+Alpha

Style of cuisine: Japanese Izakaya
Atmosphere:

Locations:

6 Acres

$

Style of cuisine: Beer Bar Casual
Atmosphere:

Locations:

6 acres

8 1/2

$$

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

900 West

Style of cuisine: Cocktail Bar Wine Bar
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

9th Avenue Grill

Style of cuisine: Breakfast
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Two Eggs any style - $6.95

Coffee - $2.10

9th Avenue Grill

Abigail's Party

$$$

Style of cuisine: Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Accord Seafood Restaurant

$$

Style of cuisine: Chinese Seafood Dim Sum
Atmosphere:

Locations:

High priority to try

Afghan Horsemen

Style of cuisine: Middle Eastern
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Afro Canadian Restaurant

Style of cuisine: African Ethiopean
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Afterglow

Style of cuisine: Gastropub Wine Bar Cocktail Bar Small Plates Tapas Fusion
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Ajisai Sushi Bar

Style of cuisine: Japanese Sushi Sashimi
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Critical priority to try

Ajisen

$

Style of cuisine: Japanese Noodles
Atmosphere: Casual

Locations:

Tonkatsu Ramen - $8.95

Tea - Complimentary

Ajisen

Akbar's Own

Style of cuisine: Indian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Akbar's Own

A Kettle of Fish

Style of cuisine: Seafood Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Alibi Room

$$

Style of cuisine: Tasting Bar Small Plates
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Mushroom and hazelnut pate - $13

Longwood 1000th batch aged doppelbock - $5.75

The Alibi Room is a great place to explore the under-appreciated world of food and beer pairings. For instance, the nut and mushroom pate is a marvel of rich flavour and texture, boosted into the umami stratosphere by a drizzle of truffle oil - for once not gratuitous but a harmonious boosting of the woodsy flavours already present. Who needs meat? If I were choosing a wine pairing I'd lean towards a dry or off dry sherry, but were at the Alibi where beer is king so we'll select the sublime Longwood doppelbock - rich chestnut colour, nutty malty aromas and complex flavours in a smooth mellow package. Just the barest hint of residual sweetness from the long conditioning. This is a pairing of compliments rather than contrasts and my, how well they compliment each other. (Note: Because the Alibi Room rotates its taps so frequently and especially as this is a one off batch the exact pairing likely will not be available. Look for something malty and fairly dry such as a nut brown ale or porter or perhaps a strong Belgian ale. Better yet, ask Nigel Springthorpe the proprietor who is knowledgeable and passionate about his products. He'll steer you to a good match for the pate among the 20+ current craft brew taps or indeed a good match for anything on the menu.

Alleluia Cafe

Style of cuisine: Chinese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

All India Sweets

Style of cuisine: Indian Vegetarian Vegan
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Vegerarian Buffet - $8.99

Chai - $2.50

All India

Also

Style of cuisine: Chinese Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Alvin Garden

Style of cuisine: Chinese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Pork With Garlic Bolts - $10.98

Tea - Complimentary

Hunan cuisine seems to revel in chili heat but also contrasting flavours of salt, smoke, earhiness and sourness. At Alvin Garden, this dish hits most of those notes. The heat is not immediate but builds to a crescendo before slowly fading into a faint tingling on the lips. The fresh garlic shoots provide a nice contrast to the meat and chilis.

Amarcord

Style of cuisine: Italian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Annapurna

Style of cuisine: Indian Vegetarian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Antons

$$

Style of cuisine: Italian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Antons

Aphrodite's Organic Cafe

Style of cuisine: Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

High priority to try

Apres

$$$$

Style of cuisine: French
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Aqua Riva

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Araxi

$$$$

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Argo Cafe

$

Style of cuisine: Sandwiches Diner Breakfast
Atmosphere: Casual

Locations:

Aria

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Arriva

Style of cuisine: Italian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Arriva

Arroy-D Thai Restaurant

Style of cuisine: Thai
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Ashiana Tandoori

$$

Style of cuisine: Indian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Asian 54

$

Style of cuisine: Vietnamese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Vietnamese Sandwich - $2.75

Tea - Complimentary

Asian 54

Aubergine Grill

$$$$

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Au Petit Cafe

$

Style of cuisine: Vietnamese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Au Petit Chavignol

$$

Style of cuisine: Tasting Bar Charcuterie Wine Bar Small Plates Tapas
Atmosphere:

Locations:

5 Cheese sampler - $16

Antech blanquette de limoux, grande réserve - $11

Au Petit Chavignol is certainly a bold venture. Following in the Footsteps of Aurora Bistro, Salt, Boneta and Campagnolo this venture by Les Amis Du Fromage is a step towards reclaiming the lost neighbourhood of the downtown Eastside. It might anger some of the locals to see people dining on great cheese and wine when their circumstances may be much less fortunate, but I do think on the balance its a good thing. Many of the patrons will live nearby in strathacona, Gastown, Citygate and the like and spending money in the community and staying local to dine will eventually bring back more opportunities for all residents of the area. I do think the little goat will be a big success both with locals and further flung foodies (such as myself). Starting with great product, and keeping it simple is a pretty safe approach. Good value is offered by the cheese tasters, at $10 for 3 cheeses and $16 for 5. I opted for the latter - choosing the Juliette goat cheese from Saltspring island, Brillat-Savarin from France, Morbier, Petit Basque and cave aged Gruyere. All the cheeses were great. The goat cheese was tangy but had some richness and depth. The raw milk, brillat savarin was gooey, stinky and utterly delicious (tell me what you eat and I'll tell you what you are - well put man), The raw milk, morbier also ripe and luxurious with the ash layer separating subtly different texture and flavour between the morning and evening milk. The sheep milk based Petit Basque was subtle and a good medium texture but perhaps a bit overwhelmed by the two previous cheeses. The aged Gruyere was nicely complex but not as sharp or hard of texture as I expected. Hard to pick one drink to go with all of these, but you could do much worse than a sparkling wine. The Blanquette de Limoux is a very classy bubble with some richness and complexity and did seem to do well with the cheeses. Fortunately the wine card has many cheese friendly matches, a small but decent beer list and some nice apertifs. My only quibble is the single BC selection on both the white and red sides (and none by the glass). Actually - more B.C. cheeses would be nice too. Much as Au Petit Chavignol pays homage to the classics there is excellent B.C. product on the cheese, wine, charcuterie and beer fronts. Perhaps someone else will build on what Salt and now Au Petit Chavignol have done and do an all B.C. tasting bar. (You can send me the royalties for the idea). So, in the final analysis, Au Petit Chavignol is the first tasting bar since Salt to truly raise the bar. It is by far the best option in town to try great cheeses in an affordable fashion, and the wine charcuterie and beer are good. I look forward to returning to sample more cheeses and have some fondue or raclette.

