Sherman's Food Adventures: New Macaw's Cafe

New Macaw's Cafe

Almost 10 years ago, I had a temporary gig at a company near the Great Pacific Forum. Now, if you are familiar with the area, it is not exactly a hotbed of culinary excitement. So for one month solid, I went on the Jared diet at Subway. No, I really wasn't on a diet, but other than Burger King and Tim's, there was not much to choose from for lunch. After a month of sandwiches, I'd had enough. Not only was it getting expensive (Subway is not cheap), I had actually gained weight. See what carbohydrates can do to you! So I went searching for alternative eats that didn't involve going upstairs at GPF. Little did I know, there was a small cafe hidden on Swenson Way.

Fast forward to the present and it suddenly hit me that this place still exists. I decided it was time to go back and as I pulled up, the sign read "New Macaw's Cafe". Was it just "Macaw's Cafe" before? Since the menu is so varied, I decided that more than one visit was in order. Thus, on my first go around, I went for the infamous Chinese combo lunch. No, it wasn't combo #5, rather it was Combo F. It included chow mein, sweet 'n sour pork, broccoli beef and lemon chicken. This was a relatively large plate of food reminiscent of places such as Hang Lee Wok and Manchu Wok. However, it costs significantly more at Macaw's. Granted, the food is prepared fresh and served steaming hot. And you know what? The food was pretty good North American Chinese. The chow mein was well-seasoned and exhibited good wok heat. Crisp and vibrant, the broccoli was good while the beef was tender. The sweet & sour pork was meaty and crisp. Although it was flavourful, I would've preferred the sauce to have a bit more tang. The lemon chicken was crispy and meaty with a tangy sauce.

On my second visit, I wanted to try their Sushi. Yah, it looked kinda shady since there was not a lot of choice and there was no sushi chef on the premises. With that in mind, I was prepared to be bitterly disappointed. However, that wasn't really the case. Sure, the sushi was pretty average and in fact, the tuna nigiri looked like it was prepared with a butter knife. On the positive. the rice was actually acceptable and the fish was okay. Seeing how some sushi might not be enough, I also ordered the Ma Po Tofu on Rice. This was actually pretty good. The tofu stayed in tact and the ground pork was moist. The mix of peppers and pickled veggies added some texture as well as hits of flavour. For a lil' cafe out in the middle of nowhere, this was not bad. In fact, the Chinese food in particular is a whole lot better than some actual Chinese restaurants in North Delta.

The Good:
- Lots of choice from Chinese, Japanese and American food
- Food is actually pretty good (particularly the Chinese food)
- Friendly family-run operation

The Bad:
- Not as cheap as you would think
- For those who care, it's mostly serve yourself (get your own cutlery, water, condiments)

New Macaw's Cafe on Urbanspoon

7 comments:

LotusRapper said...

I've been to Macaw's believe it or not ! That was late Oct or early November when we were out there for work on Alex Fraser Bridge. I needed a brunch, and swore I would not eat Subway, Quizno's ,etc that were in that area. I had the daily brekkie special of eggs, sausages, hash and pan-fried perogies (huh ?!?) all for like ~ $5. All was pretty ok. The owners looked Korean to me. The space is kinda unusual, but lots of newspapers kept me happy. If I am ever in that area again, I'd go back because the place is so quirky but in a charming way.

Vox said...

It's funny, I think the Jared Diet is like a 1/2 whole wheat veggie sub no cheese no mayo for lunch, and 1/2 a whole wheat turkey sub (no cheese no mayo) for dinner. I can see how that could slim a person down...though a footlong meatball sure isn't gonna!

PH said...

I can't believe people actually know about this place!..such a remote location,I grew up near the bog and my friends and I would always walk down to the forum and explore the area and of course there was not a whole lot going on, The Macaw seemed kind of random there with all the businesses and warehouses

Sherman Chan said...

@LR Nice that you've been there! Food is not bad considering... I heard them speaking Cantonese, so I'm pretty sure they're Chinese tho.

@Vox Man, I can't believe I ate Subway for a month...

@PH Definitely random!

LotusRapper said...

I just realized I made a royally big mistake. The place I went to was on Annacis Island, *not* in N. Delta. I went to Island Deli:

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/14/1525196/restaurant/Vancouver/New-Westminster/Island-Deli-Delta

Which remarkably resemble the overall description of Macaw's !

Sherman Chan said...

@LR Does that mean I have to go there too??? ;)

LotusRapper said...

As a responsible food blogger, you'd have to ..... ;-)

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