My Sushi World Bento Express (1258 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC, phone: 604-681-1150) is a small take-out oriented sushi restaurant located on Robson Street across from the Shenanigans lounge/bar. Prices are very reasonable (everything is under $10, and a regular chicken teriyaki is $4.50). I really enjoyed my Seafood Don (a bowl of rice with assorted seafood on top, served with miso soup) which was $8.95 (pictured below). At this restaurant you place your order at the cashier before sitting down. Service was friendly and the music playing was a combination of 90’s hits and Japanese pop.

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.