Eaters Gotta Eat: The Lunch Lady Co-Owner Benedict Lim’s Top Spots to Eat in Vancouver

“I used to not understand the importance of pho,” admits Lunch Lady culinary director and co-owner Benedict Lim. “Now, I realize it’s the baseline of trust in Vietnamese cuisine.” Along with co-founder Michael Tran, serving one of the best bowls in the city is their culinary North Star. “It has to be amazing. If we have bad pho, the rest is just noise.”

When Chef Lim pivoted from running a successful private dining business to co-founding The Lunch Lady six years ago, he had minimal knowledge of Vietnamese fare, but was drawn to the storytelling of it all. Let’s rewind to 2009 for a moment, when Anthony Bourdain gave the late Chef Nguyen Thi Thanh (also known as Co Thanh) and her street-side noodle stall in Ho Chi Minh City his No Reservations stamp of honour. A few years after that, Lim’s business partner, Tran, travelled to meet with her, and eventually she agreed to join the duo in Vancouver. “When I got to know Co Thanh, I realized that the symbiosis of her food and energy, what it brought to the community, was so special. I think [Bourdain] saw that specialness,” says Lim. “I knew that to be a speckle in its storyline would be something impactful.”

These days, The Lunch Lady is an icon on The Drive and a love letter to the noodle stall that inspired it. (It may well be the only Michelin-recognized joint with hand-written sign on the door to signal when they are closed). Last year, Lim and his team opened a location in Toronto, as well as a Tokyo-inspired bar-resto, Nomo Nomo, also on Commercial Drive, just two blocks away from its sister restaurant(plus a new stall at Time Out market). “Food is so powerful because it brings everybody to the dinner table,” says Lim. “It doesn’t matter what walk of life you’re from, if you’re visiting or from here. It builds community. And that’s what we’ve always tried to do.” To that end, here is where Lim is eating around the Lower Mainland. 

Sushi Hil

3330 Main St.
When I first met Hilary I walked in and he said, ‘My staff know who you are,’ and this was before I did Lunch Lady. I look at him like a mentor, whereas he treated me as a peer. Which shocked me… and I think that kind of humility is what I love the most about him.” When people Lim where to get sushi in Vancouver, he directs them to Sushi Hil, every time. And his order? “Chef’s nigiri, and being that we know each other, he knows what I like. I’m a big salmon roe guy, and tuna. I will eat that all day long.”

Mui Garden

Various locations
“I grew up in Richmond, and this is one of those very low key casual-Cantonese restaurants. They have the best beef brisket curry. It comes with a side of rice, and it’s $15. Don’t know what else you can get for $15 these days. The sauce is so addictive, the beef is soft. It’s one of those meals that when I’m tired I’ll eat it, when I’m upset I’ll eat it, when I’m happy I’ll eat it… It’s a very strong memory for me.”

Sumibiyaki Arashi

363 E. Broadway
Lim’s good friend Pete Ho runs this experiential omakase spot where skewers are cooked to perfection over binchotan charcoal. “His yakitori game is crazy. I remember bumping into him in Kyoto at my friend’s izakaya, Shake It Up Baby. It was run by my buddy, and I’m sitting there just enjoying Japan. Pete pops his head in, unplanned, and I’m like, ‘Hey, what are you doing man!’ And he’s like like ‘I’m learning from the masters.” And he asks me, ‘What are you doing?’ And I’m like… uh, drinking a highball? We are two different energies.” Lim’s fave yakitori? Two cuts: bonjiri, the tail of the chicken, and seseri, the neck. “The meat is unreal.” 

READ MORE: Review: Inside the New Sumibiyaki Arashi

Chupito

2450 Yukon St.
“It is up there, in terms of cocktail bars I like to pull up to. Tara [Davies] and her partner Eric are so hospitable, so respected in the community, and culturally they very much align with how I want to run business and propel the industry… Plus, they also give me mescal when I’m there! And they have a great food program run by Maria [Ponce], the chef there. It’s delicious—very quintessentially Mexico City.” 

Izumiya Japanese Marketplace

160-7971 Alderbridge Way
“If I’m doing errands and I happen to be in Richmond, there’s this little Japanese grocery store. I’ll grab an onigiri and a little temaki roll, eat it in my car while driving. I think this is my affinity with Japan—I mean, that’s why Nomo exists. I’m always thinking about Japan, reminiscing about when I’m able to go back.”

The Keg

Various locations
Lim worked at The Keg for five years, giving him ample time to fall in love with the Billy Miner Pie, a mocha ice cream slice with an Oreo-inspired crust (drool). “It is one of my single favourite desserts in the entire world. It’s so nostalgic. I remember we used to blitz it into a shake, maybe add some Kahlua into there…”

The Lunch Lady

1026 Commercial Dr.
Of course, we had to ask—what’s for dinner if he’s eating at Lunch Lady? “For dinner, I always gravitate toward the 16 oz pork tomahawk—bone in chop, classic Vietnamese marinade. And we serve it with some lettuce, herbs on the side, wrap it together. I could put back the whole thing by myself no problem. For lunch, of course, the beef pho. “We try to do everything with intent—how we blanche the bones, how we get a clear broth while maintaining the intensity of a French stock, everything like that.”

Nomo Nomo 

1268 Commercial Dr.
“Lucas Szaraz, our bar manager, does an amazing job.” Of his two favourite drinks, one is the Tonka with vanilla rooibos-infused Suntory Toki whiskey. “It’s effervescent, a great opener.” His post-work order: whiskey highball. “We do a version with Suntoky infused with Hojicha. It’s refreshing, boozy, cold and not too sweet.” To eat, it’s always the steak tartare. “Our version is with Australian wagyu, and we use all the principles that make a great tartare but shift it into the world of Japan [with yuzu kosho and Japanese pickles].”

McDonald’s

Various locations
Just when we thought the interview was over, the truth came out. “Okay, so I’m lactose intolerant, but I do love a McFlurry once in a while. And, like, crappy chocolate. When you take M&Ms and Smarties and blend it into a McFlurry, there’s so much nostalgia there.” We really can’t argue with that.