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With more restaurants per capita than any other Canadian city, it’s worth treating your taste buds to something special in Vancouver. But that doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of money. Reflecting Vancouver’s cosmopolitan population, first-class examples of most international cuisines can be found – especially Italian, French, Greek and East Indian – and the city’s large Oriental population fuels a staggering number of cheap Chinese, Vietnamese and sushi joints. A good way of getting the most out of Vancouver is to tour some of the many bars, bistros and restaurants, enjoying a drink and small dish in each. Kitsilano and Downtown are the best areas for top-of-the-range spots, the former also offering the broadest variety for vegetarians. West Broadway and Commercial Drive are also great for menu-browsing, but for sheer diversity it’s hard to beat the West End streets of Robson, Denman and Davie. Most of the plush hotels have formidable restaurants, mentioned here only if exceptional in some way.
A current trend in Vancouver is for ‘fusion’ food, with many top chefs blurring all international boundaries to create their own eclectic and imaginative dishes. Usually such blends entail a cuisine typical to Vancouver, best described as Pacific Rim or West Coast. Pacific Rim cuisine covers regions as far apart as BC, Japan, California and Australia. The emphasis is very much on healthy eating, using fresh, local, preferably organic ingredients prepared with understated simplicity. Another key factor is seafood. The fruits of the sea don’t get much fresher than here, and some of Vancouver’s finest restaurants specialize in presenting them in exciting new ways. West Coast cuisine has also added elements from traditional Native cooking. Salmon is used extensively, often prepared on cedar planks or alder grills. Fresh wild game such as caribou and buffalo is also featured, often flavoured with local berries. Barbecuing and smoking are very common. Weekend brunches are another Vancouver institution and well worthwhile. In Chinatown the choice is intimidating, but it's hard to go wrong. Food tends to be authentic Szechwan, and servings are large. For a snack try one of the numerous bakeries for a curried beef, BBQ pork or honey bun; they quickly become addictive.
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