Aurora Bistro

Style of cuisine: Bistro Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Sablefish and Chorizo cake, Poached eggs, hollandaise - $15

Stellars Jay Cuvee Brut - $11

The funky shrine to locality and sustainability in fine dining - Aurora bistro provides a great brunch experience. The sablefish cake is a stunner, rich fish bound together with bits of earthy sausage. Crisp exterior and moist inside. Topped with two seriously good natural poached eggs, intensely flavourfull tomato compote and classic hollandaise its seriously outstanding breakfast fare. The mixed greens salad accompanying is a nice acidic and bitter counterpoint. The Stellar's Jay cuvee is a fine match, but I'd keep juice on the side if you are inclined to a mimosa as it would suppress the charms of the brut. Sadly the fish cake was a dailly special, but the sablefish hash on the regular menu ($13) should be a good consolation prize. The truffled scambled egss on potato hash and maple back backon is excellent as well. Fresh juice or french press coffee are also good choices if not drinking. Service, which I've heard a few rumblings about was prompt, professional and friendly.

Au Wing Kee

$

Style of cuisine: Chinese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Congee - Around $5

Tea - Complimentary

Au Wing Kee

Avalanche Pizza Co

$$

Style of cuisine: Pizza
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Babylon Cafe

Style of cuisine: Middle Eastern
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Falafel Wrap - $5.95

Bottled Water - $1.50

Babylon Cafe

Bacchus

Style of cuisine: West Coast
Atmosphere:

Locations:

bACCHUS

Ba Le French Sandwich

$

Style of cuisine: Vietnamese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Bamboo Grove

Style of cuisine: Chinese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Banana Leaf

Style of cuisine: Asian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Banana Leaf

Bandidas

Style of cuisine: Mexican Vegetarian Vegan
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Estelle Tacos - 3 for $7.50

Red Devil Pale Ale - $4.50

Bandidas has become a popular neighbourhood spot in a very short time. Their vegetarian and vegan mexican cuisine which is filling and tasty is a big reason for this. The sincere service and commitment to social and environmental causes is another. The solid / matter of fact and good value drinks program also contributes. The R&B beers on tap are tasty and local and good value. The Estelle Tacos do a nice sweet, sour, smoky, spicy balance with roasted pinapple being the defining flavour. Cheese, black bean, Salsa verde lettuce and sour cream provide counterpoints. The homemade soft corn tortillas wrapping the filling. are excellent. Some other notables, The bartop made of a single thick slab of a tree is fantastic and the Secrets page on the website promotes other good places in town to get vegetarian food (e.g. Naam), including alternatives to Bandidas for vegetarian burritos (e.g. Budgies) nachos (e.g. Foundation) and non-vegetarian food (e.g. their neighbour Cafe Kathmandu). So props for that. The environment is come as you are, the food solid but uninspiring, the value excellent. Overall the world is a better place for having Bandidas in it. Oh yeah, the Vegan brownie bites are awesome.

Barefoot Kitchen

Style of cuisine: Japanese Yoshoku
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Fried Chicken Curry with Rice - $7.50

Tea - Complimentary

Barefoot kitchen

Baru Latino

Style of cuisine: Small Plates Tapas Latin Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Adobos Pinchos - $12

BC Microbrew - About $5

Adobo generous portion of steak. Nice earthy tangy flavour. Tender but nice sear marks and smokiness. Stellar radish slaw. Also had the Baru Ceviche - $12; Ceviche was pretty big, scallops are good but the shimp were smallish and frozen.

Bavaria

$$$

Style of cuisine: Continental
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Bayside Lounge

Style of cuisine: Brunch
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

BC Sushi

$$$

Style of cuisine: Japanese Sushi Sashimi All you can eat
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Beard Papa's

Style of cuisine: Bakery Dessert
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Beard Papa's

Beefy Beef Noodle House

$

Style of cuisine: Chinese Noodles Taiwanese
Atmosphere: Family Friendly Casual

Locations:

Spicy Beef Brisket Noodles - $6.95

Tea - Complimentary

With a name like Beefy Beef noodles, you just have to try the signature dish. Seriously, Taiwanese Beef noodles are an amazing dish, and any place that does them well is to be cherished. Beefy Beef Noodle house may not be the absolute best but they are very good indeed. The broth is fairly concentrated with beef flavour but not overly salty. The noodles are chewy with good bite and nicely distinct. (Almost certainly house made but fresh for sure). The beef itself is thickly cut, with translucent striations of fat. Tender and meaty. A few pieces of bok choi and some sliced chives and scallions complete the dish. Very filling and extremely good value.

Belgian Fries

Style of cuisine: Casual
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Belgian Fries

Ben Kei Noodle Shop

Style of cuisine: Japanese Noodles
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Shoyu Ramyun - around $8

Asahi - around $5

Ben Kei

Beyond Restaurant & Lounge

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Bin 941

$$

Style of cuisine: Tasting Bar Small Plates
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Bin 942

Style of cuisine: Small Plates Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest Pacific Northwest Tapas
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Cinnamon chili rub texas flank steak, maple syrup chipotle glaze- $15

Heartland Shiraz - $8

One of the first to do the small plates which currently envelops the city's dining scene but still among the best. Standard wisdom applies, e.g. order a few dishes, share and order more if still hungry. The flank steak is a nice blend of spicy and sweet, grilled and smokey outside but rare in the middle. The Heartland shiraz by trendy winemaker Ben Glaetzer is up to both the spice and the sweetness of the steak being rich and full with decent acidity but low tannins. Daily wine features are a good bet as well. Duck Confit Salad - $15 sounds good. Wentzel Duck Breast, pinot noir sundried blueberry reduction, timbale of celeriac, ciopollini confit, mushroom baklava -$16 ?? malbec - $8 Nicely cooked duck breast sliced on the bias, rich sauce with sweet blueberries is the center. On the flank, a rich celeriac puree is encased in spinach, like an inverted dome. Sweet onion dots the reduction and on the other side is a 'baklava' of phyllo and mushroom with a hint of sweetness. A great dish individually and collectively. Pair with a not too tannic red. The ?? malbec works nicely. I'll be back for the kobe beef meatball stoganoff or another of the inventive dishes. Kettle valley pinot gris - $8 savoury with lots of skin contact. Big style grauburgunder. Russel porter is nice but a bit cloying on the finish - $5 sleeve.

