Pacific Centre Mall in Vancouver (map, web site, 700 W Georgia St Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone 604-688-7236) is an upscale shopping destination in Vancouver’s trendy downtown core. Close to the Vancouver Cruise Ship Terminals (Canada Place), the business district, Vancouver Art Gallery, and a short walk from Robson Street, Pacific Centre is a place to browse the latest fashions and then indulge in some good eats at the food court.

The mall closes at 9pm most weekdays, and if you head down to the food court at around 7:30pm or 8pm you can fill up on some really cheap food, such as the “buy one get one free sushi” (pictured below) or a heaping plate of Chinese fast food for $5.  The sushi pictured in the video below was $10 for everything, including all-you-can-drink Miso Soup.

The food court has sleek, modern decor with cool lighting and funky chairs.

Ebi (shrimp) sushi, salmon, tuna, and unagi (BBQ eel) from Pacific Centre mall food court.

The food court has sleek, modern decor with cool lighting and neat chairs.

California Roll from Pacific Centre food court in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Nikkyu Japanese Restaurant (web site, map, 3302 Main Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-873-2220) is one of the few sushi restaurants on the east side of Vancouver that offers free sushi delivery within 5km. Check their web site for their menu and you can even order your sushi online. But how was the food, you might ask? Read on for more…

My friend and I are definite sushi aficionados, having tried many awesome sushi restaurants in Vancouver. We were originally in the area to try the Japanese food at Toshi’s at Main and 16th, which has a great reputation. Unfortunately due to its popularity there was a huge lineup outside Toshi’s. My friend’s friend (who lives in the neighborhood) gave us a hot tip that there is a sushi place near Toshi’s just a few blocks north on Main Street. We walked around and the only one we saw was Nikkyu, so that had to be the place. We were in for a real treat!

As a food photographer I always appreciate restaurants which put extra care and detail into their presentation of the food. Attractive and creative presentation is something I only expect at high-end restaurants, where the portions can be tiny and the food becomes more like edible art.

Many Japanese restaurants in town go for quantity over quality, and while I do enjoy all-you-can-eat and gigantic roll places, I don’t mind splurging for aesthetics once in a while.

But I was pleasantly surprised by Nikkyu Japanese Restaurant when the food arrived – the obviously very fresh sushi was presented in a simply beautiful fashion, with no grain of rice out of place, and the sprinkling of masago on the rolls put the finishing touch on some miniature masterpieces (pictured below).

Here’s what we ordered (all pictured below): 4 Saba Sushi ($4.60), Mango Smoked Salmon California Roll ($5.95), Chopped Scallop Roll ($3.85), House Roll ($4.75), Q.E. Park Roll ($7.50) and 6 pieces Salmon Sashimi ($7.95). Looking at these photos makes me hungry again!

Beautiful sushi from Nikkyu Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Sushi rolls from Nikkyu Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.

Saba sushi (Mackerel) from Nikkyu Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.

Salmon sashimi from Nikkyu Japanese Restaurant.

Chopped scallop sushi and saba sushi from Nikkyu Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver.

More delicious sushi from Nikkyu Japanese Restaurant in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

T and T Market (web site, map, 179 Keefer Place, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, phone: 604-899-8836, Store hours: 8:30 am – 9:30 pm) is a large Chinese/Asian grocery store with several locations in the Vancouver area (view a list of all locations). The Keefer Place location is very close to the Stadium Skytrain station, GM Place Stadium, and BC Place Stadium.

The supermarket is well known for their exotic seafood and vegetable selections. Frommers writes that Tnt Market is “where strange and ungainly comestibles lurk: fire-dragon fruit, lily root, and enoki mushrooms”. But never fear, there are plenty of palatable items lurking here, which even those with Westernized tastes can enjoy.

I especially like the steamed dim-sum and buns, such as the BBQ Pork Bun (Cha Siu Bow), as well as the egg custard tarts. I also really like their Chinese BBQ Chicken which comes pre-cooked and sliced into bite sized pieces – a tray of chicken costs around $6 and makes a great takeout item to serve at home with some steamed rice and veggies.

T&T Supermarket also sells pre-prepared sushi trays such as the one pictured below (around $5.00). The sushi is tasty, and while a dedicated sushi restaurant might do better, T&T’s sushi is quite good value for the money. (The supermarket has some eat-in tables for hungry shoppers who can’t wait till getting home to start munching away.) After around 6:30pm the sushi items start being discounted by a few dollars every hour until they’re all gone.

I also tried their Vietnamese Salad Rolls served with peanut sauce (also pictured below, around $5.00) which I thought were a little bland. The Vietnamese restaurant in the food fair at Tinseltown Mall (just across the street) serves much tastier and fresher salad rolls, at about the same price.

Take out sushi tray from T&T Market in Vancouver, $5.00 (California roll, Salmon Nigiri Sushi, and Unagi sushi)

Vietnamese Salad Rolls ($5.00) from Tnt Super market in Vancouver, BC, Canada.