Ouzeri Greek Restaurant (restaurant’s web site, 3189 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, phone 604-739-9378) is located in the Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver, in the “Greek Town” area of West Broadway that also features several great Greek delicatessens and other Greek restaurants.

“Greek day” (web site) is an annual street festival that happens in this neighborhood in June, and is worth visiting for the food and family fun.

At Ouzeri Restaurant, I enjoyed their lamb special, which was slices of lamb roast served with gravy, a deliciously marinated Greek potato, some boiled peas, and a yummy Greek salad (pictured below, $16.95). The price for entrees at this restaurant is in the $14 to $18 range. They also have a decent wine selection; the numerous bottles are displayed in a rack along one wall of the restaurant.

The Oriental Buffet near Guildford Shopping Mall (15140 – 101st Ave., Surrey, BC, phone 604-583-8893) is a huge all-you-can-eat restaurant that has a big selection of Chinese and Japanese items (some of which are pictured below).

Be adventurous and try some Peking Duck on a crepe with hoi-sin sauce and green onion, or how about some Japanese sushi, Chinese dim-sum, deep fried crab legs (pictured below), or the old favorites such as barbecued pork or chicken, popcorn shrimp, mussels, sweet and sour, wonton soup - you name it!! Finish off with some icecream, cake, jello, or mango pudding for dessert.

This restaurant is very popular with Chinese tour groups; the tour buses pull up and the high volume of customers keeps the food fresh. Dinner per person is a reasonable $14.99 plus tax; various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are also available at an additional cost.

Milestones (more info, 1109 Hamilton Street, 604-684-9111) is a trendy chain restaurant which offers a selection of westcoast and American cuisine. The downtown Vancouver Yaletown location has been recently renovated in a post-modern/minimalist style with exposed wooden ceiling beams, halogen spot lighting, comfortable cushion booth seating, a brand new sound system and wide screen televisions. Price for entrees lies in the $15 to 20 range, and the restaurant also has an extensive drink menu. Service is generally excellent: the staff are personable and attentive. I ordered the Portobello Mushroom Chicken which was an inventive dish (pictured below, $16.95) that featured chopped portobello mushrooms with chicken cooked in olive oil served over a capellini pasta.