Bishops

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Bishops

Bistro Pastis

Style of cuisine: Bistro French
Atmosphere:

Locations:

High priority to try

Bistrot Bistro

$$

Style of cuisine: Bistro French
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Duck Confit Gruyere Mac and Cheese - $18

Maison Maurel Vedeau Pinot Noir Pays D'oc - $9

A near perfect comfort bomb, the duck confit gruyere mac and cheese at bistrot bistro is a rich and filling dish that flirts with greatness. The duck leg and thigh, confit, served on the bone is surrounded by a mass of noodles in a rich but supple sauce. The duck pokes out of the mac and cheese like a meaty iceberg in a delicious sea of cheese. This is an inspired combination of flavours. The pinot noir works well with both the gruyere and duck, with good concentration and acidity and true pinot noir cherry flavours. Not complex but clean fruit and a nice match with the dish. What separates this dish from greatness? Firstly, the duck would be better served off the bone and mixed into the pasta. The on bone presentation is clever but you spend too much time dealing with the leg and mixing into the cheese. This is comfort food - just dig in. (or so you would want to) Secondly, a light crust of breadcrumbs and cheese, broiled to light brown would increase the complexity of flavour and add a bit more texture. The duck skin does provide some interesting contrast but a light crust would add to this. Finally, and yes, this is going for the full decadence comfort food supreme, but shaving some black truffle on the hot pasta after broaching the hypothetical crust would make this dish legendary. (Of course the price would change, but for something that awesome I'd happily pay). Clean decor and competent service balance the quality and value of the food and leave no doubt as to why Bitstot Bistro is always packed.

Black Tuna

Style of cuisine:
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Blue water Cafe

Style of cuisine: Small Plates Seafood Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest Oyster Bar Raw Bar Sushi Sashimi
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Blue Water

Bo Kong

Style of cuisine: Chinese Vegetarian Vegan
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Bon's Off Broadway

$

Style of cuisine: Breakfast Sandwiches
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Greasy Spoon Breakfast - $2.99

Coffee - Around $1.50

Bon's

Boneta

$$$

Style of cuisine: Tasting Bar Small Plates
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Scallops and oxtail ravioli - $25

Neil Ingram will steer you in the right direction - Glasses $7-17

Boneta loves you oxoxox

Bonqula

$$$

Style of cuisine: Japanese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

High priority to try

Book Kyung Ban Jeom

Style of cuisine: Korean
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Boulangerie La Parisienne

Style of cuisine: Cafe Bakery Take Out Sandwiches
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Bouzyos

$$

Style of cuisine: Greek
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Bridges

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Brioche

Style of cuisine: Cafe Sandwiches
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Brioche

Brix

Style of cuisine: French Tasting Bar Wine Bar Small Plates Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Fraser Valley Kurobuta Pork Duo - $14

Laughing Stock Portfolio 2005 - $14.50

Smoked desert salt seared pork tenderloin on broccoli smoked cheddar puree, bourbon – okanagan apple braised pulled pork on leek confit Smoked pork was a bit tough but flavourful and the broccoli puree was rich. Pulled pork was rich and had nice depth from the apple and bourbon braise. Wine is a bit tannic with good acids. Cuts the richness of the dish. Probably other wines would work better but give Brix credit for putting this out by the glass. I've only seen this available by the bottle around town. Owner returned new vintage of a well known b.c. wine for being almost $10 price increase but dramatically lacking in concentration and fruit compared to previous vintage. Nice to see such passion for the product.

Brown's

Style of cuisine: Casual
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Budgies Burritos

Style of cuisine: Vegetarian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Large veggie burrito - $6; Add on tofurkey sausage $1

This is a place to go after drinking - but if you are thirsty they have soft drinks.

The garlic mashed potatoes burrito is so damn good. Throw in a side of tofurkey sausage and you'll be even happier.

Burgoo

Style of cuisine: Bistro
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Kentucky Burgoo - $15

Middle Mountain Alpenglow Mead - $6

Burgoo

C

Style of cuisine: Seafood
Atmosphere:

Locations:

C

Cactus Club Cafe

Style of cuisine: Contemporary Casual
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Butternut Squash Ravioli - $17

Sandhill Estate Pinot Blanc - $8

Cactus Club Cafe has a not so secret weapon in the casual fine dining wars. "Iron Chef" Rob Feenie has jumped ship from the Lumiere and Feenies empire he helped to build and taken the position of "Food Concept Architect" at the Cactus Club chain. He brings instant credibility to the franchises aspirations and also many dishes that will be familiar to patrons of the now defunct Feenie's. One of his signature dishes makes it onto the menu, the butternut squash ravioli. Fresh pasta sheets envelop a smooth and rich squash filling and are minimally dressed with clarified butter that has toasted pine nuts and sage. Very minimal, excellent and other than a slight rubberiness in the pasta not much different than what was previously served at both Lumiere and Feenie's. Encouraging that good food does scale. The Sandhill Pinot blanc is a solid B.C. white that has impressive mouthfeel, restrained fruit and decent acidity. The sweetness in the squash filling finds resonance in the wine, bringing out more fruit than is apparent when tasting alone.

