This place is nicely decked out, an oasis of interior bling in a neighbourhood where posh is an anomaly and panhandlers await your entry and exit from the restaurant. It's a place that we've always wanted to try.

We reserved a table and were greeted at the door by a cold unsmiling hostess who actually stared down her nose at us. It is a pet peeve of mine when people who work in restaurants clearly display that they have better things to do than be bothered actually serving people. It'd be like a dentist playing solitaire on his laptop while drilling your teeth in between cards. This hostess was actually on her laptop at the bar with her back turned to the room designing some kind of web project while she was working.

Thank goodness for the server, who redeemed the evening with a bit of grace. She was fully awake and knew what she was doing. We ordered Hot & Sour soup, Peking duck wraps, Kung Pao chicken & Short ribs.

If fusion means that non-Chinese cooks are making Chinese food that they know nothing about, then Wild Rice has got that down. The Hot & Sour soup was not hot, just a little sour but it did not have tapioca starch in it to give it body, nor any seafood. It had some shitake and julienne vegetables in it and it was not disgusting, that's the best I can say. The Kung Pao chicken is supposedly the most popular dish. If that's really true, that is sad. The noodles are gluey and clumped together in a soggy mess. You have to hunt for the chicken. It cannot be considered even slightly spicy unless chicken mcnuggets are what you're used to eating. With 2 of us we were resorted to a "no you have it, I already had 2 pieces" negotiation on the chicken in that dish. Share with more people? I think not. The short ribs were tender and tasty and accompanied by the star of the evening, taro frites. Although the soup arrived first, our other "dim sum" dish came last, the Peking duck wraps. The presentation was the defining factor for this dish. They looked poopy brown, soggy and unappetizing and they were not hot. Chinese duck is one of my favourite dishes in the world. Whoever made this dish and calls it fusion should know what they're trying to fuse. If it's blech with blah, they've nailed it. We did send this back and they were gracious enough to remove it from the bill. We noticed there weren't any Asians at this restaurant in an area heavily populated with Chinese, and now we understand why. Chinese people are too smart to pay these kind of prices for bad food just because it's served in a designer setting. Come here to look good and be seen, not for the food or value...

We noticed there are an unusual number of positive reviews on this restaurant and they all seem like they were written by the same person, one liners with no details... hmmm, interesting is all I can say.

Three of us went to this restaurant for Dine Out Vancouver ($18 menu) and we all found the food and service to be excellent. I can't believe the previous reviewer said the Kung Pao Chicken was "bland" as I found it to be extremely tasty, nutty and spicy! However, I had the "vegan" version with tofu so I think the cook may have added extra chile peppers to mine. My two companions both had the regular version of the Kung Pao Chicken and also commented how delicious it was. They did not comment on the amount of chicken in it so I assume they had enough. Mine had lots of chunks of tofu, "twice cooked peanuts" (delicious) and broccoli. The rice noodles were excellent and short enough that they were easy to eat with chopsticks. I also found the dish to be HUGE and only finished half of it. All of us had to take a portion home.

Our waiter did tell us that the Kung Pao Chicken is a mildly spicy dish and that some people request it hotter, so if you like hot and spicy, just request extra chile peppers. The KP chicken is Wild Rice's most famous dish, and I found it excellent. My husband is a former chef and quite fussy and he was impressed by the food.

Our appetizers of crispy salmon wontons were very tasty, and the chocolate pudding we all had for dessert was more like a mousse (my husband was unenthusiastic about "pudding" for dessert but he enjoyed it.)

Certain aspects of this restaurant deserve special mention, including the fact that there are many vegetarian and vegan options, and they use wild fish and free-range meat when possible (according to their menu). For instance the chicken in the Kung Pao dish was listed as free-range from Maple Hill farm, a local organic farm that produces free-range and organic meat and eggs. If you've ever shopped for free-range organic meat, you know it isn't cheap, but it's generally better quality and tastier. So for a few of the earlier reviews complaining of small portions of meat, perhaps this is the issue. But I also think you have the obligation to tell the staff if you feel your dish isn't right, to give them the chance to fix it.

Our waiter was extremely helpful and attentive, and the atmosphere is great, with funky music but not so loud you can't talk. The one minus is that the chairs (we sat in the downstairs area across from the bar) were high and a bit uncomfortable after sitting for a while.

We've gone to restaurants for Dine Out Vancouver for years, and this was one of the best experiences we had. I intend to return, maybe after seeing a movie at Tinseltown which is across the street (and their menu says they offer a 10% discount with movie ticket stubs).

With the area around the restaurant improving, visited on a weekend. Streets felt a bit more safe. Sat at the bar as all tables were reserved. Had the wonton soup - very good with a rich broth, squid - nice big pieces and tender, kung pao chicken - good portion with nice peanut type sauce. Great service at the bar, perhaps due to the owner being the bartender/server. Overall a nice place with good ambiance.

I still remember the two meals I've had at Wild Rice, and need to go back there soon!

We had a great bok choi ceasar salad with a sesame oil twist that I'm still trying to make at home, a perfectly tender lamb shank that we ordered to share, but once my mother tasted it she claimed it was 'her' order alone so we had to order another (!), a yummy spicy chicken dish, a delicious mashed taro bowl to share, a wonderful lychee infused vodka martini, and everything else was good too, but these were my favourites.

