- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Tropika On Cambie
Categories: Restaurants Indonesian Restaurants Malaysian Restaurants Singaporean Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean [Edit]
2975 Cambie StVancouver, BC V5Z 2V7
Neighbourhood: Fairview Slopes
(604) 879-6002
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- 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:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
45 reviews for Tropika On Cambie
Review Highlights
-
"Tahu Goreng Nyonya - Deep fried Tofu so smooth." In 4 reviews -
"Thai Prawn Cake." In 2 reviews -
"Sambal Bunchies." In 1 review
Loading...
45 reviews in English
-
Review from Norris A.
Vancouver, BC
5/1/2012
Definitely a pretty good Malaysian restaurant that lives up to the chain's name.
Granted I am not a Malaysian native thus my tastes and palette may be different than those.
The price is what ballparks my rating as only 3 stars.
We were a party of 5 (3 guys and 2 ladies) and needless to say we can pack it in...thus was on the pricier end. An order of 2 rice dishes, 2 noodles dishes, curry, 2 orders of beans..and other assortments surmounted to a total of around 9 dishes and 2 shared desserts. Nonetheless the food was good especially the curry.
In summary this is an ok restaurant that is a bit on the pricier side. Plenty of street parking is available nearby is a plus. Service is ok in the sense that they appeared to be undermanned given the size and how busy it gets.
I wouldn't choose to go here every week or have it become my "goto" Malaysian restaurant, but once in awhile this would be an ok selection. -
Review from A G.
3/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Sad to say that the service shadowed the food. Food 4 stars...servie 1 star. Manager Frank...rule driven without a personality.
No refills on drinks.
No highchairs.
No service...won't be going back.
Banana leaf around the corner will be worth my wait next time. -
Review from stan s.
Vancouver, BC
2/4/2012
Had dinner at Tropkia
the service was decent and the decor was nice and comfortable.
Food was not so good, I think some of the dishes were made in advance and reheated when ordered. Food was pricey for what you get. There are better places to eat like banna leaf.
we ordered:
roti canai, lamb curry, chicken, beef, lamb satays, 2 styles of fried rice (coconut and pineapple), Indonesian spring rolls, k.l pork chops
roti canai was ok,
lamb curry was cold and sent back to be reheated
satays were average
fried rice was good but very small servings,
Indonesian spring roll average
K.L. pork chops not worth it. -
Review from Dave B.
Vancouver, BC
4/25/2012
This place basically "mails it in" if you are familiar with the term. Awful tasting, pre made food with very awkward and lame service. I honestly went to a Dairy Queen the next day and a crappy burger took longer to prepare then the garbage they serve here. Its all sitting under heat lamps here and come s out fast but tastes awful. Honestly any Asian food in any mall food court is tastier and more authentic then Tropika. It's also extremely over priced. With all the Asian food options in Vancouver, no reason to ever go here again.
-
Review from Catherine G.
Vancouver, BC
5/9/2012
I have been here twice but haven't been impressed. I wanted to get the vegetarian's delight, but substitute the pickle which I really don't like for the roti bread which is cheaper. The waiter took my partner's order and then mine when I asked if this was possible he sharply said "no" and walked off. I find the food to be very mediocre, and the pricing is high compared to what you actually get. I would recommend going to Balilicious instead where the quality of the food is much better. I won't be back.
-
Review from Ed S.
New Westminster, BC
10/12/2011
Made a reservation, showed up early, large group (8). Table wasn't ready. So we waited. I inquired 10 minutes later about the reservation, they said they're getting the table ready. Rinse, wash and repeat 3 times. We watched 7 groups (4 large ones) in the waiting room get seated before us until we were the only ones left waiting. Manager had even less sympathy than the staff and then we walked out.
I'll never eat here after that experience. In fact, it still irritates me to think about it to this day.
Note: this was in May of 2011. I just remember it like yesterday and now that I signed up for Yelp, I can gripe about it ;). -
Review from Purdy J.
8/24/2011 2 photos
I know Tropika is a pretty popular place but honestly, after trying it a few times, i'm not a fan. Most of the food is pre-made. How else would it come out so quickly? I tried to order a different spice level for some of the items and they said it wasn't possible because it was pre-made. Any food item that has a red chilli pepper beside it couldn't be modified simply for that reason.
