Hawker noodles again. This was wayyyy too much food and we are all big eaters. The same girl let me order the shiraz from the week prior and we went through 2 of those, 4 tequila shots, 6 beers, and finished off with a dessert I can barely remember. Needless to say after all that the coupon didn't make a huge dent in the bill but was still only $220 and that's really decent for 4 people. The best part of the experience is they close at 10 and we were there well past 11pm, without feeling the pressure of dim lights getting brighter, heat being turned up, and the music being turned off. She kept everything the same and made us feel welcome!
We will be back with or without our coupons...although I think I have one more. -
Review from Vincci L.
1/2/2010 5 photos
Many random events happened that day, and I'm sure it was fate that the Flying Tiger and I met.
"Asian Street Food" is what they claim they serve. Interesting. Intriguing, in that I can savour food from different parts of Asia all in one night. Anticipation loomed, excitement awaited.
Arriving at the restaurant early, we were able to get a seat near the open kitchen. There was already one table seated. The interior has a red tone, black tables and red painted walls, with halogen lights. Simple, yet modern.
We were seated at high tables with stools. I like these high tables, because we are at eye level with the waiters/waitresses, and I can see what's going on in their open kitchen.
We were greeted by our server, which asked us for drinks. My friend ordered a beer and I, being the indecisive one, needed another minute. The beer was brought over right away, and water was brought to us without us even asking. Perfect. Upon reviewing their menu, I was a little overwhelmed because I could not pick out which dishes to get. I wanted to order everything!!
Dishes had a modern twist to it. There were dishes which sampled different Asian regions-Phillipine, Thailand, Vietnamese...Thai squid, roti, dim sum...I'm loving this!
Our waiter was very helpful. We asked him how large the dishes were, and he said that 3 of the larger items would suffice. We narrow it down to 4 dishes:
Sambal Drunken Prawns -Baja Blue wild sea prawns, garlic, Shaoshing wine, sambal oelek (did not order because apparently it is a lot of food already.)
Pulled Duck Confit Crepes-Duck confit, Philippine lime, charred scallion, jicama & cucumber salad, Vietnamese coriander, mint, basil, sesame oil pancakes
'Nuoc Cham' Sablefish-Pan-seared smoked BC sablefish, green papaya salad, mushrooom & ginger-wontons
Panang Curry-Snap peas, fresh bamboo shoots, sweet bell peppers, jasmine rice with Baja Blue wild sea prawns
Cocktails are Asian inspired. I decide on the Bangkok Sling, which compromises of Mekhong, passion fruit syrup, fresh lemon juice,ginger ale. This was very good, sweet, with a bit of tartness.
Dishes are cooked one by one, and served as we finish each dish. There needs to be more of these places when I go with J. He tends to eat fast, and I can never catch up with him. This way, there's no rush for food. The food also stays hot, which is a requirement for my food. I like this way of cooking because it allows us to focus on only one palette at one time, not mixing different flavours. We can also savour each dish more.
First came the Sablefish. It was a decent sized portion. It also came with a papaya salad on the side. Fish was soft, and flavourful. Papaya salad balances out the sablefish, adding crunchiness and sweetness to the whole dish. The 2 mini wontons that it comes with are very cute.
Next, the Pulled Duck confit crepes.Crepes are soft, and warm. The pulled duck is flavourful, and the duck meat is tender. Everything wrapped up within the crepe, this was a bite of goodness!
Curry prawns next. Large fresh sea prawns, with green peppers in a fragrant curry and a large serving of rice ended off our series of dishes well.
Service is very good here. Our glasses were always filled, and we and were attended to frequently. More and more tables filled up as the night went on.
Awesome atmosphere, and a wonderful experience. Many more dishes are still waiting for me to try!! We left this place very happy! -
Review from Melanie D.
9/3/2011
I was so disappointed by yelpers - yo! what up you all. The food here was so ordinary. I'm giving a two stars to be polite because it wasn't horrid just not great. Everyone was ordering the Korean Beef -so monkey see monkey do, we ordered it - so fatty. How does such small pieces of meat have so much fat. The string beans were better but why add such a heavy sauce with it. If String Beans are fresh they don't need sauce just some seasonings. We ate something else but it's not worth trying to remember. Since you have some great choices in Vancouver skip Flying tiger. Go to Vij's for Indian food or if you want some great Malaysian food head over to Sweet Chili's. nice staff but that's not enough
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Review from Larry L.
11/14/2009 1 photo
We came here after our Yelp Cornucopia @ Granville and Broadway. Originally searching for something within walking distance, we ended up walking to the car after wondering if we should do the ole "Bin's" and instead prompted ourselves to try out the new regime. The Flying Tigers! So off we drove in search of the Tiger with I Phone and Yelp application in hand and a certain Rocky song (Eye of the Tiger) playing as motivational music in the background..
