Here you will find a wide selection of the dim sum staples such as freshly steamed har gow (shrimp dumplings, pictured below), sticky rice wraps, and warm congee soup with classic add-ins (also pictured below). Or, if you like exploring deeper into deliciousness, go for more adventurous dim sum variations like chewy mushroom dumplings or crunchy bean curd and shrimp rolls.

The dining room is large and bright, with all the fixings necessary for a big Chinese wedding banquet (which do happen here quite often). You can expect a bit of a wait on Saturday mornings (as with most popular dim sum places), but with their decently priced menu and large selection of tasty dim sum, Fraser Court is a terrific place to take friends and family. Check out Fraser Court to sample some very competently prepared Chinese cuisine and experience a great Vancouver take on Chinese Canadian contemporary culture.

Har gow (shrimp dumplings) from Fraser Court dim sum seafood Chinese restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

More dumplings from Fraser Court dim sum Chinese food restaraunt in Vancouver BC Canada. Great seafood!

Bean curd and shrimp roll Chinese Dimsum from Fraser Court restaurant in east Vancouver BC Canada.

Chinese dim sum Sticky Rice from Fraser Court Seafood restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

Chinese style Congee from Fraser Court Chinese restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

The good sized and pleasant dining room of Whole Vegetarian is where you’ll find truly delicious Chinese vegetarian dishes, from the crispy and munchable Chef’s Special Chow Mein with imitation seafood (that tastes like the real thing!) to the creative and adventurous Seaweed and Soft Bean Curd Rolls.

Following the principles of traditional Buddhist-style vegetarian cooking, no garlic or onion is used in any of the dishes, but after the first bite you’ll discover that these kitchen restrictions have no effect on the overall flavor of these delightful dishes. My favorites such as the Sweet and Sour Pineapple Delight (a vegan-friendly version of the conventional sweet and sour pork) are always super fresh and mighty flavorful.

This inspired vegetarian restaurant fits in perfectly with the eclectic mix of dining options along the increasingly hip and trendy Main Street. With Whole Vegetarian’s great selection of large and affordable family-style dishes (all less than $15), the restaurant squarely hits the mark for Vancouverites and lucky visitors in-the-know. Here the tasty and satisfying eats might even fool a meat-eater’s eyes, while appealing to appetites of all persuasions.

Sweet and Sour Pineapple Delight (vegan) from Whole Vegetarian Cuisine restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada (Main Street).

Chef's Special Chow Mein (vegan, with simulated seafood) from Whole Vegetarian Cuisine, a vegetarian Chinese restaurant on Main Street in Vancouver BC Canada.

Another great Chinese vegetarian / vegan dish from Whole Vegetarian Chinese food restaurant on Main Street in Vancouver BC Canada.

About the Authors
Tony from RealMenEatGreen contributed to this article. Tony is a Vancouver based writer/blogger on masculinity, food, health, and man boobs.

This article was edited by Geoff from geoffmobile. Geoff also lives in Vancouver and leads a busy life as a software developer, video editor, and food enthusiast.

Our group of incredibly intelligent, geeky, and immensely wealthy software developers from a nearby office were probably some of the most casually dressed patrons at Glowbal today. I’m not sure where all these fancy people come from, but walking through Glowbal at noon on a weekday is like stepping into a movie set from perhaps the opening scene of a Bond spy thriller. The place exudes class and style, and they’ve got everything down from the subtle electro-jazz that pulsates, to the affable and dynamic serving staff who are up to date on the latest social nuances.

The food is some of the best I have tasted in this price range (which can be perused on their menu) and is incredibly flavorful, making use of the full palate and leaves me smacking my lips for every last morsel. Well, maybe this time I toned down the smacking, but beware upon the future occasion!

Today I ordered the Linguini off their lunch menu (pictured below), which came with jumbo tiger prawns, tomato, oregano, capers, stewed tomatoes, and of course olives. I’m sure that if you don’t like olives, or only want to eat olives and nothing more, executive chef Erik Heck and his staff will be able to accommodate your special dietary needs.

Vegetarians will note that this restaurant doesn’t advertise many vegetarian or vegan-friendly items on their menu. However if you end up at Glowbal I think you’ll do fine if you explain your needs to your server and they will be most amenable to providing tasty substitutions and a dish that you’ll likely enjoy.

Delicious Prawn Linguine from Glowbal restaurant in Yaletown, Vancouver BC Canada.

Yummy Seafood Linguine pasta from Glowbal Grill in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

Tasty Prawn Linguine from glowbal grill steaks and satay restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

Most people order take out from here, but there are also some comfortable bar stools along the side counters which are perfect for a quick sit-down bite.

While most items are around $5 to $6, their biggest platter – the Shawarma Falafel (pictured below) – is just over $10 and features the works: a salad, hummus, tatziki, rice, tender Shawerma chicken, and several tasty falafels. Hot sauce is optional but highly recommended!

Falafel Shawerma platter from Aladdin Cafe in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

Close up of the chicken in the Middle-Eastern Chicken Shawerma Falafel platter from Aladdin Cafe.

Another photo of the Chicken Shawerma Falafel platter from Aladdin restaurant on Robson Street, Vancouver.

Pictured below is the enchilada platter I ordered, which is presented in a totally appetizing way that reminds me of a purposeful chaos or even a cacophony of delectable ingredients. Prices at the Naam are quite reasonable with most dishes in the $9 to $15 range.

Enchilada platter from the Naam vegetarian restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

Tempeh Reuben veggie burger platter from the Naam restaurant in Kitsilano Vancouver BC Canada.

Interior of the Naam vegetarian restaurant in Kitsilano Vancouver BC Canada (open 24 hours).

Kitsilano (map, 3005 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-734-3005), Broadway (map, 820 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-731-6333), and Denman (map, 1096 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-683-3333).

Banana Leaf’s website explains more about Malaysian Cuisine:

Malaysian fare isn’t about a singular distinctive taste, but about diversity, with a blend of culinary inspiration from India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Eurasia, and Malaysia’s indigenous population. It combines the best of South East Asia, from India’s roti canai, Singapore’s laksa, to China’s Hainanese chicken rice, creating a menu that is a delight to try.

Visitors have many good things to say about Banana Leaf. Rasputin45 writes on the restaurant review site Dinehere.ca:

Banana Leaf is good for almost any occasion. It’s probably our most reliable favorite, a great place to take out of town guests and go for a regular night out with your family as well. At roughly 12 – 20 dollars an entree, it’s a fantastic value as well, especially in the Kits zone of overpriced fare. Our favorites? roti canai, the rendang beef, the lamb dish, sambal green beans, Tofu in Assam sauce, and sayur Lemak.

Pictured below are some dishes I enjoyed when I visited their Kitsilano location earlier this year. A great appetizer or side dish is the Roti Canai, an Indian-influenced puffy bread served with a wonderful rich curry sauce. Also shown is a Malaysian vegetable curry dish (Sayur Lemak) as well as the Nasi Goreng: fried rice with beef, shrimp, egg, tomato, onion and green beans.

I’m looking forward to visiting Banana Leaf again sometime soon.

Roti Canai bread from Banana Leaf Malaysian restaurant in Kitsilano Vancouver BC Canada.

