To succeed in the Asian restaurant landscape of Metro Vancouver, an eatery must stand out. MYST certainly does that, and has survived its first year in business. Far from the traditional Chinese restaurant design featuring dragon and phoenix motifs, MYST showcases a modern interior with chrome and dark wood trimmings, and ethereal blue lighting.
The menu boasts a wide variety of Taiwanese favourites, along with a generous selection of standard Chinese dishes from the Szechuan, Fujian, and Guangdong provinces. Also featured are Malaysian laksa noodle soup, Korean kimchi egg fried rice, Japanese snacks and desserts, and Balinese butterfly pea flower tea.
MYST makes popular Chinese dishes that are both tasty and visually appealing. For example, beef noodle soup is a Taiwanese staple. MYST’s version does not disappoint, with thin noodles and beef tenderloin in a deep bowl of savoury beef broth. The steamed pork soup dumplings (known as Shanghai juicy pork buns at other establishments) come in a bamboo steamer and have wrappers that are just thick enough to hold in the hot broth, but thin enough as to not distract the palate from the pork filling. The fried rice cakes, with shredded pork and preserved cabbage, have a big-wok flavour that cannot be simulated in home cooking.
The pan-fried beef wrap is temptingly presented in four segments, with slices of marinated beef peeking out from the golden brown wrapper. The pork pot stickers arrive at the table steaming hot and fanned out on the plate. The crispy, golden brown wrappers nicely complement the pork and cabbage filling.
Despite an interior decor that is reminiscent of a nightclub, MYST is a family restaurant. Families with small children and elderly grandparents populate the tables. The good food, clean atmosphere, and polite staff make MYST a popular destination for everyone.
