Boa & Hare
#127 inside Pacific Mall 
(97th Street at 105th Avenue)

In movies and novels, we often enjoy the fantasy of secret places known only to insiders: the “if you know, you know” hideouts of the most sophisticated.

Boa & Hare feels just like that fantasy world, a beautiful space hiding inside Pacific Mall in Chinatown that thousands pass by every day. Opened at the end of 2024, it’s run by (brother and sister) Winnie and William Chen, and business partner Wilson Wong. All three have solid street cred: Winnie is chef at downtown hotspot Fu’s Repair Shop, and William and Wilson together run Van Loc, a local favourite for lovers of Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches.

Wanting to revitalize Chinatown, they have created a space that keeps the area active in the day as a place to chat over fancy coffee creations, then turns up that momentum as it morphs into an upscale restaurant/cocktail bar in the evening. Being right along 97th Street, Boa and Hare is easy to walk or bus to, and there’s a parking lot behind the Pacific Mall plus street parking in front.

Our group of four arrived for dinner and drinks with an online reservation and were immediately taken by a constellation of warmly glowing lanterns hanging above the richly decorated lounge. We were seated at a marble-topped table with half-booth seating, along an elaborate mural which drew our eyes deeper into the room, creating an intimate, welcoming atmosphere.

Over fancy coffees while exploring the menu cards, appetizers were in order. The Night Market Popcorn Chicken was the Taiwanese dry style, with Chinese five-spice waking the taste buds, on a bed of crispy greens. The edamame was a level above usual, with soy and sesame oil replacing the typical salt. And the Vietnamese Ca Ri Chips were exquisite shoestring fries, with a side-dipping ramekin of curry gravy.

Those fancy appies readied us for the main course, my first plate being Braised Black Pepper Pork. The meaty cubes were marinated in oyster sauce and soy. If that wasn’t enough umami, they were accompanied by ajitsuke, a ramen-egg with creamy mirin-soy infused yolk. It was a total flavour bomb!

Speaking of ramen, my sweetie ordered the Viet Shaking Beef, but the kitchen was out, so she chose the Ca Ri Vermicelli. Delicate noodles glistened in a flavour-packed curry sauce, topped by two generous skewers of grilled chicken. Our companions also enjoyed the Shoyu-based ramen - and it’s available in vegetarian or gluten-free options too! For desert, we all shared thick rich banana bread, plated amid a ginger-strawberry sauce that had tangy contrast to the sweet banana - clever chef!

Boa & Hare has a great vibe for conversations, so we kept the evening going over some creative cocktails. One highlight was the Lucky Biscuit, a creamy sip with the nuttiness of Amaretto almond and peanut butter blending with egg white, vanilla, and oat milk. I was delighted by the Ume Margarita. Umeshu is a plum-based liquor that joined with lime, Cointreau and tequila made a creative and posh Asian twist on the citrusy classic.

The cocktails capped our joyful evening, and we were surprised at how elegant and premium our experience was. We also were impressed that the Pacific Mall had a security guard who was attentive as we made our way back to our van. There’s no question they’re working to make Chinatown a destination, so we’ll be back again with friends!

For reservations and event hosting visit boaandhare.ca or email hello@boaandhare.ca.

Alan Schietzsch lives in McCauley and is a member of the paper’s Board of Directors.