VANCOUVER — Renowned chef and restaurateur Angus An’s second Fat Mao restaurant has opened its doors at 983 Helmcken St.
While the small and focused downtown menu will feature many standout items from the original location, a handful of dishes are exclusive to the new location. Debut highlights include braised-brisket noodles served with Asian celery and fried garlic; Nam Ngaio, a Northern-style tender pork-rib noodle dish with pork-blood cake, red cotton tree flowers and fermented soybean; Albacore tuna ceviche with herb dressing and crispy taro; and Thai-tea shaved iced for a sweet finish, served with grass jelly and condensed milk with Thai iced-tea panna cotta. A liquor license and cocktail list is in the works.
The 25-seat restaurant was designed by An himself, with the help of his millworker Denis Lafreiere. Guests will be welcomed by an open kitchen with induction cooktops, helmed by head chef and kitchen manager, Sai Woranut Pounpakonsolely.
“Fat Mao is an ode to the small storefronts handed down through several family generations that specialize in making one single dish over and over,” says An. “I want our guests to pull up a stool and enjoy a bowl of their favourite noodle soup with a good novel for years to come.”
