People 3 minutes 03 October 2024

Jimmy O. Yang's Vancouver Inspires Chinatown Mukbangs

The 'Interior Chinatown' star shares his favorites in Chinatown and beyond.

Canada Celebrities Editor's Pick One MICHELIN Star Vancouver

Known for his culturally insightful humor, Jimmy O. Yang delivers sharp punchlines with a casual charm. Having gained popularity in the blockbuster film Crazy Rich Asians and with his stand-up specials, Yang is a culture tour de force.

His upcoming TV show, Interior Chinatown (with fellow foodies Ronny Chieng and Archie Kao), is a crime drama, but Yang’s already a seasoned expert of Chinatown for another reason: its cuisine.

Years ago, while filming Space Force, he discovered Vancouver's Chinatown rife with delicious restaurants, which even inspired him to post mukbangs (eating broadcasts) online. His top spots include a local staple for nearly four decades, and another he loves so much that Steve Carell gifted him a birthday dinner there.

Below, dive right in to see the actor and comedian’s Vancouver picks in his own words, and make sure to check out more insights from our Inspectors, chefs, and celebrities.

What are your favorite places to eat in Vancouver?

Phnom Penh (Bib Gourmand)

It's a classic, institutional Vancouver Cambodian restaurant. I’m sure every Vancouverite has heard of this place, but it truly lives up to the press every time. It’s authentic, yet innovative. I’m a sucker for the classic dry Hu Tieu but you can’t go wrong with their famous lemon pepper chicken wings. It’s truly a generational effort; their parents brought the Luc Loc so the kids can create the chicken wings. It's always my first stop in Vancouver.

The Crystal Mall

This market and the food court takes me right back home to Hong Kong. The shiny Chinese BBQ, the smell of dry scallops and Chinese medicine, and all the fresh Chinese produce, I wish I had a Crystal Mall next to my house in LA. The food court has great soup dumplings, spicy noodles, and an ever-evolving selection; but I genuinely survived off the handmade frozen dumplings they sell in the market downstairs when I was shooting Space Force. Shout out to whomever made those—you’ve been a surrogate mother.

Phnom Penh

Kissa Tanto (One Star)

Possibly one of my favorite restaurants ever, in the world. I’m usually not one for fusion cuisine but Kissa Tanto geniusly (pretty sure this is not a real world, but it’s the right description) combines two of my faves – Japanese and Italian, and it works magically well. The smoked mashed potatoes with fly fish eggs is one of the most decadent, textured bites that your mouth would ever experience. Their pasta dishes are all unique, creative, and constantly rotating. Perfectly al dente pastas that fuse classic Italian cooking with Japanese techniques and ingredients. Their spaghettoni makes me drool – “made with ragu of Wagyu, nut-fed pork, tomato, Japanese curry, spiced pangrattato.” I mean come on!

My Chau Restaurant

This is a hole in the wall chicken pho and fried chicken joint with no more than eight tables, but what more do you need? You’re not here for a fancy dinner, you’re here for the chicken pho with a side of fried chicken that’ll make you feel warm and fuzzy on a cold, rainy Vancouver day. This place is family owned with unmatched hustle—the dishes almost come out right when you order—but somehow, it's fresh every time. It feels like a delightful discovery when you’re traveling in Asia, and their incredible fried chicken leg reminds me of the famous Polo Chicken fried chicken in Bangkok—simple, no breading, light (if that’s even possible), Asian-style fried chicken. Perfectly paired with a delightful bowl of chicken pho, this combo gets the chef’s kiss emoji.

Hakan Burcuoglu | Knauf and Brown / Kissa Tanto

Kirin

I know, I know, it’s a chain, but let me tell you, this chain is better than most Cantonese restaurants you can find in America. To me Kirin serves as the baseline for all Chinese food in Vancouver, and a very high one at that. They serve incredible dim sum during the day, and authentic Cantonese cuisine for dinner, both on par with what I grew up with in Hong Kong. If I want to impress my friends with good Cantonese food in Vancouver, the answer is Kirin. It’s consistent, on point, and just plain good. I took my Dad here and he approved (arguably a tougher critic than Gordon Ramsay); I took Jo Koy here and he couldn’t stop ordering more XO sauce, “this is insane! Please, bring me a jar of this!” he exclaimed; and I hosted the cast of Space Force in their downtown location during spot prawn season, no better place to do spot prawns then having it simply steamed and then dipped in a spicy/sweet custom soy sauce, Cantonese style. Admittedly I footed the bill with a very generous gift card Steve Carell gave me for my birthday. The thought of Steve going into Kirin and buying a gift card always puts a smile on my face and reminds me of the wonderful time with one of the nicest and most talented casts I’ve ever been around.