Kentan

Just in time for Valentine's Day - opentable.com's top 10 romantic restaurants in the Vancouver area. 1) Lumiere 2) Observatory at Grouse Mountain (N. Van) 3) Connor Butler 4) The William Tell 5) Five Sails 6) Parkside 7) Cannery 8) Quattro 9) La Terrazza 10) The Salmon House (W. Van)

I think I'm going to have to amend my list - I had forgotten about Bambo Cafe at the corner of Cambie and Cordova in Gastown. I've been impressed with their consistency - just went there again for a really tasty americano. And the owner is really nice too.

Yay! Kei's bakery is open again. Hiroshi said that they were closed because his wife Kaori, the baker, was suffering from really bad morning sickness and couldn't work. They were very close to closing completely! I'm happy that they made it through - they're a sweet couple and they are definitely the best Japanese bakery in town. PS - Kaori's due at the end of April and it's going to be a girl!

Have you checked out Uva? They're operating as an espresso bar on Mondays to Fridays, from 7 - 2. The barista pulls an excellent espresso, and it's a lovely room to boot! ← Uva eh? I haven't tried it yet but I'll definitely make the pilgrimage, especially as it sounds like it's a good place to relax. Thanks!

Just noticed that Wicked Cafe has opened a new branch at 861 Hornby between Robson and Smithe. The coffee at the original W 7th location is awesome, and the place is usually packed, so I'm sure they'll do well with their new branch. My top 5 places for great coffee downtown: 1) Mario's 2) JJ Bean 3) Melriches 4) Take 5 5) Wicked Cafe (provisionally - haven't tried them yet!)

I agree with grayelf - if you buy some okonomiyaki mix (I like the version with yamaimo, which is Japanese yam) at Konbiniya or Fujiya and make it yourself, it'll be better than anything you find in Vancouver at the moment. I really don't understand why no restaurants can get it right when it's so easy to make. Modern Club's okonomiyaki was a huge disappointment when I tried it a couple of years ago. The Guus make a passable version, but it's not nearly as good as you'll find in Japan. I think we'll need to see a dedicated okonomiyaki-ya in Vancouver before we can get something closer to the true Kansai version. Maybe the Japadog folks can take on that project! Or maybe Chibo will open a location here... Chibo menu

"Legacy participant." Don't worry, he's still on the internet, as is everyone else - just not here. ← Thanks BCinBC - good to know that Arne is out there in another forum at least.

This topic hasn't been updated in a few years so I'm curious to get some opinions for 2008-9. Where is the best restaurant service in the city? Look back to a young Andrew Morrison's first post for the criteria. I'm sure that some of the same names are still up there: West, Le Crocodile, Lumiere, Bishop's. I've always been a fan of the service at both Chambar and Cafe Medina. I was impressed with the service at Trattoria Italian Kitchen the one time I've been there - it was crazy busy the whole time but the waitress was professional and attentive throughout. I've heard good things about the Cannery's service, but I've never been. PS - Anyone know what happened to Daddy-A? He used to be such a regular contributor and then he dropped off the face of the earth...

O Thai on W. Broadway @ Fir has closed. The first time I went there, a week or two after they opened, the food was great and the service attentive. However, by the second time they seem to have lost interest - lacklustre service and so-so food. I heard rumours that they'd lost their original chef as well. I'm worried that Kei's Bakery on Burrard may not be returning. The sign posted on the door on October 11th said they'll be back in two weeks, but two months later the sign's still there and it looks like no one's been back since...

The Taco Shack location on W. Broadway has closed. Not sure how the original Cornwall Ave store is doing...

Thanks barolo! Great to hear that they've added a second branch - the one on W. 5th is one of my fave spots for coffee in the city.

I was on my way to Granville Island yesterday and happened upon a new-ish coffee house called Blondy's Coffee on W. 4th between Pine & Burrard. The coffee was great and the shop had a good vibe to it. Liked the business cards too. I took a photo but I can't figure out how to get it out of Image Gullet and into my post. Does anyone know how to post photos here??? Thanks!

Are you sure you will be staying in Surrey? There is no Marriott in Surrey according to their web-site. ← Maybe you'll be in Richmond - that's the only Marriott outside of Vancouver.

Surrey's not exactly the culinary capital of the region, unfortunately. Whereabouts will you be staying and how far are you willing to travel? White Rock and Crescent Beach have some decent places, but it's a long drive if you'll be in the North Surrey area. You might be better off heading to New West or Burnaby if you're up there.

