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.
Fraser Court Seafood Restaurant (map, 3489 Fraser Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-568-1288) is located on the more residential, less kitschy side of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Vancouver. Much improved over its previous incarnation as Pink Flamingo, Fraser Court is even more successful at drawing the weekend morning crowds, hungry for the restaurant’s authentic and delectable take on Chinese dim sum and specialty dishes.
Here you will find a wide selection of the dim sum staples such as freshly steamed har gow (shrimp dumplings, pictured below), sticky rice wraps, and warm congee soup with classic add-ins (also pictured below). Or, if you like exploring deeper into deliciousness, go for more adventurous dim sum variations like chewy mushroom dumplings or crunchy bean curd and shrimp rolls.
The dining room is large and bright, with all the fixings necessary for a big Chinese wedding banquet (which do happen here quite often). You can expect a bit of a wait on Saturday mornings (as with most popular dim sum places), but with their decently priced menu and large selection of tasty dim sum, Fraser Court is a terrific place to take friends and family. Check out Fraser Court to sample some very competently prepared Chinese cuisine and experience a great Vancouver take on Chinese Canadian contemporary culture.
Har gow (shrimp dumplings) from Fraser Court dim sum seafood Chinese restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.
More dumplings from Fraser Court dim sum Chinese food restaraunt in Vancouver BC Canada. Great seafood!
Bean curd and shrimp roll Chinese Dimsum from Fraser Court restaurant in east Vancouver BC Canada.
Chinese dim sum Sticky Rice from Fraser Court Seafood restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.
Chinese style Congee from Fraser Court Chinese restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.
Whole Vegetarian Cuisine (formerly Bo Kong Vegetarian Restaurant, website, map, 3068 Main St, Vancouver, phone: 604-876-8899) is a very popular Chinese vegetarian restaurant in uptown Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood.
The good sized and pleasant dining room of Whole Vegetarian is where you’ll find truly delicious Chinese vegetarian dishes, from the crispy and munchable Chef’s Special Chow Mein with imitation seafood (that tastes like the real thing!) to the creative and adventurous Seaweed and Soft Bean Curd Rolls.
Following the principles of traditional Buddhist-style vegetarian cooking, no garlic or onion is used in any of the dishes, but after the first bite you’ll discover that these kitchen restrictions have no effect on the overall flavor of these delightful dishes. My favorites such as the Sweet and Sour Pineapple Delight (a vegan-friendly version of the conventional sweet and sour pork) are always super fresh and mighty flavorful.
This inspired vegetarian restaurant fits in perfectly with the eclectic mix of dining options along the increasingly hip and trendy Main Street. With Whole Vegetarian’s great selection of large and affordable family-style dishes (all less than $15), the restaurant squarely hits the mark for Vancouverites and lucky visitors in-the-know. Here the tasty and satisfying eats might even fool a meat-eater’s eyes, while appealing to appetites of all persuasions.
Sweet and Sour Pineapple Delight (vegan) from Whole Vegetarian Cuisine restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada (Main Street).
Chef's Special Chow Mein (vegan, with simulated seafood) from Whole Vegetarian Cuisine, a vegetarian Chinese restaurant on Main Street in Vancouver BC Canada.
Another great Chinese vegetarian / vegan dish from Whole Vegetarian Chinese food restaurant on Main Street in Vancouver BC Canada.
About the Authors
Tony from RealMenEatGreen contributed to this article. Tony is a Vancouver based writer/blogger on masculinity, food, health, and man boobs.
This article was edited by Geoff from geoffmobile. Geoff also lives in Vancouver and leads a busy life as a software developer, video editor, and food enthusiast.