Ordered the beef and broccoli and the meat tastes cheap and almost fake like. Definitely no sustainable, organic or brown rice options here. Presentation was nice (fried rice served in a pineapple) and all dishes were mostly meant for a family style shared dining. Good for groups and service was efficient. The refilled our water glasses quickly and were really accommodating with the little 5 year old we were eating with.
Food isn't quality but the place is decent. In my opinion, not worth the average $14-15/dish. Maybe some of the other dishes are better... They do have large tanks with live seafood. -
Review from Simon K.
The oldest location of the chain now, nicely located on Cambie Street, once you enter here, there is a nice little waiting area with a ton of polaroid shots attached to the wall of old patrons who have been here. Sure the colors from the photos are turning a bit yellow, but if you live in Vancouver, you may recognize some friends in the shots.
The place is roomy, with some nice big round tables, for parties of 10 plus. The menu is the same as the other Tropika's that you may have visited, which is always a good thing! The last time here, I ended up eating there fried chicken wings, spicy rice wraps, pineapple fried rice, and beef curry.
The service was real good, as always when I come here. The food comes to the table piping hot, what you would expect from a restaurant of this quality. They also have fresh seafood at market price, and a good drink menu, which includes fresh cut coconut.
The one advantage of this location, is the parking, as you can park along Cambie, a block down, just watch the sign of the times you are allowed to park. When your thinking of Malaysian food in Vancouver, this is one of those places that comes to mind. -
Review from Emmo S.
Vancouver, BC
7/8/2011
We decided to go here on a Friday evening to try, as we hadn't really spent a lot of time in the Cambie Village area. Upon arriving we had a brief, but expected wait for a table and then were seated. The place is nice, has a pretty good atmosphere that is comfortable enough that you can relax and enjoy your meal.
Their fancy (non alchoholic) drinks are pricey $4-6 but well crafted and worth enjoying at least one of to complement your meal. The menu is large but not too large to be confusing, and there is something on the menu for just about everyone. Being Vegetarians we naturally stuck to those options, but the carnivore food we saw coming out looked equally as appealing.
We ordered the Gado Gado (large) $8.50 which when it arrived we remarked we could have easily shared the salad with some roti and called it a meal. Generous portions, spot on flavours and great presentation - WIN. Roti was hot, soft and just the right amount of sweetness in the aftertaste.
Next was the pad thai - we were already almost too full from the gadogado, but tucked in and enjoyed the flavours, a little different than other pad thai dishes we've had, kind of almost tomatoey. Different but good nonetheless. We had so much food left over we had enough for a meal the following day.
The service also was excellent with the staff very friendly and operating as a team ensuring orders and plates got out to the tables quickly, and the food came quickly each course.
If you are in the mood for Malaysian/Thai food and are in the Cambie corridor area, its totally worth checking out. Prices are reasonable and the food is well made. -
Review from Ayaka H.
3/2/2011
I came here on a Friday night and it was PACKED...hence i had big expectations. The fact that it was so packed didn't bother me because this restaurant does have a nice flow.
We ordered:
-Fresh young coconut: it had the PERFECT taste-not too sweet. probably what I enjoyed the most. a MUST try.
-Crab: RECOMMENDED!- but should be remembered that it takes skill to get the meat out (Saying that because I look like a complete viking doing this) This item not recommended for a hot date.
-Green Beans: Nothing special. Too greasy for my taste.
-Nasi Goreng: I have never been to Indonesia so I don't really know what authentic nasi goreng is .....but it didn't have the usual egg and satay...also it was REALLY greasy and salty which killed it.
-Pad Thai: Mediocre at best. Nothing special.
Oh well. The server was VERY attentive, friendly and had GOOOD attitude...even came often to refill our water- man this guy should win an award.
it was $100 for four people which was reasonable.
If you like food on the greasy side, Tropika is for you. Will I come back? I'll give it another try.
It's not those romantic date places where you'd wear your sexy small dress but good for dressy-casual gatherings, or family dine outs. -
Review from Edward L.
Tropika's food is not "authentic" (it has been "Hongerized"), but the chain is one of my favourite. There are very few dishes here that they can't pull off. Cambie is actually my favourite location, even though Robson is quite nice too. With that said, parking isn't the best here, but there is usually a spot or two just W of the restaurant.
