Mates on Crates Feat. Chanthy Yen
G’day,
Those in the know, know where to go.
We’re excited to have just launched our latest episode of Mates on Crates, featuring Chanthy Yen, Executive Chef & Co-owner of Touk in downtown Vancouver. Touk, which opened in December 2025, is Canada’s first contemporary Cambodian restaurant, bringing together Cambodian culinary traditions, French influences, and the bounty of British Columbia. The restaurant celebrates the stories, resilience, and flavours behind Cambodian cuisine, with dishes offering a contemporary, personal take on the food of Chef Yen’s heritage, alongside an ambitious cocktail program designed by Tara Davies. Touk was also named a top-three finalist for Best New Restaurant at the 2026 Golden Plates Awards. Chef Chanthy Yen is the winner of Top Chef Canada Season 11, a graduate of Northwest Culinary Academy, and a chef whose international resume includes training with Ferran Adrià and Andoni Luis Aduriz, as well as serving as Personal Chef to the Prime Minister of Canada. Since opening Touk, he has brought that extensive experience home to Vancouver, with a particular talent for taking the flavours and memories of Cambodian cooking and expressing them through local ingredients and a contemporary lens.
It was a pleasure to sit down with Chanthy Yen to chat about his culinary journey, the story behind Touk, Cambodian cuisine, his approach to hospitality, and all of Chanthy’s favourite spots.
Each time we do a Mates on Crates interview, our guests share up to twenty of their favourites with us. For each episode, only a handful of those favourites make it into the final two minute cut. In order to highlight all of our guest’s favourites, we are happy to share the full list of favourites right here.
Chanthy’s favourites at Touk:
Snack: Haida Gwaii scallops, served in the shell with garlic butter, fish sauce aioli, bonito flakes and burnt lime.
Main: Fraser Valley duck with Okanagan plums, bringing together savory, smoky and tangy flavours with Cambodian spices.
Pairing: Bai Sra clarified milk punch, with mango and toasted coconut.
The FULL LIST of Chanthy’s Local Favourites:
Coffee: VIVA Cafe & Bakery
Dying to Try: Baan Lao Fine Thai Cuisine
Fried Chicken: Popeyes
Food Neighborhood: Main Street
Hidden Gem: Chupito
Last Meal That Blew Them Away: AnnaLena
Sushi: Masayoshi
Take an Out of Town Guest: Wreck Beach
Thai: Unchai Thai Restaurant, Song by Kin Kao and Kin Kao
Vietnamese: Anh and Chi and Lunch Lady
Outside of Vancouver: Fernie
Thanks for joining us, Chanthy!
Watch Chanthy’s full Mates on Crates Episode below.
