Kalvin’s Restaurant is as authentically Taiwanese as you can get in Vancouver. Though the restaurant space is small, no bigger than my room, they serve up Taiwanese & Szechuan style food every night to the hungry & homesick (like me).  You are warned, they get busy after 6pm, so it would be smart to phone ahead and reserve if you want to guarantee yourself a table.  Otherwise, have fun waiting!

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Craving some comfort food, I went for dinner with my parents.  Everything here my mom ordered except the last one, which was my request!
To start, we had Cucumber, Carrot, Mushroom and Pork in Soup.

Then the Dry Squid w/ Green Onion came.

Eggplant is something I would never eat as a kid, it’s purple, which just seems such an unnatural color. Also the name “eggplant” completely threw me for a loop. Now that I’m older, I actually enjoy it, especially when it’s all cooked up mushy like this. Hakka Style Eggplant w/ Shredded Pork

Finally, the dish that I requested. I LOVE spicy food, and I especially love Pigs Blood.  I was pleasantly surprised when the eating challenge for The Amazing Hunt was revealed, it was the exact same as this. I like Kalvin’s version better, as they give you bigger chunks of pig intestines & pack more heat into it. Fondue Spicy Pork w/ Organ Stew

To go with all this, we also ordered a bucket of rice. For 3 of us, 4 dishes (we packed up the Eggplant & Pigs Blood) came to under $40. Sure we could have had one dish less, but hey I eat a lot…

Kalvin’s is a staple restaurant, not only for the Taiwanese community in Vancouver, but also for Vancouver.  For those that are looking for delicious and simple food that will make anyone yearn for home, you’ll be glad to know that they have a freezer full of frozen dumplings, green onion pancakes, and many others that you can take home and prepare yourself.