All of their sauces/curries are pure crack. Mmm..
Malay Roti - quite bubbly and fresh. Sauce (some type of curry?) is awesome.
Rendang Lembu - beef was cut nicely into bite-sized chunks. More beautiful sauce.
Chili prawns - the prawns are all large. Sauce is good, but there was a bit too much of it.
Pineapple fried rice. Tasty, but volume is a bit small. They hollow out half a pineapple (bisected lengthwise), but the hollow is not that deep. So there isn't *that* much rice inside. Cleaning out the pineapple with a spoon is awesome though.
It's just a *little* bit pricey, but the food is freaking good. Recommended. -
Review from Scott H.
5/3/2011
I have an Asian wife, therefore I've been granted expert status on Asian cooking, or so at least I tell people. Tropika is as good as any place in Vancouver for Southeast Asian cooking. It's not Thai, it's not Chinese, it's really more Malay (but not Peranakan). Anyway enough of the whitey education lesson. Tropika is great food, good service and reasonable prices. Plus it's generally filled with Asians, so you know the foods going to be good.
Get the Bunchies (Sambal Green Beans), it's the best thing on the menu. Roti is tops, as is the satay and any noodle dish (obviously). Coconut rice served in a coconut is fantastic too. I argued with the rest of the group as to the quality of the chicken red curry. I said it was a little substandard, I'm also a white male, whereas they are not. Therefore my opinion on the matter was acknowledged and dismissed.
Great place, i can't decide which is better here or Banana Leaf. -
Review from Monti S.
Vancouver, BC
9/2/2011
Racist. We sat waiting for 40 minutes. Another group of Chinese people came in and were seated within 5min before us. They said they called our name but funny that with 4 of us waiting none of a heard. I have always been a fan of their food but if you're not the right race stay clear.
-
Review from Lauren C.
Richmond Hill, ON
12/23/2011
Everything we had was so good! The oxtail stew was delicious!
-
Review from Faye X.
Vancouver, BC
10/31/2010
I usually think service can be somewhat forgo'ed if the the food is great. Tropika is one of my fav restaurants in town. But we usually go to the downtown location which almost never disappoints. Today we were in the neighborhood, so we decided to go to the Cambie location for a late lunch with an Entertainment Book coupon.
I must admit I was on the phone when I walked into the restaurant and totally missed the sign in front of the door that said "no coupon today". When we finished our meal, I presented my coupon and the waiter told me "we don't accept coupon today because it is a holiday." I asked "is Sunday considered a holiday?" I almost fell off my chair when the waiter replied "yeah, today is Halloween, it is a holiday." WTF! I can kind of understand restaurants don't accept coupons on unofficial holidays like Mother's Day or Valentine's day. But HALLOWEEN??!! BTW, Tropika's Halloween holiday dinning rush was none-existent.
So I pulled up Entertainment Book's website that listed the coupon restrictions on my iphone:
Valid Dates and Times/Holidays
Read the offer carefully for valid dates and times. Major holidays, including those defined below, and regional holidays observed by participating merchants, are excluded, even if the offer states "valid anytime".
New Year's Eve/Day, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Day
I showed it to the manager. He shrugged his shoulders and said nothing to me. I was furious.
At this point, you may think I am cheap. But we didn't just order two entrees, we also ordered two appies and two drinks (yeah, I know we are a bit of a porker, what can I say: we like to eat). We are also generous tippers. It would have cost Tropika 10 bucks to keep us happy. But they foolish chose to piss off a couple of loyal customers over it. Some people will never understand "customer service".
Finally, HALLOWEEN IS NOT A HOLIDAY! -
Review from Mary P.
2/20/2011
Busy on a Sunday night. Good food. Weak cocktails. Attentive waitstaff.
Try the Assam Seafood hot pot. The prawns calamari and clam was fresh. I didn't like the vegetable curry dish we also ordered which tasted like bland Indian style curry. It looks like people go for the KL crab which is a king crab topped with dry shrimp. -
Review from Rachel K.
