Calhouns Bakery and Cafe (web site, map, 3035 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone 604-731-7062) is a large barn-like restaurant in the Kitsilano neighborhood that is open 24 hours and serves a variety of pre-prepared entrees such as the Perogies (around $7.00, pictured below), desserts, coffee, and alcoholic beverages.

At Calhoun’s, pick out an entree from the deli-style refrigerated display case, and then pay first before eating. If they’re not too busy they’ll bring the food out to your table once they heat it up, or else they’ll put it on the counter beside the espresso machine.

Calhouns also offers a catering service (more details) to the Vancouver area. My office uses them sometimes for catering lunch meetings.

Calhouns has a bakery on site, and their sourdough bread is incredibly fresh. They make some of the best sandwiches in town, and I usually order the Shrimp Sandwich with Avocado ($7.50, also pictured below).  Every month I look forward to eating the shrimp sandwich after an evening of performing music with the Sybaritic String Band. Calhoun’s has live jazz music on Tuesday and Sunday evenings, and Latin dancing on Thursday nights.

Located near the University of British Columbia, Calhoun’s is a popular hangout and studying place for UBC students. They have Wifi internet access available.

For another photo of the shrimp sandwich, please view Part 1.

Perogies with bacon, sour cream and salsa ($7.00) from Calhoun's Bakery and Cafe in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Shrimp Sandwich ($8.00) from Calhoun's Bakery and Cafe in Vancouver BC Canada.

T and T Market (web site, map, 179 Keefer Place, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, phone: 604-899-8836, Store hours: 8:30 am – 9:30 pm) is a large Chinese/Asian grocery store with several locations in the Vancouver area (view a list of all locations). The Keefer Place location is very close to the Stadium Skytrain station, GM Place Stadium, and BC Place Stadium.

The supermarket is well known for their exotic seafood and vegetable selections. Frommers writes that Tnt Market is “where strange and ungainly comestibles lurk: fire-dragon fruit, lily root, and enoki mushrooms”. But never fear, there are plenty of palatable items lurking here, which even those with Westernized tastes can enjoy.

I especially like the steamed dim-sum and buns, such as the BBQ Pork Bun (Cha Siu Bow), as well as the egg custard tarts. I also really like their Chinese BBQ Chicken which comes pre-cooked and sliced into bite sized pieces – a tray of chicken costs around $6 and makes a great takeout item to serve at home with some steamed rice and veggies.

T&T Supermarket also sells pre-prepared sushi trays such as the one pictured below (around $5.00). The sushi is tasty, and while a dedicated sushi restaurant might do better, T&T’s sushi is quite good value for the money. (The supermarket has some eat-in tables for hungry shoppers who can’t wait till getting home to start munching away.) After around 6:30pm the sushi items start being discounted by a few dollars every hour until they’re all gone.

I also tried their Vietnamese Salad Rolls served with peanut sauce (also pictured below, around $5.00) which I thought were a little bland. The Vietnamese restaurant in the food fair at Tinseltown Mall (just across the street) serves much tastier and fresher salad rolls, at about the same price.

Take out sushi tray from T&T Market in Vancouver, $5.00 (California roll, Salmon Nigiri Sushi, and Unagi sushi)

Vietnamese Salad Rolls ($5.00) from Tnt Super market in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The Hamilton Street Grill (map, web site, 1009 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-331-1511) is a casual steakhouse in downtown Vancouver’s upscale Yaletown neighborhood. In addition to steaks, the Hamilton Street Grill offers tempting seafood and creative “small plate” appetizers created by their chef.

The HSG (as it is affectionately called, not to be mistaken with MSG which the chef most certainly avoids in his/her kitchen) is a favorite lunch place for me and my coworkers, as our office is nearby. Lunch prices are in the $11 to $15 range and dinner entrees are in the $25 to $35 range. The restaurant’s menus are available on their web site.

Pictured below is the Hamilton Street Burger ($12), which is made with house-ground Certified Angus Beef, bacon, cheddar cheese, sautéed onions, and chipotle mayo. I ordered my burger with a Caesar salad (included in the price) but I could have gotten a regular house salad, their popular Yam Fries, or regular fries instead. I thought the burger was especially delicious and gobbled up the whole thing in a flash (all the while making conversation and being pleasant of course!).

For more photos from my previous visits, please view Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 or Part 7.

Hamilton Street Burger ($12) with Beef, bacon, cheddar, sautéed onions, and chipotle mayo from the Hamilton Street Grill in Vancouver.