There was a sense if intrigue with all this Tiger stuff.
The mystery behind it all. An adventure!
Surely it must be great! All I've heard about this place is great. My ex wife even told me it's great. It seems at one time she and the Chef of the Flying Tiger worked together at the Bins. My ex at one location and Tina at the other, but that was awhile ago.
I've written before about Chef Noble and talked about Mr Feenie and his escapades and the similarity between them (Iron Chef). Well, the Chef at The Tiger has trained with these two Iron Chefs and her expertise certainly shows well here.
......It was funny, but some of the dishes seemed familiar and yet different. Updated and brought into the new millennium of fusion. It brought me back about 20+ years ago to Toronto,
A celebrity chef in her own rights, Dinah Koo (from Tiger Lily fame and Dinah's Cupboard). Could Tina be the new Tiger? The Flying Tiger? Trained by Iron Chefs?
Yup you betcha!
That night we had excellent service from the staff, kind, attentive and knowledgeable about the food.
We tried 4 dishes which was just perfect.
Papaya Salad - craving for this. Great! citrusy, fresh and crunchy.
Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow) - small, but a good idea for night time snacking/tapas.
Pulled Duck Confit Crepes- this is what brought me back to the other Tiger and it was even better! It added the missing fourth dimension of flavours and variety that brought this dish into 2009/2010! My favourite dish here so far.
Panang Curry with Chicken - solid flavours very nice presentation and fresh.
The menu selection is clean, not overly done and the food is easy to produce which means that in it's complexities of flavours and sauces, is easy to duplicate in a restaurant. This means consistency.
Where so many other chefs fail by trying to impress. She's paid her dues and worked with the right people to come to this.
I'm a fan! Woohoo! As good as it gets!
So enough of this scatterbrained writeup. Just go ahead and try it out.
We "Yelped" it and found it to be true. It is a success. -
Review from Littlefish B.
Vancouver, BC
10/8/2009
SUCH a great place!! Creative food, lively atmosphere, casual but attentive service and good wine list. They take reservations.
When there's just 2 of us I love the kitchen-view bar (call ahead, there are only about 5 stools). It's fun to watch them grilling & plating, but don't expect much interaction; there's a lot of action in that small space when it's a full house. If the chef is in, you'll be watching Tina Fineza. I was told she was the first woman to win an Iron Chef episode with an all-female team. BUT can't find anything to corroborate this. If you know, will you let me know?? Thanks!
The ribs and the Indian fry bread are to die for, as is the sablefish.
Enjoy! -
Review from Thu N.
6/16/2010
So I took a friend here from Toronto after all the amazing reviews I've heard and seen about this place...and we thought it was ..just alright!
The staff were definitely friendly and helpful but perhaps we didn't order the right dishes!!
The good: the fried squid and the sauce was delicious!! So was the hawker street noodles.
The bad: We were craving some roti canai but when it came out it was deep fried and crispy and not at all what we were imagining from Malaysia/Singapore. The lamb curry was also a surprise - it being ground lamb balls instead of what we both were expecting.
The dishes are pricey especially when you compare the dishes with other malaysian/singaporean/vietnamese/indian restaurants in Vancouver.
With so many restaurants to try in Vancouver, I really truly wanted to love this one!! Maybe I'll give it a shot again some day! -
Review from Chloë E.
Vancouver, BC
11/28/2008 1 photo
On a weekend night we headed here for some drinks and casual eats. As there was no table available, the hostess took our name and we went to have a drink at next door while we waited. The call came soon after we sat down, but the folks at the Flying Tiger held our table until we'd had our drinks and paid up at Milestones.
The restaurant is warm and modern spot serving up Asian street food. The food comes out in stages, as in one dish at a time, as the kitchen makes it. (Our waitress repeated this with exasperation when someone at the table asked where their food was.) While the dishes seem to be designed for sharing, it does make it a bit awkward if you're not planning to offer up your eats to your dinner partner. In our group this was fine, but I can think of more formal dinners where it wouldn't be.
The Szechuan Green Beans were coated in a delicious spicy ginger and soy sauce, just a tad over done. We loved munching on the spring rolls, and the duck crepes were fantastic and regrettably too few.
We quite enjoyed our evening here. The drinks flowed steadily and food liked by all. -
Review from David G.
Vancouver, BC
2/18/2011
Just went there for dinner and drinks for Valentine's Day with my wife. Our first dinner out in a lonnnng time. We had the Szechuan Green Beans, Hawker Street Noodles, and a lamb curry dish with naan that was a special. The food was excellent and the service was pretty good.
