Affordable - Vancouver Restaurants

 

Shanghai Wonderful Restaurant (Richmond, Part 2)

I made another visit to Shanghai Wonderful Restaurant (map, 110 – 8380 Lansdowne Road, Richmond, BC, Canada, phone: 604-278-8829) and again was impressed by the superlative flavors and exotic tastes of the authentic, modern Chinese cuisine served by this restaurant.

The first dish that arrived was the Special Pork Chop Wuxi Style (pictured below, $13.95), and I tentatively bit into a tender, saucy piece of pork that I tenuously held in my chopsticks. Suddenly, a symphony of subtle sensations started to build up on my tongue and I thought, this is comfort food at its best. Whoever Wuxi is, he or she definitely has a walloping sense of style.

Not to be outdone was the Deep Fried Squid with Chili and Pepper ($9.98, also pictured below), a Chinese take on calamari that was crispy, salty, and delicate at the same time. The culinary concerto continued with Shanghai Style Juicy Pork Buns ($4.95, also pictured below) which my dining companion secretly devoured as I was munching on the marvellous pork pieces. I did manage a few nibbles of these jealously juicy buns, which if you haven’t tried, will lead you to discover that they must be eaten in a single bite.

With a can of coke, and a ration of rice, the bill came to $31.63 before tax and tip. The handy Geotip was utilized and we paid $20 each in cash (which, must be noted, is the only payment method that Shanghai Wonderful accepts).

For some more photos and info, please view Part 1.

Shanghai Style Juicy Pork Buns ($4.95) from Shanghai Wonderful restaurant in Richmond, BC, Canada.

Shanghai Style Juicy Pork Buns ($4.95) from Shanghai Wonderful restaurant in Richmond, BC, Canada.

Special Pork Chop Wuxi Style ($13.95) from Shanghai Wonderful restaurant in Richmond, BC, Canada.

Special Pork Chop Wuxi Style ($13.95) from Shanghai Wonderful restaurant in Richmond, BC, Canada.

Deep fried squid with Chili and Pepper ($9.98) from Shanghai Wonderful restaurant in Richmond, BC, Canada.

Deep fried squid with Chili and Pepper ($9.98) from Shanghai Wonderful restaurant in Richmond, BC, Canada.

My serving of the pork chops

My serving of the pork chops

Shanghai Wonderful on Urbanspoon

13,135 views - Posted Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

 

Calhoun’s Cafe (Kitsilano, Part 2)

Calhouns Bakery and Cafe (web site, map, 3035 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone 604-731-7062) is a large barn-like restaurant in the Kitsilano neighborhood that is open 24 hours and serves a variety of pre-prepared entrees such as the Perogies (around $7.00, pictured below), desserts, coffee, and alcoholic beverages.

At Calhoun’s, pick out an entree from the deli-style refrigerated display case, and then pay first before eating. If they’re not too busy they’ll bring the food out to your table once they heat it up, or else they’ll put it on the counter beside the espresso machine.

Calhouns also offers a catering service (more details) to the Vancouver area. My office uses them sometimes for catering lunch meetings.

Calhouns has a bakery on site, and their sourdough bread is incredibly fresh. They make some of the best sandwiches in town, and I usually order the Shrimp Sandwich with Avocado ($7.50, also pictured below).  Every month I look forward to eating the shrimp sandwich after an evening of performing music with the Sybaritic String Band. Calhoun’s has live jazz music on Tuesday and Sunday evenings, and Latin dancing on Thursday nights.

Located near the University of British Columbia, Calhoun’s is a popular hangout and studying place for UBC students. They have Wifi internet access available.

For another photo of the shrimp sandwich, please view Part 1.

Perogies with bacon, sour cream and salsa ($7.00) from Calhouns Bakery and Cafe in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Perogies with bacon, sour cream and salsa ($7.00) from Calhoun's Bakery and Cafe in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Shrimp Sandwich ($8.00) from Calhouns Bakery and Cafe in Vancouver BC Canada.

Shrimp Sandwich ($8.00) from Calhoun's Bakery and Cafe in Vancouver BC Canada.

Calhoun's Bakery Cafe on Urbanspoon

15,004 views - Posted Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

 

White Spot in Kitsilano – Part 4

White Spot (web site, map, 2518 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-731-2434) is a successful Canadian restaurant chain that is famous for their burgers with “Triple-O sauce” and their milkshakes.

The restaurant has several locations around the Vancouver area, including the Kitsilano location (which I visited), Surrey and Delta, Richmond, Burnaby, Langley, Aldergrove, Coquitlam, and more (even Victoria and Naniamo too). View their web site for a list of their other locations.

White Spot is a great place to go for a relaxing breakfast or brunch, or a casual dinner or lunch too. I had a gift certificate coupon that I had won in a 5k race, so was able to get one of their Legendary Burger Platters for free, which normally costs $8.99 (and comes with fries and coleslaw). My friend ate the burger platter with fries and I ordered another Legendary Burger platter with a Caesar Salad, which was $9.98 (pictured below). Yum! Be sure to ask for lettuce and tomato on your burger if you like it, as the toppings are no extra charge.

For more photos from White Spot please view my previous reviews: Part 3 – BC Ferries, Part 2 – Salmon Burger, Part 1 – Chicken Gai Yang.

Legendary Burger Platter (with Caesar salad, $9.98) from White Spot restaurant in Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Legendary Burger Platter (with Caesar salad, $9.98) from White Spot restaurant in Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

White Spot on Urbanspoon

13,783 views - Posted Saturday, November 1st, 2008