East is East (Kits) – Poetic Cuisine

Taken from the first line in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, The Ballad of East and West, you could be forgiven for taking the phrase out of context.

When I first heard of the name of this eatery, I immediately thought it was similar to a rallying cry – proclaiming the virtues of the eastern culture and cuisine. But upon reading the full refrain which opens and closes the poem, you start to see that this couldn’t be farther from the point.

Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth!

In fact, it seems that the true meaning seems to be that nationality, race, etc… doesn’t really matter and that we should not fear different cultures/cuisine.

Anyhoo, my visit to this cozy little establishment started off with a complimentary darjeeling chai with organic milk. And by “cozy”, I mean that it was quite dark inside. I suppose it helps to create the soft and warm aura that you expect from the place. The tea was creamy and warming to my chest.

But since the weather was still good outside, I wanted something a little cooler and picked the Himalayan High with ice cream ($5.50). This shake of honeydew, pineapple, lychee, rosewater, cardamon and nuts was very thick and creamy and so yummy.

For my meal, I picked the Chicken Masala Rice Bowl ($12.50) which was served with Afghan rice (basmati rice with raisins and carrots). The fragrant aroma of this dish was intoxicating when it arrived at my table. The creamy sauce enveloped the super tender chicken pieces and was perfect paired with the long grain rice. As you can imagine, this rice bowl was actually quite filling.

If you don’t mind the dark interior, the rich flavour of the food and the friendly waitresses will have you returning again and again.

3243 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC

www.eastiseast.ca