Budget - Vancouver Restaurants

 

Sushi at Pacific Centre Food Court (video)

Pacific Centre Mall in Vancouver (map, web site, 700 W Georgia St Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone 604-688-7236) is an upscale shopping destination in Vancouver’s trendy downtown core. Close to the Vancouver Cruise Ship Terminals (Canada Place), the business district, Vancouver Art Gallery, and a short walk from Robson Street, Pacific Centre is a place to browse the latest fashions and then indulge in some good eats at the food court.

The mall closes at 9pm most weekdays, and if you head down to the food court at around 7:30pm or 8pm you can fill up on some really cheap food, such as the “buy one get one free sushi” (pictured below) or a heaping plate of Chinese fast food for $5.  The sushi pictured in the video below was $10 for everything, including all-you-can-drink Miso Soup.

The food court has sleek, modern decor with cool lighting and funky chairs.

Ebi (shrimp) sushi, salmon, tuna, and unagi (BBQ eel) from Pacific Centre mall food court.

Ebi (shrimp) sushi, salmon, tuna, and unagi (BBQ eel) from Pacific Centre mall food court.

The food court has sleek, modern decor with cool lighting and neat chairs.

The food court has sleek, modern decor with cool lighting and neat chairs.

California Roll from Pacific Centre food court in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

California Roll from Pacific Centre food court in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

9,481 views - Posted Monday, December 1st, 2008

 

Video from Ridge Gardens Chinese Restaurant (Arbutus) – Part 2

Ridge Gardens Chinese Restaurant (map, previous review, 3113 Arbutus Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-736-7006, fax: 604-736-5231) offers Chinese food delivery in the Vancouver area, as well as excellent banquet meals for large groups choosing to dine at the restaurant.

My family always goes there for big get-togethers and it is always a marvellous feast that satisfies everyone. This time, I brought my video camera along and took a video of the dishes as they arrived (see player below, or click here to view on Youtube). Because of the low light the video is kind of grainy, but you can get the idea!

Prices are affordable, within the $15 to $25 per person for a large banquet (or slighly more depending on how many crabs and seafood items you order).

Below I’ve also included photos of the crab and chicken hot pot that I took in my previous visit (see Part 1 of my review).

Chinese style hot and spicy crab from Ridge Garden Restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Chinese style hot and spicy crab from Ridge Garden Restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Chicken and black fungus hot pot from Ridge Garden Chinese restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada

Chicken and black fungus hot pot from Ridge Garden Chinese restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada

9,695 views - Posted Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

 

Vancouver Flea Market Cafeteria (Video)

I made a visit to the Vancouver Flea Market (web site, map, 703 Terminal Ave. Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604.685.0666) and tried their cafeteria.

In case you haven’t heard of the Vancouver Flea Market before, here’s a little description from their web site:

The Vancouver Flea Market is a thriving environment where all kinds of dealers and sellers propose their treasures. Here you will find all kinds of things from collectibles and memorabilia to everyday household items as well all the things you thought you didn’t need!

The market is a 5 – 10 minute walk from the Main Street Skytrain station. Admission to the market is only 75 cents, and that lets you into the main showroom where you can browse all the tables of endless cool stuff (I picked up a piece of fools gold crystal for $8), and into their busy cafeteria which serves filling, hot American-style food at very low prices.

Speaking of the food, we tried the Traditional Burger (an amazing deal at $3.85, shown in video below) and the T.O.C. Omelette ($4.50, also shown in video below), which was a 3-egg omelette with tomato, onions, cheese, toast, and a small coffee. I opted to get an apple juice instead of the coffee and it only added about 40 cents to the price. The food is quite similar to Denny’s restaurant but is cheaper, and the atmosphere is not as fancy as Denny’s.

I made a video of the dishes, which you can view by clicking here, or use the player below. I’ve also included a photo of the menu below.

Vancouver flea market cafeteria menu

Vancouver flea market cafeteria menu

10,778 views - Posted Saturday, November 15th, 2008