Shellback

I think Chill Winston in Gastown is a great casual place. It's a restaurant with a loungy feel - excellent food and beer/wine selection and very moderately priced.

I usually stop by Rangoli before a show at the Stanley - it's reasonable, great food and really close to the theatre. Bin is good too - but be there early!

According to my husband who is in the industry, local Sea Urchin season just started last week. They processed their first batch and most of it went to Japan. The season starts in October and ends around April or when the quota runs out.

Trees Organic Coffee Shop on 450 Granville sells a variety of cheesecakes: banana-white chocolate, New York, chocolate, raspberry, etc. They sell cheesecake by the slice, whole round cheesecakes that serves 12, or cheesecake slabs that serves 24. This is their website: http://www.treescoffee.com/ They have a sign outside the shop "Best Cheesecake in Vancouver". I'm not a big dessert fan, but I enjoyed the cheesecake there.

Yes. I heard that he's moving further west along Broadway to a new building across from Toys R Us this fall.

Very difficult indeed. For me, definitely Iron Chef #1 wins on presentation. However, as a food combination, I find the first tasting menu sounds a little too rich for my taste: stilton biscuit and gorgonzola polenta. The second menu reflects a sense of late summer - starting gently with the sweet corn soup w/peach frois gois, then building to the pulled pork sandwich with a peachy twist and a ending with a refreshing deconstructed bellini. Iron Chef #1 - presentation 9, Originality 7, Concept 7 = 23 Iron Chef #2 - presentation 7, Originality 8, Concept 9 = 24

I think it is kind of irresponsible to wonder if a piece of paper seen from a distance is a health board notice. It may simply be a notice stating that it's their annual vacation. This is how rumours start. ← Actually, the same owners used to have a beef noodle shop around 39th and Main. I used to go to this location because the service at the Marpole location is almost non-existent. One day, it was closed and had a piece of paper on the door saying that they are on vacation. I looked through the window and saw that the tables and chairs were still there. However, it stayed dark for over 2 weeks. Thereafter, I went to their 24 hour Beef Noodle in Marpole and inquired about the 39th location. They told me that the 39th location is close for good. I wonder.....

I will second Seafood City. My husband is in the seafood business and Seafood City is one of his clients. Whenever he brings products to Seafood City, Mrs. Hamatake (Brian's mother) checks everything thoroughly. She will return anything that is not up to standards and demand the very best. The pricing may be higher, but when it comes to freshness and quality - it may be worth the extra charge.

During the run of Varekai (Cirque du Soleil) until July 23, 2006, Provence Marinaside is offering a pre-show 3 course Menu Rapide for $33 per person: mixed green salad or one of Marinaside’s appetisers; a main: Bouillabaisse, prawns provencal, beef tenderloin, grilled wild salmon or roast halibut; and for dessert: lemon tarte, chocolate cheesecake or sorbet.

A friend noticed that the Distillery on 4th Avenue has a new name "Room 18" written on their awning (although "Distillery" is still written on the window). I wonder if this is a City required name change (e.g. Moonshine), or a new owner. Does anyone know?

hi Ling, I think I would go with Rangoli. The food is always excellent. If on a sunny day, having a table in the patio facing W. 11th is better than sitting along busy W. Broadway breathing car fumes. Also, on a side note, a colleague recently sent some hotel guests (an Indian family) to Maurya and they came back with some pretty harsh feedback: "the food was not of a calibre sufficient to feed a dog!" I haven't been to Maurya recently, so cannot confirm this remark. But if you do go, let me know if this is true.

How about Performance Works on Granville Island just across from the Hotel. We have done some fundraising, auction, food tasting and performances there. It's a multi-functional space and they have audio equipment, small kitchen, various types of stage set-ups.

Chiyoda is no longer in operation. Sakae just lost three of its chefs together with the restaurant manager at the end of April, so I don't know if it is a good time now to bring in a group of 50. For traditional style Japanese cuisine, Kamei Royale can easily handle 50 people since they are used to catering to large Japanese tour groups.

I was at the movie too last night and bought the DVD set as well. Too bad it wasn't well publicized, there were so many empty seats. $130 is a great price for 5 DVDs, 1 CD music soundtrack and autographed too. But they take only CASH.

Around 4th Avenue, I would suggest Bistro Pastis. Around Bon Ton (Broadway), Feenie's would be a good choice.