Fraser Court Seafood Restaurant (map, 3489 Fraser Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-568-1288) is located on the more residential, less kitschy side of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Vancouver. Much improved over its previous incarnation as Pink Flamingo, Fraser Court is even more successful at drawing the weekend morning crowds, hungry for the restaurant’s authentic and delectable take on Chinese dim sum and specialty dishes.
Here you will find a wide selection of the dim sum staples such as freshly steamed har gow (shrimp dumplings, pictured below), sticky rice wraps, and warm congee soup with classic add-ins (also pictured below). Or, if you like exploring deeper into deliciousness, go for more adventurous dim sum variations like chewy mushroom dumplings or crunchy bean curd and shrimp rolls.
The dining room is large and bright, with all the fixings necessary for a big Chinese wedding banquet (which do happen here quite often). You can expect a bit of a wait on Saturday mornings (as with most popular dim sum places), but with their decently priced menu and large selection of tasty dim sum, Fraser Court is a terrific place to take friends and family. Check out Fraser Court to sample some very competently prepared Chinese cuisine and experience a great Vancouver take on Chinese Canadian contemporary culture.
Har gow (shrimp dumplings) from Fraser Court dim sum seafood Chinese restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.
More dumplings from Fraser Court dim sum Chinese food restaraunt in Vancouver BC Canada. Great seafood!
Bean curd and shrimp roll Chinese Dimsum from Fraser Court restaurant in east Vancouver BC Canada.
Chinese dim sum Sticky Rice from Fraser Court Seafood restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.
Chinese style Congee from Fraser Court Chinese restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.
glowbal grill steaks & satay (formerly known as glowbal grill and satay bar, website, map, 1079 Mainland Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-602-0835) doesn’t need much of an introduction. Glowbal made international headlines in 2009 when teen-heartthrob Twilight stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner were spotted dining at glowbal and other restaurants around Vancouver. But apart from being a favorite of celebrities, glowbal is one of the trendiest, hippest places for the high-class citizen to enjoy superb – dare I say world-class dishes.
Our group of incredibly intelligent, geeky, and immensely wealthy software developers from a nearby office were probably some of the most casually dressed patrons at Glowbal today. I’m not sure where all these fancy people come from, but walking through Glowbal at noon on a weekday is like stepping into a movie set from perhaps the opening scene of a Bond spy thriller. The place exudes class and style, and they’ve got everything down from the subtle electro-jazz that pulsates, to the affable and dynamic serving staff who are up to date on the latest social nuances.
The food is some of the best I have tasted in this price range (which can be perused on their menu) and is incredibly flavorful, making use of the full palate and leaves me smacking my lips for every last morsel. Well, maybe this time I toned down the smacking, but beware upon the future occasion!
Today I ordered the Linguini off their lunch menu (pictured below), which came with jumbo tiger prawns, tomato, oregano, capers, stewed tomatoes, and of course olives. I’m sure that if you don’t like olives, or only want to eat olives and nothing more, executive chef Erik Heck and his staff will be able to accommodate your special dietary needs.
Vegetarians will note that this restaurant doesn’t advertise many vegetarian or vegan-friendly items on their menu. However if you end up at Glowbal I think you’ll do fine if you explain your needs to your server and they will be most amenable to providing tasty substitutions and a dish that you’ll likely enjoy.
Delicious Prawn Linguine from Glowbal restaurant in Yaletown, Vancouver BC Canada.
Yummy Seafood Linguine pasta from Glowbal Grill in downtown Vancouver BC Canada.
Tasty Prawn Linguine from glowbal grill steaks and satay restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada.
Fish On Rice Japanese Cuisine (website) is a popular Japanese “all you can eat” restaurant chain with two locations in the Vancouver area.
Their location in Burnaby (map, #201-4361 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC, phone: 604-439-8882) is about a 5 minute walk from the Patterson Skytrain station.
Fish on Rice’s Vancouver restaurant (map, 1414 W. Broadway, Vancouver, BC, phone: 604-732-0112) is located at Broadway and Hemlock (one block from Granville), and has a patio.
“All you can eat” sushi is a very popular phenomenon in Vancouver, and Fish on Rice does it well. The Japanese buffet at Fish and Rice costs $11.95 for lunch (served from 11am to 2:30pm) or $20.95 for dinner (served between 4:30pm and 10:30pm). Their happy hour ($13.95) is between 4:30pm and 6pm.
At Fish on Rice, similar to other All You Can Eat places in town, you make your order by writing desired quantities next to items on a little piece of paper. Pass the paper to your server, and the food will start arriving as it’s ready. Take care: if you write an order that’s too large, the food will just keep coming! Or if you didn’t order enough, you can request more forms when you need them.
At the Burnaby location, there are many large private tatami booths with inset tables (where you take your shoes off to dine while sitting on cushions) – these are great for large groups or families. There are also a bunch of regular booths and tables for couples or smaller parties.
Below are some pictures of the delicious sushi and other Japanese items we ordered. Note that the restaurant serves all the popular kinds of sushi such as California Roll and BC Roll, but being sushi aficionados we ordered a bunch of less common items to explore the large and varied menu.
Nigiri Sushi pieces from Fish On Rice Japanese Cuisine Restaurant
Assorted Tuna and Salmon Sashimi from Fish on Rice Japanese Cuisine (all you can eat) in Burnaby BC Canada.
Teriyaki Vegetables from Fish on Rice Japanese Cuisine (AYCE sushi) in Burnaby BC Canada
Vegetarian Udon Noodles from Fish on Rice Japanese Restaurant in Burnaby BC Canada (All You Can Eat).
Inari (sweet bean curd wrapper) nigiri sushi (from Fish on Rice All You Can Japanese Cuisine in Burnaby)
Vegetable Tempura (pictured in front) plus other assorted Japanese dishes (from Fish on Rice Japanese All you can eat buffet restaurant).
