Sesame serves authentic Chinese, Thai and Malaysian food in the newly built complex on 6111 University Boulevard. Their dishes have larger than normal portion sizes that range from $5-10. Here are the must eats!

1) Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles ($10)

Similar to New York’s Xian Famous Foods, Sesame’s version gives you a hefty portion of thick, wide noodles (cut shorter for easier in-class comsumption) coated in cumin and mild but fragrant chilli oil! Packed with flavour, the noodles and lamb soak up that beautiful oil.

2) Chicken Wings ($10)

Stop ordering from Dominos and order Sesame’s crispy chicken wings! They are the only spot on UBC campus that offers wings and the best part, it is restaurant quality with at least 7-8 pieces. It comes with a lemon pepper sauce that helps cut the fat from the crunchy skin and elevate the tender chicken flavour.

3) Kung Pao Eggplant ($10)

The Kung Pao Eggplant is the perfect meatless alternative for Vegetarians! The single serving is heavy in weight and the bowl is filled with eggplant and vegetables that soaked up the hoisin, soy sauce, Chinese vinegar and chili paste. If you don’t eat a lot during lunch, you can get two servings out of this!

3) Pad Thai ($10)

The Pad Thai had a generous portion of rice noodles (I made 2.5 meals out of it) and came with a choice of shrimp, chicken or tofu. I had to mix the rice noodles well because the tamarind sauce was hidden at the bottom. I truly appreciate that they kept the Pad Thai simple and used tamarind which is the most crucial ingredient.

4) Char Siu ($5)

Sesame acknowledged the Cantonese cuisine by bringing char siu on rice to campus! If you aren’t a keen on eating a full portion of rice, you can get only char siu for $5. It won’t compare to HK BBQ Master but the texture and flavour is spot on! If you are missing home or Chinese food, this will satisfy your cravings.

5) Drinks: Passionfruit Green Tea & Barley Milk Tea ($2.50)

You can’t go wrong with Passionfruit Green Tea especially when the passionfruit seeds are included. It is a faultless and refreshing drink.

The Barley Milk Tea didn’t have any barley taste. I assumed it would have similar taste to Korean barley tea but it was more of a typical milk tea. Ask for less sugar if possible because I felt it was too sweet.

Final Thoughts

If you need an affordable, delicious and asian food option at UBC, choose Sesame. The portions are larger than what you get at the UBC Nest (I went to UBC, so I know) and price points are incredible value. You won’t need to trek to Richmond for Chinese food because Sesame does the job well.