Sayur Lemak Malaysian Vegetable Curry from Banana Leaf restaurant in Kits Vancouver BC Canada.

Nasi Goreng from Banana Leaf Malaysian restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada - Malaysian fried rice with beef, shrimp, egg, tomato, onion and green beans.

Restaurant interior at Banana Leaf Malaysian Restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

Located in the trendy Yaletown shopping and restaurant district (which is accessible via the Yaletown-Roundhouse Canada Line train station), Capones features live jazz music 7 days a week combined with their upscale and sumptuous food reminiscent of the great pizza, pasta, and other meat and seafood specialties found in New York’s fine jazz eateries.

Capones recently underwent a major renovation and features a brand new bar area. I haven’t seen it yet and am looking forward to checking it out soon!

I visited Capones a few months ago. For an appetizer, we ordered the baked brie cheese which was topped with fresh sweet blueberries (pictured below). For the main course we tried their pastas, the Carbonera fettucini and the seafood fettucini (also pictured below). As usual the food was very delicious and the portions were just the right size – not too big to be uncomfortable but still enough to be heartily satisfying.

Prices are reasonable considering the restaurant’s location and the quality of the food. A meal tends to be around $20 to $40 per person depending on whether you order appetizers or drinks.

The music that night was provided by Phyllis Adelyne, an accomplished jazz singer with a warm personality and a classic sound drawing back to greats like Ella Fitzgerald.

I can’t wait to see what great performers and tempting dishes Capones has in their lineup next. Highly recommended.

Baked Brie Cheese from Capones Restaurant and Live Jazz Club in Vancouver BC Canada.

Carbonara fettuccini pasta from Capone's restaurant and Live Jazz Club in Vancouver BC Canada.

Frutti di mare (seafood) fettuccini from Capones restaurant and live jazz band club in Yaletown, downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

Phyllis Adelyne singing jazz at Capones Restaurant and Live Jazz Club in Vancouver BC Canada.

It’s amazingly open (and busy) 24 hours!

I really enjoyed the spicy green beans, the Seafood Congee, and the silverfish, which I show in the video below. Total price for a large and satisfying meal for two people came out to around $23 dollars, which is a pretty good deal.

Video from No. 9 Restaurant

Congee Soup from No.9 Restaurant in Richmond BC Canada

It’s a hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant on the edge of Yaletown that is popular for take-out but also has a few tables for eating in.

I ordered a bunch of my favorite items including the miso soup, ebi sunomono salad, chopped scallop roll, nigiri sushi (tamago, inari and ikura), and an unagi cone. My friend ordered the vegetarian bento box and an avocado roll.

Everything was really good, but one note is that the rice on the chopped scallop roll seemed not quite as fluffy as I usually like. But in general I have been happy with the quality of food at Yamato and the prices are quite reasonable for the downtown area (my meal including tax and tip came to $19).

I live in the area and Yamato is a place where I often bring my friends, who are visiting from other parts of the Lower Mainland.

I made a video of our food (that’s pretty appetizing I think) and you can watch it on Youtube (or on Blip.tv) or use the player below. Until next time, hope you enjoy the many amazing restaurants in Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver / BC Lower Mainland area.

Ebi Sunomono Salad from Yamato Sushi Japanese restaurant on Davie Street in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

Chopped Scallop roll and assorted sushi from Yamato Sushi Japanese restaurant on Davie Street in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

kissy of Coquitlam writes on dinehere.ca:

Love to be there. I have been in this restaurant a few time and every time I was there it was a pleasure for a spicy Korean style. The taste of the food was so impressive with a big portion of Kim chi and beef. Shabu hot pot beef was my favorite food there and big.. even it was a small size. The taste was rich with a healthy vegetable and tasty Kim Chi ingredients. The service was fast and excellent as well. Keep maintain the quality and services like this, I will be back again.

Prices for a full meal range between $10 and $20 per person depending on which dishes you order.

The spicy soft tofu soup (with seafood, pictured below) is $8.99 and comes with a side of rice and all the usual Korean accompaniment dishes like the kim-chee (traditional spicy cabbage), the candied cooked potatoes (my favorite), sprouts, and more. The soup and side dishes are a meal in themselves.

We also ordered some fancy salads such as the Smoked Salmon Salad ($7.99) and the Seafood Salad ($9.99) which were amazing “fusion” style dishes with great Korean influences but also making use of West Coast ingredients.

One great dish to order is the Dolsot Bibimbap ($9.99) – a healthy bowl filled with vegetables, rice, and meat. Here is a video of Gwyneth Paltrow showing how to make Bibimbap:

Below are some photos I took of the restaurant and our meal. I’ll definitely be back!

Korean food from Insadong Korean Restaurant in Coquitlam BC Canada.

Spicy soft tofu soup from Insadong Korean Restaurant in Coquitlam BC Canada.

Smoked Salmon Salad ($7.99) from Insadong Restaurant

Korean Seafood Salad from Insadong Restaurant in Coquitlam, BC, Canada.

Insadong Korean Restaurant interior (Coquitlam BC Canada)

Photo gallery of Insadong Korean Restaurant on Flickr

I think that every successful restaurant needs a “concept”, a unique identity, something that differentiates itself in such an incredibly fierce competitive market that supports the dining industry in Vancouver.

It’s an industry which demands continuous hard work from employees and owners with little respite, where margins are typically low and consumer opinion (or a lack thereof) can make or break a business.

But the rewards from running a restaurant are high: an idea, creative vision, a passion for food and culture – all these can be transformed into a physical space that is temporarily occupied by visitors who seek to experience new tastes, sensations, socialize, be merry, and above all, satisfy their appetites with delicious, healthy food.

I tend to think about restaurants as “experience engines”. As a software developer I like to look at things in terms of the input, output, and transformations that occur during a process. For a restaurant, there are the physical ingredients and energy needed to prepare food – these are the obvious inputs. But there are also the less tangible things, like the moods and attitudes of the serving staff, the restaurant decor, the background music, and then of course the restaurant guests themselves.

But I digress, I really should be talking about the food at Posh.

Posh is an example of an expanding, successful home-grown restaurant chain with an excellent concept: Japanese Sukiyaki (wikipedia).

So what is Sukiyaki you may ask? Well, it’s a form of Hot Pot, where you have a gas burner at your table with a large cast-iron pot filled with a bubbling broth. The broth is made with a combination of Sukiyaki Sauce (soya sauce, sugar, and mirin) and cabbage. You add thinly sliced raw beef into the pot along with assorted vegetables, tofu, noodles and seafood, and everything cooks right in front of you.

The nice thing is that you decide exactly what you want to eat, and if you particularly like a certain item, such as the fish cakes (yum!), just order more of it! Or if you’re vegetarian, there are plenty of options such as tofu, spinach, and several types of mushrooms to make a soup that fits your diet.

Amazingly, Posh provides an “all you can eat” experience for $11.88 per person for lunch, or $15.88 per person for dinner. The restaurant always seems packed at peak times, so it’s a good idea to try making a reservation and coming early to put your name in the queue just in case.

Posh’s other locations include Richmond (map, 1123 – 3779 Sexsmith Road, Richmond, BC, Canada, phone: 604-303-7674), Burnaby (map, 105 – 6462 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC, Canada, phone: 604-434-7674), and Victoria (map, 102 – 1063 Fort Street, Victoria, BC, Canada, phone: 250-382-7674).

