By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

We went for the three Bao deal with the Duck, Cotechino and Pork Shoulder. Our favourite was the tender and fatty pork shoulder, there was plenty of it which made the bao substantial. However, as much as the pork was well-seasoned, the flavours were pretty one-note.  The bao was soft and didn't fall apart. The duck was a little dry and bland despite the classic combo of hoisin, pickled cukes and crispy onion.  The most interesting of the 3 was the cotechino as it melded well with the bao. 

For our sides, we tried the Five Spice Chicken Wings and the Fried Cauliflower. The wings were crispy with well-rendered skin with tender meat. The outside was akin to the ones found at Phnom Penh but the flavours were different. There was a lot of MSG. We weren't fans of the cauliflower texture.  They were limp and soggy. A bit more acidity from lemon would've brought it to life.

The Pork Belly Bowl featured a fatty and moist piece of meat, yuzu slaw, watercress, crispy onions, kimchi daikon and slow cooked marinated egg. It was one-note in flavour though with a background saltiness broken up with a touch of tang from the daikon. I thought the slow-cooked egg was good but a little salty. The most unappealing part of the bowl was the soggy rice. We were a bit disappointed. As much as we find Torafuku overloaded with flavour, it would've been nice if Heritage could meet those flavours halfway.  There is plenty of potential here, maybe a visit later might yield better results.

Heritage Asian Eatery

1108 W Pender Street, Vancouver, BC

The Good:

• Something different for the Downtown lunch crowd

• Wings were pretty good

The Bad:

• Flavours are a bit one-note

• Some execution issues

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.