Swagat Tandoori Restaurant (map, 1726 Davie Street, Vancouver, BC, phone 604-688-9400) has a very affordable Indian buffet (around $11.95) that includes about 15 different vegetarian and non-vegetarian items. It’s located in Vancouver’s downtown West End neighborhood, near Denman on Davie Street, a short walk away from the English Bay seawall.

Seoul House Korean Restaurant (map, 1215 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, phone 604-739-9001) is one of Vancouver’s oldest Korean restaurants, and is still a favorite for many.

The main attraction here is the Korean Barbecue, where you are given raw meat and seafood to cook at the grill at your table. They also offer a buffet on Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 4pm that is reasonably priced (under $15). During the week there are many a-la-carte items to choose from.

We ordered a really fancy dish with jellyfish (pictured below, around $15), as well as some tofu soup with egg (also pictured below, around $10). There were several tasty condiments/side dishes that were also served with the meal, including the bean sprouts, some cooked potato with a brown sugar sauce, and the famous kim-chi spicy cabbage. A large meal for two was around $21 per person.

There is free underground parking accessible at the alley behind the restaurant, off of Alder street.

Korean Jellyfish dish

Korean tofu soup with egg

Korean bean sprouts

Korean brown sugar potatoes

Korean Kim-Chi (spicy cabbage)

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).