Mia Stainsby
Sun
Laura Grafton shows off fresh roasted masala chicken roti rolls in East is East on Main street. Photograph by : Mark Van Manen, Vancouver Sun
I’m still thinking about that darn Nutty Gypsy. So yummy! It’s not a person, but a thing — a delicious milkshake to be more precise. I had it with my lunch at East Is East on Main Street and loved the luscious mix of nuts, chocolate, cardamom, cinnamon, yogurt and milk. I should confess, it was my husband’s shake but I borrowed it for a very long time.
East Is East arose out of the success of its larger counterpart on West Broadway. When the Main Street location opened in June, the menu featured mostly wraps with flavours of the Silk Road, covering Asia, Tibet, India, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. The health-minded kitchen uses organic ingredients as much as possible and follows ayurvedic principles. To accompany the wraps, there are fresh juice mixes, shakes and lassi.
As of this week, the menu expands to include the “Eastern Plates” that are offered in the other location.
These meals include a choice of two entrees, which come with two kinds of rice, roti, salad and mango pickles, tummy fillers all, for $15.
In keeping with ayurvedic ways of balancing Earth’s natural elements, seating is made from driftwood with the energy of the water and lights are covered with teak bark and glow like fire.
While calm is part of ayurvedic life, some of us are in a big hurry. And for the scurriers, there is a take-out window where you can order from the street, weather permitting.
The dining area is small and narrow, but there’s space reserved for evening entertainment — Afghani, Persian and Indian music. And during the day, there are Bollywood music videos, which somehow strikes me as un-ayurvedic. But I’m no expert.
East is East is open for lunch and dinner, daily.
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– EAST IS EAST
4413 Main St., 604-879-2020
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