Cafe Artigiano

Style of cuisine: Sandwiches Cafe
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Muffelata Sandwich - Around $8

Cappucino - $4

Great coffee. Tasty sandwiches. Baked goods and soups are worthy as well. Busy seemingly all the time, I prefer eating here away from the main breakfast and lunch rushes. Muffelata sandwich is s delicious spicy grilled treat. The latte art is nice, yes, but its backed up by good coffee.

Cafe Calabria

$

Style of cuisine: Cafe
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Cafe Calabria

Cafe Crepe

Style of cuisine: Brunch
Atmosphere:

Locations:

cafe crepe

Cafe D'Lite

Style of cuisine: Asian Malaysian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Cafe D'Lite

Cafe D'Lite Express

$

Style of cuisine: Malaysian Indonesian Singaporean
Atmosphere: Food court

Locations:

Hainanese Chicken with Rice - $6.50

Tea - Complimentary

Cafe D'Lite Express brings a pared down version of the menu from the original location to the food court at Aberdeen center. Happily two of their classic dishes, the Hainanese chicken with rice and the Laksa are available. I'm particularly partial to their Hainanese chicken. This dish is served cold, with the chicken boiled and having a gelatinous texture on the skin. A nice touch here is that the sliced breast portion is almost completely de-boned so no fiddling with bones and having to spit them out.

Cafe De Paris

Style of cuisine: Bistro French
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Cafe Deux Soleils

Style of cuisine: Vegetarian Breakfast
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Cafe Deux Soleils

Cafe Il Nido

Style of cuisine: Italian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Cafe Kathmandhu

Style of cuisine: Indian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Momo - $10

Water - Complimentary

Cafe Kathmandu

Cafe Presto Panini

Style of cuisine: Italian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Cafe Salade de Fruits

$$

Style of cuisine: Bistro French
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Rack of Lamb - $17.99

Domaine de la Bastide - $6

Cafe Salade de Fruits. Great value. Jus a bit salty. Duck rilletes excellent flavour and portion. Papadum looked great flavour and texture good but toooo crumbly. Better to go lesser on presentation and do mini papadums.

Cafe Zen

Style of cuisine: Breakfast Brunch Cafe
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Campagnolo

$$

Style of cuisine: Italian Pizza Pasta Tasting Bar Charcuterie Wine Bar
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Coppa Di Tete - $8

Proseco - $6

Campagnolo brings massive amounts of style flavour and value to Main Street station. The cool decor, heartfelt food and smart wine list are delivered at price points that would be an absolute steal downtown, but here reflect the neighbourhood. For an amazing snack, try the Coppa di Tete, a ridiculously flavourful terrine of pork fat, bits of meat from the head and gelee. A profoundly honest and flavourful dish that speaks of the respect Rob Belcham has for the beasts he serves. The sparkle of the house proseco cuts the richness and the hint of sweetness works with the sweet pork fat.

Canvas Lounge

Style of cuisine: Cocktail Bar Small Plates
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Caramba! Restaurante

$$

Style of cuisine: Mediterranean Italian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Cardero's

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Cardero Bottega

$

Style of cuisine: Deli Sandwiches
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Carmichael's at the Hilton Vancouver Airport

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Casa Verde

Style of cuisine: Portugese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Cassis

$$

Style of cuisine: Bistro French
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Coq au Vin - $15

Chateau Pesquie Cotes de Ventoux - $10

Tender chicken in rich reduced sauce. Very intense flavours. The wine handles this dish well but you'd be pressed to go too far wrong. Side of herbed polenta baked with gruyere - $6 nicely set off the dish and was useful in soaking up the rich sauce. Excellent value. Genuine surroundings. Service was attentive and enthusiastic.

Celadon

Style of cuisine: Korean
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Central City Brewing

Style of cuisine:
Atmosphere:

Locations:

You aren't here to eat.

Fresh B.C. Microbrew, brewed on site - Around $6

Century

Style of cuisine: Latin
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Chaise Lounge

$$

Style of cuisine: Small Plates Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Crab croquettes - $8

Driftwood Ale - $6

Chaise lounges decor might say otherwise, but the menu is solidly in the west coast contemporary small plates and comfort food trends that are dominating our culinary landscape during this recession. The crab croquettes kind of exemplify that. Simultaneously Ocean Wise and fried, these croquettes hit a lower price point by virtue of not being crab cakes. Lots of binder here, (though I've also said that about crab 'cakes' at twice the price far too often) still they were crispy, hot, moist inside and with a decent crab flavour. Nothing to complain about at the price and reasonably filling to boot. Fried food equals beer, and the small tap selection at Chaise includes the excellent Driftwood ale from the outstanding Driftwood brewery on the island. This beer is light bodied but has a clean sweet malt flavour. It finishes very clean and crisp courtesy of the Germanic hops used. Anyhow, the crab croquettes and the driftwood ale make a tasty snack; nothing profound but far better than most of the fried nibbles and mainstream 'micro' brews you'd find at pubs and casual restaurants all over town.

Chambar

Style of cuisine: Bistro
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Moule Frites 'Congolaise' - $20

Piraat 10.5 - $10.5

chambar

Chau

Style of cuisine: Vietnamese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Chen's Shanghai Kitchen

$

Style of cuisine: Chinese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Xiao Long Bao - $4.50

Tea - Complimentary

Chen's

Chilli House

$$

Style of cuisine: Thai
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Fresh Coconut

Chilli House

Chill Winston

Style of cuisine: Contemporary Small Plates
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Chocoatl

Style of cuisine: Cafe Bakery Dessert Take Out
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Olive oil truffle - $2.50

Aztec chocolate - $5

Chocolate to eat, chocolate to drink. Since the chocolatier is from Mexico the Aztec chocolate seems a natural, and is close to the original way that chocolate was consumed. The Aztec chcolate is rich, with the sweetness offset by lingering flavours of cinnamon, spices and a bit of chili heat. Among the many inventive truffles the olive oil stands out for me due to its sheer unexpectedness. Yes, you can really taste the (high quality) olive oil along with the chocolate and yes its a complimentary flavour. Who knew. Other variations on the hot chocolate (single varietal, other flavour infusions like lavendar) are all great. The other truffle varieties are great. I'm not a fan of chocolate dipped strawberries, but by all accounts these are good (they make them fresh using a chocolate fountain which I'm sure would be better than making them ahead of time and letting them sit.). Anyhow, if you like chocolate you will find something to enjoy here.