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Review from JY F.
Richmond, BC
1/31/2011
Being Filipino and a food junkie, it wasn't long before I started to hear about The Flying Tiger and its head chef, Tina Fineza. The tapas style restaurant located on 4th and Trafalgar boasted "modern Asian street food". My brother, Charly, and I both believe that if you're going to spend money on food it had better be worth every hard earned penny. I think we get it from our father who always judged restaurants harshly because he firmly believed our Yaya Adel was the best cook ever...she really is but that's another story! So after Charly and his girlfriend ate there and gushed about The Flying Tiger, I had a good feeling that it would be a good choice for our second Grub Club event.
I had already been forewarned that the restaurant was a bit hard to find w/the black and grey sign, which made it look more like some dark and dingy tattoo parlor, rather than the modern Asian inspired resto-lounge it is. The restaurant itself is quite small and pretty busy considering the late reservations we had of 8:30pm. Somehow we managed to squeeze 8 people in the small booth tucked in the back in the restaurant...to this day; I still don't know how we did it. As each of us arrived it was quite clear that we were all very hungry and extremely parched. The boys were definitely in the mood for beer that evening while typically the females decided to stick with wine. Sarah suggested a rosé by Therapy. Trizie and I really hate rosé (I think it smells like feet!) and since I'm allergic to white wine, we decided to share a bottle of pinot noir...sadly the name escapes me and I forgot to make note of it on my trusted blackberry. I did have a sip of the rosé and was quite surprised as it was actually quite refreshing and paired well with the Asian flavors of the food.
After our drink orders were placed, I proceeded to tell everyone what to order on the menu. I'm not usually such a food Nazi but there were quite of bit of share plates that I had been told to order & I definitely didn't want anyone to miss out on sampling them...Ok, I admit it. I am very much the food Nazi.
- Roti Canai: I literally wanted to drink the Malaysian yellow curry sauce that went with it. Even after the fry bread was done I kept the sauce and kept dipping different things in it just to get another taste. Our waitress was very kind and when she saw this, she decided to bring us some extra fry bread. Yes, I hogged the bread!
- Filipino 'Lumpia' Spring Rolls: Since I've had this at almost every single family function my entire life and have spent many times with my nanny rolling them ourselves, it wasn't much of a treat as it was to my non-Filipino friends. The flavor was definitely authentic and as Maryann would say, "This reminds me of my childhood!"
- Grilled Korean Kalbi Ribs: These vaguely reminded me of the pre-marinated Hawaiian ribs you can get at your local supermarket but I'm a huge fan of them and enjoyed them immensely. Apparently, I wasn't the only one as we pretty much devoured them in less than 30 seconds!
- Hawker Street Noodles: Sadly this was the only disappointing dish. The only thing I can say about this was that it tasted like spaghetti noodles with soy sauce and some veggies...It was pretty bland and I'm sure even my children wouldn't eat this.
- Szechuan Green Beans: You can't really go wrong with these and they're a great veggie dish to munch on. They weren't overly spiced and the flavor of the green beans still comes through which a lot of restaurants have the tendency to over-season.
- Crispy Thai Squid: aka Calamari with some chilies. But it was yummy just the same!
- Pulled Duck Confit Crepes: Now this was by far the best dish of the night! I will definitely visit the Flying Tiger for this dish alone. Fineza's take on the Peking duck wraps which can be found in most Chinese restaurants was inventive and well thought out. All the individual ingredients, from the pulled duck, jicama and cucumber salad and coriander and Thai basil blended harmoniously on the palate. If I had to pick one dish only from this restaurant I would definitely choose this as my favorite.
- Mumbai Chaat Masala: Dilip ordered this and his verdict (which happens to coincide with mine) was that it was an Asian's take on an Indian dish and that his mother's version was much better. However, it was pretty tasty according to the other members at our table.
- 'Humba Style' Braised Pork Belly: This dish reminded Trizie and I very much of the greatest Filipino comfort food, adobo. I almost wanted to go "kamayan" style just so I could go for the full Filipino experience (kamayan = food is served on a banana leaf and you eat with your hands, no utensils).
...see more on my facebook notes! :) -
Review from Cyndi H.
Vancouver, BC
9/22/2010
Oh snap. I love Asian food-- especially hole-in-the-wall Asian food, but this place gave me a whole new appreciation for trendy Asian eats. The food was fantastic-- absolutely packed full of flavour, fresh and delicious. We ordered everything on the savory menu (save the papaya salad because I think papaya's taste like soap!) and it was all fantastic. Great share-food. Bring a group-- between the six of us we were able to sample the works and left full and happy. GREAT cocktails as well!! Ahh... I want to be back there right now....