Below are some photos from our dinner at Posh on West Broadway. Hope you enjoy!

Everything cooking away at Posh Japanese Hot Pot restaurant in Vancouver.

Guava yogurt mixed drink - nice and refreshing! From Posh restaurant in Vancouver.

More hotpot cooking at Posh in Vancouver.

Vegetarian hot pot ingredients from Posh in Vancouver. Mushrooms, spinach, tofu.

Posh on Broadway Photo Gallery by Geoff Peters.

Restaurant review of Posh by Angela Murrills from the Georgia Straight.

Blog from owner of the Posh restaurant chain.

Posh restaurant on Twitter.

Popular with the after-bar crowd, Tsui Hang is open very late at night (even until 3 or 4 in the morning – but be sure to call them to confirm) and gets busy with talkative night-clubbers recovering from an evening dancing and imbibing.

The airy dining room is well lit and nicely maintained with some beautiful oriental vases displayed high above the dining room floor. Upon overhearing me remarking to my friend on the vases, the waiter interjected that they are “not real”. But although the decorative vases may be imitations, the food at Tsui Hang is definitely the real thing. If you’re a fan of Chinese seafood dishes, you’ll appreciate the menu (which is quite extensive and has a variety of vegetarian items too).

We ordered the Sauteed Rock Cod Fillets ($14.50, pictured below) and the Mixed Seafood Chow Mein ($13.50, also pictured below). The food was really tasty, the fish tender and enveloped in a delectable and nuanced sauce – even receiving positive comments from my dining companion who is of Asian descent. We also ordered a bowl of steamed rice ($2.00) which was quite large and nicely accompanied the two dishes.

Looking for something quick and on-the-go? Tsui Hang also has a take out window facing Davie Street which offers specials like sweet and sour pork on rice and chow mein for around $5.00.

Sauteed Rock Cod Fillets ($14.50) from Tsui Hang Village Chinese Restaurant on Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Mixed Seafood Chow Mein ($13.50) from Tsui Hang Village Restaurant in downtown Vancouver BC Canada (Granville Entertainment district).

Another shot of the same Mixed Seafood Chow Mein dish from Tsui Hang Chienese Restaurant on Granville Street in Vancouver.

Formerly a pizza place called Lombardo’s (which still has a location on Commercial Drive near 1st ave), Pacifico continues Lombardo’s practice of serving pizzas with inventive and complementary ingredients. We tried the “Salmone” ($25 for large, pictured below), made with smoked salmon, capers, and red onion. A delightfully chewy crust was brushed with extra virgin olive oil, and topped with lots of cheese.

We also tried their desserts. The Mud Pie ($6.00, pictured below) was fairly run-of-the-mill (still frozen solid) but the restaurant’s house specialty Tiramisu ($7.00, also pictured below) was heavenly.

Some higher-end restaurants have picked up a trend of serving “deconstructed” Tiramisu – a mix of mascarpone cheese, custard, coffee, and some liquor in a cocktail glass, with maybe a few biscuits hidden at the bottom. This mode of presentation may be satisfying in a different way from a slice of cake on a plate – consuming the cocktail glass version is sans fuss and trendy too.

Irashai Grill, an Asian fusion restaurant in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour, serves their Tiramisu in a sleek porcelain tray, dusted with a dangerously thick layer of powdered chocolate. Both Irashai’s and Pacifico’s realizations of Tiramisu are worthy of a sweet discovery!

Large smoked salmon pizza ($25) from Pacifico Pizzeria Restorante, a great pizza restaurant in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

Mud Pie dessert ($6.00) from Pacifico Pizzeria Ristorante in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

Tiramisu dessert ($7.00) from Pacifico Pizza Restaurant in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

Check out Seb’s Market Cafe (map, website, 592 East Broadway, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, phone: 604-298-4403).

Owner operator Francois Godbout found success in the Vancouver film industry catering business before deciding to open a home-style, family-friendly breakfast and brunch place in a neighborhood that is growing and becoming more “happening” by the day.

A friend of mine is a regular customer here, and he recommended that we try it one Saturday morning. The food was fantastic – I had the Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs (pictured below, $9.00) which were made with smoked salmon (of course!), red onions, and cheese, and served with homecut potatoes, toast, and homemade preserves. I also enjoyed the freshly squeezed orange juice (also pictured below) which was the real thing (and had no sugar added so it was a little bit tart, but very refreshing nevertheless).

My friend is a bit worried that if more people discover this secret amazing brunch place, it may get too busy! But that would be a sign of success for Seb’s and in the event they needed to expand, I’m sure they could handle it quite well.

Smoked salmon scrambled eggs ($9.00) from Seb's Market Cafe in Mt. Pleasant area of Vancouver BC Canada.

Freshly squeezed orange juice from Seb's, a great breakfast and brunch place in East Vancouver.

This area of Granville Street is a colorful mixture of new, high-end restaurants, older greasy spoon places, night clubs with pounding beats, and a couple of remaining sex shops left over from seedier days. The street is in transition with the sidewalk widening almost complete, making it a safer place to walk at night (along with the sometimes rowdy crowds of night-clubbers). It’s only a five minute walk from the upscale Yaletown shopping and restaurant district to the east, and about the same distance to Burrard Street to the west and beyond that the West End residential neighborhood.

Some of my favorite items to order at the Templeton are the Macaroni and Cheese (around $10, served with fresh tomato salsa, three kinds of cheese, and an organic green salad), and the Med Quesadilla (also around $10, made with artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, green olives, aged white cheddar, fresh tomato salsa and sour cream). On my last visit however, I had already eaten something substantial earlier in the evening, so opted for the ultra healthy and “good for you” Dinner Salad (around $6.50, pictured below).

The Templeton is one of the few dining spots that is open with full service food late at night in the downtown area. I was there a little after 10:00pm on a Sunday night and they did Last Call for food at around 10:30pm. That’s pretty good for a Sunday. If it’s late and you’re hungry, it’s worth a shot – why not give them a call (604-685-4612) to find out if they’re open? =)

For more photos (and info about their breakfasts) please view Part 3, Part 2, or Part 1.

Dinner Salad from the Templeton on Granville Street in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

The Georgia Straight, a local Vancouver newspaper, writes in their dining guide:

Traditional barbecue in a young, fun, attitude-free environment.

I enjoyed some beer with friends, and also ordered a delicious burger item, the Drunk and Dirty Chicken ($11.99, pictured below) which their menu describes as chicken “grilled with your choice of: teriyaki, cajun, bbq or pesto – topped with cheddar cheese and bacon”. It was reasonably priced, a good sized portion, and mighty delicious.

View Part 1 for another photo.

Drunk and dirty chicken ($11.99) from Dix BBQ and Brewery in Vancouver BC Canada.

The restaurant has won numerous awards for their innovative and unique decor, and more importantly for their food. Their menu, which is full of wonderful mouth-watering photos, makes choosing dishes a snap – even if you’re not so familiar with Malaysian or Thai cuisine. Simply look at the photos in the menu and let your eyes decide what to eat!

On a previous visit (over two years ago) I enjoyed the satay skewers and the Hainanese chicken.