Cho Sun BBQ Korean Restaurant

Style of cuisine: Korean
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Chow

$$$

Style of cuisine: French Contemporary Small Plates
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Grilled 'Local' Octupus frisee, harissa, chickpea, sausage - $15

Joie Riesling - $10

Chow is a stylish room, that is sleek without being austere. Bearing the S.R.O. (Seasonal Regional Organic) banner Christophe Poirer impresses. The octopus is incredibly flavourful and tender. Spicy harissa mayo, chicpeas, bitter greens balance and the grilled sausage pulls out some earthy nuances from the octopus. A stellar dish that hopefully won't frighten the locals away. Really inspired. The exemplary Joie Riesling handles the flavours on the plate and with a hint of sweetness fleshes out the palatte. Polderside duck pate - $15 another success. Rich but clean flavours, mustardy sauce cuts the richness. Duck capaccio on the plate adds smokiness and depth. Just delicious. Good with a Coteaux de Languedoc but such a wine friendly dish that it would be hard to go wrong. Ling cod dish was perfectly cooked, beef jus was a surprising contrast but worked well. Beef ravioli were merely good. Joie Rose - $9 nods to both the surf and the turf on the plate. Service was enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable about the product. Slight lags, but no major issues. Though the patio looks out on an alleyway, its looks promising for the summer especially if some greenery is added.

Chutney Villa

Style of cuisine: Indian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

chutney villa

Ciao-Thyme Bistro

$$$

Style of cuisine: Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

ciao-thyme

Cibo

$$$

Style of cuisine: Italian
Atmosphere: Stylish

Locations:

Agnolli stuffed with Duck, finished with Parmesan and Balsamic - $19

Basilicata - $8

Cibo is small and stylish. More Milan catwalk than Sienna rustic. White and black panes, a few wood beams, antique (by Vancouver standards) tile floors, huge canvases of decidedly non-Italian images. Floor to ceiling glassed in wine rack. Tidy modern chairs with verticallly striped upholstery. Stained black wood tables. Frosted glass frontage. Top notch service, including on this night Sebastien le Goff overseeing the house. He recognized me from a few visits to Uva and provided a stellar suggestion to drink with my pasta. Since all the other reviewers have been raving about the zuchini blossoms I thought I'd start with that. 3 blossoms arrived encased in light coating that was a crisp brown but not overdone. each had a mini-courgette 'stem' and was stuffed with ricotta. A lemon wedge allows the diner to calibrate the desired acidulation. Lovely; the warm ricotta filling is savoury but fresh. At $16 the portions are a bit small but given the richness of the dish I'm not sure that more on the plate would be wise. A glass of my near go-to choice, Joie Rose, $9 worked very well. I'd be curious as to what Sebastien would recommend. I'll probably find out next time if I don't dine solo (ulterior motive being to order a different starter but recommend the zucchini blossoms to my wife so I can taste something new but also have another bite of this delicious dish). Next up, the agnolli stuffed with duck paired with the red from Basilicata in the South. The pasta dish was delicious, light pillows of fresh pasta enveloped a rich duck filling. Simply finished with good oil, parmesan and balsamic the flavours were balanced and the textures light. The red was marvelous, dusky, dark plummy - rich but soft and smooth. It really hit it off with the pasta and truly the sum was greater than the whole. Portion again was not large but again the duck was sufficiently rich that I was happy. For a full meal a primi and secondi with contorni would be good. Perhaps adding an appetizer or dessert if very hungy or sharing. As I had a snack a few hours before this late dinner I was good with the starter and primi. From the contorni (Verdura) I chose the heirloom tomato and basil salad. Now, while this was hands down the simplest and best dish of the evening, I must say that something this fantastic could only occur at the peak natural growing season for tomatoes. Fantastically good heirloom tomatos, fresh basil, good olive oil salt. Untouchable. Great value at $4. This dish reminded me to make sure I hit the farmer's market this weekend to splurge on great heirloom tomatoes. Anyhow - if you happen to eat at Cibo in August or September don't miss this dish. I left the pleasures of the dessert menu and the amazing looking 36oz bistecca fiorentina for 2 ($63) for another visit, assuring Sebastien and the very competent staff that I'd be returning in the near future.

Cin Cin

Style of cuisine: Italian Mediterranean
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Wild Mushroom Wood Fired Pizza - $24

Brancaia Tre - $16

Cin Cin

Cioppino's

$$$$$

Style of cuisine: Italian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

porcini mushroom and chestnut soup - $12.95

Burrowing Owl Chardonnay - $11.00

Cioppino's and its Chef/Owner Pino Posteraro have received enough accolades over the years and have a formidable reputation as a temple of gastronomy. Known as expensive, with a 60 page wine list and some of the most expensive mains in Vancouver, some might be intimidated. For a while I could be counted in that group. Finally, on a beautiful day in May I decided, screw it, I want to try this. Called my wife and said meet me in Yaletown. We dropped in and were able to get a table on the patio. We were beside Trevor Linden, but aside from a few glances while I replayed that goal in game 7 from 94 in my head I resisted the temptation to bother him or his wife. Again, might be a reason to be intimidated but honestly leaving this place to the celebreties and ultra-rich would be a real shame. Yes, you could break the bank here but on the other hand you can have a fantastic Italian meal for the same price as you would spend at one of those casual fine dining chains (you know the ones I mean). I started with the porcini and chestnut soup with Truffled brioche croutons. This is a variation of the regional Gold Medal Plates winning dish. (No foie gras in this version) Wow. Smooth, rich soup with layers of mushroom flavour backed up by a rich nutty base. Simply delicious. The relatively soft croutons provide a sharper truffle flavour without overwhelming the porcini. The Burrowing Owl chardonnay, cuts the richness but adds its own sweet oaky flavours. Phenomenal. I also had a great papardelle with braised veal cheeks that was rich and meaty with perfectly cooked pasta. Portion was moderately sized and the price was an incredible $20. This paired maginificently with the house red, a dusky plummy perfectly mature 2002 vintage from the Apulia region. Old school as they come and phenomenal value at $7.50. I guess that sums up why Cioppino's is so awesome and why Vancouver is such a phenomenal dining city. You can have a stellar pasta dish and glass of wine for $27.50 at arguably the best restaurant in town. Thrown in a salad or soup and you are still below $40. A starter, main and glass of wine at any of those mainstream places (which yes are quite decent) would not be much less or indeed could be more. Its unfathomable to me why Cioppino's wasn't packed when bookending the block some of those casual places were. Seriously, its elegant yes, but not stuffy or exclusive. I'm hardly dressed formally but the staff were attentive, friendly and professional. Don't be scared. Even if you won't be ordering 1990 Henschke Hill of Grace at $1288.00 (which is fantastic by the way) you belong here.

