Since my last visit at Tropika was amazing... amazing, I had to bring my sister here. I came here last week but chose to post my first experience before the second, just for comparison purposes. Tropika is located on Robson and serves Malaysian and Thai cuisine.
ROTI CANAI, SATAYS, LOBSTER TUNG YAM KUNG, THAI STYLE GREEN CURRY CHICKEN, THAI STYLE RED CURRY CHICKEN, PAN FRIED EGGPLANT, PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE, SAMBAL MUSSELS, LYCHEE WITH ICE CREAM, BUBUR CHA CHA AND CENDOL (NO CRAB, VEGETABLE CURRY OR PORK RIBS THIS TIME).
ROTI CANAI, MALAYSIAN BREAD ($2.95) AND LAMB, BEEF AND CHICKEN SATAYS ($1.30/EACH). The roti tastes perfect just like the first time, flaky and moist layers with a crispy exterior. The sauce also tastes very flavourful as well, I am pretty sure Tropika is consistent with the roti. For the satays, unfortunately those did not taste as good as the first time. The lamb tastes chewy, the beef lacks flavour, and the chicken does not taste as juicy, although the chicken did taste better than the lamb and beef. The accompanying peanut dipping sauce tastes the same - flavourful with nice chunks of peanuts.
LOBSTER TUNG YAM KUNG (MARKET PRICE). Tropika is supposed to be known for the lobster tung yam kung and I highly recommend it. The soup tastes flavourful, rich, and has a lemongrass taste with a hint of sourness from the tomatoes. My sister really enjoyed the soup, I told her she would.
THAI STYLE RED DUCK CURRY ($15.95). The duck curry does not taste better than the chicken and the duck does not taste tender or overly dry. I took a tried a piece of the duck and left the rest, it just did not taste flavourful. If the malaccan curry tasted amazing, I would think the other two curries would be tasteful as well. Unfortunately I felt like it was a waste to order both curries and I did not want to waste my stomach space (yes, fatty talk).
PAN FRIED EGGPLANT ($13.95). The eggplant tastes really soft with a nice crispiness and has a light but flavourful tasteful seasoning. I do not prefer eggplant with heavy sauces so this is perfect for me.
PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE WITH HAM AND CHICKEN ($14.95). Pineapple fried rice is a must order at any Thai or Malaysian cuisine restaurant (with the exception of Thai House in Richmond, it tastes horrible there). The pineapple fried rice tastes just as good as the first time, properly fused ingredients with a tasty good amount of pineapple, ham and chicken. The shredded pork was forgotten again but BF asked for it this time.
SAMBAL MUSSELS ($14.95). My sister ordered the mussels and enjoyed them. The mussels taste fresh, flavourful and has a heavy saucy taste.
LYCHEE WITH ICE CREAM ($4.25). The brand of canned lychee used is really funky tasting. The lychees tastes so "off" that they should remove it from the menu. I hate to admit this but at least the Aberdeen location uses a better brand of canned lychee. The lychee has a funky bland but bitter to "is this lychee?" taste lingering in your mouth. Other than the unpleasant lychee, the vanilla ice cream tastes very generic which I enjoyed.
BUBUR CHA CHA ($4.25). The dessert is served hot, comes with yam and taro, and tastes flavourful, creamy and milky.
CENDOL ($4.75). My sister enjoys the cendol and it tastes average. There is no unique, different or "wow" to Tropika's version and you can order it at any Vietnamese restaurant.
POSITIVES
- Roti tastes really good
- Consistent pineapple fried rice
NEGATIVES
- Curries can be improved
LITTLE THINGS
- Wah, the first visit was so much better.. food and service wise
- I would try the Cambie location, if that location's dishes taste better, I would rather visit there than come back.. but vice versa, if that location is not so great and comparable to Aberdeen's, I would choose Tropika at Robson as my regular
- Aberdeen location has closed for a while and they are planning to open another location in Richmond but with the same owners. I do not think I would go back to that location for sure though
- First post on Tropika at Robson [here]
Food: 3/5
Service: 3.5/5
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