Vancouver Restaurant Maven

Chongqing Seafood Restaurant

2007-07-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

205 - 1665 West Broadway

604-734-1668

Atmosphere - Dim sum is served between the hours of 9am and 3pm. The restaurant is jammed packed during the weekend with hungry diners, especially busy during and after lunch time. Chongqing has one very large main dining room that looks out onto West Broadway plus two additional, cosier rooms at the back of the restaurant. During dim sum hours the food items are wheeled around on carts by waitresses who shout out what the particular item is. Usually we just end up trying whatever comes by because it gets so busy you may not get a cart to come a while or it will be empty when it gets to your table.

Service - During dim sum hours it can be quite chaotic, probably because of too many tables for the staff to contend with but they do their best. Patrons at different tables compete with each other to get the cart to their table and then find out what the waitress has. If you have specific dietary requirements and you don't eat meat (I would not recommend this restaurant for strict vegetarians) you can usually order certain items off of the dim sum menu, though you must remind the staff of your order.

Food - On the dim sum menu you can find any thing from pork to chicken feet to shrimp dumplings. I usually go for the shrimp dumplings, Gai Lan, which has to be ordered, plus spring rolls. They usually provide some tea and a side of hot chili sauce which is good mixed with soy sauce.

Whom to take - Take your friends or out of town guests for a weekend brunch. Be sure you have a bit of time to spare.

Value for Money - Good, each dim sum item is $2.

Stamps Landing Pub

2007-05-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

610 Stamps Landing
604-879-0821

Atmosphere - Located at Stamps Landing right behind Monk McQueens Restaurant this pub has great waterfront views of False Creek and downtown Vancouver. The interior is a bit run down but adds to the charm and there is outside and inside seating.

Service - The staff is always friendly.

Food - I have been a few times now and have tried the Huevos Rancheros, which came with a fantastic homemade hot sauce and the Halibut and Chips which in my opinion are some of the best I've had anywhere.

Whom to Take - Go with friends for brunch or drinks.

What to Wear - very casual

Value for Money - Good, tasty food and friendly service.

A Kettle of Fish

2007-04-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

900 Pacific Street
604-682-6661

Atmosphere - I would go to this restaurant solely for the decor, with tons of plants and an actual tree growing indoors plus the low lighting and several different eating areas make for a very unique setting.

Service - Our waiter was great, really funny and worked very hard to make sure we had a great experience.

Food - For a place with the word 'fish' in the title I was disapointed with my meal. I ordered the Blackened Vermillion Rockfish and it was served with cous cous and vegetables. The fish was cooked too much so it was tough and instead of being served as a whole filet it was piled up on my plate like it had to be scraped off the grill and came apart (which might explain why it was tough). However I did try the clam chowder that another person I was dining with had ordered and it was fantastic.

Whom to take - Out of town guests who will foot the bill, such as your parents.

What to Wear - It was Monday night and I noticed quite a few tourists around so the dress was very casual.

Value for Money - Poor. I say either lower the prices or up the standards. I might go again for the ambiance.

Cappones Restaurant & Live Jazz Club

2007-04-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

1141 Hamilton St.
604-684-7900

Atmosphere - Low lighting and and live jazz create a relaxed tone. The small round tables situated in front of the stage attracted a very ecclectic crowd, especially considering the location.

Service - Excellent. Our waiter was very attentive and friendly throughout the evening.

Food - We ordered the portobellini mushroom and the crab cakes to start and shared the smoked salmon pizza. I both loved the starters, the mushroom was juicy and had lots of flavour and the crab cakes were fresh and nice and crispy, they were served with a tasty aioli. I have been to Capone's before and enjoyed one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten. But this time I found the smoked salmon pizza was just too rich for me, though my date loved it.

Whom to take - Jazz lovers or for just a cool night out. If you go with a group I would suggest sitting towards the back of the restaurant away from the stage. You'll still hear the music.

What to wear - Looking around I spied everything from business wear to Harley Davidson jackets.

Value for money - Average. I agree with most pricing on the menu but the pizza prices seem a little high.

The Dawg House

2007-04-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hot Dog Stand
Located outside the doors of Broadway/Burrard Futureshop

Atmosphere - Well.....it's a hot dog stand, lots of cars and people going past.

Service - Quick and friendly service.

Food - They have tons of choices (as far a hot dogs go). I usually get the veggie dog and it's definitely the many different condiments that make it so great.

Whom to take - anyone.

What to wear - Whatever you happen to be wearing when walking past.

Value for money - Good, $5 for lunch or dinner isn't bad.

Sushi Yama

2007-04-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

371 E Broadway
604-872-0053

Atmosphere - This tiny sushi restaurant is located about 2 blocks east of Main Street and is busy at all hours of the day whether you go at 12 noon or 9pm.

Service - The servers to an amazing job keeping up considering the traffic, especially at lunch time. Plan to wait for a table at peak times but they are friendly and quick staff will to take down your name and get you seated as soon as the next table becomes available. If you are in a hurry at lunch they do take reservations.

Food - I'm convinced that it would be impossible to top Sushi Yamas spicy tuna roll. As far as the other sushi each roll that is served is fresh, delicious and beautifully prepared.

Whom to take - Go for lunch or with friends for dinner, they will be glad that you did.

What to wear - Casual all around.

Value for Money - Excellent. You will be hard pressed to find a better sushi restaurant along Broadway.

