Tinseltown is a relatively new (and still sparsely occupied) shopping mall with a large movie theatre complex located on the border between downtown Vancouver and the downtown East Side / Chinatown area. This is an area of town that is in transition, with many fancy new condos being constructed, but still is one of Vancouver’s more graphic parts of town (88 W Pender, Vancouver 604-806-0799). Tinseltown and its food court are easily accessible by Skytrain, just steps away from the Stadium station and GM Place Stadium. The food court is cash only and some really good deals can be found here, such as a heaping plate of Thai fast food for only $5.00 (pictured below). Also check out the salad rolls made fresh to order from the Vina Vietnamese restaurant (served with peanut sauce – yum!).

The Real Canadian Superstore is one of the most cost-effective places to shop for groceries in Vancouver. Prices are consistently lower than most other grocery stores, and there is a large selection of items. The Superstore at 3185 Grandview Highway is conveniently located close to the Rupert Skytrain station.

Shown below is my dinner, with ingredients bought from Superstore. It’s a quick meal of boiled/fried perogies with onions and a cheese sauce, served with boiled vegetables.

Located at 590 Robson St. in Vancouver (map, phone 604-609-4567), close to downtown hotels and the famed Robson shopping district, is a Korean grocery store that is stock full of delicious Korean items – many without any English on the packages.

I cooked up some Kimchi Dumplings (a 380 gram bag cost $5.99), and served them with a bit of rice and brocolli. The result was delicious!