Royal Cuisine

Name: Royal Cuisine
Location: 2904 E Fourth Plain Boulevard
Vancouver, WA 98661
Contact information: 360.693.8570
Hours: Open until 10 p.m. most evenings
Cost: $8-$10 for a dinner entrees, $5.95 lunch
Reservations Recommended: Not needed
Good for: American’s favorite Asian dishes
Insider tip: Classiest take-out ‘dive’ in Vancouver

Review: Although I’m all for trying new upscale restaurants, I’m a little more tentative when it comes to dining at dives. Having worked at a restaurant, I’m well aware of what goes on in kitchens.

So it was with some hesitancy that I scoped out Royal Cuisine – a decision based on hunger, proximity and price. The red lettering out front boasts the phone number and ‘Asian Cuisine’ – an announcement that made me nervous that the place was so bad, its food couldn’t even be categorized. However, I noticed a few full tables inside and on the door, an August assessment of health ratings proclaimed ‘Royal Cuisine’ the cleanest in the city. I figured it was worth a shot.

Pleased by the simple but nice decor, and we were immediately seated by the woman that I believed to be the proprietor, hostess, waitress and possibly even the prep cook. Her bubbly attitude made me forgive the slight wait in ordering our food. From a menu that included Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Lao dishes, I requested pineapple fried rice with tofu ($7.95) – a favorite dish, when it isn’t soaked in oil. However, my ‘light on the oil’ wishes were well-heeded and the food was exactly what I was looking for – quick, simple, tasty and filling, not to mention cheap. For Asian cuisine or takeout in the ‘Couve, I haven’t found a better value than Royal Cuisine.