This time we tried the following dishes (all pictured below): Indonesian spring rolls filled with chicken ($2.50 each), some delightfully puffy roti canai bread served with a special sauce ($2.95), the marvellous sambal clams ($13.95), an hot and sour eggplant hot pot with minced pork ($11.95), and the pineapple fried rice with ham and chicken ($12.95).

An interesting drink that we tried was the Coconut Juice served in a real coconut (also pictured below). This was a huge coconut filled with some refreshing and slightly sweet coconut juice, that we could enjoy with a straw.

In addition to Tropika’s Robson Street location, the restaurant also has a couple of other locations: Tropika Cambie Street (map, 2975 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-879-6002), and Tropika at Aberdeen (map, unit 1830, Aberdeen Centre, 4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, BC, Canada, phone: 604-233-7002). More info is on their web site.

Indonesian Spring Rolls from Tropika on Robson Street ($2.50 each)

Roti Canai bread from Tropika on Robson ($2.95)

Sambal Clams ($13.95) from Tropika on Robson

Hot & Sour Eggplant Hot Pot with Minced Pork ($11.95) from Tropika on Robson

Pineapple Fried Rice with Ham and Chicken ($12.95) from Tropika Restaurant on Robson Street.

Coconut Juice served in a fresh real coconut (around $4.00) from Tropika Malaysian and Thai restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

From a recent press release by H-Mart Online:

As you enter the store, your eyes are greeted with a foyer full of small electrics, including rice steamers and griddles. From there, you enter a world of household necessities including ‘Joy Gloves.’ Which brings up a point. Some product names just don’t come through translation to have the same impact in English as they did in their native country’s language.

[...] The prepared foods are tasty as well. The kim-chee from the refrigerator case is top notch, as are the fried beef and sesame chicken. In the freezers are everything from squid and octopus to red bean ice cream. Try some of the gyoza or steamed dumplings for a treat. There are also frozen ducks in the case labeled ‘duck, parts missing.’ It’s best to not think too hard about which parts are absent.

I really like their gyoza and kim-chee, as well as their prepackaged sushi which becomes discounted near the end of the day.

But a little-known feature of this grocery store is the food court that is at the north side facing Robson street. Here you can get a variety of popular Korean dishes such as the spicy tofu soup, spicy beef broth, seafood pancake, and many more (menu shown below).

I tried the Item #5 which is described as “Mixed Vegetables and Rice in a Stone Hot Pot” ($8.50, pictured below) – it is called Bibimbap in Korean.

The ingredients are arranged artfully on rice in a super-hot stone bowl, and it’s up to you to mix them up and wait a couple minutes for everything to cook.

In the photos below I’ve shown what the dish looks like before and after mixing the ingredients. It tasted fabulous – the combination of rice, egg, vegetables, and meat was quite filling and satisfying but also was non-greasy and seemed healthy.

The stone bowl remains piping hot for a long time; after resting my chopsticks on it for a minute the wood became almost too hot to touch. The dish is served with some kim-chee (spicy Korean pickled cabbage) and a warm soup broth with green onions.

After enjoying Item #5 for a second time, I’ve decided to make the H-Mart Korean Supermarket one of my regular dining spots. Visiting the food fair is like taking a mini vacation to Korea – most of the other patrons seem to be talking in Korean, and many of the signs are in both Korean and English.

Bibimbap Korean food ($8.50) from H-Mart Market in Vancouver BC Canada - before mixing the ingredients.

Korean Bibimbap dish after mixing the ingredients in the hot stone bowl.

H-Mart Korean Food Fair Menu, located on Robson Street in downtown Vancouver.

Beyond Robson has a review of the H-Mart food court from 2007.

I have a friend who follows a raw vegan diet, which means that he doesn’t eat any animal-related products (vegan) and foods must be unprocessed and not heated above 46 degrees Celsius (raw). He blogs about the Raw Vegan lifestyle on Eat Raw Vegan. I was interested to see what a Raw Vegan meal would taste like!

Raw Vegan food preparation takes a lot of creativity to make food that is satisfying and interesting to eat without using cooked or processed ingredients, and without meat or dairy products. Amazingly, all the dishes pictured below are raw vegan dishes. I must say that I was quite happy and full after the meal.

The Raw Vegan Cashew Alfredo Zucchini Linguini ($10, pictured below) was made with zucchini “newdles” smothered in a rich white cashew cream. It was served with a green leaf salad. It tasted cool and refreshing, and was amazingly creamy considering that no dairy products were used.

The Maui Waui raw vegan pizza ($6.00, also pictured below) is a sun-dried tomato and fresh tomato herb sauce topped with a mix of tenderized kale and seasonal greens then topped with fresh pineapple bits and a crumbly walnut “cheez”. It is served with a sprouted sunflower and buckwheat, flax and carrot crust.

For an appetizer we also tried the Raw Vegan Zucchini Hummus and Crackers ($7.50, pictured below). This tasted amazingly good, better than ordinary hummus I thought! The bean-free garlicky hummus dip is served with house-dehydrated crackers.

Other notable items included the Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice ($5.25, pictured below) – this is heavenly if you like orange juice; in fact I thought it was some of the best orange juice I have had in Vancouver! The raw vegan chocolate cake (also pictured below) was really fudgey and chocolatey, a treat not to miss!

The restaurant is open every day from 11am until 5pm.

Raw Vegan Cashew Alfredo Zucchini Linguini, from Gorilla Food in Vancouver. $10.00

Maui Waui Pizza ($6.00) raw vegan food from Gorilla Food restaurant in downtown Vancouver.

Fresh orange juice ($5.25) and Green Glory drink ($5.50) from Gorilla Foods in Vancouver.

Raw Vegan Zucchini Hummus and Crackers ($7.50) from Gorilla Foods in Vancouver.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Cake! (From Gorilla Food in Vancouver, downtown).

Irashai is currently the talk of the town, after hosting a big open house party last week for local residents, bloggers, and news media. Below are some photos that show off the restaurant’s upscale decor and delicious food. I’d really like to go back to try a full meal at Irashai. Their menu is available on their web site.

Daikon (Japanese radish) salad - a nice appetizer from Irashai Grill in Vancouver.

Plate of Assorted sushi (partially eaten!) from Irashai Grill in Vancouver.

A taste of Spicy Tuna from Irashai Grill.

Yam Tempura Fries (yummy!) from Irashai Grill in Vancouver

Asian ladies wearing fancy dresses, eating sushi at the standup reception at Irashai Grill.

The fancy bar at Irashai Grill.

IKEA is famous for the clean and modern design of their reasonably priced home furnishings and accessories. Their stores are “family friendly” which means there is a room filled with balls for kids to play in (one of my favorite places to go when I was a kid), and a bunch of kid-friendly items such as hotdogs and meatballs on the menu at their restaurant.

I went on a visit to Ikea on a Sunday afternoon, mainly to try their restaurant. The food at the restaurant is fairly inexpensive, because they know if people feel comforted by good food, they might be more inclined to spend hundreds of dollars on that new couch, table, or desk. It sure worked for me – I really only intended to visit the restaurant and then have a quick look around the store, and I ended up spending over $300 on various items. Yikes!

