PAIR Bistro

West 10th

This cozy little bistro on the west side of the city is a beautiful spot to meet up with some friends for a glass of wine from their well stocked cellar. The ambience is modern european with a BC theme and the service is very friendly. The food however, is not quite what we were expecting. The prices of the main courses range from $15-$35. The ingredients are all local, which we applaud, and except for the steak all of high quality. But the dishes lack a bit of subtlety that the presentation led us to expect. The Yam fries are far too seasoned, the steak is stringy, the goat cheese bland and the $15 burger, satisfactory. All in all, a bit underwhelming. We cut our losses and didn't try a dessert but I suspect the optimal experience of PAIR Bistro is a glass of wine and a dessert to close off an evening having eaten, elsewhere.

Location: 3763 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Telephone: 604-224-7211

The Fishermans Restaurant and Bar

Seattle Harbour

Fishermans has fantastic food fresh from the sea and an unbeatable view of the Seattle Harbour. If the perennial favourite Ivar's down the road is full or too noisy try out Fishermans down at Pier 57. The service is excellent, they have a variety of fish dishes if you don't want just shellfish and every table has a panoramic view of the harbour. Try to go around sunset.

Location: Pier 57. 130 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA, USA

Telephone: 206-623-3500

Last Visited: Spring, 2008

Tang's Noodle House

West Broadway

Glowbal - grill and satay bar

Yaletown

Glowbal is a very trendy and pricey restaurant in the heart of trendy and pricey neighbourhood of Yaletown. We decided to splurge one evening while walking through Yaletown but were prepared to be dissapointed as these kinds of places tend to spend more money on decoration than on expertise. But we were wrong. Glowbal is expensive but it has some fantastic food. We got a sampler plate of different satay's, their specialty, which included satay mushrooms, meatballs and squid as well as the usual meats. Honestly, its worth it for the meatballs. They are Kobe Beef Meatballs! They really were the tastiest meatballs I've ever had, next time I'm getting the humble looking spaghetti and meatballs just to have more. So if you're stolling by and have a bit of extra cash to burn in their patio heating lamps give glowbal a try.

Location: 1079 Mainland St, Yaletown, Vancouver, BC

Telephone: 604-602-0835

Enigma - Restaurant and Bar

Vancouver

Down the hill in the middle of the quietly trendy Point Grey Village this quietly trendy restaurant satisfies but does not excite. We went there for brunch which is billed as one of their specialties. We had some standard breakfast fare of eggs, sausages and omelletess. The Spanish omellette was surprisingly tasteless for the oinions and tomatoes that were in it, the eggs themselves needed some more salt. The sausages were plain and the tea service was correct but the tea itself unexciting. The french toast and potato pancakes were again adequate but not as rich and succulent as one would expect. The French toast was in fact a bit dry, with takes some effort to pull off. Overall enigma is an ok place to try out, but unsatisfying for the price and the expectations of its stylish interior.

Location: 4397 10th Ave W. , Vancouver, BC

Telephone: 604-2226881

Raga Restaurant

Vancouver

Widely recognized as one of the finest Indian restaurants in Vancouver we happened upon it randomnly on our first visit to Lotusland years ago. We went again recently and its still fantastic. The restaurant is spacious, pleasantly decorated with courteous staff. The food is wide ranging and reasonably priced. The lunch specials come with a nice variety of pakoras, tandoori chicken, lentel soup and a currie as well as a mountain of very good Naan bread. One of my Indian friends who is vegetarian has said their vegetarian menu is the best in town, tied with Annapurna (reviewed). I'm a carnivour myself but I would tend to agree.

Location: 1177 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Telephone: 604-733-1127

Bellaggio Cafe

Vancouver

This is a large cafe accross the road from the Museum in the heart of downtown Vancouver. I confess we only went there because the fantastic, award winning Cafe Artigiano next door was closed early. Bellagio has the redeeming quality of being open late, unfortunately, that is its only redeeming quality. It may have been an anomaly of a particularly bad waitress but we had a horrible experience at Bellaggio. The cocktails were tasteless, the deserts messy and unimpressive, the coffee mundane. And the waitress was uninterested and confused, mixing up our bills, forgetting to charge an item and blaming us for ruining our own evening. We'll be telling stories about this horrible little place for years.

Location: 777 Horby St. Vancouver, BC

Telephone:604-408-1281

Mahek

Vancouver

This is a nice new Indian restaurant on west broadway. The dishes are standard indian fare done with class and a modern presentation. The rhogan josh was excellent and though I didn't try it several people raved endlessly about the butter chicken. Lassi's were nice as well, though a bit small. The restaurant itself is small with a modern black and glass style, the owner and chef is often around.

