Author Archives: steve

Homer St. Cafe and Bar

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I love this funky, historic bistro with lots of small spaces and a very interesting menu. The specialty here is rotisserie chicken, and it’s definitely worth trying. It’s right up there with the Michelin-starred Benoit in New York City.

The baby back ribs are also good, especially if you like North Carolina style mustard BBQ sauce.

The star of our meal was a special: chicken fried oyster mushrooms. These were delicately fried and served with a delicious mushroom dipping sauce.

The other standout was the cole slaw that accompanied the ribs. I wouldn’t have said coleslaw needed kale, but it was terrific—not too rich or sweet, and nice and crispy carrots and cabbage.

The wine list and cocktails are very well thought out. The BC wines by the glass were excellent, and someone really likes bitter aperitifs like Amari. I certainly do!

Our server was also the bartender, and they were terrific.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/homer-st-cafe-and-bar-vancouver

Joey Burrard

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I really enjoy the diverse menu at Joey. There’s something for everyone. There’s another Joey just a few blocks down Burrard. I like the ambience of that one slightly more, but otherwise they are very similar. Service at both is excellent. Appreciate the complementary sparkling wine at check in.

This time we had the Gyoza and the Hummus as starters. Both were good. I’d definitely have the hummus again. It was served with tzatziki, olives, currants, and lots of crispy fried pita.

The Farmer’s Salad was wonderful. A great mix of fruit, lettuce, veggies, and champagne vinaigrette.

The Chili chicken was okay. I loved the crisp wontons, but the chicken could have been a lot spicier.

Nice wine list, especially by the bottle.

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

Coast Restaurant

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Same excellent service and management as Black and Blue, next door.

We came at lunch time on Sunday, when it is also happy hour. What a great deal! Wines by the glass for $5, and great small plates.

The sushi assortment was perfectly prepared, with a nice mixture of rolls, nigiri, and sashimi.

The salmon flatbread was also notable, made with mascarpone instead of the usual feta or ricotta. Perfectly crisped crust.

We’ll definitely be back. Happy hour on weekdays starts early, at 2pm, and there is also a lobster dinner Sunday evenings.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/coast-restaurant-vancouver

Browns Crafthouse UBC

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What a great meal we had here! The vibe is great, the servers are enthusiastic, and the food is terrific. It’s a nice combination of healthy choices, pub food, and interesting cocktails.

We started with the nachos, which were the best I’ve had in Vancouver. Be aware that a half order is plenty for four people as a starter.

The superfood salad looked delicious, but I’m not sure the grilled bun was a superfood, however it was super tasty!

The Baja fish tacos were also good. Lots of filling, and nicely crisped fish.

The Korean chicken bowl was probably my favorite—sweet spicy sauce on crunchy fried chicken bites.

I wish they’d had places like this to eat on campus when I was in college!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/browns-crafthouse-ubc-vancouver

Din Tai Fung

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The renowned Din Tai Fung is now in Vancouver, and boy is it good! I’ve had soup dumplings many times, and never gotten all that excited about them, but Din Tai Fung has completely changed my mind.

The menu is about more than just dumplings, although you would be crazy to go here and not have an order of Xiao Long Bao as one of your items. We chose the Crab and Pork version. It was the perfect balance of both proteins, and the perfect amount of soup inside.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. We started with the cucumber salad, seasoned with a surprisingly complex blend of rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and chili oil. Definitely a great starter.

The only dish I might not order again was the vegetable and mushroom fried rice, which was good, but not as complex as everything else. However we later dumped the leftover sauce from the next dish on it, and it was amazing.

Perhaps my favorite dish was the Shrimp and Pork Spicy Wontons. Again a perfect balance of proteins, and the spicy sauce was so rich and complex I could happily eat it with a spoon.

This place has only been open a week as of this writing, and it is already humming like a well-oiled machine. There are at least fifty people working here, and the place is packed. We were lucky, showed up at 11:30 am, and got the last pair of seats at the counter.

The counter, by the way, is a really good place to sit. Great service, great acoustics, and a pretty bar to look at.

Needless to say: Highly recommended!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/din-tai-fung-vancouver-5

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.