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)

Tomokazu Japanese Restaurant (20-1128 West Broadway, Vancouver, phone 604-677-0426) is my favorite place for all you can eat sushi in Vancouver. The deluxe menu ($22.95 per person) includes many delicious items (some of which are pictured below) that one can usually find only at a-la-carte Japanese restaurants. For more photos please visit Part 2 and Part 1.

Tuna Tataki and Beef Tataki

Ebi sunomono salad (with prawn)

Spicy seafood cone and soft-shell-crab roll

Assorted sushi

Assorted sushi

Assorted sashimi

Tanpopo Japanese Restaurant (1122 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC, phone 604-681-7777) serves “all you can eat” sushi in its downtown, West-End location. Lunch time prices are around $12 for the sushi buffet, and dinner (which features a greater selection) is around $22. Service was attentive, and the kitchen was fast, bringing our orders out quickly. The sushi tasted really good too. Tanpopo is just steps away from the English Bay beach and within walking distance of Stanley Park.

(update Jan 2, 08) Olivia writes:

Also noteworthy is the fact that you can order unlimited sashimi. I don’t eat raw fish, but for sashimi lovers, this is great news! ^_^

Pictured below are some of the items we ordered.

Pan fried gyoza

Ebi sunomono salad (with shrimp)

Salmon and tuna sashimi

California roll and salmon maki sushi

Salmon maki sushi

Chicken katsu (breaded chicken cutlet)