The Oriental Buffet near Guildford Shopping Mall (15140 – 101st Ave., Surrey, BC, phone 604-583-8893) is a huge all-you-can-eat restaurant that has a big selection of Chinese and Japanese items (some of which are pictured below).

Be adventurous and try some Peking Duck on a crepe with hoi-sin sauce and green onion, or how about some Japanese sushi, Chinese dim-sum, deep fried crab legs (pictured below), or the old favorites such as barbecued pork or chicken, popcorn shrimp, mussels, sweet and sour, wonton soup - you name it!! Finish off with some icecream, cake, jello, or mango pudding for dessert.

This restaurant is very popular with Chinese tour groups; the tour buses pull up and the high volume of customers keeps the food fresh. Dinner per person is a reasonable $14.99 plus tax; various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are also available at an additional cost.

Samurai Japanese Restaurant (1108 Davie Street, Vancouver, BC, phone 604-609-0078) is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants for fresh, high quality sushi creations and combinations at reasonable prices. Pictured below is the Chicken Teriyaki and sushi/sashimi combination that is also served with a bowl of rice, green salad, and tempura, all for $12.95.  View more photos: part 2, part 1

Ben.z Noodle Restaurant (536 Seymour Street, 604-688-8385) is a recently opened Vietnamese restaurant that is within walking distance of the Waterfront skytrain station, Canada Place convention center and cruise ship terminal downtown. The menu is very friendly even to newcomers to this delicious cuisine, with only a few main choices and lots of pictures.

The Vietnamese Salad Rolls ($5.25, pictured below) are one of my favorite items: prawns, vermicelli noodles, and vegetables are wrapped in a delicate rice wrapper, served cold with peanut dipping sauce. The beef pho soup (reasonably priced at $7.75, also pictured below) is a huge bowl filled with various kinds of meats and noodles in a steaming broth.

This is comfort food at its best and is perfect for a rainy Vancouver day. The soup is served with a side plate of bean sprouts, fresh herbs, hot peppers, and a couple slices of lime (also pictured below).