Shabusen Japanese Yakiniku House (web site, 755 Burrard Street, Unit 202, Vancouver, phone 604-669-3883) is an immensely popular all-you-can-eat Japanese Sushi and Korean BBQ restaurant conveniently located on Burrard Street near the trendy downtown Robson shopping strip, and near the Burrard skytrain station. At lunch you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat sushi meal (pictured below) for $13.50, which on weekends and holidays also includes all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ. (Korean BBQ is where you are given bowls of your favorite marinated meats and you cook the meat yourself at a grill set into your table.) Dinner prices are around $23.

The decor at this restaurant is worth noting too: above the sushi bar is some wild florescent lighting, and some of the larger tables are set inside wooden boats complete with sails. This restaurant is a definite must for visitors who want to experience something that truly speaks of Vancouver, where surprisingly good food quality and quantity combine at a meeting of western and Asian cultures. Reservations are recommended.

Chicken Teriyaki

Japanese Sunomono Salad (cold rice noodles in a sweet vinegar broth with a few vegetables)

Tamago sushi (egg) and Salmon Sushi

Another visit to Thai Away Home  (address: 1206 Davie Street, phone: 604-682-8424) and this time I enjoyed the Penang Curry with prawns (pictured below) which was served as a combination with soup, salad and rice for $9.95. At Thai Away Home you can order take out (which is what many people do), or order at the counter and then eat in the restaurant. This tiny restaurant has won awards in the local newspapers for Best Thai in the casual / take out category. (Click here to view another picture from this restaurant -Part 1).

Excellent Sushi Japanese Restaurant (address: 1157 Granville Street, Vancouver, phone: 604-687-0038, or 604-681-0009) offers combinations of sushi and other Japanese items at rock-bottom prices. Enjoy a combination including miso soup, California roll, chicken teriyaki, noodles or rice, green salad, and tempura, for an unbelievable price of only $6.00 plus tax. No kidding! This restaurant is a good find for travelers or students on a budget, if you’re willing to venture to this somewhat rougher-on-the-edges part of Granville Street that is only a couple blocks from the trendy Yaletown district.