Indian Oven (web site, map, reviews, 2006 West 4th Avenue Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone 604-730-5069) is one of my friend’s favorite places to go for Indian food in the Vancouver area. It’s located on the second floor of a building at West 4th and Maple Avenue in Kitsilano, with a great view of the bustling shopping district and the mountains and downtown skyline in the distance.

I was really quite impressed by the quality of the food (we ordered vegetarian selections this time, but the menu has a good selection of non-vegetarian items as well). To start we enjoyed an appetizer of Onion Bhaji ($6.99, pictured below) which were deep fried and crispy, similar to Pekora but without the meat. Hub-uk (click here for their Onion Bhaji recipe) describes what makes up an Onion Bhaji:

The basic recipe consists of onions being chopped and then made into a sort of batter with chickpea or gram flour, spices, and sometimes with herbs, then fried until golden. They have a mild taste and are not hot.

For the main course, we tried the Bombay Aloo ($10.95, pictured below), a tasty dish of diced potatoes cooked with cumin seed & specialty spices, and the Vegetable Korma ($10.95, also pictured below), which is made with carrots, cauliflowers, and broccoli cooked in the restaurant’s own special cream sauce. We also had an order of Pulao Rice ($3.50), and Garlic Naan bread ($2.25), which their menu describes as “white flour leavened bread coated with garlic”. Yum!

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

Being from West Bengal, and growing up on Indian food most of my life I’m always looking for a taste of home. I discovered the Indian Oven last year and have found my self routinely selecting it for take out, over other Indian restaurants in Vancouver. The Indian Oven specializes mostly in North Indian cuisine, which is quite common among Indian restaurants in North America… Tandoori/tikk/kebab specialties of this restaurant are far above most of the other restaurants in west part of Vancouver.

The restaurant also has free delivery within a 5km radius (click here for their take out and delivery menu), and 10% off for pick-up orders.

Indian food from Indian Oven restaurant in Vancouver: Garlic Naan bread ($2.25), Bombay Aloo ($10.95), Vegetable Korma ($10.95)

Onion Bhajis ($6.99, appetizer from Indian Oven restaurant in Vancouver).

Closeup of Vegetable Korma ($10.95) from Indian Oven restaurant in Vancouver.

Garlic Naan bread from Indian Oven restaurant in Vancouver ($2.25)

Taking the ferry over to Victoria is a popular day trip for tourists to Vancouver. And for some people, a ride on BC Ferries is inevitable, whether it is to attend school at UVic, visit family, or simply return home. In my case I was going over for a vacation, which also involved performing in a piano concert (click here for free recording of my performance in the concert).

Naturally, during the 1.5 hour ferry trip, I got hungry. There are several food options available on BC Ferries, one of which is the Pacific Buffet, which BC Ferries describes as offering “elegant ocean-view dining on sailings from Vancouver to Victoria and features a wide selection of hot and cold items”. The buffet costs $16 to $21 depending on the time of day.

The line up for the buffet seemed long, so I headed over to the main cafeteria, which is branded as “White Spot”, a popular chain restaurant with several locations in Vancouver. The ocean-going version of White Spot has a simpler menu, but still has some attractive choices, such as the Roast Chicken with fries or Caesar salad, various burgers, salads, or their signature entree, the baked maple-glazed salmon ($11.99, pictured below).

The salmon was surprisingly good, and unlike some restaurants where the actual product looks a lot different from the picture in the menu, my salmon looked very similar to the enticing poster-sized photograph at the cafeteria entrance. My only problem was that I was really hungry, and I could have easily eaten two orders of scrumptious salmon. Maybe next time I’ll try the Pacific Buffet!

(above) BC Ferries Salmon Entree ($11.99)

Canada Place (web site, map, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 3B5, Canada) is Vancouver’s trade and convention centre, as well as the main cruise ship terminal. The building is a city landmark for its modern architecture and distinctive five sails that give the building the look of a huge boat. Pictured below are the sails of Canada Place at night.

After walking up to the concourse deck to take this picture, I went with my friend to the very fancy Pan Pacific Hotel Lounge which is in the same building, and we enjoyed some drinks from a table with a stunning view of the Lion’s Gate Bridge. As well as being home to this luxurious hotel, the building also houses the CN Imax Theatre, a popular tourist attraction for 3D and immersive films.

For more photos please view Part 1.

(above) Canada Place in Vancouver at night