The Foundation (2301 Main, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-708-0881) is a funky vegetarian restaurant with retro decor and a liberal, activist vibe. Popular dishes include the nachos, salads, and pasta. Pictured below is my Mango Forte pasta ($9.75) which was an inventive dish that combined rotini pasta with a sweet dressing, fresh stir-fried vegetables, mango, and spinach salad, sprinkled with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Many people discuss The Foundation on DineHere.ca (click here for review link). Bexby Jones, a reviewer, writes:

It’s not really a place to bring a date (unless your date is an outdoorsy vegan hippy/ skateboarder musician type) and I probably wouldn’t go here for business dinners. But it’s great for friends/ boyfriends/ girlfriends, no matter who you are. The food is definitely comfort food. The rice/ quinoa dishes are rich and saucy with nuts and raisins and things in them. They kind of remind me of stuff my vegetarian hippy mom would make me (if I had one). The salads are tasty. My favourite dish by far is the nachos. For just $8 you get a platter of nachos with corn and beans, and amazing salsa/sour cream, that can fill two people. At night it’s a great place to come for candlelight & wine. They’re open late, too. Sun-Thurs till 1am and Fri/Sat till 2am (but they stop serving drinks at 1am).

Mango Forte pasta ($9.75)

Taste of India Restaurant is a fast food restaurant located in the Tinseltown Food Court at International Village mall (view map, address: 88 W Pender, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-806-0799) on the edge of downtown Vancouver.

The mall is really close to GM Place Stadium and BC Place Stadium, as well as the Stadium skytrain station, and it’s a convenient place to stop for a bite to eat before the Canucks hockey game or BC Lions Football.

The food court at Tinseltown mall is on the level below the movie theatres. Taste of India Restaurant provides a healthy and delicious alternative to the other fast food outlets such as Taco Time and Vana Vietnamese.

At Taste of India they make their Naan bread fresh to order – I was really surprised: it only takes about a minute for them to roll the dough and bake it, and it tasted awesome! Pictured below are two different orders of Combo 2, which includes two items of your choice from their menu with rice and Naan bread for $6.25. Some vegetarian items are available.

Indian food with freshly made naan bread ($6.25)

Indian mixed vegetables, Curry Chicken, and Naan bread ($6.25)

Sushi Maki Japanese Cuisine (989 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-689-0111) is a small Japanese restaurant downtown with excellent prices and great quality salmon and other fresh ingredients.

Pictured below are the Toro Sashimi (fatty tuna) and California roll combo (around $7.25), and the Hornby Roll ($5.95). Both selections were very delicious!

Toro Sashimi and California Roll combo

Hornby Roll Sushi