Wasabi

We frequent this place a lot since it is so close to us AND most importantly it is really good food!

The location of this place is not prime at all. It is right underneath a condominium called The Lions and is facing the high traffic Georgia Street. Most people that would notice this place are probably too busy just driving past it. The atmosphere is also very simple so it may not attract people for that reason as well. The service, however, is exceptional and more than makes up for the simplistic atmosphere. The owners are very warm and personable and always smiling. You definitely feel like you are at their home enjoying some traditional cooking.

The food here is one of the best in the city. The spicy ramen soup is so addictive you will get cravings for it later! It has egg, wonton, spinach, chicken/beef, crab slices and ramen noodles. This soup is like a drug! Another favorite soup is the chicken udon soup. The broth is always very delectable and the udon noodles are super chewy fresh! Besides the soup being beyond amazing, the sushi is also very good. My favorites are the spicy and crunchy combos. The price of one meal is about $10 and the portions are healthy. I really like their gomae and sake. The gomae is the best I've had in the city, it is actually quite fresh and their peanut sauce is crunchy. I am not an expert in sake, however I know that I really enjoyed the sake!

This place is highly recommended by us if you want very good quality sushi and soup.

La Zuppa

Our very cool Chilean friends invited us to this restaurant in North Vancouver. It is a small, intimate restaurant with live Flemenco dancing and music.

The environment is lively and yet relaxing. A nice combination that makes you want to drink some wine and chill out. It is a bit difficult to speak to your dinner mates while the show is on, due to the heavy foot stomping of flemenco, but it didn't bother me. One of the friends that we went with found it a bit annoying though, so if you are sensitive to noise, this place may irritate you. The performers did rely on money from the audience so be prepared to make a small donation, that is well worth it. The service was friendly and fast. At the end of our dinner, we were not rushed to leave at all, in good Latin tradition. They would have even wanted us to stay longer to join in on some singing and dancing.

We started off by ordering a pitcher of Sangria. They do not skimp out on the wine and I assure you, you will not be disappointed with this drink. As a main course, we had four tapas to share between the four of us. A rack of lamb that was well done and served with fig spread. We also had garlic shrimp that was very juicy and well seasoned, cod fish and a Chilean classic, empanadas which done well. Tapas are small dishes so do not expect to be completely full afterwards, however the food tastes good and it gave some room for their desserts. We tried the flan and also a tiramisu cake and had it with expresso. The desserts were home-made and fresh.

The total cost of the meal for four with drinks and dessert included was around $140 which is a bit pricey.

This is a very good place to go for an intimate date or a double date. I will definitely come back again when I am in the mood for an international experience.

Radha Yoga & Eatery

We went to this place with a group of 15 people, 3 of which were herbivores and the rest of us were omnivores and quite inexperienced with the rich vegan vocabulary.

This restaurant is a discreet vegan hideaway located on Main Street near Chinatown. The big blue wooden door lures you to take a peak inside and the tall and narrow creaky stairs framed by yoga inspired art (multi-trunked elephants) lead you to the rustic home-style interior of the restaurant. The old red brick walls, beat up wooden flooring and white Christmas lights give the restaurant a casual and cozy feel. A selection of urban pop and indie rock is what you will hear in this very new-age eatery.

Considering we had such a huge group, I was pleasantly surprised at how efficient the service was. We all got our meals at roughly the same time, which was very impressive! The waiter was knowledgeable of the menu and gave good recommendations on what to order, when asked. This came in handy for me, since most of the menu items seemed very abstract. The price of the food was pretty decent, all appetizers were $8, all meals were $14 and all desserts were $8 and the portions were all big enough to satisfy.

I ordered nori rolls for appetizer, a succotash with amaranth cakes plate for main course and an apricot upside-down cake for dessert. I also had a delicious apricot juice to drink. The nori rolls were made with hempseed stuffing and were very unique to this place, I never had anything quite like them and I really liked them! The succotash dish was very hearty and wholesome. I had never eaten amaranth or knew what amaranth was before this dining experience so this dish opened a whole new world for me. A couple of friends that got the chard rolls were pretty disappointed in their bland taste and I don't blame them, they were really really bland! All people who ordered the cauliflower curry seemed pretty happy and I tried some as well and thought it was very tasty. The apricot upside-down cake was made with spelt flour and was made very well. It was not a typical dessert on any level and tasted a bit like eating very thick bread. I liked it, however some others were a bit disappointed in it.

Overall, I think this is a great place for vegans and vegetarians. I will definitely come back and recommend this restaurant to all of my veggie friends and my non-veggie adventurous friends.

Sakari Sushi

We went to this place because we wanted to enjoy some food on the beach at English Bay but we didn’t have any picnic food packed. This place offered us a view of the beach and the food.
As soon as you walk in, you will realize that this restaurant does not have very much to offer in terms of ambience. If you get a patio seat though, you can enjoy the atmosphere of the bustling beachfront down below. There are great views of English Bay and good classic rock music blasting from the pub next door, although I think I am now advertising for that pub.

