cgriff

Many thanks to all for your wonderful comments and suggestions! We're off to West for the birthday party and on Friday will head to the Dundarave Fish Market, which is perfect for a late afternoon repast... I phoned ahead and both establishments were very understanding and pleased to assist. Cate's pointer to foodvancouver.com for dietary definitions and compassionate restaurants is well worth perusing; would be great to see more businesses listed, as its a great tool for those needing assistance in navigating culinary possibilities.

My wonderful mother is coming to visit for 4-5 days, and I'd appreciate assistance with planning our restaurant visits. Her allergies (celiac and eggs) can be tricky to anticipate, and I'd really like to give her some good options without her feeling like its been a lot of trouble for me OR the restaurant staff. Its also her birthday on Wednesday... and on Friday we'll be in West Vancouver to attend a concert so we'll need to have an early dinner (ie: 5:30). BTW: we were in Victoria a few months ago and I took her to Paprika - we had a wonderful time; the staff were completely dialed into her situation and the food was superb. Of course I had the duck, as I had already read all the E-Gullet reviews!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Anyway, I'm looking forward to her visit, and would love to be able to treat her to some fine examples of Vancouver cuisine. (I love Vij's but, aside from her allergies, perhaps it might be a bit too spicy for her...) Any and all ideas welcome - Many thanks!

Thanks Daddy-A for your latest report - We've been to Chambar twice; immediately after it opened, and then again 3 months later. Certainly no complaints re food or drink! Service and noise were our issues though... Great to hear the Service has been stabilized, but I'm still concerned about the acoustics. The room really has the potential to be a wonderful experience, but I'd much prefer to be able to have an intimate discussion with my dinner partner without going deaf in the process. I love being part of an enthusiastic crowd of diners that are really enjoying themselves; however, all that verbal energy, combined with the normal clatter of cutlery and glassware unfortunately resonates as a very discordant noise in Chambar. It wouldn't take much to acoustically tune the place; some soft panelling on one wall in the narrowest part of the room, and careful attention to how the entire room sounds at different volumes. Its then simply a matter of tweaking the areas that are overly resonant, and voila - a place that sonically embraces the visitor... IF this were to happen, then you'd have a killer combo - great food, service and ambiance!