3/19/2011 4 photos
Tropika had great food, great service with reasonable prices! I had absolutely no expectations... A friend suggested we go here after our original destination didn't work out, but she hadn't been here in a few years so she wasn't sure what to expect as well. I was totally happy that she chose this place!
Appetizers
Thai Prawn Cake
De-licious. Fried perfectly with plenty of prawns stuffed inside. Came with a chili dipping sauce. Really tasty!
Tahu Goreng (fried tofu)
I think this is an Indonesian dish of fried tofu, bean sprouts, and peanut sauce. It was OK - the tofu-bean sprouts ratio was not satisfying... Not enough tofu! The peanut sauce was way too heavy and drenched the dish. It could have been better.
Thai BBQ Pork Toro
OMGOD... This was SOOO good!!! Sliced pieces of pork that was somehow smoked in BBQ. It tasted smoky and perfect!
Sambal Bunchies
Loved it - green beans and prawns cooked in coconut milk and sambal (spicy chili) sauce. It was a bit salty - it could have been less heavy. But I thought it was super tasty!
Hainanese Roast Chicken
This was wonderfully prepared, but it was just not my favorite. The meat was very juicy, moist, and perfectly prepared. It came with two sauces, ginger and chili. Yum! But I don't know why; I think cold chicken is just not for me...
Mie goreng
Fried Indonesian noodles with chicken, shrimp, onions, egg, vegetables, and chili. Lots of flavor, but again, it was a little on the greasy side.
The service was definitely commendable; waiters constantly came by to check on us and re-fill our waters. Perfect portions - not too much but not too little. We managed to finish everything without killing ourselves. Overall, the food tends to be a little too heavy, but I definitely enjoyed my first visit - especially for the Thai BBQ Pork Toro!!!!! -
Review from Shawna L.
Burnaby, BC
11/19/2011
Food is good but a tad pricey when compared to its neighbours. There are lots of asian restaurants in the area that serve fantastic food for a better price and with better service. Good girly beverages, also a little on the pricey side.
-
Review from Kathleen H.
1/9/2009
Let me start off by saying...boy, was I impressed with the crab I had here - it was flavorful, a bit spicy for my taste buds, but overall just a unique and tasty preparation with crunchy bits that leave a garlicky and savory after taste. My honey seems to disagree with me a bit in that he feels the flavor was only ok, and overall it was not very satisfying. He thinks the Chinese salt & pepper crab we had at xxx (can't remember name of restaurant inside Aberdeen Center) was much better.
I was disappointed with the pineapple fried rice and the satay was lackluster. I liked the Roti, but not everyone enjoyed it. The accompanying sauce was so watery, it didn't seem to go together at first, then the flavors came together in my mouth.
I loved the stir-fried veggies we ordered. It was just simple Asian veggies but the sauce was delicious. I would usually think it is a bit too salty but for some reason, I just kept eating and eating and eating it.
I come here each time I visit Vancouver because my cousins seem to really enjoy the food here. For me, it's alright, nothing spectacular, but not terrible that I would discourage my cousins from taking me. -
Review from Jeff S.
Vancouver, BC
5/20/2010
Not really a review,.because we didn't get to eat! We got out of the theatre at 9:30 (Wed May 19) and we were starving, but everything in Vancouver goes to bed at nine or ten so we were having trouble finding somewhere open.
We walked up with our fingers crossed.. open till.. 10:30! ... We walk in, only to be TURNED AWAY! It was 9:49 on my watch, on the door says open till 10:30 and the nervous awkward host TURNED US AWAY. 40 minutes? Ridiculous.
Sorry, my beloved Banana Leaf, I'll never even think of straying away from you again. Tropika won't get another chance at my business. -
Review from Carmen G.
Vancouver, BC
9/22/2010
I have ate at a lot of the other Tropika locations, but this was my first time to the Cambie location. We ordered many dishes and everything was really good, much better than I remember from the other locations. I hear that the Cambie location is the original, and that is probably why.
I've been to Malaysia a few times and I would say that the food was quite comparable to what I had there, although of course there is less selection than Malaysia. -
Review from Yoony P.
11/22/2009
*Review written by Mr. Yoony P*
This restaurant is close so I wish I loved this place like most people seem to. They just renovated yet the decor still looks dated compared to the one on robson. We ordered our food and it was on our table in less than five minutes, not sure what that was about. Given the above the food was a bit pricey but still tasted ok. Will probably try again at some point. Hopefully will have a better experience.Listed in: I *heart* Cambie Village
-
Review from Fay Y.
