Canada
Vancouver’s Tastes of the World
Where the dining is global and the food is phenomenal
By Mel Tobias
Vancouver is not just a well-renowned destination for tourists. It has drawn immigrants from all over the world and in the process enriched the number and variety of food that residents and visitors alike can enjoy. With its diverse population, it has become a melting pot of international culinary traditions. Though the signature Pacific Northwest cuisine remains intact, it has also melded cooking techniques and ingredients from all over the world. Think of Sinigang Na Salmon (salmon in tamarind soup) as an example or fiddlehead fern salad with sukang paombong. Variations are almost limitless and they can be tried in hundreds of eating places in this city.
Vancouver’s Pacific Northwest cooking focuses on seasonal products, local ingredients served crisp and fresh from nearby farms, and creative/innovative presentations. And the city can boast hundreds of its restaurants, serving just about any cuisine imaginable. Join me in my journey to some bistros, ethnic hideaways, four-star dining rooms and fusion restaurants. Vancouver is an exploration of global cuisine unlike any other city. When it comes to food, it has a broader shift in the conceptualization of the world order. The shift is from regional to a global perspective.
Because it’s impossible to feature every restaurant in the city and suburbs, I can only provide a sampler. You have to personally discover the rest and let me know about it. You will find it a great culinary adventure to dine in places ranging from tiny bistros to fancy dining rooms in four-star hotel restaurants.
SARDINE CAN (26 Powell St.)
This is a tiny place and as the witty name implies, clients are packed like sardines in a can here. It specializes in delicious, affordable and bite-sized tapas Spanish style enjoyed with a wide variety of Spanish wines and sherry. Sardine Can is a fun place as you readily socialize with people sharing a huge communal table. No canned sardines here – the smoked sardines on toast is a genuine treat. One can also enjoy a de-constructed paella, patatas bravas and grilled chorizo as good as the ones served in Madrid. Don’t let the long line of customers discourage you, turnover is fast. If you pay cash, you get a 10% discount.
DAMSO MODERN KOREAN CUISINE (867 Denman St.)
Damso could be the cousin of Bao Bei Chinese Restaurant (163 Keefer St.) — both restaurants reflect the youthful Pan-Asian cultural worldview now prevalent in Vancouver. They take traditional Asian food and transform it for the 21st century. Damso has given new life to Korea’s comfort food, bibimpap. Korean seafood pancakes have been transformed into crispy waffles and kimchee salad has been enlivened with arugula and bacon. Asian restaurants are not well known for desserts but Damso offers delicious Korean apple tarts. It is also licensed, serving Korean beers and rice wine. The place is small, has an intimate venue and is affordable — many side dishes are under $12.
OYSTER EXPRESS (296 Keefer St.)
Vancouver is a coastal city so it is not surprising that it has a place serving fresh oysters. Deep in the heart of Chinatown is an elegant but informal oyster bar named the Oyster Express. The place is small, with only 16 seats. However, it serves at least ten different varieties of oysters every day and an assortment of oyster-based dishes is also available. Before ordering the oysters, ask for pomegranate or ginger tea as a starter. For dessert, try the chocolate cheesecake fudge.
SEA MONSTER SUSHI (55 Powell St.)
Located in historic Gastown this is not your usual, run-of-the mill sushi place that seems to have proliferated in Vancouver in recent times. The ambiance here is hip and conveys the concept of fusion food. Sea Monster sushis are made from the finest locally sourced seafood and many can be described as Japanese food with Western influences. The place also serves the classic and signature rolls, sashimi bowls and combos but be ready for some surprising modern twists that make dining at Sea Monster Sushi exciting.
CABIN 5555 (5555 West Boulevard)
This eatery is also known as Bistro of Formosa, a novel Taiwanese restaurant serving fast, delicious, affordable set meals that are reminiscent of up-scale airport food. The menu is quite comprehensive ranging from light (fish cake fried rice), to heavy (lamb with green onion plum sauce). There are special dishes (beef on sizzling hot plate) and vegetarian specialties (Taiwan style cold noodle). There are the usual Taiwanese dishes like hot pot, dim sum and thick toast (served interestingly enough, Hong Kong style).
NOODLE BOX (1867 4th Avenue and other locations)
Vancouverites love Pan Asian food that is tasty, spicy and affordable. Noodle Box can be called an Asian restaurant for non-Asians. It was started in Victoria but now has branches all over Vancouver. In Asia, tourists are warned never to see what happens in restaurant kitchens but at Noodle Box, customers can watch the open kitchen and even instruct the chef if they want their food spicy hot, medium or mild. There are lots of veggies, tofu, prawns, chicken, fish, pork and other ingredients to choose from. Chefs will even prepare dishes according to the favorite styles of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and other countries.
MOCHIKAS (1696 West Fifth Avenue)
There are now more than 3,000 Peruvians living in Vancouver so it is not surprising that a Peruvian restaurant has been set up. The name Mochikas refers to Peru’s pre-Incan era that flourished from 200 B.C. to 600 AD. The food is authentic Peruvian and includes ceviche dishes, spicy cilantro tamales and Peruvian seafood fried rice. Do try a Peruvian refreshing drink made from boiled purple corn, powdered cloves, sugar, cinnamon and pineapple. Note: Mochikas is a cash only restaurant.
LA GHIANDA ( 2083 Alma St.)
If you find some fancy Italian restaurant pricey and reservations are hard to get, you have an alternative in La Ghianda (the name refers to the Italian acorn or oak tree). The small restaurant serves mouth-watering Northern Italian dishes. The prices for their braised meat, pastas, beef cheeks, duck confit, and desserts won’t make a big dent in your budget.
The eight restaurants mentioned above are only a few foreign-sounding eateries that have grown all over Vancouver in recent years. The adventurous person wanting to taste food from other parts of the world has literally hundreds of other places to choose from. Briefly, the other places that are worth trying are:
Atithi (modern Mumbai cuisine)
Dharma Kitchen (the Food of Mindfulness), serves vegetarian and tofu dishes
Gurka (Himalayan/Nepalese)
Bob Like Thai Food (Thai)
Chau Veggie Express (modern vegetarian Vietnamese)
Café D-Lite (Malaysian but also serves Hai Nan chicken rice)
Indochine (modernVietnamese)
Nuba (Lebanese)
Calabash (Carribbean)
Hapa Umi (Japanese fusion cuisine)
Lin’s Chinese Restaurant (Modern Shanghai dishes)
Nyala (Ethiopian)
Senhor Rooster (Portuguese).
There are also North American restaurants such as Ouisi (New Orleans food serving alligator meat) and Peckinpah (North Carolina style barbecue food). There are many affordable European eateries such as Le Parisiene (modern French food). The great thing is that Vancouverites can now enjoy food from all over the world in their city, without the high cost of foreign travel and airport security hassle.
