Tequila Kitchen (web site, 1043 Mainland St. Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-681-2120) is a new restaurant in the Yaletown neighborhood of downtown Vancouver, offering authentic and fresh Mexican cuisine in a simple and almost austere atmosphere.

The minimalistic decor evokes some great restaurants and hotels I experienced while visiting the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, which catered mainly to Mexicans on vacation rather than American tourists.

Susan Hollis writes, “Tequila Kitchen encourages diners to taste the soul food of Mexico”, and I agree – the fresh guocamole, home-made salsa, and corn tortillas stuffed with scrumptious goodness brought me back to the streets of the towns I visited in Mexico. CityFood Magazine has some photos and reveals that owner Laura Enriquez spent over twenty years running successful restaurants in Playa Del Carmen.

Pictured below are items from Tequila Kitchen’s signature Lunch Platter ($13) which is an affordable way to try a variety of tasty temptations, including: guacamole, salsa, 1 Tostada de Pollo (shredded chicken on an oven baked tortilla topped with lettuce, avocado, green salsa, onion cream and cheese), 2 Tacos de Cochinita (pulled pork slowly cooked in juicy annatto sauce in soft corn tortillas with marinated red onions), 2 Tacos de Rajas (Poblano rajas, sauted chicken and onions with cheese in a creamy sauce served in soft corn tortillas), rice, beans & salad. Visit the restaurant’s web site for their current dinner menu.

Mexican Tacos at Tequila Kitchen in Vancouver (included with the Lunch Platter)

Salsa and guocamole.

Tostada de Pollo (included in the Lunch Platter)

Ridge Gardens Chinese Restaurant (map, visitor reviews, 3113 Arbutus Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-736-7006, fax: 604-736-5231) offers above-par Chinese food in the affluent Arbutus Ridge neighborhood of Vancouver, which is close to Kitsilano to the north and Kerrisdale to the south. It’s in the same strip mall as the Ridge Theatre.

My family always chooses to dine at Ridge Garden for big get-togethers, where we order off the banquet menu and share many dishes.

Prices are reasonable: for a huge meal including soup, crab, and at least one dish per person, the total cost came out to around $20 each including tax. There were enough leftovers for a couple more meals at home too! The Ridge Garden restaurant also offers Chinese food delivery to the nearby Vancouver vicinity, as well as take-out.

Pictured below are the Hot and Spicy Crab (market price), the hot pot with chicken and black fungus (very tasty, believe me!), and the house soup (flavorful and savory). Ample free parking is available in the lot just north of the restaurant on Arbutus street, and the restaurant is also accessible by bus (view easy transit directions to the restaurant).

Hot and spicy crab, prepared Chinese style

Chicken and black fungus Chinese hot pot

Chinese soup (very flavorful)

Shanghai Wonderful Restaurant (map, 110 – 8380 Lansdowne Road, Richmond, BC, Canada, phone: 604-278-8829) serves authentic and delicious dishes from Shanghai, China. Reservations are a must, and consider going a bit early to avoid the rush. They open for dinner from 5pm to 9:45pm and for lunch from 11am to 2:45pm, closed Tuesdays.

This restaurant is so popular among the Asian community that if you arrive later in the evening you’ll probably find a line-up right out the door. Recommended dishes include the Duck with Taro Coat ($13.95, pictured below), the Deep Fried Tofu with Minced Pork Sauce ($8.88, also pictured below), the Pan Fried Pork Buns ($4.50, pictured below), and the deep fried bread served with condensed milk. Also check out their seafood, especially the crab (market price), as well as their fancy Peking duck, and tasty Lettuce Wrap ($10.95).

The restaurant is only a short taxi ride from the Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, and is close to the soon-to-be completed Canada Line public transport train that will connect Richmond with downtown Vancouver. Once the Canada Line is completed (in 2009), you will be able to walk to Shanghai Wonderful Restaurant from the Lansdowne Station. The restaurant is across the street from the Zellers, Best Buy and the Lansdowne Shopping Mall in Richmond.

Click here for a printable copy of their take-out menu.

Deep fried duck with Taro Coat (Half) – $13.95

Deep fried Tofu with Minced Pork Sauce ($8.88)

Pan Fried Pork Bun ($4.50)

Deep fried bread served with condensed milk (tasted like a doughnut, only better!)

Click above for printable take-out menu.