A Taste of Taiwanese Heritage in East Vancouver

Since arriving in Canada in 1991, Chef Kalvin Koo has quietly become one of Vancouver’s most steadfast guardians of Taiwanese culinary tradition. Trained by seasoned masters in Taiwan, he opened Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant in 1993 with his wife, with a singular commitment: to preserve authentic flavours and share them with a new generation of diners.

More than thirty years on, Kalvin’s remains a rare gem in Vancouver’s dining scene, especially beloved by the Taiwanese community as a go-to destination for genuine home-style Taiwanese cooking. It is perhaps the only restaurant in the city where such classics are honoured with unwavering care, precision, and respect.

Alongside these Taiwanese heritage dishes, the menu also embraces the bold, numbing intensity of Szechuan cuisine—a reflection of Chef Kalvin’s devotion to regional diversity and authenticity.

For many Taiwanese Canadians, Kalvin’s is more than a restaurant: it is a cultural landmark, much like the now-closed Hoi Tong in Richmond, once helmed by master chef Leung Yiu Tong. Birthdays, family gatherings, and reunions have long unfolded within its walls, making it a place of both memory and meaning.
In a city often chasing culinary trends, Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant endures—an old soul in East Vancouver, rooted firmly in tradition and cherished for keeping the flavours of Taiwan alive.