Being a Swedish company, Ikea features some Swedish items on their menu including the meatballs (pictured below) which cost around $7 for 15 meatballs with potatoes or fries (or $6.49 for 10 meatballs, potatoes, fries, and a soft drink). They also have some really tasty cold smoked salmon dishes such as the Gravlax with mustard and dill (also pictured below, around $5.00). For dessert they offer some nice pastries and cakes, such as the one pictured below (around $2.00).

If you like pasta, you can get a plate of Organic Pasta for $1.99. Their menu describes this dish as, “organic pasta with organic vegetarian tomato sauce” and says the pasta is available after 11am. But if you go before 11am you can get a $1.00 (yes, that’s one dollar) breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausages, and home fries. Their hope is that you’ll spend much more on the home furnishings and accessories. After all, you are already there, so why not pick up a TV stand, lamp, and chaise lounge or two?

Ikea Swedish Meatballs from Ikea in Coquitlam (a suburb of Vancouver BC Canada). Around $7.00.

Ikea Swedish Gravlax with Mustard and Dill (smoked salmon, delicious!). Around $5.00. From Ikea in Coquitlam BC Canada, a suburb of Vancouver.

Swedish Dessert pastry from Ikea restaurant in Coquitlam BC Canada (a suburb of Vancouver). Around $2.00.

At Toratatsu the Uno family has created a space that looks like a cozy New York bistro, but with a definite Japanese vibe that they say “would fit downtown Tokyo perfectly.” Chef Kodai Uno, 26, trained at the Pacific Institute of Culinary arts and at French restaurant L’Emotion, and is the youngest in a family of professional chefs. He brings a great deal of creativity and skill to his kitchen, crafting modern Japanese tapas with a fusion twist.

itadakimasu, a reviewer on DineHere.ca writes (click here to read review):

I was getting a little tired of Gyoza King and Hapa (which I both still like) so had to try this place. The decor is cool and comfy. The service friendly (always smiling) and the food was great! familiar dishes like Agedashi Tofu but with a twist (yama imo potato on top with tasty sauce). We also had the daikon salad (those are little fish sprinkled on top) which was so good, had to order a second.

My friends and I were quite hungry so we sampled a lot of delicious dishes (some pictured below).

For an order of chef’s special sashimi ($15.80) we chose the saba (mackerel), scallops, and salmon. The mackerel and scallops were seared with a blow torch right at our table, which made for quite the fiery entertainment!

The crab avocado salad ($8.80) was delicate and light, combining two of my favorite ingredients in a most favorable way.

The Ebi Chili Mayo ($8.00, deep fried prawn with Japanese mayonnaise and hot chili sauces) was gigantic and disappeared in a flash.

The Cheese Tofu ($6.80) looked like a fancy dessert cheese with strawberries, slivered almonds, and a sweet glaze, but tasted like a combination of custard, tofu, and a soft brie cheese. We also tried the Ishiyaki Risotto ($8.30) which was a nice sticky rice mixed with some succulent seafood.

My friends also ordered the Smoke Kissed Duck ($8.80), the Tarako Kimchi Udon ($7.80), and the Sashimi salad ($8.80), which looked amazing but I didn’t get a chance to try them. Hopefully next time!

Sashimi Salad from Toratatsu Japanese restaurant in downtown Vancouver ($8.80)

Crab Avocado salad ($8.80) from Toratatsu Japanese Tapas restaurant in the West End of Vancouver (Denman).

Chef's special Sashimi ($15.80) from Toratatsu in Vancouver (being seared with a blow torch!)

Another shot of the Chef's special sashimi from Toratatsu Japanese restaurant in Vancouver.

Smoke kissed duck ($8.80) from Toratatsu on Denman Street in Vancouver.

Ebi Chili Mayo (deep fried prawn, $8.00) - wonderful!! from Toratatsu Japanese Tapas Bistro in Vancouver

Ishiyaki Seafood Risotto ($8.30) from Toratatsu Japanese Tapas in Vancouver.

Cheese Tofu ($6.80, a nice sweet dessert or appetizer) - with strawberries and slivered almonds. From Toratatsu Japanese restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

THELOOK09 - Vancouver Fashion Show

THELOOK09 Youth Fashion Show (web site, map) is a fashion show hosted by the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver on Tuesday, May 12 2009 (the same night as the BC Provincial Election).

After you vote, consider heading down to the JCCGV at 7:30pm (which is open to all, regardless of faith) and enjoy a lively evening of style and entertainment hosted by Citytv’s Lunch Television personalities Kyle Donaldson and Michel McDermott.

The fashions presented at THELOOK09 are by local designers and fashion boutiques Jules & Eve and FAB Clothing, and the hair and makeup artistry is by Blanche MacDonald.

This fashion show is a fundraising event for the JCC Teen Lounge, making it a great way to show your support for youth in our community:

The JCC teen lounge provides a place for teens to learn skills through sports, leadership programs, afterschool care, fitness and community partnering programs.  Most importantly, it is a safe place with responsible young adults that get to know each teen by name and act as a sounding board without judgment.  It works as a gathering place for fun and mentoring.  Building teens holistic health is what the youth department does best.

Food for the volunteers and models is provided by local grocery stores Choices Markets, Capers Whole Foods Market, and Canada Safeway Limited – Oakridge Centre.

Tickets are only $10 and you can reserve your ticket in advance by calling 604-257-5114 or by sending an email to thelook2009@gmail.com.

Youth Video Contest

THELOOK09 - Youth Video Contest

Attention Youtube fans! Are you interested in the world of fashion design, modelling, makeup, or hair artistry? Here’s your chance to get noticed!

Create a 30 second video blog answering the question “What does living a healthy lifestyle mean to you?” and upload it to Youtube, you’ll get a chance to win two VIP Passes to the fashion show, and have the opportunity to meet some of Vancouver’s top fashion designers, TV personalities, and other people like yourself who are interested in fashion and healthy living.

When you upload your video, make it a video response to this video, which explains the contest rules. The full contest details can be found here. VLOG contest is about Healthy Lifestyle is open to all ages.

Click above for more details on THELOOK09 Youth Fashion Show in Vancouver BC Canada.

THELOOK09 Youth Fashion Show

• On Tuesday, May 12th 2009 (Same night as the election)
• 7:30pm – 9:30pm
• The Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (open to all)
• 950 W 41 Avenue (map)
• $10 a ticket
• Tickets: 604-257-5114 or email thelook2009@gmail.com.
• More info: www.thelook09.wordpress.com

Izakaya is a Japanese word for a drinking place that also serves food. Wikipedia has a bunch of details; here is a brief excerpt:

The name “izakaya” is a compound word consisting of “i ” (to remain) and “sakaya” (sake shop), showing that izakaya originate from sake shops which allowed customers to remain on the premises to drink.

Vancouver is one of the lucky food cities around the world where you can find a Japanese Izakaya restaurant outside of Japan. Kingyo, located in downtown Vancouver’s West End, is an upscale and trendy Izakaya that provides a modern, intimate, and tantalyzing taste of contemporary Japanese food and drink.

Rated as one of Canada and Vancouver’s best new restaurants of 2007 by enRoute Magazine (the inflight magazine of Air Canada), Kingyo consistently gets glowing reviews by visitors for its friendly staff, creative and innovative menu, and great service (check out some of the reviews at Dinehere.ca).

