Fat Mao Noodles serves up the perfect antidote to Vancouver's rainiest days
What’s the perfect salve for a cold, rainy Vancouver day? A bowl of steaming hot soup noodles.
It’s a truth that Chef Angus An knows very well.
“Soup noodles are the ultimate comfort food,” he says. “I’ve never met someone who doesn’t like it, especially in Vancouver. It rains so much. I’m always craving of a good bowl of soup noodles.”
At the helm of the local restaurant group Full House Hospitality, Chef An oversees a roster of restaurants that have become go-tos for local foodies and out-of-towners alike, including: Michelin-recommended Maenam; Longtail Kitchen; Sainam; Sen Pad Thai; and Fat Mao Noodles.
“Our cuisine is heavily focused on Thailand and the southeast Asian flavours around Thailand,” An summarizes of the culinary theme coursing through the different eatery menus.
But at Fat Mao , slurpy bowls of authentic, Thai-style soup noodles are the specialty.
“Fat Mao is comfort. Fat Mao is delicious. Fat Mao is irresistible,” An summarizes of the restaurant.
The two Fat Mao locations — one in Chinatown at 217 East Georgia St. and in downtown Vancouver at 983 Helmcken St. — are known for generous servings of fresh noodles swimming in steaming hot broth. Fat Mao was also named the Best Casual Restaurant by Vancouver Magazine in 2025, earning the second-best status in the same category this year.
“I want guests to expect what they would expect from noodle shops in Thailand,” An says of the overarching restaurant inspiration. “Little holes in the wall, that’s why Fat Maos are always really tiny, that serve really authentic, flavourful soup noodles.”
The restaurant has become such a local gem that celebrities have been known to stop by over the years, including singer Sam Smith in 2023.
“I think someone at Rogers Arena must love Fat Mao, because we do get a lot of people that, after they rehearse, they come down. And Sam Smith was one of them,” An says. “He waited in line just like everyone else. And really, really fell in love with the noodles …
“He was super-nice.”
Offering a selection of noodles including chewy, flat Shanghai wide noodles, clear riche sheet noodles, Wonton noodles and more, the menu centres around a curated selection of six Thai soups garnished with a sprinkling of green onions, cilantro and other assorted accoutrements.
One of the most popular dishes at Fat Mao also happens to be one of An’s personal favourites.
“It’s rooted from Chiang Mai,” he explains. “It’s called Khao Soi Chicken. It’s braised chicken thighs in the Khao Soi curry, light coconut broth, served with wonton noodles and crispy wonton noodles.”
The dish’s popularity, he says, comes from its diversity of flavours.
“It hits on many, many different notes,” An says. “It’s got the braised chicken that’s nice and tender. It’s got a really light coconut-flavoured curry broth that’s very soothing and comforting for a lot of people. It’s not too rich, so it’s both popular in the winter as well as the summer.”
An says the menus at the two Fat Mao outposts differ slightly, but both restaurants offer the No. 1-selling Khao Soi Chicken ($24), along with the No. 2 dish, Braised Duck Noodles ($26).
“At the downtown location, one of my favourites is Nham Ngeaw ($24), which is another dish from Chiang Mai that’s lightly curried, with pork ribs and pork blood,” he says. “That’s one of my favourite dishes when I come here.”
Noting that he can be found at one of the locations a few times each week — “so, I do eat Fat Mao a lot,” he admits — An says that his recipes and menus are increasingly inspired by a more organic approach to the culinary craft.
“And I’m not just talking about organic produce,” he says. “I want food to be less manipulated. I think a lot of the flavours you find in Asia are just honest flavours with less manipulation. The older I get, I’m more interested in clean, organic flavours. Organic presentation. Natural.”
Noting his path to becoming a professional chef started at a young age, he points to his earliest memories of food as contributing to his desire to work full-time in the kitchen.
“My family is very, very heavy on home-cooking. A lot of families back in Asia where I grew up, in Taiwan, would go out for special events to eat. We’re the opposite. We eat out a lot on a daily basis, for casual stuff. But we always cook at home for special events,” An says. “My first memories were always family gatherings, with lots of people over, whether it be Chinese New Year or not. Both of my parents would be in the kitchen, and I remember helping out as a young kid. Making sauces or making wontons or dumplings.
“Those are my first food memories, for sure.”
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Source: vancouversun.com