Here's my vote for the top 3 ramen joints in the city: 1) Motomachi Shokudo - 740 Denman 2) Menya - 401 W Broadway 3) Kintaro - 788 Denman I haven't tried Benkei Ramen on Robson St yet - how does it compare?

Menya on W Broadway - tonkotsu miso ramen with gyoza. Got the kaedama as well. Awesome noodles. Very highly recommended. Pojang Macha on E Broadway - Korean street vendor food, but indoors. Had the odeng (same as Japanese oden), the pajeon, fried udon noodles and a couple of skewers. Tasty. Salade de Fruits - Always reliable - good food and genuinely warm service.

There's Kwong Chow up Main and 16th, Legendary (near 25th), Long's (near 33rd). On If Kingsway is an option - Dai Tung, and a few others. ← Thanks fmed - I haven't tried Kwong Chow before but I really liked Long's the couple of times I've been there.

Agreed - I just hope the the prices don't increase too much after the renos.... Anyone know of a good alternative in the area? Peaceful is good but it's over near Cambie.

Wow Vancouver - this is an amazing map! Tons of my favourites as well as quite a few I'm looking forward to trying. I had no idea there was a Japanese-run gelato place on Granville Island...Will you take suggestions for additional restaurants? Congee Noodle House at Main @ Bway would be one of mine...

Wow - looks amazing Canucklehead! Is this the Jade Dynasty on Pender?

Here are a few of the latest diners' choice lists from opentable.com. Looks like there's a lot of overlap with urbandiner.ca's community pages list. Best Overall - BC: 1. Rimrock Cafe - Whistler 2. Quail's Gate - Kelowna 3. Five Sails 4. Araxi - Whistler 5. Cannery 6. CRU 7. Hy's Encore 8. Hart House - Burnaby 9. West 10. Connor Butler Hot Spot Restaurants: 1. Chambar 2. Goldfish Pacific Kitchen 3. Boneta 4. Italian Kitchen 5. Salt Tasting Room 6. Glowbal 7. Cobre 8. Lift 9. Sanafir 10. Chow Neighbourhood Gem: 1. Gramercy Grill 2. Bistrot Bistro 3. Smoking Dog 4. Parkside 5. Tapastree 6. Steveston Seafood House - Richmond 7. Bistro Pastis 8. Yuji's Tapas 9. Vault - Surrey 10. Quattro

I went again today to my favourite sushi place downtown - Matoi sushi on the 2nd floor of H-Mart at the corner of Seymour and Robson. It really reminds me of the best little cheap-and-good sushi joints I used to frequent in Tokyo, because of the quality of the food and the small size of the place. They only have a couple of square metres to work in. Everyone working there is Japanese and they really pay attention to the quality of their ingredients - the vinegared rice they use for their sushi is some of the best I've had in Vancouver. Their other items are great too - I had the katsu-don last week and it was phenomenal, nice and eggy with tender pork. If anyone has any good recommendations for other top quality takeout sushi spots downtown, I'd love to hear them. Sushi Zero One on West Pender near Seymour is the only other sushi joint downtown that I've been consistently impressed with. Fujiya on West Pender is great for premade takeout sushi.

Looks like it might be time to revive this thread! I've been relying on Jackson's almost exclusively, so I'll have to look farther afield now. Windsor Quality Meats on Main St. and Save-on-Meats on Hastings seem the closest to downtown. I'll bet that there haven't been any new butchers opening up in the last few years.

Jackson's Meats is joining MacKinnon's Bakery and Canada Produce by closing its doors in September. Since they're all in the same building, it sounds like the landlord must have upped their rent by a hefty amount. While MacKinnon's and Canada Produce plan to move, Jackson's is gone for good. Great article in the Vancouver Courier about the history of the butcher business in the city: Vancouver Courier article: 'The Final Cut'

Serious props to both Peppyre and Lemon Curd for suggesting (quite a few years ago now...) Fieldstone Artisan Breads. Yum, yum and yum! I bought a loaf of their outstanding Cranberry and Currant Country Bread and I've eaten my way through most of it already. Fieldstone website When I arrived at the store it was almost closing time and they had only 3 or 4 loaves left. I'm glad to see that such a great bakery is doing so well in what I would consider a bit of a remote location in Crescent Beach, near White Rock. It shows that people will find you if you make a great product. They're located in a strip mall at the northeast corner of 128th St and Crescent Rd - there's an Esquires coffee shop in the same mall. I also tried a couple of their sweets - both superb. The Florentine was bar was nice and chocolatey and not too sweet. I also bought a massive piece of their great orange cake (made with real orange) for only $2.75. I contrast this with the measly pieces I get at MacKinnon's that are a third the size for the same price.