Cipriano's

Style of cuisine: Italian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Cipriano's

Clove

Style of cuisine: Small Plates Asian Fusion
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Bhajia - $8

Kettle Valley Brakeman's Red - $9

Clove

Clubhouse Japanese Restaurant

$$

Style of cuisine: Japanese Sushi Sashimi
Atmosphere: Take Out Casual

Locations:

Dave and Mike's Roll - $6.00

Draft Beer - Around $5

The Dave and Mike's roll is a 'Holy' roll e.g. battered and fried. It is large futomaki styled roll with salmon, tuna and asparagus. The batter around the Nori keeps the roll crisp on the outside and is still raw on the inside. Excellent. Also looks wonderful on the plate. Any crisp beer works well with this so either go with any of the J-brews(Kirin, Sapporo, Asahi) or just get some local beer on tap.

Coast

$$$

Style of cuisine: Seafood Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Fish and Chips Hand Roll - $8

Decked out Ceasar - $8

There are many interesting options at newly re-located Coast restaurant. If you like fresh oysters the selection here is wide with quality and pricing on par that other place around the corner on Alberni. There are also many seafood options among the mains, many Ocean Wise certified and all with some provenance listed on the menu (down to the boat and fisherman in several cases). However, if you are looking for something fun and exciting try the Fish and Chips Hand Roll. This isn't really sushi, but evokes a temaki hand cone playfully but effectively. A stone slab is the platform, bearing two cones wrapped in coloured rice paper rolls stuffed with fried halibut, kaiware (daikon sprouts) and tartar sauce. Soy, wasabi and pickled ginger are also provided for dipping. I have to say, while the apprehension of gimmicry is natural these rolls are great. The flavours are basically fish and chips, but the kaiware and wasabi add a Japanese element. Also, the tempura batter on the halibut was both light and crunch and the fish inside moist and sweet. To drink, the Coast signature decked out Ceasar is a similarly fun and bold item. Inside the tall glass you have a pretty conventional spicy (rather spicy) Ceasar, but the rim is an assertive celery salt that holds up to the strong flavours in the drink. Since the celery is on the rim not stirring the drink there is a large peeled tiger prawn chilled and impaled on a chopstick. Wow. Needless to say the chilled prawn tastes great while drinking the cocktail. Ok, I'll admit, its a farmed prawn, not so Ocean Wise, but very few of us can boast lifestyles where we are free enough of enviro-sin to cast the first stone so I'll let this be a small case of putting my taste buds above the big picture of our food supply.

Cobre

Style of cuisine: Latin Tapas Cocktail Bar
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Vaca Asado, flash seared skirt steak peppercorn adobo, tijuana baby caesar chorizo hash - $15

Margarita - around $7

Earthy brick wood and copper predominate in a stylish interior. Small plates rule here with clean presentation and intense focussed flavours. Portions are small and while value may seem to be relatively lacking the quality is there. Standout is the steak, smoky spicy and tender. The hash unbelievable, enriched with cream and cheese. Ceviches are also very good. Cocktail list does offer good value and classic tastes. The margarita uses good tequila and is classic style not a slurpee with booze.

Coco et Olive Fine Foods and Cafe

Style of cuisine: Cafe
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Cocolo

$$

Style of cuisine: Japanese Sushi Sashimi Izakaya
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Congee Noodle House

Style of cuisine: Chinese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Ostrich Congee - around $7 Chinese donut add $1.50

Hot tea - Included

Congee is Chinese comfort food; to describe it as rice porridge is grossly inadequate. I've basically invented an alternate childhood for myself where I had congee instead of chicken soup. Congee survives the transition to adulthood much better than chicken soup though because you can put anything in to provide flavour and textural contrast. Case in point, the Ostrich meat congee at Congee Noodle house is delicious and by all accounts much healthier than other red meats. Don't pass on an accompanying Chinese doughnut. These savoury puffs of fried dough soak up the congee and blend into a soothing whole. If you like heat then ladle as much hot oil as you can stand into the congee from the tableside dispenser. Stick with the complimentary tea to drink. Its exactly what works.

Connor Butler

Style of cuisine: Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Continental Coffee

Style of cuisine: Cafe
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Continental Coffee

Continental Seafood Restaurant

$

Style of cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum Seafood Barbeque
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Barbeque Pork and Rice - $5.50

Continental Seafood Restaurant

Copa Cafe

$

Style of cuisine: Chinese
Atmosphere: Family Friendly Casual

Locations:

Singapore Vermicelli - $7.95

Tea - Complimentary

Copa Cafe provides solid Hong Kong style cafe food. Their version of Singapore style vermicelli is decent as well. Portion is good, the shrimp are juicy. My one quibble is the use of ham instead of shredded pork, but its a pretty minor one. Tea goes down just fine with the noodles but there is a full range of HK style drinks if you are so inclined.

