This past September en route to SE Asia, I stopped for a layover in Vancouver, as I always like to do. This visually stunning seaside city with the gorgeous North Shore Mountains as a backdrop is often rated as one of the best cities in the world to live. It is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world and along with that comes great eating opportunities. On this trip, I was very fortunate to experience a much different side of the Vancity menu as I had Chinese hosts to show me the fantastic Asian food. We ate primarily in the central Richmond area which is large majority Chinese. Seriously, I was often the only Caucasian in restaurants with a capacity of several hundred. The yummy eateries below are easy to find, surprisingly affordable, and mostly a short walk from the Skytrain 🙂 Here is a quick guide to an amazing eating extravaganza.
Started out at Double Double, which is Taiwan-style and specializes in Chinese
doughnuts (very good). My favorite dish was the beef kway teow.
There are plenty of dim sum options and the most popular is a place called Kirin. Reserving one day in advance is a must. Most of our order was good, not great, except for the prawn dumplings which are out of this worldly good, worth going just for them. I believe I ate two trays worth myself
Dinesty is mainly Taiwan style, with very good tofu and dumplings.
There are also plenty of sushi places and two, in particular, were great. First up is Banzai, very good sushi in a simple setting.
The second is Aji Taro, which may well be the best sushi I have had. I was skeptical about this place when I heard it was a sushi buffet as I generally steer clear of any buffets. At Aji Taro, you can also order a la carte, which we did. I thought I misheard when we ordered 60 pieces of salmon……twice! And what perfect salmon it was. We ate the whole lot.
For some of the best crispy bbq pork in the world, head to HK BBQ right beside the Superstore (how convenient 🙂 This place is tiny so if you want to sit down to eat, best go during off-peak hours or be prepared to wait.
A little off the beaten path, we got super Indian food at Ginger Spice. We ordered a wide variety of dishes, overall quite good.
The lovely Kitsilano area of Vancouver is a fave of mine and one place I cannot resist when I am there is Baguette and Co on Broadway. The almond croissant is magnificent.
Hope you have a chance to check out some of these places. Even on a short layover I know I will be plotting how I could quickly dash from the airport to Richmond and back.
Coffee – Viva Java is a roastery near the Bridgeport SkyTrain with a large selection of beans. He will make you a coffee to drink there though its primary business seems to be selling freshly roasted beans to other cafes
