So, I've been back since my last review. Back twice and I now love their curry puffs which is the best in town and their nasi lemak is amazing. I do enjoy their fried chicken on flavoured rice, I don't think anywhere else makes this. I always found the service good and the ambiance comfy. I hope to return soon to try their rendang and curries.

I've been waiting for this place to open ever since I walked by the shop a couple of months back. During the renovation, there was just a sign that says "Opening September - True Singapore Cuisine". Quite a big claim and I wanted to see how "True" it is.

We had the Chicken Satay, Roti Prata, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa and Char Kway Tiao.

Everything was excellent. After dining here, I realised why I've never had a satisfying Singapore/Malaysian meal in Vancouver. It is in the details: the satay dip has crushed pineapple in it, the chicken rice comes with 3 dips (like the ones you find in Mandarin Hotel in Singapore), the laksa has fresh laksa leaves and the roti is puffy with an excellent dip.

My only complain is the lack of "clam" and pork lard in Char Kway Tiao.

Service is just decent to solid. But considering how new the place is, and the server is obviously not Singaporean, I must commend the server for doing a decent job trying to explain each dish and their accompanying condiments.

Ambiance: Outstanding decor. This is the kind of decor I expect to find in restaurants in Singapore. No banana trees. Modern and minimalist, well lighted yet not too bright. Decent Martini/cocktail selection, minimal wine list though server did mention they are working on the pairing, and decent selection of non-alcoholic drinks. I think I heard Buble and Norah Jones in the background.

Return? Definitely. There are a lot of other items which I will defintely return to try. I saw Hokkien Fried Prawn Noodle, Prawn Noodle soup, Chilli Crab ...

So how "True" is it? The chicken rice and laksa can't be any better, but Vegetarian Spring Roll and Salt and Pepper Ribs? Are these Singapore cuisine?

Well, we have eaten at the Prima Taste in San Jose, CA a couple of times and also in Singapore itself and now we hit Vancouver.

Vancouver is easily the most upscale looking of the restaurants and the service also matches (back in Singapore, it is almost like a Hon's/food court type, the San Jose location is almost just like any semi-clean Chinese place in Vancouver).

We weren't even that hungry, so that makes our favourable impression even more surprising.
The roti prata was really quite good, as light but not as chewy as the ones from Tropika. It's still no match for the ones we had in Little India, Singapore. The chili mango salad was also a hit, cold & spicey at the same time. Laksa with prawns was probably the biggest surprise, might have been the best laksa I've had in town. Unlike most where the broth just ends up tasting like curry and being super spicey, this actually had unique flavour & heat. We actually drank all the soup, which was a first. The noodles were pleasingly "boinky".
The hainan chicken rice ... very authentic, just like what we got in Singapore (though to be honest, I think the Hainan chicken in Vancouver in general is easily as good or better than Singapore, and we've had the best and most expensive there). It has the proper thicker soy sauce, it was completely de-boned. My only complaint is that the chicken was perhaps a little too tender for my preference. The accompanying chicken rice was very good and the light soup just like Singapore.

One big bonus we noticed was that the food wasn't greasy at all, at least not the dishes we picked. Much less than Banana Leaf or Tropika for sure.

Big thumbs up here, definitely worth a return trip, as it wasn't even that expensive. Came out to about $15 per person before tips. (Alright, it would've been 1/3 of that in Singapore, but....)

Stumbled upon Primataste about 2 weeks ago. Ordered the Char Kway Char Kway Teow and the veggie springs rolls.

Service was quite prompt.
Room was modern (little bit hard on the eyes with the bright orange) but fairly understated.

Noodles were decent, but not remarkable. Spring rolls were a little denser than I like, but not bad. Overall, the food was good, but did not stand out amongst other malaysian/singaporean restaurants in town.

I went in for a small bite to sample what they had to offer. The restaurant looks like what you would find in today's modern Singapore and or Malaysian eating places in the malls etc. Clean, sterile, bland and unimaginative. Only had time for a quick bite only tried the curry puffs, beef satay, Curry Laksa but opted for the Hainamese Chicken on it, the Char Kway Teow and deep fried banana with ice cream.
The curry puffs were very tasty and had more than moderate amounts of spices and stuffing. Hence you get an undersatnding of the complexities of the spices and curries in S E Asian Cookery. The pastry flaky and not too greasy with a hint of sweetness.
The beef satay was not very exciting. It was a tad dry. But not quite beef jerky dry. The marinade was kinda mild almost none existent. The peanut sauce was passable albeit a bit too sweet. Could have used more tamarind flavor.
I love the noodles they used in the curry laksa. Not the normal yellow egg noodle and or vermicelli. The broth had the right consistency and flavor. And there was sambal(dried shrimp chili) to add some spice and flavor if desired. The chicken was very nice and tender.
The Char Kway Teow is not like the real one you would find in the stalls in Malaysia. This is a fried rice noodle malaysian style. So a nay on the CKT, though the flavor was ok.

The Deep Fried Banana + ice cream was a major dissapointment. I am not sure why the batter was hard. As if they coated it with corn meal. It's too bad, I was hoping that they get this right. Never tasted banana deep fried like this when i was in Malaysia/Singapore.

Will post a more rounded review once I've tried the other items on the menu.
I like the curry laksa enough that warrants a second visit. so will try out more of the menu next time.

