Copper Chimney Restaurant and Bar (web site, map, 567 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-689-8862) recently came to my attention through an email from Mary, the restaurant manager. Copper Chimney is located in the luxurious boutique Le Soleil Hotel (rated 4-diamonds by American Automobile Association since opening in 1999). Downtown in the financial district, the restaurant/hotel is close to Vancouver’s stunning Convention Centre as well as Pacific Centre mall.

I visited the restaurant at Le Soleil around 7 or 8 years ago, and the impressive and airy dining room is much the same today, but with some updates I am sure. I’m really interested in visiting Copper Chimney again to see the current menu concept. In the meantime, here’s what Mary sent along about Copper Chimney:

“Consistently rated one of the city’s most stunning dining rooms. Enter into an exotic world of fusion where you will be treated to some of India’s finest flavors. Experience our award winning chef’s amazing command of the Tandoor , its copper chimney highlighting our open kitchen. Your senses will be heightened and you will be drawn to the warmth and comfort of one of the city’s most popular dining experiences. Sip handcrafted expertly mixed cocktails while enjoying an exotic selection of house music in the lounge or retreat to the dining mezzanine for a memorable meal. Have the Maitre D arrange your dinner in our VIP private dining room.”

Thanks to Mary for providing the tantalizing photos below! For some more reviews of Copper Chimney from customers, check out Urban Spoon or Yelp.

Copper Chimney restaurant at 567 Hornby Street in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

Dining room of Copper Chimney restaurant at the LeSoleil hotel in Vancouver BC Canada.

glowbal grill steaks & satay (formerly known as glowbal grill and satay bar, website, map, 1079 Mainland Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-602-0835) doesn’t need much of an introduction. Glowbal made international headlines in 2009 when teen-heartthrob Twilight stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner were spotted dining at glowbal and other restaurants around Vancouver. But apart from being a favorite of celebrities, glowbal is one of the trendiest, hippest places for the high-class citizen to enjoy superb – dare I say world-class dishes.

Our group of incredibly intelligent, geeky, and immensely wealthy software developers from a nearby office were probably some of the most casually dressed patrons at Glowbal today. I’m not sure where all these fancy people come from, but walking through Glowbal at noon on a weekday is like stepping into a movie set from perhaps the opening scene of a Bond spy thriller. The place exudes class and style, and they’ve got everything down from the subtle electro-jazz that pulsates, to the affable and dynamic serving staff who are up to date on the latest social nuances.

The food is some of the best I have tasted in this price range (which can be perused on their menu) and is incredibly flavorful, making use of the full palate and leaves me smacking my lips for every last morsel. Well, maybe this time I toned down the smacking, but beware upon the future occasion!

Today I ordered the Linguini off their lunch menu (pictured below), which came with jumbo tiger prawns, tomato, oregano, capers, stewed tomatoes, and of course olives. I’m sure that if you don’t like olives, or only want to eat olives and nothing more, executive chef Erik Heck and his staff will be able to accommodate your special dietary needs.

Vegetarians will note that this restaurant doesn’t advertise many vegetarian or vegan-friendly items on their menu. However if you end up at Glowbal I think you’ll do fine if you explain your needs to your server and they will be most amenable to providing tasty substitutions and a dish that you’ll likely enjoy.

Delicious Prawn Linguine from Glowbal restaurant in Yaletown, Vancouver BC Canada.

Yummy Seafood Linguine pasta from Glowbal Grill in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.

Tasty Prawn Linguine from glowbal grill steaks and satay restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

Congee Noodle House (map, reviews, 141 East Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-879-8221) is a long-standing Chinese restaurant in the rapidly developing Mount Pleasant / Main Street area of East Vancouver. This is an area with a rich working class and immigrant history, but is targeted by developers as a young, upwardly mobile alternative to the now somewhat old fashioned and high heeled Yaletown. Across the street you’ll currently find a development proposal for a massive housing and retail complex that is bound to transform the neighborhood into more of a commercial and classy domicile for the twenty and thirty-something urban professional rather than its current melange of mixed-ethnic lower to moderate income earners.

But in the meantime, we still have Congee Noodle House. This voluminous dining room is brightly lit and is full of clean but well-used tables and an efficient and experienced kitchen and wait staff. Come here late (until 2:00 am most nights!) and enjoy some decent and tasty Chinese dishes. Our favorites are the various offerings of Chinese congee – a porridge-like boiled rice soup that can be served plain (as pictured below), when it is mostly flavorless but incredibly comforting, detoxifying and warm, or with delights added such as assorted seafood, Chinese mushroom, beef, pork, duck, or egg. For complementary dishes, check out the crispy tofu and the green beans with pork (also pictured below).

This restaurant is one of the few options in the neighborhood for nourishing food in the wee hours after midnight. Another good choice would be Foundation (2301 Main St) just a short walk down Main. But of course both Congee Noodle House and Foundation make great destinations for lunch or dinner too. Eat on, Vancouver!

Plain congee garnished with green onion from Congee Noodle House Chinese Restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.

Spicy Green Beans with pork from Congee Noodle House, a great Chinese restaurant in Vancouver Canada.

Crispy tofu from Congee Noodle House in Vancouver BC Canada, a wonderful Chinese restaurant in Mt. Pleasant.