I made another visit to Sushi Town (map, visitor reviews, 5935 East Hastings, Burnaby, BC, Canada, phone 604-294-6155) and enjoyed a big feast. Highly recommended.

For more photos and info please view Part 3, Part 2, or Part 1.

Video from Sushi Town:

Uni sushi (sea urchin, $2.50), Ikura sushi (salmon roe, $1.80), Sashimi ($13.95) from Sushi Town restaurant in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Assorted Sashimi from Sushi Town ($13.95) in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Soft shell crab ($6.95) from Sushi Town in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Mangodise Roll ($4.95) and Spider Roll ($6.95) from Sushi Town in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Awesome Roll from Sushi Town ($6.95) in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Another pic of the Awesome Roll

Seafood Sunomono ($3.75) from Sushi Town in Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Miso Soup from Sushi Town ($1.00). Had some egg in it!

ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant (map, web site, 833 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-687-6622) is a new Japanese restaurant downtown (at the former location of Kitto Japanese Restaurant) that is getting rave reviews for its outstanding, upscale Japanese cuisine.

oishii, a reviewer on UrbanSpoon writes (click here to read review):

The menu has a wonderful array of tasty dishes and they have wonderful drinks to go along with the food.  The service is attentive and the ambiance is divine due to the gorgeously designed interior.  Definitely a place to check out!

We went all out and ordered a huge feast, including a bottle of Dreamy Moon Sake (not pictured, $34). Below are pictured some of the items we ordered. The food was very creatively and artistically presented, and tasted great, but I wasn’t entirely full after the meal. Maybe that was a good thing – better than being too full, I guess! I think that ShuRaku is one of those places that favors quality over quantity.

The meal was a treat for the senses and tastebuds. One of my friends commented that he thinks that ShuRaku is better value than (but nearly at the level of quality as) Vancouver’s famed Japanese restaurant, Tojo’s. ShuRaku is a place I would bring an out-of-town guest who I wanted to impress, and not entirely break the bank while doing so.

Roulette Roll ($12) from Shuraku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.

Enoki Mushroom and pork ($5.60) from Shuraku Japanese Restaurant on Granville in downtown Vancouver.

5 kinds of Sashimi ($24) from ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Deep fried prawn (came with Sashimi) from ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.

Fresh oysters ($12 for 5 oysters) from ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.

Ika Sumi Pasta ($8.75) - a salad made with squid ink pasta and fresh vegetables, from ShuRaku Japanese restaurant.

Salmon Foie Gras appetizer ($7.00) from ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.

Beef Asparagus ($6.25) from ShuRaku Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.

Another shot of the "5 kinds of Sashimi" (with glowing ice cubes that give it an interesting lighting effect) from ShuRaku Japanese restaurant

A nice dessert, the marble cheesecake ($6.99)

Jules Bistro (web site, map, visitor reviews, 216 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-669-0033) is a upscale but casual French bistro in Gastown that is attracting the talk of the town.

asianfusion, a reviewer from Seattle on DineHere.ca writes (click here to read review):

“Very French” – The husband and I had dinner here last night and had a very enjoyable evening. Steak Frites were tasty as was my halibut. Creative wine list made up of BC and French reds. This place reminds me of many Paris bistro’s with it ambiance and joie de vie.

artfuldodger writes on the same site (click here to read):

I love the size of the restaurant. It is intimate yet it avoids the slightly cramped feeling of, say, Pied-a-Terre or Grub. The design is cool too: exposed brick wall, mod furniture and woodiness.

To start, I ordered an amazing sounding soup from their menu, the Bisque de Homard et Dungeness Crabe ($12, pictured below) which is lobster and dungeness crab bisque served with croutons, Rouille and Gruyere cheese. It tasted even better than it looked, and I’m a big fan of both lobster and crab so this was the perfect combination. Now I want to go to Paris, right away!! Speaking of Gruyere cheese, over the holidays I tried an incredible smoked Gruyere – I think it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite kinds of cheeses.

I was then treated to the Coq au Vin aux carottes fondantes et choux de Bruxelles braises ($19, also pictured below) which is braised hen in red wine with glazed carrots and brussel sprouts. I noticed that this item is no longer listed on their online menu so they may have changed things up since I visited (Dec. 9th 2008). I really enjoyed this dish and would definitely order it again.

Like many of our city’s higher-end restaurants, Jules Bistro is also a popular hangout for some Vancouver celebrities and public figures. A friend reports that Gordon Campbell was dining at the next table to him, the night after I visited. After noticing Hon. Campbell, my friend chatted with the waitress and she said that the Premier had winked at her when ordering his soft drink, saying that he was the designated driver. Apparently that didn’t stop our Premier from having a raucous good time.

Future music star hopefuls might also want to pay Jules a visit, as k-dawg73 writes: “Famed music manager Bruce Allen came in and sat down at the table next to us with a group of 6 other people.”

Bisque de Homard et King Crab ($11) - Lobster and King Crab Bisque Served with Croutons, Rouille and Gruyere Cheese from Jules Bistro in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Coq au Vin aux Carottes Fondantes et Choux de Bruxelles Braises ($19) - Braised Hen in Red Wine with Glazed Carrots and Brussel Sprouts from Jules Restaurant in Gastown, Vancouver, BC, Canada.