Vancouver, BC
11/6/2011
I used to love this resturant, but recently my friend and I had dinner there, and had a really unpleasant experience. We had a great dinner, then the resturant got really busy. The staff started hovering over our table, hoping to get rid of us. Do they think, one second after dinner, you have to pay and leave. Well, we paid the bill, and sat at the table sipping tea. Well, now the manager comes to the table and says can you see we are busy. We thought yeah so. In other words..get out we need your table. We thought, we just finished, can we not sit and relax after dinner. They noticeably made us feel uncomfortable. The manager and the staff were giving us the look like they're finished, why don't you leave. Well, we left feeling pressured that they needed the table. My friend said to the manager. We definately will NOT be back, ever again. They did not care. I feel the same as Ed S. It irriates me to think about this experience and we tell absolutely everyone NOT to go to this resturant, I don't care how good the food is. I will never go there again. Not only that they have a real attitude in that resturant.
-
Review from Charlie C.
Vancouver, BC
5/25/2009
Tropika is as arrogant as they come!
We used to like coming to this restaurant but in the last couple of years each visit has been worst than the one before. The staff try to rush you to order, eat and get out as fast as humanly possible. They will give you dirty looks and comment on tips less than 20%. Yeah right, as if I'm going to tip you well after the poor service. The management and staff of this restaurant have gone downhill and you can see it with the looks of disdain they give you when you ask questions about the dishes - they really are not interested in helping you try new foods.
The food quality is extremely inconsistent and the portion sizes grow smaller with each visit. I will definitely never eat at Tropika again and will tell everyone I know. They are no longer the only player in the area of Malaysian Chinese cuisine.
There's a reason why they've been cited by the City of Vancouver for hygiene violations repeatedly. -
Review from Mark R.
Vancouver, BC
9/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Food is ok. Service was good. Nothing too special.
-
Review from Rose N.
Vancouver, BC
3/16/2010
Pretty Disappointing :(
I love exotic Asian foods and when I first ate here over 10 years ago, had the same expectations as others in the area (Salathai, Banana Leaf), but this place didn't do it for me.
I came here on many other occasions only because other places were completely full. Twice, on different occasion, I had to return a dish to the kitchen because it was sooo salty. There were 2 other people there and they all agreed and it was like the chef just dumped a bottle of fish sauce in this dish. It was the eggplant with shrimp paste.
I wasn't at all impressed, with the dishes. You are better off at Banana Leaf, or Salathai.
Sevice was ok, you really have to catch them when they are busy, otherwise you will never get a 2nd drink. It took us a long time to get our bill, so we just payed at the front.
Nothing will make me want to return to this place. -
Review from Annie W.
9/24/2010
Food is delicious. Service is above average. Parking is free (yay)
You must try:
1.Roti Canai ( Malay Bread )
2.Coconut Seafood Fried Rice
3.Pineapple Fried Rice with Ham and Chicken
Enjoy! :) -
Review from Annie M.
Vancouver, BC
I came here so many times already. Even though the restaurant always busy on weekend, the food and service still very good.
Satays - Beef and chicken are good, I love the peanuts sauce so much.
Malay Bread - The bread was ok.
Thai Prawn Cake - It's quite crunchy and tasty
Tahu Goreng Nyonya - Deep fried Tofu so smooth
King Prawn Tung Yam Kung Soup - It's delicious and quite spicy.
K. L. Crab - It's had a lot herbs and garlic stir fried crab. It was very spicy but taste so good.
Thai Style Green Curry Chicken - The curry sauce was quite light, just ok.
Sambal Kang-Kong - Tung Choi - The vegetable was ok too. -
Review from Sachi M.
This was my first time at this Tropika location. Doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's fine inside. I went at 5pm on a Monday, so didn't get affected by the busy = bad service that others have mentioned.
We got our usual Tropika picks:
+ Hainanese Cold Chicken
+ Roti
We tried for the first time:
+ K. L. Crab (What does that stand for?)