Kingston Taphouse and Grille

2007-03-12T00:16:00.000-07:00

755 Richards Street
604-681-7011

Atmosphere - This cavernous restaurant just outside of Yaletown consists of several different areas: the pub, dining room, oasis patio and the wreck room. Its is large and busy, but designed and decorated in a way to make it feel almost cozy. Also great place to catch 'the game' as it has several huge projection screens situated around the pub and dining room.

Service - The staff was very prompt and friendly and i don't remember the last time I had such great service. It was a Friday night and we wanted a table for six so we waited at the bar. The bar tenders were very friendly, funny and quick to get our drink and appetizer orders. We ate and chatted and were seated at our table in less than 20 minutes. The waitress was equally as attentive and friendly even as our group kept expanding as the night went on.

Food - We shared a few of the appetizers instead of a meal. We ordered the house calamari, ahi tuna spring rolls, edemame and Kingston kettle chips. The flavors of the ahi tuna, dipping sauce and crispy roll didn't go together well, but the calamari was just the way it should be served with tatziki dip that wasn't too garliky (I love garlic but it's nice to keep bad breath to a minimum when chatting with your neighbor all night). The edemame was fresh and tasty and served warm with sea salt. I liked that they made their own kettle chips - they were very crunchy and had a nice flavour. They were served with salsa and sour cream but thought i thought they would be better served with a different dip. The Kingston also has a great selection of beer and a long martini list to choose from.

Whom to take - Go with a friend(s) for a drink and appys after work or on the weekend.

Value for Money - Good. The food was okay but the service was impecable even on a very busy night.

Irish Heather

2007-03-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

Atmosphere - The Irish Heather is an authentic looking pub located in Gastown. It has a casual feel with mismatched tables, benches and stools, brick walls and a cool enclosed patio in the back.

Service - The server was unhelpful and looked very bored, we barely had time to tell him our order before he walked away. They were out of the Harp Lager so he suggested another option, which was inaudible so I wasn't sure what I ended up ordering until it was brought to me.

Food - A North American take on English/Irish pub food with choices like bangers and mash curry chips (basically curry sauce dumped on fries) and pot pie. We ordered the mushroom strudel to start and then the Fish and Chips. The mushroom strudel was delicious and was served with a tasty cream sauce. The Fish and Chips were average but the coleslaw and tarter sauce added much needed zip.

Whom to take - Aside from the service I really loved this place and would definitely go back with a group of friends.

Value for money - Excellent. The food was tasty and the casual pub atmosphere was great on a Saturday afternoon.

Cafe il nido

2007-02-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

780 Thurlow Street (hidden away)
604 685 6436

Atmosphere - Tucked away in a corner at Thurlow and Robson made it a little difficult to find but added to the relaxed charm and cozy ambience of this restaurant.

Service - We were greeted by the hostess as soon as we arrived, we had a reservation so we were seated right away. Because it was Valentine's day it was very busy, but the servers did their best to keep up though really only had enough time for basic service. It probably would have been a good idea to have another body on hand.

Food - The Valentine's Day Menu was quite varied and had lots to choose from. I ordered the Grilled Salmon with vegetables and salmon mousse. I thought it was a bit strange to have a cold salmon mousse on the same plate as the grilled salmon, and it turned out that it tasted a bit strange as well. Aside from that little issue, the salmon was done well, and it came with crispy vegetables and mashed potatoes, one of my favourites.

Whom to take - It ended up being a nice place to go on Valentine's Day, but it would also be a great place to take one's parents or out-of-town guests.

Value for Money - Good, the service was great for such a busy night and my food tasted delicious and was presented nicely.

Portobello Ristorante

2007-02-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

2585 W. Broadway
604-734-0697

Atmosphere: Low lighting, Italian opera music, cozy but with enough space between tables. There is an open kitchen area so you can watch the chefs create your meal while they banter with the waiting staff. One of the chefs broke in to an a cappela version of O Sole Mio while we were waiting for our main course.

Service: The waiting staff are warm and friendly. Our waiter said to choose anything we wished as "everything would be perfect."

Food: I ordered the mussels in white wine sauce and the salmon pasta in cream sauce. The white wine sauce that the mussels were served in was fantastic, tangy and with a hint of lime. I found that the salmon filet was a little dry but the cream sauce was delicious, if not a litte too creamy. My date ordered the melon and prociutto appetizer, a traditionally Italian dish and the spaghetti bolognase. Both tasted just as they should.

Whom to take: Low lighting and ambiance make the perfect place to go on a date.

Value for Money: Good. A little pricey but worth it for the tasty food and great staff.

Aoki Sushi

2007-01-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

1888 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
V6J 1Y9

ph: 604 731 5577

Atmosphere: This lively Japanese restaurant is almost always busy but I haven't had to wait for longer than 15 minutes to get a table. When you walk in the door you are greeted with an automated greeting.

Service: The servers are very friendly and efficient and the sushi chef smiles and calls a greeting from behind the counter. The staff is always the same and seems to know the regular customers.

Food: The food is fresh and seems authentic. The menu is extensive with the sashimi, nigiri, Don, tempura and rolls to choose from some are very inventive like the Mediterranean roll featuring sundried tomato. It is located close to me so I go quite often. Last time we went i ordered the Tuna Tataki and the veggie gyoza. The Tuna Tataki comes with a tangy sauce on the side and the gyoza appears to be made in shop. Other favorites include the spicy tuna roll and Alaska roll.

Value for money: Good. Aoki is priced a bit higher than most other 'fast food' sushi places in Vancouver probably because they use better quality ingredients.

Whom to take: A great casual place to go with friends.