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 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.

(please read to the end for the free coupon info)

Their menu is almost the same – a selection of pastas, sandwiches, burgers, and fancier items such as seafood, steak, and appies, priced quite reasonably for the downtown neighborhood. (The restaurant is part of the Hampton Inn and Suites hotel and is immediately across the street from BC Place Stadium.)

I had ordered several different cream-based pastas from Zachary’s on my previous visits, but for some reason the flavors of the sauce seemed a bit off, maybe a strange aftertaste -it’s hard to describe, but I can tell when a restaurant does its pasta sauce right. This time I was extremely happy to take the first few bites of my gorgonzola penne ($12.95, pictured below) and finally encounter a pasta sauce that frankly delighted my tastebuds with honestly good and sophisticated creamy sensations. The aftertaste was clean and faded away quickly, preparing my palate for the next bite. I made it through the entire, generous dish without getting tired of the ingredients, which is a problem I run into when eating huge amounts of pasta at places like Antons in Burnaby. (Well, thinking again, it was good except to maybe the third or second to last bite, but this was pretty much the best as I could expect for a pasta costing $12.95).

For more info, check out my reviews from previous visits Part 5, Part 4, Part 3, Part 2, Part 1

Gorgonzola Penne Pasta from Zachary's on Robson ($12.95)

Free Coupon! I was given two coupons by the restaurant in my bill, and I would like to give them away to some readers of this site who are interested in trying the food. The first coupon has $3 Off Lunch (“Join us for lunch and receive $3 off per couple or $1.50 for a single lunch, Valid until June 30th, 2009″), and the second coupon has $5 off dinner for a couple on one side, and on the other side, a pre-game event prime rib dinner special for $13.95.

Please note that in order to get these discounts you’ll need to get the actual coupon from me, since they won’t accept printouts. If you’d like a coupon, please email me (geoff@gpeters.com) and first person who emails me will get one coupon. Second person will get the other coupon. You can pick the coupon up from me in Yaletown.

I’ll post a message here when the coupons are gone.

I went for lunch at their location at Georgia and Seymour in downtown Vancouver, and enjoyed the Chipotle Chicken Quesadilla with Caesar Salad (pictured below, $10.99 before tax). The restaurant gets quite busy at lunch, and I think the chef didn’t have very much time for presenting the dish, because it wasn’t impeccably styled like you might find at a high-end restaurant. But the quesadillas tasted great, really satisfying, and I liked the home-made black bean salsa that they used (which had some corn niblets).

The chicken, chipotle mayo, black bean salsa and cheese were accompanied by an amazing sour cream cilantro sauce and some ordinary salsa. It was good value to get a half Caesar salad included in the price. I’ll definitely go back and order this again!

The restaurant is conveniently located within walking distance of Vancouver’s sports stadiums (GM Place Stadium and BC Place Stadium), as well as the Vancouver main library downtown and the Queen Elizabeth theatre. It is accessible by either the Stadium skytrain station or the Granville skytrain station.

White Spot is open for breakfast starting at 6:30am, and is popular for brunch and dinner as well.

For more info, check out my previous reviews: Part 4 – Kitsilano Location, Part 3 – BC Ferries, Part 2 – Salmon Burger, Part 1 – Chicken Gai Yang.

Chipotle Chicken Quesadilla & Caesar ($10.99) from White Spot restaurant in Vancouver.

The supermarket is well known for their exotic seafood and vegetable selections. Frommers writes that Tnt Market is “where strange and ungainly comestibles lurk: fire-dragon fruit, lily root, and enoki mushrooms”. But never fear, there are plenty of palatable items lurking here, which even those with Westernized tastes can enjoy.

I especially like the steamed dim-sum and buns, such as the BBQ Pork Bun (Cha Siu Bow), as well as the egg custard tarts. I also really like their Chinese BBQ Chicken which comes pre-cooked and sliced into bite sized pieces – a tray of chicken costs around $6 and makes a great takeout item to serve at home with some steamed rice and veggies.

