1087 Granville Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-685-4612

Web: http://thetempleton.blogspot.com/

Advice: Counter service is the perfect spot to be if you are dining solo.

Hakai Omelet

A long time favourite for many Vancouverites, this was my first visit to this popular hideaway. I liked this retro diner with the jukeboxes on every table, booth seating and counter service with décor dating back a bunch of years. I had the delicious Hakai Omelet ($10) wild smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onions, side rosemary potatoes and toast. The extensive menu is filled with all sorts of tempting dishes such as the Cinnamon Raisin French Toast, Blueberry Banana Pancakes, Omelets, Benny’s, Gourmet Sandwiches, Scramblers and Salads. They have floats, shakes and ice cream sundaes and they also have the world’s best $5 milk shake, so they say!

If you have got guests visiting or you are looking for a breakfast escape then head on over early for some good grub.

Review by: Richard Wolak

833 Granville Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-687-6622

Web: http://www.shuraku.net/

Advice: If dining with friends, try a few dishes and share. Go for the food and sake, not the dessert.

Sencha Green Tea

I love the room and the energy of this Izakaya eatery that plays to a hip crowd in this entertainment district restaurant. At ShuRaku, their kitchen is open with counter seating available both in front of the kitchen and the bar. The atmosphere is stylish and hip, warm colours, dark wood with almost 40 feet of hand-made illuminated Japanese rice paper and a bar area that features a live-edge maple wood bar, reclaimed fir and handmade copper wall scones.

Chicken Donburi

Ice Cream Sundae

I had the Chicken Donburi ($7.95) a filling rice dish with onions, sauce and chicken. For dessert, since I could only choose from 2 selections on the menu, I had the Ice Cream Sundae ($6.99) with 3 kinds of ice cream including green tea, black sesame and lychee, cornflakes, cream puffs, whipped cream and fresh fruits this dessert looked much better than it tasted. Sencha Green Tea ($2.80) pot of tea.

Each day there is a fresh sheet with daily specials to go along with the regular menu which features a good selection of appetizers, greens, seafood, sashimi, rice and noodle dishes, and sushi rolls. The Sake selection is one of the largest in the city, their also Japanese beers and other beverages to round out your dining experience

Review by: Richard Wolak

1049 Granville Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-909-2223

Web: http://www.cafebarcelona.ca/

Advice: Bring a long a friend or two to share the tapas. Call ahead for reservations and to find out which nights they have live music.

Pan con Tomate

I have been to Barcelona a few times and love the food and culture, I had hoped that the food at Café Barcelona would have equaled the flavours of the tapas I had longingly missed from the visits to Barcelona. The dishes that my friend Sophia and I had here wasn’t the same, the food selections were ok but not spectacular.

Escalivada con Quesco de cabra

Patatas Bravas

Gambas Ajillo

Tarta de Santiago

We started off our tapas sharing with the Pan con Tomate (catalan style) ($3.50) and Manchego cheese; Escalivada con Quesco de cabra ($7.50) red and green bell peppers, eggplant and tomato are grilled, then sliced and topped with a garlic dressing and goat cheese. The other two tapas dishes we had were the Patatas Bravas ($2.75) fried potato dices served with spicy tomato sauce and aioli; and the Gambas Ajillo ($6.50) prawns sauteed with garlic and parsley. For dessert we had the Tarta de Santiago ($4.50) almond pie filling principally consists of ground almond, eggs and sugar. The top of the pie was decorated with powdered sugar, masked by an imprint of the Saint James cross. They have a good selection of Spanish wines that go well with the tapas. The Escalivada con Quesco de cabra was the most unique dish we had, and we both loved it. If you are looking for a place to go after the symphony or the theatre then this would be an ideal place for tapas and drinks.

Review by: Richard Wolak

Tel: 604-687-7474

Web: www.siplounge.com

Twitter: @SIPLoungeVan

Advice: Sit up a front at the kitchen bar if your are dining solo and want to watch some kitchen action.

Soco Spicy Chicken

Love the vibe of the room, with the open kitchen at the front of the restaurant where the chefs create and plate up their boozy dishes. The teasers and inventive plates are just that tasty and creative. Most of the dishes are made with liquor from Southern Comfort to Vodka to Tequila. I sat at the bar so that I could watch the chefs in action, my chicken dish was awesome having had the Soco Spicy Chicken ($10) crispy chicken breast, southern comfort, sweet chili sauce, cucumber, scallions. Other rock star dishes to have on your own or to share with friends is the Pina Colada Prawns ($12) grilled prawns, Bacardi glaze, Malibu dip, tropical salad. For dessert try the Rustic Apple Gallette ($8) granny smith apples, puff pastry, goldshlager caramel and whipped cream. On the drinks side of things, try something off the spiked coffees list or one of their many inventive cocktails.

Review by: Richard Wolak

1115 Granville Street, Vancouver

Tel:  604-687-8001

Web: http://www.therefineryvancouver.com/

Twitter: @TheRefineryVan

Advice: Don’t be afraid to experiment on what goes in your cocktail, if what you desire is not on the cocktail menu, ask the bartenders to make your creation.

The Bean

Hazelnut Crème Brulee

Mixing cocktails is an art and The Refinery is all about creating unique and creative cocktails. This is the house of champions, lead by Lauren Mote who has created a stellar cocktail list she is constantly creating more and more unique cocktails. The focus here is not only on the cocktails but also on charcuterie and desserts. The menu here is divided into small ‘mezze’ plates and share platters, I have been a few times and have tried a variety of their favourites including the White Bean and Truffle Hummus ($7) toasted bread, pine nuts, truffle oil; and the Flat Bread ($18) Smoked salmon, pickled red onions, lemon herbed cream cheese, fried capers, frizze, lemon; and another Flat Bread ($16) Red wine poached pear, stilton, walnuts. The Refinery is done up by the sample people who own the downstairs eatery Sip. End off your meal or start off your meal with one of their delicious desserts with or without a cocktail. On my last visit I had the Hazelnut Crème Brulee ($9) with chocolate sea salt biscotti along with The Bean a cocktail that Lauren was inspired to make by one of my suggestions of using Espresso and Cocoa Nibs in a cocktail, she did even better and used two different espresso beans from two local roasters and mixed in French organic cocoa nibs along with a few other special ingredients and this was a wonderful treat. The Refinery is a great spot to go to before or after a concert or a movie on the Granville Entertainment strip.

Review by: Richard Wolak

1147 Granville Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-568-0749

Web: http://www.twistedforkbistro.ca/index2.php

Twitter: @TwstdForkBistro

Advice: If you go between 6pm-7pm Mon – Sat –order the Blue Fence special for $25.

Butternut Squash Soup

Turkey dinner with all the fixins

I first sampled their food at Feast of Fields a few weeks ago and I was intrigued not only by the twisted fork, but to try this great food. This is bistro is simple, yet cozy, many of the items on the menu looked tempting. This is French Canadian comfort food and on Sunday nights they offer a 3 course dinner special. I ordered the 3 course dinner special and for $25, I was served a mixed green salad, turkey dinner with all the fixins, a slice of pumpkin pie and a glass of wine. Not only was this great value but it was superb. My friend opted for a smaller meal and she had the Butternut Squash Soup ($8) with lemon scented creme fraiche and the Goat Cheese, Tomato, Onion Tart ($7.25) Goat cheese, house smoked tomatoes, caramelized onions, fresh greens and pear chutney. There is a good wine and beer selection and the service was warm and friendly.

I can’t wait to go back for my next visit.

Review by: Richard Wolak