Cardero’s Restaurant (web site, 1583 Coal Harbour Quay, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-669-7666) is an upscale destination for seafood, steaks, wok dishes, and pizza. It’s a generously sized restaurant that sits out on a pier in the Coal Harbour marina, with great waterfront and dock-side views. This is an impressive place to entertain visitors to Vancouver, have a fancy business lunch, or even enjoy a romantic dinner with live music later in the evening.

Cardero’s restaurant is about a 10-15 minute walk along the Coal Harbor waterfront from the Vancouver Convention Center downtown (Canada Place) as well as the downtown business district. It’s also really close to the Westin Bayshore Hotel.

Pictured below are the Fishermen’s Platter (2 fresh oysters, 2 jumbo prawns, 2 slices albacore tuna, 2 slices seared rare ahi tuna, and seaweed salad for $18.95), and the 10oz New York Steak (grilled, seasoned, with pink peppercorn sauce $28.95) to which I added a 1/2 dozen bistro prawns for $5.95.

Fishermen’s Platter (prawns, albacore tuna, ahi tuna, seaweed salad, and oyster), $18.95

Another view of the same Fishermen’s Platter (Raw Oysters, and various sauces and garnishes such as dijon mustard, wasabi, and pickled ginger)

10oz New York Steak with Bistro Prawns ($28.95 plus $5.95 extra for the prawns)

White Spot (web site) is a popular Canadian chain of restaurants that serves American style food, such as burgers, chicken, salads, and breakfast, as well as some creative or ethnic dishes on the currently featured menu. One of their downtown Vancouver locations is at 580 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, phone (604)662-3066, which is within walking distance of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, GM Place Stadium, and BC Place Stadium, as well as Pacific Centre Mall and the Four Seasons Hotel. (Click here to view a list of White Spot’s 34 locations in the Lower Mainland area.)

I ordered the Chicken Gai Yang ($14.99, pictured below) which their website describes as, “Fresh pineapple, red pepper, green onions, mushrooms and bean sprouts simmered with coconut milk, lemon grass and lime juice over Jasmine rice. Topped with fresh grilled chicken breast marinated in lemon grass, curry paste, ginger and cilantro and garnished with house-made peanut sauce, a traditional Thai cucumber relish and cilantro.” It was nicely presented, and had some tasty combinations of flavors.

Video from White Spot restaurant:

Bistro Sakana Japanese Restaurant (web site, 1123 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC, phone 604-633-1280) is a popular lunch (and dinner) spot in Yaletown; it’s a more upscale version of the ubiquitous family-owned Vancouver sushi restaurant, but is not as wild as some of the higher-end Izakaya or fusion Japanese restaurants. At lunch, Bistro Sakana offers healthy Japanese box combos that are cleanly and attractively presented, such as the Lunch Box A (some of which is pictured below, around $14).