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Tap and Tankard, Whitby, Ontario, Canada


Whitby, ontario, Canada

Great pub! about 14 of us ate here at a reunion. Reminds me of many Scottish pubs I've visited over the years, good selection of beer and spirits, good service, all the locals talk to you eh! The meal was excellent. M and I went with pepper steaks (pretty boring are we not?) the steaks were done the way we wanted, with baked spuds and crispy steamed veg lovely! Others got steak and kidney pie, chicken, steak sandwiches etc, everyone seemed pleased and full.

Aqua Riva, 200 Granville Street Vancouver BC (entrance at the foot of Howe St)


200 Granville Street Vancouver BC (entrance at the foot of Howe St)

Lovely big room, we got a table by the window with a great view overlooking the Burrard Inlet. Good service, excellent selection of local beers, including a sampler of 3 beers for $5.75, prices not bad for central Vancouver, very long menu to choose from. They bring a good basket of bread, plus whipped butter (a veritable craze on the West Coast at the moment). L's starter of Alaska Black Cod blinis in a curry sauce tasted as good as they looked, but my wood grilled scallops, asparagus and salad was marred by the asparagus being dried out, and the vegetables chosen more for their appearance than taste or texture.

Hotel Vancouver, 900 West Georgia Street Vancouver BC Canada V6C 2W6


900 West Georgia Street Vancouver BC Canada V6C 2W6

Strictly speaking, this isn't a restaurant review. We found this to be an excellent meeting place when we were here last year, and used it a few times this year too. It's right in the centre of Vancouver, the foyer is huge, with armchairs and newspapers to read, you don't have to explain yourself or buy anything, nobody bothers you. While waiting to meet someone, you can buy postcards, stamps and souveniers in one of the small shops inside the hotel, then sit and write your postcards and mail them in the ancient brass letterbox.

Pita Nova, 2967 West Broadway Vancouver BC, Canada V6K 2G9


2967 West Broadway Vancouver BC, Canada V6K 2G9

There are so many places to eat in West Broadway, this tiny bakery and deli is easily missed. Dozens of fresh, home made salads such as Garbanzo (chick pea) Tabbouli, Avocado & Egg, Lentil, Eggplant (Aubergine) plus falafel, savoury pastries and home made cakes. There's a samovar from which they serve you jasmine tea in ornate glasses decorated with cossacks and refills are free. Two of us went for tea and cakes on July 25th, three of us returned for lunch on the 26th.

Tropika, 3105 West Broadway Vancouver, Canada V6K 2H2


3105 West Broadway Vancouver V6K 2H2

Vancouver's population is now 40% Asian, and a high proportion of these are East Asian, mainly Hong Kong Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian. Most of the other diners here were young East Asians, probably a mixture of Malaysian and Japanese. The menu is helpfully illustrated with photographs of each dish including sampler dishes with a bit of everything; we chose the seafood and the vegetarian version.

Sarpik Ittuk, Coastal ship tour, Greenland


Coastal ship tour, Greenland

A bit of a cheat really as this isn't a restaurant per se, but it is the place I ate in for two weeks. Normally a coastal ferry, for a month a year it does cruises up the coast of Greenland, up as far north as you can get without starting to walk (I think we got to about 1,000km from the pole, which ain't bad). The menu changed day to day and as you'd expect, fish predominated. A good thing here as it is uniformly fresh and tasty.

Athene's, 3618 W Broadway Kitsilano, Vancouver B.C. Canada V6R 2B7


3618 W Broadway Kitsilano, Vancouver B.C. Canada V6R 2B7

Kitsilano is the Greek area of Vancouver, so although Broadway offers dozens of other cuisines, we decided to try the Greek first. We are familiar with Greek food, because we're from Crouch End, but of course what we know is Greek Cypriot; Greeks in Vancouver have their roots in the mainland. Dolmades here are usually made with beef, and taromasalata, tsaziki etc. do not come in plastic tubs. Hummus does not come at all, of course.

Mark's Fiasco, 2486 Bayswater, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6K 4B3


2486 Bayswater Vancouver, BC, Canada V6K 4B3

What on earth possessed them to call it a Fiasco? Tempting providence if you ask me, and a bit of a let down really, since all very well organised. Crayons on the tables, brown paper tablecovers to draw on, pretty young things in house logo t-shirts, high chairs for children, what does this place remind me of? Of course, it's Pizza Bella, Park Rd, Crouch End! We shared a calamari starter; my Calzone was hot and crisp on the outside, tepid on the inside.

Solly's Bagelry, 2873 West Broadway (half a block west of MacDonald) Kitsilano, Vancouver, Canada


2873 West Broadway (half a block west of MacDonald) Kitsilano, Vancouver, Canada

This looked like the perfect place for Sunday Brunch. We looked at our watches and Lo! it was Sunday. Co-incidences like this should not be resisted. Jewish cuisine has never really flourished in London outside the East End, and perhaps Solly's provides a clue as to why this might be - they keep up. There were free samples of their vegetarian Chopped Liver, and the wide variety of Bagels shows constant revision of the menu.

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