Shanghai 1949 (facebook, 1215 Davie Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone 604-699-8878) is a modern Chinese bistro located in Vancouver’s downtown West End neighborhood. It was almost 10pm on a warm Monday evening and I happened to be meandering around downtown with a friend, taking in the sights and sounds of citizens at leisure (the next day being Canada Day). The modern decor of this restaurant always intrigued me and we decided to pop in for a quick bite.

The 1949 Spring Rolls ($4.00, pictured below) were quite frankly the best spring rolls I have ever had. I believe they were made with pork, and were incredibly juicy.

The restaurant was all out of Cod fish, but instead the chef prepared a special Malaysian-inspired spicy Tai (snapper) fish, which was bursting with flavor and was quite a generous portion ($12, also pictured below). We also ordered a plate of steamed white rice ($2). Not bad for a late night snack, and I’ll definitely be back to try some of their other selections.

(above) Spring Rolls from Shanghai 1949 Chinese Restaurant ($4.00)

(above) Chef’s special Tai fish (also known as Snapper, $12) from Shanghai 1949 Restaurant in downtown Vancouver.

Prima Taste Restaurant (map, web site, 570 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-685-7881) serves authentic, modern Singaporean cuisine in an upscale and casual atmosphere. My friend who is from Malaysia says that Prima Taste is his favorite restaurant in the downtown area, and after visiting on two occasions and falling in love with the flavors, I can really understand why. What’s more, prices are quite reasonable: the main courses are in the $9 to $12 range at lunch time, and a tad more for dinner time.

Pictured below is a delicious chicken dish (of which I forgot the name, priced around $11 and  included soup and rice). Also shown below is the Laksa Prawns dish ($9.50). The Laksa Prawns featured some succulent cooked prawns served with inari bean curd, fish cakes, and noodles in a rich broth made with coconut milk(?) and some hot spices. This was a real treat and I finished every last drop!

For some more info and photos, please view Part 1.

(above) Singaporean Chicken dish, also served with rice and soup.

(above) a Singaporean dish, the Laksa Prawns ($9.50)

My dad made this really wonderful Prawn Jambalaya, with lots of prawns! Below are some pictures of it. If you’d like the recipe, let me know and I’ll get it from my dad. What a great family dinner!!

Prawn Jambalaya