Your current favorite restaurant
 

Whether it's fine dining, or open late, or a chain, where do you like to repeatedly visit?

Mine's been One Cafe in Richmond. Can't get enough of that milk tea.

There's a small chain I like that has a good HK cafe menu, good prices, and decent drinks. I go whenever I want to have baked pork chop for instance

Most local chains eventually get sold to investors and enshitified, but that hasn't happened to this one yet (although the portions do seem smaller lately)

https://i.imgur.com/UZK0T6y.png

https://i.imgur.com/J8NOiCe.png

^I'm from the area and never heard of Yuen Long Bistro - and it doesn't look like they have a location in Yuen Long???? :lol

But I'm always down for a baked pork chop on rice, so I'll have to make a trek to one of their locations.

I guess it's just named after the area lol

I don't know if it's worth a trek to visit, but for me it's local and I go there pretty often so thought I'd reply. If there's one near you and you feel like that food, it's a good option

Sucks having baked pork chop as a favourite dish now, because so many places have cut down on their portions so you get shitty thin pork chops no matter where you go.

For a great date night with the wife
https://maps.app.goo.gl/9u5tiA1iKSDTgHav7
or
https://maps.app.goo.gl/DfG2XC87pUobpH198

Best dinner close to home
https://maps.app.goo.gl/iXqUGHQ5KK5ALkod7

Hipster weekend breakfast
https://maps.app.goo.gl/npV5vgjBdSnqF41r5

Random lunch
https://maps.app.goo.gl/pUaBR3QUy9E6xoSR8

Rich

My favourite is this food court place in Richmond at Empire Center -- Cloud 9 Delicacy / 雲頂閩南美食. It is supposedly a Taiwanese place, but the store keeper lady speaks Canto as well (in addition to Mando, and I would expect her to be able to speak English too).

https://scontent-sea5-1.xx.fbcdn.net...Ng&oe=68C6450E

And this is the reason why the place has become my current favourite -- $15 a dish of the above.

They are quite a busy stall, and I would definitely recommend against going during the normal lunch rush. One time I got there on a Sunday slightly after 12pm, and I ended up waiting ~25 min for the popcorn chicken dish. When I go there between 11 - 11:30, the wait time is quite reasonable.

The popcorn chicken is always piping hot when it comes out, and is excellently flavoured -- one of the best I can find in Vancouver, I'd say. The meal is served with 4 side dishes -- marinated hard boiled egg, nappa veggie, (Taiwanese style?) pickle, marinated dried tofu, with rice served in a separate container. The boss lady will give you a paper cup for some self-served tea as well. The portions are very generous, and is enough for 2 people to finish as a normal meal. But if I am feeling hungry, I can totally wolf it all down on my own.

The deep fried porkchop dish is also well flavoured. They typically give 4 large pieces of (bone-in) porkchops.

They also have a deep fried chicken breast option as well, but I never order that since I like popcorn chicken better.

Parking at the plaza is your typical Richmond affair -- that is to say, it is absolute dog shxt, both at the surface lot, as well as the multi-level parkade.

The food court there also has a number of other top notch food stalls, but because of that, the seating there is inadequate for the number of people eating there.

TL;DL
yummy, very generous portions, $15/dish

Off topic but I can never tell if radeonboy lives in Vancouver or HK, or where he is in the world. Carmen Sandiego has nothing on him. :pokerface:

Pho37 - the Union Square one

My wife loves their sweet chilli chicken wings.

Dunno why the number "37" though

Zakkushi
Sushi california
Vesta grill
Chewies oyster bar (only for oysters)

Yeah I'm arriving at the same conclusion with this dish in Hong Kong. Part of my problem also is how great Vancouver HK (and Asian restaurants are) that it's hard to match what I'm used to when I visit Asian cities. We do pay a big premium for that privilege in Vancouver though.

:lol

Getting back on topic, my most recent favorite is Washington Avenue Grill in White Rock. It's nothing fancy, but I like the laid back vibe with a lively atmosphere and a nice sunset backdrop for the summer season.

WAG is great. Love the glazed back ribs there.

Mackenzie Room
The Magnet

I actually came across a random youtube video talking about why all the numbers and it's usually either a significant event in Viet history, lucky number, or an important date in their personal life i.e. when they immigrated to the country. What significance does 37 have though I don't know.

For anyone that likes Pho noodles, check out Chao Mami in either Burnaby or Granville SkyTrain station.

Between the hours of 2pm and 6pm, you can get pho noodles for $10

it's just how they identify the shop on a particular streeet by their street address number.

i.e. "Check out the pho place on X street, its #37"

Interesting, at Kerrisdale, there is @26 Viet Cafe ... wonder what the importance of that is. So a pho restaurant in Viet located on 26th street?

No it's like #26 on whatever street.

Maybe their family's restaurant was #26

Kyle's Cafe is probably one of the last chop suey style restaurants in East Van

Garlic & Chili in North Burnaby does Calgary style crispy ginger beef

Magnet has a great burger.

Yea only went for the first time recently. I had the Nashville chicken Sando which was awesome, ppl I was with who love burgers were super impressed by it.

Chef used to run the restaurant Gudrun in Steveston which I really liked, which is how I found out about it.

Not really my current favourite and haven't tried (prob can't afford to go to any of these). But has anyone tried ?

2 more Michelin Stars and 3 recommends:

Stars:
Sumibiyaki Arashi https://sumibiyakiarashi.com/ omakase @ $175 pp

Sushi Hyun - https://www.exploretock.com/sushi-hyun-vancouver omakase @ $300 pp

Recommends
Good Thief - https://www.goodthief.ca/

Elem - https://www.elemvancouver.com/

Nero Tondo - https://nerotondo.com/

"Probably" also opens the possibility that you can, or do, go to these restaurants. :considered:

I like omakase sushi as much as the next guy but does anyone else think it's kinda ridiculous that a third of Vancouver's Michelin starred restaurants are Omakase? Guess it tracks, every restaurant space is so expensive and tiny here you can probably only afford the top notch ingredients if you serve it in a closet and have no servers.

Would it kill someone to open a classic French dining experience worth of a star in Van? Probably, financially. St. Lawrence doesn't count, that's Quebecois bistro.


Anyways, tried a couple good places recently:

Handson Steak and Frites on Denman- no nonsense, no frills, small menu. Perfectly cooked steak at reasonable prices. Located in the former Madang Goul space, I heard it's their kids running the show now.

Zapoteca on 4th and Alma - been sleeping on this place for a while. Servers authentic Oaxacan cuisine. Not your typical Tex-mex garbage but real Mexican food. Try the stone bowl sets there's enough for 2 meals there.

You're from YL? LOL we totally could have bumped into each other on the overlap days haha.

I ate at this place, some Vancourities claim that it has the best beef balls, I was very satisfied.

https://i.imgur.com/Svyowxn.png

I wish someone told me that before I went to HK. I went to quite a few places where I was disappointed.

HK BBQ Master at No.3 Superstore does a fantastic job at both BBQ Pork and Siu Yok - I couldn't find a better place in HK.

Pho 68 located in the same area is also fantastic, but if y'all are ever in Campbell River, Nhau Vietnamese Kitchen & Bar is fantastic and sells this for $21. The owner was previously the head chef at a few popular Vancouver pho restaurants (the fancy bougee ones i dont remember what it is now, but think An & Chi and the like)

https://i.imgur.com/hpS1tuS.png

Zapoteca has a location in White Rock as well. Very good eats.

I had a great lunch at Nightingale the other day. Both the food and service were on point.