GoodEats88, a reviewer on DineHere.ca writes (click here to read review):

Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted warmly by the staff and shown to a table quite quickly. Nice hot towels were served to us and our drink orders taken. There was a daily special sheet folded into the menu and the difficult thing was deciding on what to try. We asked the server and he recommended a few dishes. Knowing it was izakaya (tapas), we weren’t expecting huge portions, but trying out several sharing plates. We started with the ahi tuna sashimi (melts in your mouth), then had the calamari (loved how it was made) followed with the Ebi Mayo and the Black Cod.

Below are some pictures of the food that I enjoyed with my friend. Everything was really tasty and I’ll definitely go back again for more.

Salmon Sushi ($8.80) from Kingyo in Vancouver

Three kinds of Japanese sashimi from Kingyo ($18)

more of the sashimi (prawn)

more sashimi

Sashimi

Japanese Tuna Pizza (with chopsticks?) - $7.80

Ron Brill of Martiniboys (click here to read review) writes of “…elegantly simple, modern tapas fare…alluring French flavours…” and I concur. Cassis Bistro is definitely deserving of the positive buzz it has been getting recently.

Pictured below are some of the items we ordered. First was the complimentary amuse bouche, which was olives and antipasto served with French bread. The olives and antipasto were served in an interesting narrow tray and whetted the appetite perfectly. For an appetizer, we ordered a crepe with Brie cheese (around $10), which tasted great. Looking at the photo brings back fond memories! For the main course I ordered the Duck a l’Orange ($17.50). The menu describes this item as:

Duck and oranges: a combination popular in many countries. This dish consists of Muscovy duck braised with oranges.

Let me say, the Duck a l’Orange was fantastic (or should I say merveilleux “en Francais”). I am a huge fan of orange juice and oranges in general, and duck is always a special treat for me since I don’t cook it at home. So this was a match made in heaven.

We also ordered a side dish of some vegetables: beets and zucchini (also pictured below, around $5). This went very well with a side of bechamel sauce.

Amuse bouche (olives and antipasto) with French bread at Cassis Bistro in downtown Vancouver.

Crepe with Brie Cheese from Cassis French Bistro restaurant in Downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

Duck a l'orange (Duck and Oranges), $17.50 from Cassis Bistro, a French restaurant in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

Side order of market fresh vegetables from Cassis Bistro in Vancouver (beets and zucchini) - around $5.00.

The crepes are made in front of you, by smartly dressed chefs, at round grills at the restaurant’s front window. They are made sweet (try chocolate, or apple and cinnamon) or savory (pick from ham, cheese, or a bunch of other ingredients such as mushroom or spinach). Crepes (such as the ones pictured below) cost in the range of $5 to $8 depending on the ingredients. I really like the rich Emmenthal cheese and spongy crepe batter. For the Foot Long hot dog (pictured below, around $5) be sure to try their French mustard and maybe even mayo if you’re a fan.

There are two locations of Cafe Crepe very near to each other on Granville Street downtown. The smaller one (796 Granville, Cafe Crepe “express”) is located next to Future Shop just north of Granville and Robson. The larger one, further down Granville near the Commodore Ballroom (map, 874 Granville St, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-806-084), has more sit-down tables and even a private room for parties in the back.

Sometimes they get pretty busy and there might be a bit of a wait, especially if you want to eat-in. Take out orders are usually quite fast.

The other locations of Cafe Crepe in Vancouver are:

Robson Shopping District (map, 1032 Robson St, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-488-0045)

South Granville (map, 2861 Granville St, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 604-488-1326)

UBC Campus (map, 103-2151 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 604-221-1142).

French Hot Dog from Cafe Crepe (yum) - click photo for larger version

Ham and Cheese Crepe from Cafe Crepe in downtown Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Cafe Crepe logo on a take-out bag with a glass of wine.

Another photo of the crepe from Cafe Crepe restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

KimHo has some nice photos online, which you can view by clicking here, and writes, “Food was better than expected, despite my crazy comments about the rolls, sushi and sashimi”.

I had a huge feast: ordered the Sashimi Dinner ($18.95) and shared a spicy tuna roll and gyoza with a friend ($1.48 each). My total bill came to $21.91 before tax and tip, and I was really full. Two of my friends say they come here every week and always order the sushi boat (which looks incredible and costs around $40, but that’s for two people so again it’s a good deal).

This restaurant is extremely easy to get to, even from downtown Vancouver. Hop on the Skytrain and head out to the New Westminster station (about 25 minutes). Walk east down the stairs off the platform, and look across the street (8th street), and you’ll see it. The restaurant is quite large inside, tidy, and is complete with a small fountain and some private booths/tatami rooms.

Below are some pictures I took of the food, using my wide angle lens this time.

Sashimi dinner (also included ebi sunomono, tempura, miso soup, and dessert).

Japanese Gyoza and spicy tuna roll from Ki Sushi in New Westminister.

Ebi Sunomono salad and Miso Soup

Some more sushi rolls from Ki Sushi in New West.

Tempura from Ki Sushi in New Westminister BC Canada.

Spicy Tuna roll from Ki Sushi in New Westminster BC.

Another photo of the Sashimi Dinner from Ki Sushi (formerly Kirin Sushi) in New Westminster.

We enjoyed their special menu for Dine Out Vancouver 2009, which was $38 per person before tax, tip, gratuity, and drinks. The atmosphere is awesome, the service is impeccable, and the restaurant’s food is very impressive. We were a little cowed by the wine list, which had the cheapest wine by the glass at $9.00 and a half litre for $30. So we didn’t order drinks, but the food (as shown below) was fabulous.

I made a video of the dishes (which you can view using the player below).

The menu that was offered that evening is below:

YEW restaurant Dine Out Vancouver 2009 Menu:
$38 (excludes taxes, gratuity and alcohol)
Cuisine Type:
West Coast

RED SALAD
Slow Poached Pear, Beets & Goat Cheese, Red Leaves, Roasted Peppers
– or –

CAULIFLOWER
Cauliflower Soup with Black Cod Cake & Parsley Coulis
– or –

SABLEFISH
Soy Glazed Sablefish, Scallion Pancake,
Micro Broccoli & Mushroom Salad

PASTA
Wild Mushroom Gemelli, Basil Stewed Artichokes & Olives
– or –

SALMON
Miso Broiled Salmon, Chinese Broccoli, Baby Shiitakes,
Squash & Plum Purée
– or –

VENISON
Braised Nicola Valley Venison Shoulder, Winter Greens,
Risotto Milanese

CHERRY
Whipped Morello Cheesecake, Cherry Crumble and
Jubilee Glaze
– or –

CHOCOLATE
Milk Chocolate Cream, Salted Caramel & Cinnamon Meringue
– or –

PINEAPPLE
Pineapple Carpaccio, Lime Sorbet, Coconut Wafers

Still from the video (Yew Restaurant in Vancouver)

We enjoyed a banquet meal at the Kirin on New Years Day 2009, and I took a video of the dishes (you can view it using the player below). The food was really amazing, although a foodie friend commented that the Kirin is a bit pricy to visit just for a casual dinner (save it for a special occasion!).