+ Fried Hokkien Mee (noodles)
+ I don't know what it's called, but the green beans with some prawns
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the drinks -- I tried the pineapple one before, and it was good. They have other interesting drinks, like lychee and coconut. It's true I didn't get around to them this time.
The menu has large photos of half the items! I love that, especially because I don't know what the names mean. -
Review from Ernesto G.
7/4/2010
Good food and truly fantastic service!
Roti, crab, deep-fried tofu, chicken lamb beef skewers, pineapple rice. OMG, so good! The only they didn't have tonite was deep-fried banana for dessert...they ran out tonite :(
Had to pay HST today, but the good news is that I didn't pay LST, so I guess our beers got cheaper (relatively speaking).
Free parking on Cambie and down all the side streets. Enjoy. -
Review from Tim L.
8/17/2008
Compared to all the other locations this one is probably the least touched location in terms of decorations and atmosphere.
However being as large as it is, it has been great for throwing large dinner parties with a big group of people.
The more people you have the more food you can try and everything on this menu has been tasty and delicious. -
Review from Brian J.
10/22/2009
Impressive place. Get there during off hours for best service.
The clams were sauced nicely. Tender satay. The other dishes were wonderfully spiced and spicy as well. Would not hesitate to return. -
Review from Malcolm M.
Vancouver, BC
2/4/2011
I've eaten here several times, up until about a year ago, both for lunch and dinner.
I've mostly enjoyed my lunches at Tropika. I usually order the lamb stew lunch special, I've forgotten the exact name of it. I once made the mistake of ordering a couple of the combination plates to share with friends. The food on the combination plates was cold and tasteless. I've ordered the same combination plates several times at the Robson location and enjoyed them.
My one dinner experience at Tropika on Cambie convinced me not to return. One of the two dishes I ordered to share with a friend was a chicken dish. Nowhere on the menu did it say that the dish was served cold. It was very boney cold chicken with absolutely no spices, the worst dish I've ever had in a restaurant. I imagine that this is traditional Malaysian or Thai dish, but the menu should accurately describe what it is.
I like Tropika, but only the Robson location. -
Review from Luisa S.
Vancouver, BC
8/27/2008
Tropika on Cambie is a family place, tucked away in what is, comparatively speaking, a more suburban area. It features the same flavours and spices as its other counterparts, minus the attitude of its downtown location.
Advertising itself as a Malaysian and Thai restaurant, it consistently delivers. Traditional dishes like Tom Yam soup, Pad Thai and green curry were present. Generally, most of the dishes seemed authentic (fresh tumeric, lemongrass and lime begin to tease the olfactory organs upon entry) however the heat doesn't come anywhere near to what would be on-hand at any street vendor in both Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. At the very least, though, you don't have to worry about exhaust fumes adding another dimension of flavour to your food, unlike what is regularly seen on Kao San Road. -
Review from Cameron M.
Toronto, ON
1/9/2009 1 photo
I feel kind of dumb reviewing this as it's mostly just restatements of what others have said, but hey, I guess the more people say it the more it comes true? I call that my 'i believe in fairies' theory.
Anyway, I haven't actually been to other Tropika restaurants around town so this review is based solely on my experiences at this Cambie location.
First off it's huge. I came with a group of about 9 and had no trouble seating and the arrangement didn't feel forced at all. In this end of town that's quite something.
The food, well it's not my style but alright. I'm not the hugest malaysian or thai fan so my ability to not the subtleties is kind of out the window. That said my mea was pleasant and nothing was obviously BAD per se, so they're doing good there.
So yes, definitely head here if you're wanting a place to suit a large group on Cambie. Otherwise, I guess if you have the Malaysian hankering you can't go too wrong. -
Review from Patty H.
10/17/2009
Service is ok, restaurant is cute, but food is REALLY good southern-asian afternoon tea...exotic southern asian (malay, singaporean, indian, etc) style comfort foods, like sauteed noodles, seafood, fried rices...many with lots of coconut milk (YUM!!!!). there's even coconut rice on the side. All served if you like with british-style tea, even yummier!
NEVER crowded, but i've never been to the other tropikas, i can't help but eat till i'm stuffed everytime i come here!! Another must-do when i am in vancouver, but better to bring more people so you can try more dishes, or you can definitely take home leftovers.
