My tastebuds are erect, waiting for their next mouthful.
This place always makes you feel like you have some unfinished business. A darkly lit room, unique dishes and weekly date-night entertainment all found here.
This Vancouver speakeasy, the Lucky Penny, gifts us with every foodie’s ‘dive bar’ dreams. Formally known as Yaggers, the old wooden tables, chairs and foot-and-a-half wide bar are still there, with a fresh sanding and varnish. The place feels like a mystery, so we will also leave it mostly so.
The former sports bar had seen its days, the ever-happy hour carries its heart now in Asian Fusion cuisine, craft cocktails, comedy and burlesque nights. Holy Chow, well known in food delivery services like Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes and Doordash, was the dream that Vancouver needed to happen.
Does the logo remind you possibly of of Jackie Chan? Maybe. It’s really owner Christian Wong during no-barber days throughout the twilight saga Covid. Wong, formerly known floating in Sai Woo, a beautifully decorated and elevated dining experience in the heart of Chinatown, was forced to turn off his restaurant’s neon-hen sign permanently after the neighbourhood took a dive in 2020. Christian, business partner Charlotte Lind-Petersen and Chef Issac Ko, put their heads together to create the mighty hearty bowls of Holy Chow.
“I woke up one morning with this reoccurring dream. It kept being so vivid I knew this was a good idea and I had to do it!” said Christian.
I punched in 433 Pender Street to my nav. I knew the area so well; I just couldn’t put my finger around where exactly was this door and why I couldn’t recall seeing front window restaurant space. Found it. On the door hung hours of operation, an open paper menu taped to the window and the Holy Chow logo. No extra bits and bolts, no neon signs.
Walking in, I was greeted by the warm ambiance of red paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling leading up to a large black arch doorway, this separated the “front” and “back” of the restaurant. “During Covid, we sectioned off the back as we were not allowed to legally serve anyone, our customers would wait here for their food,” said Christian. At the front is an arrangement of black couches, low tables, miss-fit stools, random sized mirrors with thin gold frames and a large black and white 50s mural. Some of this furniture is repurposed for comedy nights too. Past the archway up a few steps, local artists dawn the walls with painted three large and bright graffiti murals, including the words Lucky Penny. To the right, a clean bar stocked with elevated spirits is a dead give-away that this bar stirs, shakes and strains drinks. If you look closely on one of the shelves too, there’s a little golden lucky cat, paw up, ready for a high-five. The décor is certainly challenging, but it works.
Christian wanted to preserve the relevance Yaggers had in the neighbourhood. The former Mántou (steamed bun) patrons were blasted with in with the new clientele: ready for hot Korean friend chicken wings, hand-made dumplings, Szechuan spicy potatoes, bowls, spring rolls and salads. A little secret oath Wong muttered while re-building into the Lucky Penny, a vow that patrons were allowed to always have a good time for a long time. A hidden back room for karaoke and comedy, Thursday burlesque nights, vegan food (does this belong here?), and just a hella good time, 5pm onwards.
Wong is no stranger to the restaurant industry well before Sai Woo. His acquired taste, along with the clear fresh delight of Holy Chow bowls with the help of Chef Ko, the bar drinks at this bar almost come secondary.
“We fried 85 pieces of chicken every night for two months to get this taste,” Wong explained as I struggled to look elegant with a huge mouthful of spicy fried chicken. I didn’t need an explanation, it was just damn good. Back in the late 80s Christian and two college buddies opened up a bustling “fancy pizzeria”, as he called it. Pizza in the front, buns in the back. And by buns we mean the boys supplied fresh buns for big chain restaurants such as Boston Pizza.
Wong puts his money where his mouth is, or shall I say hands? With swift rigorous shakes, a strained and perfectly smooth Lavender Sour (made with Citadelle Gin and Lavender Bitters) slides it’s way in front of me. “Hold on I’ll be right back going to make you some food, have the drink if you’d like, I’ll make you another,” he said and disappeared in the kitchen. Though not a trained chef, Christian knows how to cook and never forgets to sprinkle a Holy Chow amount of love in every dish he makes.
Plate by plate I worked my way through. Pinched a wad of noodles; picked through all crunchy seasoned vegetables; ate through every (stop, ok, I know..) dumpling; devoured almost the entire bowl of spicy chicken (red chilies, Sichuan peppers, sautéed onion, sliced ginger & tea smoked egg); crunched on crispy chickpeas and Asian slaw; Not to mention their home-made hot sauce fermented for three months. If you just can’t with the food for whatever reason (we can’t be friends), then just come in for the hot sauce.
The food is cooked slow, it’s cooked with love, it’s quality controlled, it’s seasoned and it’s a blast of authentic flavours in a very Ameri-CAN setting.
Holy Chow! You’ve got me.
Thank you Christian for having me and letting me listen to pages from your diary.
“Holy Chow delicious Asian fusion rice bowls, noodles, and dumplings”
Everyday 11am — late
433 West Pender Street, Vancouver
Nina @Fueler
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