Corner 23

$

Style of cuisine: Noodles Hot Pot Korean Taiwanese
Atmosphere: Casual

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Crave

Style of cuisine: Bistro Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Cru

Style of cuisine: French Tasting Bar Wine Bar Small Plates Charcuterie Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest Prix Fixe
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Cheese plate - $18

Masi Campofiorin Valpollicella Riparosso - $10

Sidle up to the bar at Cru and cherry pick from their excellent by the glass selection. If you are hungry or just want something tasty they have a good selection of small plates. The cheese plate features 4 quality cheeses touching on both local and international varieties. Duck confit salad - $15 also seems to be a good bet. The Masi Campofiorin is an old favourite. Basically its Valpolicella fermented on the skins and lees of the wineries Amarone. Simultaneously fresh berry and rustic (leathery but in a good way) this wine is really food friendly and punches out of its weight (price) class. Luigi Borca Malbec $12 - Lean and elegant. Chicken liver terrine, rich but balanced by a compote and the vigaigrette'on the salad. Syrah braised short ribs with mac and cheese - $17.

Cucina Manila

Style of cuisine: Filipino
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Cucina Toscana

Style of cuisine: Italian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Culinaria

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

High priority to try

Curry 2 U

Style of cuisine: Indian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Minced Beef and Pea Curry - $5.99

Mango Lassi - $3

Curry 2 U

Cuu Long

$

Style of cuisine: Vietnamese
Atmosphere: Casual

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Daddy's Pizza and Donair

$

Style of cuisine: Pizza Mediterranean
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Beef Donair - $5.50

Daddy's Pizza

Dae Jang Keum

Style of cuisine: Asian Korean
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Kalbi-Chim Bento - $8.95

Tea - Included

Previously Wang's Gal-Bi. Menu has changed mainly for the better. Some dishes have jumped in price like Haemul Pan-chan $15.95 and Gam-Ja Tang but new lunch bento boxes offer great value. Case in point, the Kalbi-Chim Bento. Salad (Iceberg w thousand islands) is filler, but the chicken soup has depth of flavour - better than most misos. Tempura includes veggies and shrimp and is not heavy or soggy. Kimchi and Kak-dugi are good and pair nicely with the two pieces of cold omlette. The braisesd short ribs are generous, including some braised daikon. Rich, sweet and delicious. Lots of fat and connective tissue, but thats integral to the dish. Very good. Not quite as good as my mother in law's kalbi-chim but very good nonetheless. Devotees of southern barbeque would get this dis. Side of rice is generous and well cooked - topped with a few lovely green soybeans, a nice touch. Soaking the rice in the juice from the ribs is a guilty pleasure. Overall stellar value and good quality.

Dai Tung

Style of cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Dan Sung Sa

Style of cuisine: Korean
Atmosphere:

Locations:

DB Bistro Moderne

$$$

Style of cuisine: French Bistro Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

The DB Burger - $29

Grenache - $11

DB Bistro

Deacon's Corner

$

Style of cuisine: Diner
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Two eggs any style - $5.75

Coffee - $1.75

Deacons corner offers a classic take on North American diner food and their basic breakfast is no exception.

Delilah's

$$$

Style of cuisine: Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Deserts

Style of cuisine: Mediterranean Vegetarian Vegan
Atmosphere:

Locations:

deserts

Deuce

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest Small Plates
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Dinesty

$$

Style of cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum
Atmosphere: Family Friendly Casual

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Diva at the Met

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Smoked Cod Hash - $19

Joie Noble Blend - $14

Divino Wine Bar

Style of cuisine: Tasting Bar Charcuterie Wine Bar
Atmosphere:

Locations:

The Cure - Market Price

Razors Edge Shiraz - $12

Divino Wine Bar

Dix Barbeque and Brewpub

Style of cuisine: Brewpub Barbeque
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Louisiana Links Hoagie - $9.99

Dix IPA - $5.75

Dix is the spiritual home of beer in Vancouver. Pride of place among brewpubs by virtue of the Thursday Night cask events. Recent change of brewmaster is leading to some new styles in the seasonal beers but the flagship IPA, the best always available India Pale Ale in town has not changed. Still extravagantly hopped, nicely bitter and expressively hoppy (citrus, herbs, grass) on the nose and palate. The bitterness and citrus will match well with the smoked (not grilled) spicy sausage with cheddar and barbeque smoked chili. Basically this is the worlds best chili dog (at least the best chili dog in my world). While the IPA is a perfect match for the smoked link and chili do inquire about the seasonal brews, they are usually excellent and like the current at time of writing Dunkel-Weizen (Dark Wheat Lager) often a good match with the barbeque despite being very different from the IPA. If you pass on the smoked links, try the "Piglet" sampler platter - a bit of all the barbequed meats. No sides with this though so if you want some of the excellent slaw you'll have to order that separately.

Dockers Family Restaurant

Style of cuisine: Cafe
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Dockside Brewing Company

$$$

Style of cuisine: Brewpub
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Dockside brewing

Dona Cata

Style of cuisine: Latin
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Tacos (Al Pastor, Marinated meat) - $1.75/each

Negra Modelo - $5.50

Dona Cata

Don Guacamole's

$$

Style of cuisine: Mexican
Atmosphere: Casual Patio

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Duffin's Donuts

$

Style of cuisine: Chinese Vietnamese Deli Sandwiches
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Pork Torta - $3.95

Coffee - About $2

Duffin's Donuts is a kind of Blade runner polyglot in the present day. In addition to the expected donuts, they offer Chinese food, Western greasy spoon diner fare, Vietnamese sandwiches and most interestingly mexican tortas. There are around 15 varieties on offer, but I prefer those featuring pork. You get a medium sized bun filled with grilled spicy meat and fillings. Not quite a meal on their own, but a filling and inexpensive snack. Open 24 hours so you can get your torta fix any time. This is useful because this is great to provide some ballast after indulging in drinks. (Please don't drive if you've had a few)

Dundarave Fish Market

Style of cuisine: Seafood
Atmosphere:

Locations:

High priority to try

East is East

Style of cuisine: Vegetarian Vegan Middle Eastern Medditerranean Mediterranean Lebanese African Indian Asian
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Yogi's Treat Wrap - $7.00

Chai tea - ?

My favourite way to experience this tasty wholesome food is via the take-out window. East is east takes themselves a bit too seriously.