Overall the service was good, however I found it surprising that tea wasn’t served automatically (without asking) like at most sushi restaurants. Another letdown was that the tea was cold! This place is way pricier than most sushi places but that is probably due to their high rental costs because of their scenic and central location. Two can dine for approximately $30, however you won't be very full and this only includes ordering a main course.

We ordered three different temaki (cones) and a tempura udon. The temaki was tasty (especially the California cone). The tempura udon was your basic fried vegetables and shrimp and on the side was a large hot bowl of udon soup. The tempura was okay, but the soup was just broth and barely any noodles. I was also disappointed when my tiny spoon sank to the bottom of the huge bowl. This is a good analogy for what this restaurant is… sinking.

Overall, it is not the best food and atmosphere and you will pay a fairly high price for this disappointment. If I want to eat sushi and enjoy the beach views I will probably just have take-out from a better sushi place and sit right at the beach.

Ponchos

We went to this restaurant because we were craving some Mexican food but didn't want fast food style like at the Red Burrito.

This restaurant is on Denman (near Robson). It's a very cozy restaurant, despite the fact that it is quite big and can accompany large groups. I enjoyed the sombrero hats that were made into ceiling lamps and the colourful blankets adorning the walls. The whole restaurant has an authentic feel with Spanish music playing happily in the background. You may even see the owner enjoy his dinner as he sings to himself at a table nearby the kitchen.

The price is very reasonable. For a dinner for two, including drinks, appetizer, main course and dessert you will pay about $60. You can easily spend less if you order just a main dish which is very filling on its own! Free nachos and the best salsa we've ever had are given as a free appetizer and the service is warm, friendly and fast. I have read previous reviews commenting on the horrible service but I guess they have improved since then.

The food is really quite good and reminiscent of the food in Mexico. For drinks, I ordered the Mechelada which is a beer of your choice with some hot spice and lime (I recommend this one with a Corona, despite the fact that this beer is apparently not popular in Mexico). As an appetizer, we ordered the Mazatlan which is shrimp and fish in a tangy tomato salsa with avocados (the taste of cilantro really stands out!). For the main course, I ordered an enchilada with chicken and rice, which was not very full of flavor (especially if you are used to spice) but it was very filling and had a very homemade feel. Nimalan ordered a fish enchilada which I enjoyed a lot more and kept eating some off his plate! For dessert, I tried a Crema de la Fresca. This is a very basic dessert with strawberries in cream but somehow they really make it worth the $5 that it costs!!

Overall, I would recommend this restaurant. It is a nice place to go with big groups as well since they have enough space and the atmosphere is lively. When we are craving Mexican food again, we will definitely come back!

Horizons Restaurant

I went to this restaurant with my parents to celebrate the obtaining of my white sail II certificate, yay me!

This fine dining restaurant is situated just below Simon Fraser University on Burnaby Mountain. The surroundings are beautiful and after filling up on food, you can go out for a walk in the rose garden and look at the Japanese sculptures outside the restaurant. Coming here just to check out the views is also worthwhile if you're nearby.

The inside of the restaurant has a relaxing and comfortable feel. When the restaurant is less full, adult contemporary songs are heard in the background. As the restaurant fills up, the music is drowned out by the chatter of customers and the sounds of the kitchen. The restaurant is classified as "fine dining" however, the interiors are really outdated and boring, the walls could definitely use a paint job.

The price is about ~$60 per person (including drink, appetizer, main course & dessert) which is a fair price for fine dining. The service is polite and very efficient. You don't have to wait too long for any of your food and bother the waiter to bring you something because he probably already has.

Now on to the food! The drinks were suboptimal at best. The mojito was bland and watered down. The non-alcoholic tropical delight tastes like a standard pineapple drink and the horizons sunset was decent, although my dad really enjoyed it. For appetizer we all tried the clam chowder which was really wholesome and good, although instead of clams my chowder was filled with tuna and salmon. As a main course I tried the maple salmon which was really delectable! The salmon was cooked perfectly, not overcooked like at many restaurants so it was very moist and scrumptious. The mashed potatoes tasted like my moms homemade ones (which are also very yummy) and the veggies were well done. I tried some of my dad's rainbow trout and my mom's organic chicken breast and they were also very satisfying. The focus of the food is more on the preparation than the seasoning which was fine because everything tasted just as it should. For dessert I had the creme brulee which was a bit too sweet in my opinion and slightly runny. My mom had the chocolate pate which was just that, a chocolate pate. Nothing too special but you definitely get your fill of chocolate to last you for a while!

This is a restaurant I would take visitors to or go to for a romantic date. I'd also recommend this place for special occasions, like a wedding!