A little Gem in Gastown

Intimate setting, authentic flavours, warm & friendly environment, all combined to give patrons a fantastic experience when dining out at Terracotta located at 52 Alexander Street in Gastown. Terracotta is divided into different sections giving guests the option of either sitting in the patio, at the bar, tables set up upstairs or having an intimate get-together downstairs. Decoration is very modern with sleek lines while having the venue adorned with traditional Chinese images and sculptures.

Owner Eric Low made sure to point out that Terracotta is not a fusion restaurant, but instead a restaurant giving a truly authentic experience with an added western twist. And Terracotta does just that. For those who wish to have a gathering of any sort there, ether a birthday dinner or a business meeting, the Chivas-green tea pot is highly recommended. This is such a great alternative to the regular “cold tea” that other Chinese restaurants offer. The drink is served in a traditional Chinese tea-pot and as we discovered, conveniently dangerous! The drink is delicious and it is easy to forget the fact that there is any alcohol in the drink at all! Also recommended from the drink menu, make sure to try the Alo-Vodka shot which will definitely surprise you with the kick that it has to it.

As for the food, well, lets just say I have already experienced a craving or two for some of the dishes, and it’s only been a few days! The sweet and sour pork has a surprisingly different combination of flavours, and yet delivers the authentic taste that one seeks when it comes to one of the most popular Chinese Cuisine dishes. The pork is tender yet crispy, fresh vegetables, and our favourite part, has whole lychees in the dish. The King Prawn Tofu has home-made tofu made from eggs and the combination with prawns is exciting. The Szechuan beans have the perfect amount of spice and the best part is the combination of enoki mushrooms and beans, probably the best Szechuan beans we’ve tasted in a long while. The short-rip sliders are one of the favourites at Terracotta according to Low, and it is no surprise. It is the chef’s take on mini-burgers. The dish has three burgers made of succulent short rip topped with green onions, in the most delicious Chinese buns. And finally, as Eric Low puts it himself, a perfect “happy ending” to the meal is the Tapioca Pudding Pie desert. A crust has been added to the pudding giving it a Western twist, served with green-tea ice-cream. It is the perfect ending to a great meal.

Terracotta went far to find the chef that they were looking for, they wanted an authentic taste and they found Michael Zhou to deliver. Zhou graduated from Shanghai Culinary Institute with honours. This is a great investment that they made, because Terracotta gives you the most authentic Chinese experience, in an intimate and modern setting, in one of the most popular areas in Vancouver. Make sure to visit Terracotta for a new take on Chinese Cuisine in the city of Vancouver, it is greatly different in the best of ways possible. (Written by Atousa Ebrahimi)

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