Lift Bar Grill View

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This is a pleasant location on the water overlooking the marina. On a nice day it’s particularly fun to set on the narrow balcony and watch the float planes land, but the views from inside are great, too.

The menu is diverse. We enjoyed everything we had,

We started with the shishito peppers, which were perfectly blistered and served with an excellent glaze. The sourdough baguette was also good, crisped in the oven with a light coating of olive oil and herbs.

The signature salad is a great spring mix with lots of berries, walnuts, and feta. My companion really enjoyed her tuna poke, which was served atop wonderfully crisped rice cakes.

Service was friendly and efficient.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/lift-bar-grill-view-vancouver

Sushi Hyun Omakase

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No question this is the top omakase restaurant in Vancouver, and one of the top ten in North America. It avoids the pitfall of many omakases by providing a great mixture of preparations, all executed masterfully by Chef Ju Hyun Lee and his talented staff.

From sashimi to nigiri to broths, cooked dishes, cakes, ice creams and even a fascinating fried rice course where the leftovers get turned into a delicious soup, the twenty or more courses consistently stay interesting and delicious.

The elegant simplicity of the interior, chill background music, and perfect service combine to make this an experience you won’t forget. The price is quite reasonable given the rarity of the ingredients–nearly everything fresh from Japan.

A thoughtful wine list and extensive sake list provide excellent accompaniment. Highly recommended.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-hyun-vancouver

Subway

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The subways in our area have closed (probably for good reason, I’m not a fan). But my wife really likes their tuna sandwich with tons of pickles and nothing else. So this is now the closest to us. It appears to have just opened, since I was the first to review.

What can I say? It’s a subway.

We did try the foot long nachos. More like 9 inches of chips with a little cheese, but plenty of jalapeños. I’m not sure ho I feel about nachos made with artificially flavored nacho Doritos, but they were a lot better than my snack size sandwich, which was an abomination and an insult to all sandwiches everywhere.

https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/subway-vancouver-160

Joey Bentall One

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I love this upscale restaurant without the upscale prices. If there isn’t something on this menu that you want, you’re not hungry! It was really hard to choose between all the interesting appetizers, salads, and mains. 

We settled on the spicy crab dip, which was perfect–probably the best I’ve ever had, and served with wonderful grilled sour dough toast.

For my entree I had the yellowfin tuna salad, a wonderful, almost deconstructed combination of rare tuna, perfectly ripe avocado, mango peanuts, and greens served with a perfect champagne dressing.

It’s hard to believe this is a small chain, as the food and service have all the marks of a very passionately managed restaurant. Highly recommended.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/joey-bentall-one-vancouver-4

Chef Ron

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Chef Ron is a most unusual restaurant. At first it seems it is going to be Middle Eastern, with lots of kebabs and such. But there are also hamburgers, hot dogs, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, pastas, Greek, Chinese, and even tempura! Oh, and American breakfast. So I guess the theme is “There is no theme”.

We started with the hummus appetizer. It was served with tortilla chips, so I guess that’s a Mexican element, too. It was quite good.

I had the Loghmeh, a minced spice lamb dish, cooked on skewers. It was a very generous serving, and was delicious.

My companion had the shrimp tempura, which was also very good. It was served with nicely crisped shoestring french fries.

The house white wine is a delicious Pinot Grigio.

Service was friendly and efficient.

Published On Main

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I approach Michelin-starred restaurants with caution, because a lot of the things that Michelin raters seem to care about are things that I don’t care about. Happily, Published on Main avoids all of these pitfalls, while still definitely deserving it star.

There is no presumption here. The servers are not wearing uniforms, and their interaction with guests is friendly and informative. Yes, the plates are served in a fairly synchronized fashion for each course, but without an elaborate show or pretense. Wine and water service is attentive, and meal pacing is perfect.

We had the tasting menu which, counting all the little bites, consisted of more than 20 courses. Every single item was stellar. Standouts included the pickerel, the forest elixir (a broth) and the very unique saltspring chevre cheese course.

There were multiple desserts as well, but they avoided sugar overload and were consistently interesting.

We had the premium wine pairing to accompany the meal, and seven of the eight wines were interesting and perfect matches without being the bizarre sorts of things sommeliers sometimes come up with. Each one was presented with an informative description of its provenance and why it was being served with a particular dish.

This is certainly the best restaurant I have been to in Vancouver so far, and it is justly deserving of its praise.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/published-on-main-vancouver-2

Kiku Sushi

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Of all the sushi places in the area, this one seems like the nicest restaurant inside. The ceilings are at least 30 feet, and the decor is great. It has a great expensive feeling. The menu is fairly extensive. For lunch, I think either the combo deal or the bento boxes are the way to go. it’s really nice to be able to get a lunch deal that includes your choice of three completely varied items at a reasonable price.

The quality and variety of fish is excellent.

Service was prompt and efficient, and everything was delicious. This is a new favorite in the neighborhood.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/kiku-sushi-vancouver

Dinesty Dumpling House

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This place doesn’t look that big from the street, but it’s got to be one of the largest restaurants on Robson. Both the prep area where they are making dumplings, visible through large glass windows, and the restaurant are quite large. The menu is vast, and includes many Chinese favorites plus items we hadn’t tried before.

The pan, fried shrimp and pork potstickers or a dish unlike any I’ve had before. It looked like they started with traditional potstickers, but then fried them all together on a semi sweet, thin crêpe, forming a single crispy item. It was pretty interesting and quite tasty.

We were less enthusiastic about the pan, fried Chinese, green onion, pancake, which was pretty tough and had a rather lead consistency.

My favorite item was Gongbao Chicken. It was the traditional preparation with peanuts, and just enough spicy peppers to make it interesting.

Service was pleasant, and pricing is reasonable.

Was quiet on the Friday lunch when we were there, but it was good Friday, and I hear the place gets quite crowded during busy times.

The bento boxes look like a good deal, and I think I would try one of those next time.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/dinesty-dumpling-house-vancouver

Gurkha Himalayan Kitchen

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If you’re not sure what Himalayan food is, just think about Northern India. While there are definitely some Tibetan items on the menu, if you’re familiar with Indian restaurants you will feel right at home here, with items like papads, naan bread, and raita.

We purposely tried to order items we wouldn’t find at most Indian restaurants, and we were very impressed.

I had the Nepali Bhojan (Traditional Plate) with chicken at spice level 4 of 6, and it was perfect. The chicken was interestingly spiced and sauced, and the plate came with a delicious potato and spinach dish, rice, soup, raita, yogurt, naan, and papad.

The star, though was my companion’s Creamy Chicken Curry, a rich, tomato-based generous helping at spice level 3. It came with rice and soup. This will be my go-to next time.

Service was friendly, and the atmosphere of the intimate space is nice.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/gurkha-himalayan-kitchen-vancouver