The menu included the following dishes:

crab meat and fish maw thick soup
sauteed scallop, prawn and chicken
deep fried crab claw wrapped with minced prawn
Peking duck skin with crepe
minced duck with lettuce wrap
live lobster in two kinds of flavor
sauteed beef tenderloin
bok choy and abalone mushroom
lo hon vegetable
stewed e fu noodle
Yang Chow Fried Rice
two kinds of dim sum dessert (cookies and coconut jello)
sweet tapioca soup (dessert)

Still image from the video (Lobster) from the Kirin Chinese Restaurant in Vancouver (City Square).

For more photos and info please view Part 3, Part 2, or Part 1.

Video from Sushi Town:

Uni sushi (sea urchin, $2.50), Ikura sushi (salmon roe, $1.80), Sashimi ($13.95) from Sushi Town restaurant in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Assorted Sashimi from Sushi Town ($13.95) in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Soft shell crab ($6.95) from Sushi Town in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Mangodise Roll ($4.95) and Spider Roll ($6.95) from Sushi Town in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Awesome Roll from Sushi Town ($6.95) in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Another pic of the Awesome Roll

Seafood Sunomono ($3.75) from Sushi Town in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Miso Soup from Sushi Town ($1.00). Had some egg in it!

The restaurant is run by mostly Japanese students who are very efficient at serving big lineups quickly. Fast food is the name of the game here – Ebi Ten seems to have taken a cue from McDonalds and if there is a big line, someone might take your order while you are still in line, so that when you get to the cashier your food will soon be ready.

Pictured below is some of the ready-made sushi that is available in the refrigerated display case at the entrance to the restaurant. A roll such as the ones pictured costs in the range of $1.75 to $3.00 depending on the type. I really like the Ebi Ten Roll (pictured below) and the Tuna Avocado Roll (also pictured below). Other fun treats to try are the Takoyaki, the battered and deep fried octopus balls which are served with a topping of mayonnaise (not pictured), and the green Seaweed Salad (pictured below) which has a delicate, slightly salty flavor and is a little bit chewy.

Ebi Ten Japanese Restaurant is within walking distance of the major theatres such as the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Playhouse, as well as the sports stadiums (GM Place Stadium and BC Place Stadium), making it a good place to go to grab a quick bite before a concert, theatre play, or game.

Don’t expect haute cuisine here – the food is simply cheap, fast, filling, and can satisfy a sushi or teriyaki craving.

For more photos and info please view: Part 1, Part 2.

Tuna and Avocado Roll Sushi from Ebi Ten Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

Ebi Ten Roll (around $3) from Ebi Ten Japanese restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Seaweed Salad from Ebi Ten Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Wild Rice is one of the only restaurants in Vancouver with a menu that takes familiar Chinese dishes and re-imagines them in a marvellous fusion between new and old-world Chinese cuisine and high-end Western-style tapas.

40something, a reviewer on DineHere.ca writes (click here to read review):

The decor is polished and dark with mute dark green panel lighting. Wear black my dear! Very Sean Connery turtle neck. BTW The prices reflect the ambiance.

[...] The food was pretty darn good. Like with other outings, we ordered and shared. It was eclectic and all nicely presented, yet seemed more like elaborate tapas then meals. Our service was good (I guess that has changed for the better recently given the older reviews). And our wait staff seemed knowledgeable and attentive enough.

The restaurant is offering a special menu for Dine Out Vancouver 2009. I have copied it from their website and included it below. Vegetarian (vegan) items are indicated with a “v” symbol.

3-COURSE MENU OPTIONS:
available wednesday, january 14 through sunday, february 1, 2009.
please note that, during dine out, our regular a la carte menu will not be available

1st course:
bc side stripe shrimp congee or
hot & sour soup or
wonton soup with pork dumplings

2nd course:
yarrow meadows duck confit on shanghai noodle or
local mushroom & baby bok choy on noodle or
free range kung po chicken on jasmine rice

3rd course:
red bean panna cotta or
seasonal berry dumplings or
tea cup chocolate pudding

$18 per person. optional VQA wine pairings available.

Pictured below are some of the dishes we tried last week. It was a real feast!

Peking style duck pancakes from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. Made with yarrow meadows duck breast, scallion pancakes, and hoisin $18

Spicy kung po chicken with twice cooked peanuts from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. Made with Maple Hill free range chicken, broccoli, and rice noodles $18

Side stripe shrimp congee from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. A modern take on traditional Chinese soup. Made from brown rice $9

Ma po doufu from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. Made with tempura eggplant, chili jam $11

Gai lan (Chinese brocolli) and crisped shallots from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. $7 (side dish)

Local fruit dumplings (dessert) from Wild Rice restaurant in Vancouver. Star anise caramel, vanilla doufu ‘ice cream’. $8. The Caramel sauce was stupendous!

asianfusion, a reviewer from Seattle on DineHere.ca writes (click here to read review):

“Very French” – The husband and I had dinner here last night and had a very enjoyable evening. Steak Frites were tasty as was my halibut. Creative wine list made up of BC and French reds. This place reminds me of many Paris bistro’s with it ambiance and joie de vie.

artfuldodger writes on the same site (click here to read):

I love the size of the restaurant. It is intimate yet it avoids the slightly cramped feeling of, say, Pied-a-Terre or Grub. The design is cool too: exposed brick wall, mod furniture and woodiness.

To start, I ordered an amazing sounding soup from their menu, the Bisque de Homard et Dungeness Crabe ($12, pictured below) which is lobster and dungeness crab bisque served with croutons, Rouille and Gruyere cheese. It tasted even better than it looked, and I’m a big fan of both lobster and crab so this was the perfect combination. Now I want to go to Paris, right away!! Speaking of Gruyere cheese, over the holidays I tried an incredible smoked Gruyere – I think it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite kinds of cheeses.

I was then treated to the Coq au Vin aux carottes fondantes et choux de Bruxelles braises ($19, also pictured below) which is braised hen in red wine with glazed carrots and brussel sprouts. I noticed that this item is no longer listed on their online menu so they may have changed things up since I visited (Dec. 9th 2008). I really enjoyed this dish and would definitely order it again.

Like many of our city’s higher-end restaurants, Jules Bistro is also a popular hangout for some Vancouver celebrities and public figures. A friend reports that Gordon Campbell was dining at the next table to him, the night after I visited. After noticing Hon. Campbell, my friend chatted with the waitress and she said that the Premier had winked at her when ordering his soft drink, saying that he was the designated driver. Apparently that didn’t stop our Premier from having a raucous good time.

Future music star hopefuls might also want to pay Jules a visit, as k-dawg73 writes: “Famed music manager Bruce Allen came in and sat down at the table next to us with a group of 6 other people.”

Bisque de Homard et King Crab ($11) - Lobster and King Crab Bisque Served with Croutons, Rouille and Gruyere Cheese from Jules Bistro in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Coq au Vin aux Carottes Fondantes et Choux de Bruxelles Braises ($19) - Braised Hen in Red Wine with Glazed Carrots and Brussel Sprouts from Jules Restaurant in Gastown, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

dlxowhd, a reviewer on DineHere.ca writes (click here to read review):

simply put, this restaurant will give you the best bang for your buck.
just go and order sasimi and see it for yourself.
they are so huge that it makes you wonder how they make money.
this place is also very busy, therefore high turnover, so food (especially sushi and sasimi) is always fresh and tasty.
i love the ‘awesome’ roll and ‘red’ roll.. beef roll is also very good.
service is solid but can be improved.
i think waitresses are understaffed and they need to hire more waitresses..