T&T Supermarket also sells pre-prepared sushi trays such as the one pictured below (around $5.00). The sushi is tasty, and while a dedicated sushi restaurant might do better, T&T’s sushi is quite good value for the money. (The supermarket has some eat-in tables for hungry shoppers who can’t wait till getting home to start munching away.) After around 6:30pm the sushi items start being discounted by a few dollars every hour until they’re all gone.

I also tried their Vietnamese Salad Rolls served with peanut sauce (also pictured below, around $5.00) which I thought were a little bland. The Vietnamese restaurant in the food fair at Tinseltown Mall (just across the street) serves much tastier and fresher salad rolls, at about the same price.

Take out sushi tray from T&T Market in Vancouver, $5.00 (California roll, Salmon Nigiri Sushi, and Unagi sushi)

Vietnamese Salad Rolls ($5.00) from Tnt Super market in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The Beatty Street Grill is located in the Georgian Court Hotel which is near BC Place Stadium and GM Place Stadium in downtown Vancouver.

For more photos and info about this restaurant / sports bar please visit Part 2 or Part 1.

Chicken and Brie Cheese Panini (The Parisian Panini) from Beatty Street Bar and Grill in Vancouver. ($11.99 before tax and tip.)

The Beatty Street food menu is fairly basic, but quite well executed, with daily specials such as Fish and Chips on Fridays, a soup and sandwich special, burgers, pastas, and the usual appies. Prices for lunch are in the $10 to $15 range, which are quite reasonable considering the downtown location. I especially enjoy their pastas, such as the Chicken Pesto Pasta ($13.99, click here for photo), and the Prawn Linguini ($14.99, pictured below). The Prawn and Mussel Linguini was prepared in a simple way, with a basic tomato sauce, lots of yummy cheese, several prawns that were hidden throughout the pasta, and some mussels which I quickly devoured. My only suggestion for this dish would be to add even more prawns, but I was quite satisfied regardless.

This restaurant is located in the Georgian Court Hotel, a popular downtown Vancouver hotel for tourists and business travelers alike. For some more photos of the Beatty Street Bar and Grill please view Part 1.

(above) Prawn Linguini pasta at Beatty Street Bar and Grill ($14.99)

White Spot (web site) is a chain of restaurants that serves Canadian/American style food. This downtown location (80 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, phone 604-662-3066) is really close to downtown theatres, the Granville St. Entertainment district, and BC Place Stadium (home of the BC Lions Football Team) as well as GM Place Stadium (home of the Vancouver Canucks). View Part 1 for more info and another photo from White Spot.

Salmon burger from White Spot in downtown Vancouver ($11.99)

Wild Ginger has quite an extensive menu, with a range of Korean dishes (including Korean BBQ), Chinese food, and even some western-fusion dishes. The Beef Tenderloin (around $18, pictured below), was quite a treat – tender slices of beef were served atop potatoes and stir fried vegetables, with accompanying Chinese egg fried rice that was arranged quite artfully in the shape of a fish. The restaurant is quite large and could easily accommodate a large group (but please call ahead to make reservations so that they can be ready for you!). There is free parking in the mall (upon validation by the restaurant), and the restaurant is very close to the Stadium Skytrain station (Vancouver’s subway).

One thing to note is that this restaurant doesn’t have very many choices for vegetarians. My friend wasn’t too impressed by his “vegetarian delight” ($11) which was more of a side dish. But for those who enjoy eating meat or seafood, Wild Ginger has plenty of enticing dinner selections. Check out their web site for the current menu. For another photo and more info please view Part 1.

Beef Tenderloin at Wild Ginger (with egg fried rice, potatoes, and stir fried vegetables, around $18)

Hamburger and fries (around $13)

Chicken Pesto Pasta ($13.99)

The mall is really close to GM Place Stadium and BC Place Stadium, as well as the Stadium skytrain station, and it’s a convenient place to stop for a bite to eat before the Canucks hockey game or BC Lions Football.

The food court at Tinseltown mall is on the level below the movie theatres. Taste of India Restaurant provides a healthy and delicious alternative to the other fast food outlets such as Taco Time and Vana Vietnamese.

At Taste of India they make their Naan bread fresh to order – I was really surprised: it only takes about a minute for them to roll the dough and bake it, and it tasted awesome! Pictured below are two different orders of Combo 2, which includes two items of your choice from their menu with rice and Naan bread for $6.25. Some vegetarian items are available.

