Shabusen Japanese Yakiniku House (web site, 755 Burrard Street, Unit 202, Vancouver, phone 604-669-3883) is an immensely popular all-you-can-eat Japanese Sushi and Korean BBQ restaurant conveniently located on Burrard Street near the trendy downtown Robson shopping strip, and near the Burrard skytrain station. At lunch you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat sushi meal (pictured below) for $13.50, which on weekends and holidays also includes all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ. (Korean BBQ is where you are given bowls of your favorite marinated meats and you cook the meat yourself at a grill set into your table.) Dinner prices are around $23.

The decor at this restaurant is worth noting too: above the sushi bar is some wild florescent lighting, and some of the larger tables are set inside wooden boats complete with sails. This restaurant is a definite must for visitors who want to experience something that truly speaks of Vancouver, where surprisingly good food quality and quantity combine at a meeting of western and Asian cultures. Reservations are recommended.

Chicken Teriyaki

Japanese Sunomono Salad (cold rice noodles in a sweet vinegar broth with a few vegetables)

Tamago sushi (egg) and Salmon Sushi

L’Auberge Acadienne Inn (website, 2375 High Road, Arichat, Nova Scotia, Canada, phone 902-226-2200) is an inn/restaurant/bar located on the Isle Madame in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. Traveling to this picturesque maritime countryside is like taking a step back in time, to a land of grassy rolling hills dotted with bright flowers and quaint white cottages, overlooking an undulating coastline and sandy beaches. This close-knit community is welcoming and friendly. At the L’Auberge Acadienne Inn I enjoyed a fine meal of breaded Atlantic Haddock fish – pictured below – which was served with perfectly cooked vegetables and delicious mashed potatoes. Price for the meal was under $15.

Tim Hortons is an iconic Canadian brand of convenient fast-food restaurants that serve their famous coffee and donuts (the smaller donuts are called “Timbits”) as well as sandwiches and soups. Prices are reasonable, service is prompt, and there is a consistent level of quality across the franchise. Two downtown Vancouver locations of Tim Hortons are 947 Hornby Street, Vancouver – (604) 642-4272, and 607 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver – (604) 609-0865. Their web site www.timhortons.com has links to their other numerous locations across Canada. Below is pictured the turkey bacon club sandwich which was around $6.50 for a large. (This picture was taken at a Tim Horton’s near the Halifax airport.)