For more photos and info, please view Part 2 or Part 1.

Dragon Roll ($5.50) and Red Roll ($4.95) from Sushi Town in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

House Roll ($4.95) from Sushi Town Japanese Restaurant in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Awesome Roll sushi ($6.95) from the awesome Japanese restaurant Sushi Town in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Seafood Sunomono salad ($3.75) from Sushi Town Japanese Restaurant in Burnaby BC Canada.

Miso Soup ($1.00) from Sushi Town in Burnaby BC Canada.

Bonka, a reviewer on Dinehere.ca writes (click here to read review):

Great place to “chill”. I’ve come here a few times before (always during the dinner hour) and have likened each experience. It’s decorated like a lounge with large (and comfortable) low chairs. [...]the dishes are prepared impeccably well. I will return to try out their brunch/lunch menus.

The crowd is mostly well-heeled twenty and thirty-somethings, who get together to have a good time. The low-light atmosphere is happy, relaxed, and at times boisterous, with much cavorting, indulging, romancing, and “chilling” going on.

To start, I had the Duck Bacon Unwrapped Scallops ($13, pictured below) which their menu describes as “Baja scallop and citrus ceviche topped with coffee and molasses cured duck bacon on brioche”. Phew, that’s quite a description, but my interest was piqued by the creative combination of ingredients. Fusion at its best, I thought while munching contentedly on every last bit of the Ceviche.

The main course I tried was the Sea Tiger Prawns ($25, also pictured below), which are grilled prawns in a lemon basil oil with a spinach and almond risotto. My dining companion commented that the chef had presented this dish differently on a previous visit (my serving was more “aggressive” looking, kind of like an angry crab). An angry crab made of risotto and prawns is an angry crab that I would like to meet again!

Sea Tiger Prawns ($25) from Chill Winston in Gastown, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Duck Bacon Unwrapped Scallops from Chill Winston in Gastown, Vancouver ($13)

My family always goes there for big get-togethers and it is always a marvellous feast that satisfies everyone. This time, I brought my video camera along and took a video of the dishes as they arrived (see player below, or click here to view on Youtube). Because of the low light the video is kind of grainy, but you can get the idea!

Prices are affordable, within the $15 to $25 per person for a large banquet (or slighly more depending on how many crabs and seafood items you order).

Below I’ve also included photos of the crab and chicken hot pot that I took in my previous visit (see Part 1 of my review).

Chinese style hot and spicy crab from Ridge Garden Restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Chicken and black fungus hot pot from Ridge Garden Chinese restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada

The restaurant has some great lunch specials which are $8.00 plus tax and tip, and include a salad, spring roll (with sweet plum dipping sauce), and a main course (such as a Thai curry dish) served with rice. Pictured below is the dish I ate, the pork with red curry paste, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, basil and coconut milk. It was really delicious!

The restaurant offers vegetarian versions of some of their curries, with Tofu instead of the meat, and they were also able to accomodate the special dietary needs of a person in our group requiring gluten-free foods. (For more information about Special Dietary Needs and restaurants in Vancouver be sure to check out Food Vancouver).

For more info please view Part 4, Part 3, Part 2, and Part 1. Their menu is also available on their website.

Also check out this video made by the restaurant that describes how to make Thai Curry at home.

Pork with red curry paste, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, basil and coconut milk from Urban Thai Bistro in Vancouver.

In a previous dinner time visit, I enjoyed their ling cod ($22). Since then I’ve been back three times for lunch. Goldfish offers daily lunch specials which are $10 plus tax and tip. These specials really showcase the talents of executive chef William Tse.

Flat Iron Steak (on Thursdays) is served with mushrooms, snow pear, and mustard green salad. On Fridays, their special is the seafood fricassée (pictured below), with mussels, fresh fish, thai basil, coconut, and fresh chiles.

The flavors in the fricassée were fantastic, expertly crafted into bringing out the freshness of the seafood, with a rich broth that went with the rice perfectly. The fresh chiles were extremely spicy but our helpful server warned us about them, and thankfully they were served on the side. Another popular lunch choice from our table was the Shanghai Noodles, which can be ordered with beef short rib or chicken.

Many food fanatics (or “foodies” as they are affectionately known) love Vancouver because of the remarkable East-meets-West fusion that happens in the kitchens of our many talented, daring, and masterful chefs. As a port city we are fortunate to have some of the freshest ingredients arriving in our markets from Asia and the Pacific Northwest. Chefs like William Tse and restaurants like Goldfish are setting the stage for Vancouver as a world-class food city.

Please visit the Gold fish restaurant’s web site if you’d like to browse their menu or see some photos of the room’s cool decor.

Seafood Fricasse from Goldfish Pacific Kitchen restaurant in Yaletown, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Amuse bouche, a little complimentary appetizer created by their chef.

The Westcoast Pocket (shown in video below) is made with wild smoked salmon, avocado, seasoned rice, pea shoots, tofu and tobiko, and is one of my favorite appetizers that Cactus Club serves. For another photo of the Westcoast pocket please view my review of their Yaletown location.

The prawn and scallop spaghettini is a specialty of Cactus Club’s celebrity chef and Iron Chef USA winner, Rob Feenie, and is made with pan seared prawns and scallops, roasted tomato sauce, garlic and parmesan crostini. I was really impressed by the size and taste of the scallops, which were generous in number and hidden throughout the pasta.

I made a little video of the dishes, which you can view by clicking here, or use the player below.

Westcoast Pocket from Cactus Club

The first dish that arrived was the Special Pork Chop Wuxi Style (pictured below, $13.95), and I tentatively bit into a tender, saucy piece of pork that I tenuously held in my chopsticks. Suddenly, a symphony of subtle sensations started to build up on my tongue and I thought, this is comfort food at its best. Whoever Wuxi is, he or she definitely has a walloping sense of style.

Not to be outdone was the Deep Fried Squid with Chili and Pepper ($9.98, also pictured below), a Chinese take on calamari that was crispy, salty, and delicate at the same time. The culinary concerto continued with Shanghai Style Juicy Pork Buns ($4.95, also pictured below) which my dining companion secretly devoured as I was munching on the marvellous pork pieces. I did manage a few nibbles of these jealously juicy buns, which if you haven’t tried, will lead you to discover that they must be eaten in a single bite.

With a can of coke, and a ration of rice, the bill came to $31.63 before tax and tip. The handy Geotip was utilized and we paid $20 each in cash (which, must be noted, is the only payment method that Shanghai Wonderful accepts).

For some more photos and info, please view Part 1.

Shanghai Style Juicy Pork Buns ($4.95) from Shanghai Wonderful restaurant in Richmond, BC, Canada.

Special Pork Chop Wuxi Style ($13.95) from Shanghai Wonderful restaurant in Richmond, BC, Canada.

Deep fried squid with Chili and Pepper ($9.98) from Shanghai Wonderful restaurant in Richmond, BC, Canada.

My serving of the pork chops