Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Review, Vancouver, BC

Reviewer: Foodnut.com

Kirin Mandarin

1172 Alberni Street

Vancouver, BC V6E 3Z3

(604) 682-8833

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada Exterior Decor

Kirin Mandarin is a well-respected Chinese restaurant in downtown Vancouver, which is named after a mythical dragon like monster. They have five locations in the greater Vancouver area. This particular location focuses on Northern Chinese cuisine and opened in 1987. Sherman recommended we visit this restaurant. Dim Sum Lunch is covered separately.

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada Interior decor

Decor, Vibe – Kirin Mandarin is located in any atrium of an office building. The decor is modern and corporate with elegant seating and lighting. The majority of folks were Asians, but there was a healthy mix of other races. We noted how much nicer people dress here than in the San Francisco Bay Area!

Menu (Click to zoom into any picture)

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada Menu 12

Kirin Mandarin Menu has an extensive menu with a wide variety of items. We ordered a super good value Special set menu that was only in Chinese.

Website Kirin Mandarin Menu

Kirin Mandarin Full image set

Picks:
$45 per person Set Menu included the following items:

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada jellyfish smoked Salmon appetizer

Appetizers (preserved vegetables / Shredded Chicken with Jelly Fish / Smoked Salmon) was a nice starter cold dish of salt sea vegetables balanced out with the tame jellyfish.

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada sharks fin soup

Shark Fin with Fish Maw and Crab Meat Soup was a solid version. At this price level we could not expect the best. Lots of crabmeat, slightly salty broth, vinegar helped offset the flavor. Hong Kong had better versions.

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada steamed scallop

Steamed Fresh Scallop in Black Bean Sauce was excellent. We scraped off most the heavy duty sauce which still left enough flavor to contrast the sweet scallop flavor.

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada shrimp

Shrimp in Mandarin Style Brown Sauce was not too spicy, but more on the tomatoee side. Very nice shrimp that didn’t need this level of thick sauces.

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada scallion crab

Ginger Green Onion Live BC Crab had a good and strong sauce, along with very tender meat. Very fresh and super messy, but worth it. If you have enough people try their expensive King crab special.

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada seafood fried rice

Assorted Seafood Fried Rice was almost like a seafood dish of a little bit of rice. Tons of calamari, egg, chicken, scallops. We’ve never seen a dish like this.

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada stir fried beef snap peas

Stir Fried Beef with Snap Peas with mushrooms was a great dish. The sauce was incredibly balanced and not salty. The beef was of decent quality too.

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada squab

Roasted Squab ($16.80) was hot of the kitchen and had excellent flavor, crispy skin, juicy meat in the inside. Definitely one of the better ones.

Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Vancouver BC Canada birds nest soup dessert

Double boiled birds nest soup ($24.80 per cup) is an expensive dessert, but a must to test the kitchen! This version came on a heated platform and was fairly subdued flavor wise. A very good version, well balanced without the coconut not dominating. Not as good as Hong Kong though.

OK:
Almond Jello with Fruit Cocktail was decidedly average but included in the set meal.

Pans:
None

Kirin Mandarin had excellent service. Servers are constantly scanning hall tables, so everything was taken care of quickly including refills. The food here is sort of like a fusion of Cantonese and Mandarin cuisine. We can’t think of a Chinese restaurant in the San Francisco bay area with this level of service. We have encountered this level of service in Hong Kong and China. We have no problem recommending this restaurant. The food quality meets or exceeds the top places in the SF bay area like Koi Palace, and the prices are reasonable. You would have to fly to Hong Kong to find better Chinese food.

Kirin (Downtown) on Urbanspoon

Also at:
201 City Square, 555 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V5Z 3X7
(604) 879-8038
(604) 879-0128 fax

200 Three West Centre,
7900 Westminster Highway (at No. 3 Road)
Richmond, British Columbia
Canada V6X 1A5
(604) 303-8833
(604) 303-8669 fax

2001 Henderson Place
1163 Pinetree Way
Coquitlam, British Columbia
Canada V3B 8A9
(604) 944-8833
(604) 944-8565 fax

350 Gifford Street
New Westminster, British Columbia
Canada V3M 7A3
(604) 528-8833
(604) 527-3838 fax

Restaurant Map:


Kirin Mandarin Overall Rating: (Excellent 3)

Come Back?

Food Rating: (Excellent)
Service Rating: (Excellent)
Atmosphere Rating: (Excellent)
Value Rating: (Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:Full Bar
Attire:Casual
Hours:Weekdays 11am-2:30pm, 5pm-10:30pm; Weekends 10am-2:30pm, 5pm-10:30pm
Parking:Paid Lot
Reservations:Yes
Prices:$3.80 - $235

You Might Also Like

8 Comments

  • Sherman
    May 20, 2010 at 4:09 pm

    Glad you enjoyed it! The Chinese food in Vancouver is indeed very good. I have relatives in San Fran and visit quite often. At first, the Chinese food in San Fran lagged behind quite badly. But I must admit it is getting better.

  • Victoria
    May 20, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    Kirin has to be my favourite dim sum place in Vancouver. The salty spicy squid is a must-have if you ever come back to town!

  • Victoria
    May 20, 2010 at 4:40 pm

    Kirin has got to be my favourite dim sum place in Vancouver. Make sure to try the Spicy Salty Squid if you ever make it back to town! 🙂

  • Kirin Mandarin Restaurant Dim Sum, Lunch, Vancouver | Foodnut.com
    May 23, 2010 at 12:03 am

    […] Kirin Mandarin is a well-respected Chinese restaurant in downtown Vancouver, which is named after a mythical dragon like monster. They have five locations in the greater Vancouver area. This particular location focuses on Northern Chinese cuisine and opened in 1987. Sherman recommended we visit this restaurant. We came for dinner in a previous review. […]

  • Asian Pearl Peninsula Restaurant, Millbrae | Foodnut.com
    May 24, 2010 at 2:47 pm

    […] version of a classic Cantonese dish. Juicy and cooked just right.  We had better squab in Vancouver, but we distill the difference to the birds themselves, not the cooking […]

  • Lung King Heen, Hong Kong | Foodnut.com
    August 18, 2010 at 4:54 pm

    […] to a Chinese restaurant of this caliber in the US, the closest are located in Vancouver, BC like Kirin.  Be sure to check out our Hong Kong reviews of Lei Garden IFC , Chuen Kee Seafood, and Yung Kee. […]

  • Koi Palace Restaurant Dinner, Daly City | Foodnut.com
    September 6, 2010 at 10:39 am

    […] the same high end fine dining realm and hence do not focus on service. Even Chinese restaurants in Vancouver, BC had higher end service and better food. The breath of items was excellent, more extensive and more […]

  • 2010 Best of San Francisco Restaurants | Foodnut.com
    January 7, 2011 at 5:23 pm

    […] Kirin Mandarin, Vancouver, BC – Top-notch Chinese food, better than the Bay Area […]

  • Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant Restaurant, Richmond | Foodnut.com
    April 25, 2012 at 2:45 pm

    […] be sure to check out this restaurant, it is worth the trip from downtown Vancouver, otherwise hit Kirin. Across the street is a big shopping mall full of Chinese stores, something you see all over Hong […]

Leave a Reply


By using our site you agree to our: Privacy Policy, Terms of Use.

Subscribe to the Free Foodnut Newsletter