Al-Hadbah offers excellent Middle Eastern food in a counter service establishment with some patio seating on Robson Street.
I had the Falafel Plate, which included four pieces of falafel, taboule, pickles, hummus, tahini sauce, harissa sauce, and pita bread. I loved that the falafel was made to order! The hummus and taboule were also very good. Service was friendly, and the prices are very reasonable. Highly recommended.
This place, located in the posh part of Robson Street, is a bit hard to find, being upstairs along a narrow passageway, but it’s worth the effort.
For lunch they have an extensive and popular buffet, but we elected to order off the menu.
Papad were served with three chutneys, the normal min and tamarind varieties, and a mayonnaise based one I hadn’t seen before. It was very good on the Chicken Pakora, our other starter.
For mains we had Butter Chicken, Navratan (vegetable) Korma, and some accompanying garlic basic naan bread. All were quite good. I liked that the mains were served in dishes with a built-in flame below, so they stayed hot. Speaking of hot, the “hot” version of the Korma was what I would call medium, so if you are spice-averse you needn’t worry.
Service was friendly and attentive.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/spicy-6-fine-indian-cuisine-vancouver-2
I’d been to the Earl’s Kitchen in Orlando, and was interested to see how this one compared. It’s in a large (for Vancouver) upstairs space on Robson. The interior is fresh and open, perhaps recently updated?
The menu is above the level of typical sports bar food, although there are plenty of football games playing on the TVs around the bar.
I had a Cobb salad, which I enjoyed although it was a bit odd. It was as if someone had read the ingredients of a Cobb salad, but never actually seen one. Typically they are served with discrete rows of chopped ingredients that can be mixed at the table or eaten by plowing your way through one row at a time. This one was just a mixed green salad with some of the traditional ingredients sprinkled around it. But the accompanying dressing was quite good, and I like it for a nice, light lunch.
My companion had the Stea Frits. This dish is often served with a thin steak, or with the steak sliced up in the kitchen. Here it was more of a baseball, and I have to say it wasn’t the most tender steak. The accompanying steak knife wasn’t really up to the task, but oddly the serrated table knife worked better. The rub and sear on the outside was delicious, though.
Service was pleasant. There’s also a nice outside dining area that would be a great place to sit, too.
We live in this block, and there are three excellent Korean restaurants. This is my favorite!
It would be hard to beat their “Lunch Course” which has a wonderful variety of flavors in ten courses, far more than we could possibly eat. Fortunately they do a huge takeout business, so containers are plentiful.
That said, it’s really a lovely place to dine in. It’s off Robson, on a quiet section of Cordero, with huge trees outside the picture windows. (Note that there is another Kosoo just a few blocks away on Robson, but the vibe there is completely different, more quick server, while this leans more to fine dining.)
It’s hard to pick a favorite dish, and since you can try them all, why bother?!
Service was pleasant and all the food came out course by course, with great pacing, piping hot or ice cold, and fresh.
Note that they don’t have tea, but they do have hot water, so bring your own teabag!
This cozy cafe/sports bar offers brunch from morning until afternoon and then switches to more of a sports bar menu.
The bacon and cheese omelet was tasting, and accompanied by nicely crisped home fries.
The cinnamon French toast included two poofy pieces of brioche, nicely grilled, and served with assorted fruit.
Service was friendly, and the background music audio quality was impressive enough that we noticed their excellent playlist.
This is our favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Despite the name, it’s not just about pho. There’s an extensive menu that includes a wide range of appetizers and mains, including Bun (vermicelli bowls) and Banh Mi sandwiches.
The sampler platter appetizer makes a great lunch for two at a reasonable price.
The interior is very pleasant; they’ve done a nice job decorating the relatively small space.
Don’t be put off by the fact that this is an upscale restaurant in a tourist district. This is a great spot for local regulars, too. Accessed through a steep stairway, the space opens out into a large area with an expansive balcony overlooking Robson.
The menu offers far more than traditional Italian food.
The Hamachi Crudo was a spectacular dish of fish, flowers, scrumptious olive oil, and mild olive slices that didn’t overpower the fish.
The Parmesan Souffle was flavorful, light, and delightfully crusty.
Caesar salad is a good choice for sharing.
Wagyu Carpaccio came with a generous topping of freshly shaved truffle.
Perhaps my favorite dish was the Dungeness Crab Linguine, served in a cream sauce with just a hint of jalapeno.
The broccolini was an excellent side, fire-grilled with a touch of rosemary.
Pistachio gelato was the true essence of ground pistachios.
There’s a nice assortment of apertivos and amaros.
Service is friendly and well-paced.
Of the many Korean restaurants in this one block of Robson, this is my go-to place. Wonderful Dolsot Bibimbap, with the bowl hot enough to get a real sear on the rice.
We also really like their dumplings, and they have excellent kimchi.
Nice interior, good soundtrack, and friendly service.
This is an original sushi concept where hand rolls are prepared to order from a fixed menu consisting mostly of pre-prepared fish tartares. We tried the five-roll lunch, and the standouts were the scallop roll and the yellowtail roll. I also had an eel roll that was excellent. It was the only roll that involved a more traditional preparation of sushi, where the fish was seared to order. Service was fast and friendly.
Great ambiance and exactingly prepared nigiri is what Maumi is all about. Extensive sake list and some nice Champagnes.