I had wanted to check out Prima after reading the reviews Georgia Straight, Globe and Mail but just couldn't find the time. Vancouver Sun's review was the final straw.....I had to go....several of my friend had already gone and had raved about the food. Can it really be that good - hearing the food is cooked from premixed sauces? We got there at 8pm and place was packed. We had no reservations and waited at the bar with our Tigers. The menu is extensive, with all the usual suspects - Satay, Roti, Laksa, Singapore Chili Crab, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Sambal Prawns and some other dishes that I have not seen before.....hmm will have to come back and try these. The satay was excellent.....moist and nicely marinated with a good peanut dip. Roti was ok. But the Laksa was incredible. I almost fell off my chair after the first taste. It is like being in Singapore at my favourite Laksa hawker stall in Katong! Next up was the Hainanese Chicken and the Fried Chicken. The Hainanese Chicken was really good - better than the other Hainanese Chicken in the city. But it was the Fried Chicken that really got to me - this is Cripsy Chicken and I have not been able to have this anywhere else in Vancouver. The condiments came with the chili, dark soy and ginger sauce.....this is how the condiments should be as in Singapore. My only complain here is they are rather stingy with the condiments....there isn't enough! My colleagues had the Char Kway Teow, Mee Goreng, Beef Rendang, Crispy Fish Fillet Indonesia, Curry Leaf Prawns (the day's special) and I tried some of it too and it was all so incredibly good.
The other complaint is the chendol is rather weird with ice cubes. But all in all, the Laksa and Hainanese Chicken/Fried Chicken is the real thing! The service was pretty solid with our dishes being cleared, water being refilled, beers reordered......it was a grand dining experience! I will be back for more!

Loved loved loved it here! I love Singaporean/Malaysian cuisine so I was delighted to come across this restaurant.

Ordered the roti prata, tofu goreng, beef satays (2 skewers), and chicken platter. OMG everything was to die for! Roti prata was flaky, crispy, and buttery good.The tofu goreng was also crispy and complimented by a sweet peanut sauce and garnished with bean sprouts and shredded cucumber what a dish! The beef satays were good just your straightforward meat on a stick. Prawn laksa was delicious I have never had laksa before but so glad I did! The noodles were al dente and the broth so delicate yet rich! Lastly, the chicken platter was the highlight of the meal delicious hainiese chicken with ginger and chili sauce and the crispy chicken with dark sweet soy sauce it came with chicken scented rice and a bowl of soup. YUM!
Service was good and servers were polite and smiling!
Ambiance is clean, bright, and very modern. Loved the booth banquettes and cool plush chairs.

I just had an early dinner here and I couldn't wait to write a review of this place. I usually frequent the franchise in San Jose (California), and so I decided to try the Robson location. Both Vancouver and San Jose locations have excellent laksa...but the restaurant name and food quality are basically where the similarity ends.

I have to say that the Vancouver location is better in quality of service and presentation of food than that of the franchise in San Jose (California). The Vancouver location has a small but nice bar, and the drinks menu is much longer (they have a good selection of wines, mixed drinks). They also have great non-alcoholic Singaporean drinks like teh tarik, bandung (rosewater + condensed milk), and iced Horlicks.

The ambience is nicer, and seems to attract a wider range of customers. People are seated right away, but aren't rushed during their meals. That is why I'm impressed with the service -- easy going, attentive, and professional.

This is a nice little restaurant in a great location downtown. It is tastefully decorated with large enough tables and comfy chairs. Once you are inside you feel secluded from the hustle and bustle going on outside on Robson.

The quality of the food was excellent, but we wished there was a little more of it, for the price you pay. The prices are quite reasonable, to be sure, but for $9.50 I'd expect more than one drumstick of chicken for the Heinanese chicken. The laksa was good with a nice balance between spiciness and creaminess of the broth.

Service was very quick, food arrived in five minutes, great if you are on your way to a show downtown. They were always around if you needed service, but were not too intrusive with excessive "how is it?"s and water fill-ups. It was just the right amount of attention. If I am downtown again and need a quick meal I'd definitely consider going here again.

I went to Kelong Singapore Restaurant (Richmond) and used it to compare against the Prima Taste restaurant.

Overall, Prima Taste presented a more upscale atmosphere than Kelong. Prima Taste had a nice decor that is bright and colourful, comparable to other Western restaurants, which also meant it was better than most Chinese restaurants/cafe. The plates were nicer than most Chinese places, but the glass cups were still the cheap, plastic ones.

In terms of the food, the Laksa at Prima Taste was similar to Kelong's, except Prima Taste served it in a bigger bowl (but more pricey). The Singapore-style Roti, which had no stuffings, had a flavourful coconut dipping sauce. As for the lemongrass chicken, I would say it was average. Price per entree was around $9 - $13, which was reasonable given the location was on Robson Street (& Seymour).

I went the restaurant on a Sunday night, and it was quite busy. In fact, it was so busy the waitresses had trouble keeping up with all of the customers' demands (e.g. asking for water, cutlery, the bill, etc.) . I think an extra waitress or a designated host/cashier would help. However, the food came quickly.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience. btw, for those that have an Entertainment Book, you can log on to the entertainment.com website with your card and print a 2 for 1 coupon (online only).