Indian food with freshly made naan bread ($6.25)

Indian mixed vegetables, Curry Chicken, and Naan bread ($6.25)

Pictured below is the “BBQ Breakie bowl” ($11), which their menu describes as “Bourbon BBQ sauce brushed over ground-steak burger, 3 scrambled eggs, green onion, diced tomatoes, and grated cheese on seasoned chunky potatoes with red onion, topped with ranchero-hollandaise and your choice of toast.” I quite liked it, although it was a lot of food for lunch!

BBQ Breakie Bowl ($11)

Pictured below is my very delicious Mushroom Burger ($11) which had all the toppings including bacon, cheese, onions, lettuce, and a slice of tomato. I added an extra $1 to get a side Caesar salad instead of the house salad. For more info view: Part 1.

Beef, bacon, and mushroom burger with swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickle ($12 with Caesar salad)

For more photos and info view: Part 1.

Fast food Japanese California roll, tempura, and teriyaki (around $8.00)

The food court is cash only, but some great deals can be had here, including the Vietnamese crepes with salad (pictured below, around $5.50). There is also an excellent Korean/Chinese fusion full-service sit-down restaurant in the mall called Wild Ginger (click here for review).

For more info on the mall’s location and food court, please visit my previous review (click here). It’s located really close to GM Place Stadium, the Stadium skytrain station, and BC Place Stadium downtown, on the border between the main downtown area and Chinatown / downtown east side.

Vietnamese crepes with hot sauce and salad ($5.50)

Ezogiku Noodle Cafe is located near the Vancouver main library downtown, as well as BC Place Stadium, home of the BC Lions Football team. It’s also a short walk from GM Place Stadium, home of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team. The restaurant is within easy walking distance of hotels such as the Rosedale on Robson, Westin Grand, and the Hampton Inn and Suites.

Kimchi ramen noodle soup

The interior of Ezogiku Noodle Cafe on Robson.

Curry Prawns ($11.95)

sam_w_bc writes on Dinehere.ca (click here for review link):

I’ve been here a few times before. The most recent time, I took my parents. I ordered the Yorkshire pudding with roast beef and my parents had the salmon and beef stew. We all agreed that our food was delicious. I want to go back and have more Yorkshire pudding.

Honey glazed pork chops, served with vegetables and mashed potatoes ($14.95) 

At Ebi Ten you’ll find prepared California rolls and other sushi at really reasonable prices (in the $2 to $3 range), and if you’re in the mood for something fancier they will also make sushi on order. Another great choice is the Chicken Teriyaki bowl (pictured below, $5.94 before tax), which is served with either miso soup or a soft drink.

djj_rome writes on DineHere.ca:

It’s cheap, it’s fast and its run by Japanese students. Food here is really cheap and for $10 you can fill up on a great meal for lunch or dinner. Also a great place to get a snack before the Canucks game. I always stop here when in the area and wanting a quick meal.

The restaurant usually bustles with energy during lunch hour, but never fear, the line-up will move quickly!

Chicken teriyaki bowl served on rice with lettuce and Japanese mayo ($5.94 before tax)

Zachary’s is located a stone’s throw away from BC Place Stadium in the Hampton Inn and Suites Hotel. It’s also very close to Queen Elizabeth Theatre and GM Place Stadium.

Beef stroganoff

Calamari

I ordered the Chicken Gai Yang ($14.99, pictured below) which their website describes as, “Fresh pineapple, red pepper, green onions, mushrooms and bean sprouts simmered with coconut milk, lemon grass and lime juice over Jasmine rice. Topped with fresh grilled chicken breast marinated in lemon grass, curry paste, ginger and cilantro and garnished with house-made peanut sauce, a traditional Thai cucumber relish and cilantro.” It was nicely presented, and had some tasty combinations of flavors.

Video from White Spot restaurant:

The Dunsmuir location I visited is really close to the Stadium skytrain station and the Vancouver sports stadiums: GM Place and BC Place Stadium. Two other locations in the Vancouver area are: 1101 Denman St. Vancouver, 604-689-8858, and 1995 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver, 604-904-4430.