The food is fancy and delicious, in reasonable portion sizes for the most part on the entree side. I like the family style sharing presentation. The seating is a little uncomfortable, but the price is great, the servers are pleasant and prompt, and the ambiance is nice. People bring their kids here and the kids behave well - and other people just come with cool coworkers. It's that good.

Along with a friend, I visited Wild Rice for the first time a few days ago. It was pretty early so we were seated at a comfortable sofa. It was quite dark but great ambiance. The server was quite friendly and helpful with the food and drinks menu.

We first started off with the Vegetable Spring Rolls. Wow, they were big and deliciously crispy and the sauce was just a perfect match. Next came our Chinese Barbequed Lamb Steamed Buns. For me, that was my favourite part of the meal. The lamb was tender, juicy, and flavoured nicely yet didn't seem out of place with the buns. Lastly, we had the Shanghai Noodles. Wasn't as good as the rest of the meal. It was pretty salty but the tasted very good. The vegetables in the noodle were crunchy and fresh. For dessert, I had the Five Spice Lava Cake. Although it was a little too cooked to be a lava cake, the combination of five spice and the chocolate was great. The spices weren't too powerful and it balanced well with the dairyless citrus ice cream.

The portions are generous since they are meant for sharing. The decor was chic and all the dishes were arranged very nicely. The menu is also vegan and vegetarian friendly so I would recommend it to anyone. I can't wait for my next visit!

Wild Rice had gone downhill for a while, but is back on top form! Welcome back :)

Nice cocktail menu, and a fair number of BC wines by the glass.

Excellent Kung Po, Eggplant Doufu, and spring rolls. Well prepared & well presented dishes, and everything that came out from the kitchen looked tasty. Great dishes for vegans & vegetarians, too.

The servers were professional and polite, but a little eager to take the dishes away.

The ambience is relaxing, contemporary, and hip, and the restaurant is very clean -- washrooms very tidy, seating areas spotless, beautiful lighting, and nice art on the walls.

This used to be one of my favorite restaurants in the city, but it kind of went down hill for a while -- small portions, middling servers, mediocre food. Now it looks like things have improved 100%, and I will be going back again very soon. Plus they're in the Entertainment Book, so you get awesome value.

Well done, Wild Rice!!

My friends and I (party of 4) made a 7:30pm reservation there about a month ago for a combined birthday dinner. We chose Wild Rice because I was there before and I actually had a great meal there. This time, it was the polar opposite. We got there 10 min late because of an unexpected road closure. We called ahead to let them know but the hostess was not very pleasant about it. When we got there the hostess said that our reservation was for 7:45... even though I had email confirmation that it was in fact, 7:30. We were then seated at a terrible table meant for 3 people, not 4... and the table was really low and the couches were uncomfortable, and we were cramped. We were told that people were still eating at the table meant for us. So we decided to wait it out and ordered some tea. The tea was really good; however, it took them at least 45 minutes to come back and actually ask us to order. When they did, we found out that they didn't have what we wanted. They ran out of the duck! (If they had come and asked for our order we might've gotten it!)! They said it was really popular and they couldn't substitute anything for it and they weren't offering their a la carte menu either. So they can't be bothered to stock enough food for only 3 entrees that they'll be serving. They first said they had limited supply... then they said they had it but it would take 2 hours to prepare. Wouldn't you think... after nearly two weeks of dine out vancouver, Wild Rice would stock more of the duck? They know it's popular, why not anticipate huge orders? I would understand a little more about them running out if our reservation was later... but we were at a prime dining hour. At first they wouldn't even compensate us for ruining our evening, but somehow, after everything, they gave the birthday celebrants a $25 gift certificate and the tea was complimentary... which we appreciated. It is just such a big disappointment when you plan to have a great experience at a restaurant and it just falls flat... especially on a special occasion.

Wild Rice better smarten up!

Went to the Wild Rice for the 2nd time today. We were there about 4 yrs ago. I understand that the chef has changed since then. As always, the service was friendly and attentive. We never had to ask for our water glasses to be filled, and the service was very quick. They made a mistake and gave us an entree that we didn't order. Instead of taking it back, they said that it was on the house. Very nice.
The entrees are called sharing plates on the menu, but once they arrived, my son says that they look like tasting plates. The portions are very small for the price that is charged. The short ribs were quite salty, but the squid and halibut were done very well. If only there weren't so little of it.
All in all, a pleasant place to go if you like a laid back, semi-casual dining experience, but not if you want quantity for what you pay.

Stylish place that feels more like a bar than a restaurant; definitely not for romance. Drink menu is more extensive than 'Tasting Menu' - use that as your guide. Chinese Ravioli were delish and beautifully sauced....but $18 for 5 medium ravioli?!? Kung Pao Chicken was delish and quite substantial for two. All in all, overpriced but convenient pre-movie at Tinseltown. Next time would do drinks and Kung Pao only.

Recently my friend moved into an appartment downtown near GM Place and found this little gem! It is a bit pricey, but the food is excellent and the service is good. The Kung Pao Chicken is probably the best I've ever had, and I like to eat a lot of Kung Pao Chicken. I would definately recommend this place on the Kung Pao Chicken alone.