(4.25 stars) -
Review from Jason P.
9/28/2010 5 photos
Pretty good and pretty authentic flavors. I came here with my good friend and his wife, who is Indonesian. She vouches that the flavor is very good. I couldn't agree more. There are'nt many south east Asian places in the northwest (aside from Thai), so its a treat for me when in the Vancouver area. This would make for a great date place. Its always busy during the weekends, but the service is still decent. Nice ambiance and location.
-
Review from Gigi N.
Vancouver, BC
10/27/2010
I like the food at Tropika but the services are sometimes not too great! I am a regular customer and I enjoyed their food because it's really yummy and great flavours but I am sometimes not so happy about the services because I want to be service like it worth my money! Customer service is really important because if I'm not happy I wont be back even thought the food are great! So I hope they can improve their services so everyone can enjoy good food and walk out smiling!
-
Review from Jewels C.
Vancouver, BC
1/24/2010
I will be boycotting this restaurant from now on.
I had moved into the area and was quite excited to try Tropika on Cambie, seeing as I have enjoyed the Tropika in Aberdeen in the past.
I went in one Saturday afternoon for a nice solo lunch after some Cambie Street shopping. I was in a great mood and was loving my new neighbourhood.
Ordered one of the combination meals and made sure to tell my waiter that I had a severe allergy to nuts and peanuts. I double checked that he understood (knowing this restaurant would have peanut and nut products) what I was trying to say and the waiter repeated back to me that he will check with the kitchen for any peanuts or nuts because of my allergy.
Satisfied, I settled into my chair to look over my purchase goodies.
Food arrived, everything looked beautiful in its dishes. Took one bite of the first dish and immediately felt my throat closing in - allergy attack.
I waved the waiter over and gasped to him to check if the dish had peanuts. He went to the kitchen and came back to me. He admitted to me that he only checked that there were no whole or ground peanuts or nuts thrown on top of the main proteins of the dishes. He didn't actually ask the kitchen whether there were any peanuts/nuts in the sauces! Of course, the first dish I tried had some type of peanut based sauce, the waiter confirmed this to me.
At this time, I was having quite a difficult time but since I hadn't eaten so much that I needed an ambulance, I took some hot tea and sat for a few minutes (literally a few minutes).
The next part was what shocked me to no end. The manager came to me and asked me to leave the restaurant after I finished my tea. I was also given the bill to charge me for my uneaten lunch (now taken away). I started getting upset and saying that the waiter had not properly checked on my allergy in the kitchen and had caused this whole situation. The manager admitted that the waiter was at fault but still looked at me expectantly to leave immediately.
Afte an upsetting dialogue between myself and the manager, I ended up leaving the restaurant with no resolution. The restaurant wins. What could I do? At least in the end, they didn't make me pay for the lunch.
It is the principle here, this restaurant did not follow proper procedures to check on severe health allergies. Then, to boot, the management (although admitting blame), offered very little medical service and tried to kick me out of the restaurant so that they could feel as if nothing happened. What???? -
Review from lafawnduh e.
Vancouver, BC
4/16/2010
it was also my first time at this location.
i thought the service was meh. we ordered quite a bit for 10 people and we had to double some of the dishes. so while we were going down the menu to order, the waiter kept rolling his eyes at me, i totally did not know what his problem was. and when we were done ordering, he walked away shaking his head. i dont know what i said or done wrong but isnt the customer always right? though i did not try to argue anything and just ordered off the menu.
the food was delicious! we ordered
- hainanese chicken
- roti
- beef and chicken skewers
- pad thai
- coconut fried rice
- pineapple fried rice
- mussels
- seasonal "tong choi"
- hot and sour soup
- the beans and prawns
there was probably a few more dishes but i dont remember the names of it
the soup came first and the server, oh my goodness, he literally took 10mins to serve 9 bowls. my mom was soooo impatient with him we just told him to leave it and we'll take care of it ourselves. i know he was probably a newbie but c'mon, how hard is it to scoop the soup in the bowls?
there was way to much food but we managed to just take the pad thai home because it was getting cold and nobody ate it.
overall, the food was delicious but the waiter that took the order ruined the experience. i should of complained about him but it was my birthday and i didnt want to cause a scene so i left it at that.
