DD Mau opened their second location in Chinatown with an expanded menu and bar. Their original location in Yaletown has a limited menu and mostly serve Banh Mi sandwiches. I’ve been here several times since their opening but finally had enough dishes to write a proper review of DD Mau in Chinatown.
Interior
The interior is pretty unique and seems like you’ve stepped back into time. When you walk in, there are antique bird cages above, the sight of metal tables, metal utensils and plates just like if you’re out in a market place.
Menu
DD Mau Wings
This is their deep-fried chicken wings with their housemade fish glaze sauce. It is crisp on the outside and you can taste the fish sauce glaze on the wings. A good item to share among the table.
Fried Crispy Pig Ears
The fried crispy pig ears were very crisp where it was tough to chew some pieces. It is seasoned with five spice and it’s not too strong. I can see this pair well with beer.
Liquid Tiramisu
This is a Ha Noi Style Coffee with sweet egg cream. The coffee below is strong and bold. The sweet egg cream really balances it out. Highly recommended.
Grandma’s Tea
Who knew you could combine oolong Tea and Johnnie Walker into a shot.
Lychee Soda
The sodas on the menu come in a variety of flavours – lychee, soursop, passion fruit and guava. We went with the lychee flavour but it was way too sweet for our liking.
Pho Beef Dip Banh Mi
Inside the French baguette is beef shank, eye round, onions, bean sprouts, and herbs. It has the pho broth on the side for dipping. It was an interesting concept to switch up the traditional beef dip. I found the beef shank and eye round to be a bit tough, so when biting into it, I would drag out more beef.
Grilled Betel Leaf Meatball Platter
A large dish where you can eat it for 1 person or share among the table. It has banh hoi rice noodle bundles, lettuce, herbs, pickled veggies and an anchovy-pineapple sauce. It was a pretty solid dish and I really liked the noodle bundles as they were really easy to grab and dip into the sauce. A good combination of flavours in this dish too.
Damn Good Chicken and Rice
This is a popular Northern Hoi An dish. It has free-range chicken salad on tumeric rice and served with a side of soup. A solid dish and I really enjoyed it. We asked the server for this recommendation and she wasn’t wrong at all.
Beef Pho
This has beef balls, flank, and rare eye around with their beef broth. It’s a pretty good clean bowl of pho that feels healthy. It also comes with herbs, bean sprouts and jalapeños on the side.
Final Thoughts
It’s a good place for lunch and dinner in the Chinatown area. It definitely add something that is much needed in the neighbourhood. The modern twist to some of the dishes aren’t for everyone, but they have a good amount of options on the menu that isn’t just pho and banh mi sandwiches.
Address:
145 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC
Website:
https://www.ddmau.ca/chinatown