Location: 2893 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Telephone: 604-737-2500

Website:

Legendary Noodle

Richmond

This is one of those places I almost don't want to review because I don't want it to be overrun. Since I'm pretty sure no one reads this I'm probably safe. Legendary Noodle in Richmond is fantastic. The small, humble staff produce the best beef noodle soup I've had in Vancouver. They have other things on the menu as well, but once you've had their soup (choose either 1 or 2 on the menu) you won't want anything else. And all at a very reasonable price. You can find it in the same malls as Hons (see review) across the road from Superstore in Richmond. There is one on main street as well aparently.

Location:Richmond and Main street.

Telephone:

Website:

Hon's

Vancouver

This is often listed as one of the great places to get Chinese food in Vancouver. Whenever you hear someone give you this advice with a straight face, you should immediately strike all previous restaurant suggestions they have made to you and walk away. Its not that Hon's isn't bad exactly. The food is tasty and edible. Their JiaoZe dumplings (or potstickers as people jubilantly on calling them) are actually pretty decent. But it is not authentic chinese food and its when it is its not very good. Its the kind of place Straight magazine and food critics on the CBC love to rave about. Just don't do it. Go somewhere good instead that makes food that Chinese people actually eat rather than one tailored for western tastes.

Location: Vancouver, everywhere, like a plague

Telephone:

Website: I'm not going to tell you.

Browns Social House

Vancouver

This classy, modern interpretation of the classic breakfast diner replaced the old Vinery bar and restaurant at 4th and Vine right in the middle of trendy Kitsilano. I'm sure some bemoaned the loss of an old anchor, but all seems to be forgotten now in the unstoppable gentrification of every square inch of this neighbourhood. The food is quite good, I had perhaps the best egg and ham sandwich I've ever had recently at Browns. They had a standard breakfast/brunch list with nonstandard prices. That is, high prices. We had breakfast for two and it set us back over $30. A bit steep by my reckoning. The atmosphere is nice though a bit cold and the underutilized waitstaff were a bit overeager. We'll have to try it again, if we can afford it.

Location: 2296 W 4th Vancouver, BC

Telephone:

iCactus

Seattle

This popular mexican restaurant in downtown Kirkland has a hit and miss menu. Good:chimichanga. Bad:fish tacos and the fried chicken. Nice atmosphere, very trendy, good service.

Location: Kirkland, USA (near Seattle)

Telephone:

Website:

Feenie's

Vancouver

Feenie's is the trendy, cheaper sibling of the high-end Lumiere next door. The food is more affordable than Lumiere but still has a very expensive feel and the prices of dishes are moderate. Dinner for two people with appetizers but no wine or desert came out to $50. The quality of the food is surpisingly variable given its reputation. The Feenie Burger is one of the most often touted specialities, so two people in our party ordered it. One was pink and juicy while the other was grey and dry. They did not ask how we would like it done. The sheppard's pie was truly fantastic with truffles and wine in the rich meat base. However, a simple dish such as French onion soup was blank and almost tastless, although the presentation was very attractive.

Overall the experience and atmosphere was very nice, and affordable fancy night out but the food fell below our expectations.

Location: 2663 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Telephone: (604) 739-7115

The Naam

Vancouver

Finally went here a second time, its was pretty decent this time. All I say, don't get the specials, they're hit and miss. This time I burrito-like dish and it was pretty good. It still has quite the style, its serious hippy dress only but on the plus side it is open 24 hours a day. Its so popular you usually have to line up.

Location: 2724 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Telephine: (604) 738-7151

Anapurna

Vancouver

This is a very small restaurant right at the end of the West 4th Kitsilano strip. You may find you are waiting a bit for service and for the food to come but believe us, its worth it. One of the best vegetarian restaurants in town. Its also one of the best Indian restaurants in town. Be sure to try out the paranthna's, pan fried potato cakes.

Location: 1812 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Telephine: (604) 736-5959

Calhoun's

Vancouver

This cool, jazzy, cozy bakery cafe on broadway should be a fantastic catch. Its open 24 hours a day. It has live music many nights of the week. Its in the heart of lower Kitisilano. You're cool, you're trendy, the world is your oyster. Its too bad the drinks from the comprehensive menu of coffees, teas and other warm delights are almost universally bad. How they make such an unsatisfying capuccino is beyond me. The food is alright, lots of keishes and sandwiches and wraps. By the time I leave the pit of dissapointment in my stomach usually doesn't quite compensate for the feeling of being a little bit cooler for just being there. One nice thing is the drink London Fog which is Earl Grey tea with foamed milk, its a Vancouver specialty and Calhoun's may actually have invented it.

Location: 3035 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Telephine: (604) 268-9324