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Review from Ken S.
6/16/2010
We were a group of five and devoured every plate we ordered, which was probably about 12 different things. There really wasn't anything the group didn't rave about.
This is a great casual place to small-plate-the-night-away with a nice bottle of wine and joyful service. -
Review from Rachael T.
Toronto, ON
6/7/2009 2 photos
Dear Flying Tiger,
Not only are you a fierce animal, but your cooking is fierce as well.... although I've always believed that tigers cannot fly, I may have to believe you after tonight.... how on earth can you create "Asian Street Food" in a restaurant?.. it's for the street right!?!? Not if you do it right and in style like Flying Tiger has.
I ordered the shrimp rolls, Flying Tiger, because the filling sounded delicious, and although I am not a shrimp roll fan, you sold me. It came out in 6 pieces, and cooked to perfection. The crispyness to it was done perfectly, not overly fried and oily. I was double dipping in the sweet and sour sauce *blush* and the pickled squash was a great compliment. Eating it by itself reminded me of ginger when eating sushi, but when placed on the spring roll.. it had a hint of sourness, which was a great addition.
... and then I waited, and waited and waited...... for about 40 minutes in total from when I first sat down... so about 25 minutes after the spring rolls came.. for my hawker noodles.... I was prewarned by the Super friendly waitress who was bubbly and full of joy that it was going to take a lot longer to cook this... and I only wish you were flying the noodles to me via expressmail.....but even after the delay.. it was soooo worth it! I get scared that noodles get overly soggy and saucy, but this was anything but. It was nicely coated, beans were crunchy and tasteful,, squid was not overly cooked and had awesome texture, mushrooms were flavourful and still had munch to them, crispy chicken.. was amazing.. and you can still taste the freshness of the shrimp. It was filling and I only wish I had more room to savour every last strand.
Oh Flying Tiger, what a great night I had - the white sangria was delicious and looking at everyone's dishes, I wanted to try everything else. The ventilation in your open kitchen is phenomenal. So much steam would come shooting out and your fans inhaled it immediately... the smell and the heat never got into the dining room...very impressive.
Your staff was so friendly, from the moment we walked through the door... I don't have anything else to add except that I hope you can fly me with you to the moon one day and you can cook decious "Asian Moon food" for me to eat. -
Review from Leila H.
Vancouver, BC
4/11/2011
Love it! Green Papaya salad was yum.
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Review from Luisa D.
6/5/2010
I have no idea why it took me so long to go here but I'll be back plenty! Everything was delicious! We started with cocktails - a Norman Collins and a Bengal Breeze - and they were sooooooo good. I will definitely be trying to reproduce those on a warm summer day.
Our first dish was the Papaya Salad - I could have licked the bowl clean! Second up were the Mussels with Chili Fry Bread - that bread is like the goodness of a doughnut without the sugar and you just want to soak up ALL the sauce with it. The mussels were perfectly cooked as well. We ordered a bottle of Torres Esmerelda which is only $35 on their list. It's lime, lychee and rose notes went perfectly with the spicy food. Then we ordered the Hawkers Street Noodles which was loaded with seafood and veggies. Yum! We finished with an order of dark chocolate stuffed bananas - O. M. G.
Everyone from the bartender to the busser, the server and the chefs in the open kitchen were smiling and took good care of us. The room is cozy and intimate. If I was to take away any marks it would be for their ventilation. It got a bit smoky in the back closer to the kitchen and they were cooking up a storm in this packed little room. But that's such a minor complaint that they still get five stars from me.Listed in: My Kitsilano
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Review from Juan R.
Vancouver, BC
2/19/2011
Papaya salad was fantastic, green beans were great , the sablefish is very good , but the curried prawns were not very good at all. it tasted like the vegetables had been marinated in sugar. way too sweet. The service was fantastic. Great decor and atmosphere. You can't go wrong here unless you order the currie.
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Review from Denni P.
Vancouver, BC
1/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Hallway style room, deep and narrow, smokey woods with Asian decor, hip staff, good food. Like the fact the dishes on their menu are either locally sources, organic or sea-friendly. Their website states Asian Street Tapa's, I don't eat off the street and in no way were they presented like street food. Both my eyes and my tongue danced the happy dance! In the Vancouver Entertainment book, used my coupon, forced me to venture out of my neighbourhood into the upscale Vancouver Kits hood surrounded by multi million dollar real estate (you'd never know). I'd go back, even without a coupon, a bit pricey but considering the food is sourced ethically that's enough to make me want to go back!
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Review from Rex L.
Burnaby, BC
10/13/2010
Despite there are millions of Asian fusion restaurant, Flying tiger is one that truly delivers the spirit of Asian food in wonderful representation.
