New Korean eatery shakes up downtown Vancouver menu
Lifelong cook uses traditional family recipes at restaurant
Chef Luke Nguyen, left, and co-owner Hisuk Chi work in the kitchen of A Little Pine Tree restaurant in downtown Vancouver.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
New restaurant owners Yong Chi and Huisuk Chi saw the need for something different in downtown Vancouver.
The area was without Korean cuisine until the husband-and-wife business partners decided to address the situation. They have opened A Little Pine Tree restaurant at 585 W. Eighth St. in ground-floor space in the Esther Short Commons building.
“We thought the area needed it,” said Huisuk Chi, 47.
Menu items, such as bi-bib-bab (white rice topped with colorful vegetables) and bul-gol-gi (grilled marinated beef), are prepared according to Huisuk Chi’s family recipes. Lunch entrees are priced from $4.95 to $9.75. Dinner entrees are priced between $9.95 and $15.99.
A Little Pine Tree also offers a few all-American selections, such as fish and chips and hamburgers.
“I’ve been working in kitchens my whole life,” said Huisuk Chi, who was raised in Taegu, in central South Korea (also spelled Daegu).
Her husband, Yong Chi, 49, is enrolled in the Clark College Culinary Arts program after a 23-year career in the U.S. Air Force. He retired six years ago and the couple moved to Vancouver from Travis Air Force Base, near Sacramento, Calif.
The couple used savings to renovate the downtown restaurant space for A Little Pine Tree. The space was formerly occupied by a soup-and-salad house called Tossed.
A Little Pine Tree employs nine people, including Huisuk and Yong Chi. The restaurant seats about 50 patrons and offers take-out service.
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