Ebisu

Style of cuisine: Japanese Tasting Bar
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Golden Prawns - $6.95

Okanagan Springs 1516 Lage - $4.95

Ebisu seems to focus on the Japanese equivalent of pub food. So, the very cold Okanagan Springs 1516 lager is a good match with most of the menu. To eat, if available try the golden prawns from the daily specials. A scallop shell is above a ceramic pedestal which contains a candle. The heat boils the sauce which has some garlic and miso in it cooking the shredded onions, mushroms and halved tiger prawns. Tasty, with a fun presentation. If the prawn special is not available try the regular dish on the menu which features scallops rather than prawns. Flavours are more refined than a typical fried ebi-mayo dish. (In fact thats what initially ordered but the waitress helpfully mentioned the special in case I was interested in a different prawn preparation. Glad she asked.)

E-Hwa

Style of cuisine: Korean Izakaya
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

El Caracole

Style of cuisine: Latin Mexican
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Mixed Pupusas - $7.50

Jarritos Soda - $2

El Caracole

El Furniture Warehouse

Style of cuisine: Pub
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Elixir

Style of cuisine: French Contemporary
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Ellie

Style of cuisine: Chinese
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Sambal Prawns Lunch Special - $7.95

Sweet black tea - Included

Ellie

E-Mo

$

Style of cuisine: Korean
Atmosphere: Family Friendly Fast Food Take Out Casual Food court

Locations:

Jam Pong (Spicy Seafood Soup) - $8

Tea - Complimentary

You'd expect a Korean restaurant in the food court of a Korean supermarket to be authentic and good. E-Mo which is in the food court of the H-Mart at Robson and Seymour is authentic and good, but not great. The Jam Pong is good value and nicely spicy. Portions of seafood are good, the noodles generous and the broth has decent flavour in addition to spiciness. Not a standout but on a rainy day there are many good options.

Empire Seafood Restaurant

Style of cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum Seafood
Atmosphere:

Locations:

High priority to try

Excelsior

$$

Style of cuisine: Chinese Seafood
Atmosphere:

Locations:

King Crab in 4 Courses - Market Price ($15.98/lb March 2009)

Tea - Complimentary

As noted by other reviewers the atmosphere in Excelsior is unprepossessing - bordering on run down. However they do one thing exceptionally well as evidenced by their win in the critics choice category of the first annual chinese restaurant awards, and that one thing is king crab. For 6 and an eager half (a five year old with a taste for crustaceans) we selected a nice 10.5 lb King crab. While you can choose different treatments I stuck with the recommendations from Stephen Wong and had the thin leg segments steamed with a crust of minced garlic. This was followed by the thick leg segments with julienned ginger and scallion chiffonade. Third was the chunks of shell with meat attached, cornstarch-dusted and fried with garlic, peppers, rock salt and hot chilli. Fourth was the carapace, stuffed with a mixture of rice and crab meat and covered in a mild 'Portugese' curry and roasted in the oven. Finally we ordered some yee-mein noodles that were tossed in the leftover juices from the first two courses. Well, I have to say that all of this was fantastic and two of the dishes will remain vivid memories for me as long as I am of sound mind. The garlic crusted thin legs were very tasty, with the garlic somewhat tempered by the cooking but penetrating the crab and stimulating the appetite. The thick legs were the most delicate dish of the evening and really just balanced the sweet juicy fresh crab meat. (This dish really highlighted the difference between frozen and live king crabl). Sweet and succulent with just the mild counterpoint of the aromatic ginger and gentle bite of the scallions. Pure crab bliss. The fried 'shoulders' were the first of the two transcendant dishes. The meatier flesh from the shell held up to the chili garlic and salt and was delicious and messy in equal measure. Literally finger licking good - decorum be dammned. I was sucking every last bit of flesh out, winnowing morsels out of crevices with the provided seafood fork and nibbling the thin crispy coating which was chrunchy and soaked in the essense of the dish. Hedonism at its finest. After this the second epiphany arrived - the simple noodles finished in the remaining crab juices from the first two courses looked non-descript but were absurdly tasty. Redolent of garlic, ginger, scallion and above all, the distillate of sweet fresh king crab I despair of not being able to enjoy this dish on a regular basis. Finally, the visually impressive inverted shell with a broiled crust of light sweet curry sauce. This may have suffered in following the fried spicy treatment and the noodles. It was good, for sure but a bit dry and the crab was an accent here rather than the raison d'etre. We had two dishes to go with the crab course which reinforce the fact that the recommendation of Excelsior is for the King Crab only. The Pea shoots with mushroom was gloppy and overpriced (a nice saute of pea shoot with garlic and some acid is exactly what we needed but this dish almost managed to drown the freshness of the pea shoots with an indifferent sauce and pointless mild mushrooms). The beef with mushroom in brown sauce was decent but nothing exceptional. So, while I won't rush back for anything else on the menu, Excelsior does nail the King Crab to perfection. The atmospehere is basic, the service was decent but nothing special. You can find King crab for a bit less or spend a bit more to go to the big guns like Sun Sui Wah or Kirin but I think Excelsior does the crab perfectly and thats the main reason to go there.

Ezogiku Noodle Cafe

$

Style of cuisine: Japanese Noodles
Atmosphere: Casual

Locations:

Ezogiku

Falconetti's East Side Grill

Style of cuisine: Casual Sandwiches
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Falconetti's

Fassil

Style of cuisine: African Ethiopean
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Fatburger

$

Style of cuisine: Burgers
Atmosphere: Fast Food Take Out

Locations:

Fat Combo - $8.99

Beer - Around $5

Fatburger

Feenie's

Style of cuisine: Bistro
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Fifty Two 80

Style of cuisine: Small Plates Tapas
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Figmint

Style of cuisine:
Atmosphere:

Locations:

High priority to try

Finch's

$

Style of cuisine: Cafe Bakery Sandwiches
Atmosphere:

Locations:

High priority to try

Finest at Sea

Style of cuisine: Seafood
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Low priority to try

Fish Cafe

Style of cuisine: Seafood
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Flamingo

$$

Style of cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum Seafood
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Siu Mai - Around $4

Tea - Complimentary

Flamingo

Fleuri

Style of cuisine: Contemporary West Coast Pacific Northwest
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Medium priority to try

Floata

Style of cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum Seafood
Atmosphere:

Locations:

Floata

Flux Bistro

Style of cuisine: Bistro Fusion
Atmosphere:

Locations: