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VANCOUVER is one of the most beautiful cities of the world, with its breathtaking mountains set against the blue waters of the Georgia Strait. If that�s not enough, it houses some of the finest restaurants which made Indian songstress JASMINE BHARUCHA�S task of selecting the city�s best hot spots tough to say the least. After great deliberation, she narrowed her list down to six restaurants, which encompass the essence of Vancouver�s rich and diverse lifestyle, and which she frequently dines at with husband ADIL BHATENA. THE CANNERY
One of Vancouver�s oldest and finest restaurants, it serves a wide selection of seafood, west coast style. The designer Dave Vance created a traditional house exemplifying the fish canneries dotted along the west coast inlets of B.C.
The interiors are rustic, with a ship�s boiler inverted and turned into a fireplace. Old hatch covers create bar tables and the coil from the fireplace hangs as a chandelier between the chowder bar and the main dinning room.
The portions are large and they have a fine wine selection. For starters, the smoked salmon is a must, finished in a lemon chive crhme fraiche. My suggestion for the entrie would be a 1 = LB steamed Nova Scotia lobster with a side order of lemon butter, anything more with it and you would not taste the sweetness of the lobster.
I recommend calling in advance to get a table by the window, so you can watch the breathtaking sunset over the Burrard Inlet.
2205 Commissioner Street, BALLANTYNE�S
The decor transports you to a modern day set from the �Phantom of the Opera�, with its candles, large crystal chandeliers, and flowing drapes. The seating is intimate and the setting, romantic with a sense of intrigue. Chef Graham Trimble creates a visually stimulating display that ultimately tantalises your taste buds. The steamed mussels in tomato, cilantro and coconut milk makes a great appetiser, and I love the baked wild mushroom lasagna with goat cheese and light truffle creme.
My personal favourite is the chef�s special, a five-course meal. You can let Chef Trimble know in advance if there is something you cannot eat or if you are a vegetarian. The rest is magic. I must have eaten there a half a dozen times and I have never been disappointed.
432 Richards St., URBAN THAI
Situated in the popular Yale Town, here is Thai food with a twist. With influences from other styles of cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese and over 100 dishes to choose
from,
Urban Thai is a sure winner. Reasonably priced, you get a selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine. From
the Thai fusion menu, I recommend tiger prawns in a
blanket. Getting back to the regular menu, the papaya salad, sizzling seafood combination with Thai chilli and herbs served on a hot plate and the green Thai curry with vegetables
are my favourite.
1119 Hamilton St., KAMEI ROYALE
A spacious and elegant restaurant located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, is one of the largest, most popular, Japanese restaurants. There is a tempting selection of Japanese delicacies, vegetarian dishes, and robata.
The authentic Japanese tatami rooms will give dining a completely new experience. If you enjoy sashimi, the deluxe platter, with an assortment of tuna, salmon, snapper, sweet prawns, geoduck, octopus and yellow tail, this place is just for you. Shabu shabu and yosenabe are both great hot pots, the first consists of finely sliced beef while the later is mainly seafood. Finally, we come to one of my all-time favourites, maki sushi.
You have Japanese sticky rice wrapped in dry seaweed with various fillings from crab and avocado to prawn tempura with flying fish roe. My one-time favourite on the menu is very aptly known as �rock and roll�, which consisted of smoked salmon with salmon roe.
Making sushi rolls is an art and watching the chef prepare them is quite a delight. So even if you wish to snack on some sushi and not make a meal of it, sit by the sushi bar enjoy some warm saki and appreciate the art of savouring good Japanese food.
1030 West Georgia St., �C
Now here is a restaurant where the decor is as unique as the food. Designer Dominic Smith kept the look simple, with a few dramatic touches. At the entrance, a one-ton boulder serves as a reception desk. Across the room, there are two-meter wall sculptures that are open to interpretation.
The glass fronted main floor over looks the marina, an intimate upstairs offers privacy, and my favourite spot, the outdoor patio puts you right at the edge of False creek. Award winning Chef Robert Clark is an artiste who cleverly designs each dish to create a work of art. I recommend the taster boxes.
There are four different types of tasters, where various delicacies served on a slab of granite; Eating at this restaurant is truly a one of a kind gourmet experience.
2-1600 Howe St., GERARD LOUNGE
If you hope to bump into David
Ducovinay (X Files), well there is a good chance you may spot him at the Gerard Lounge in the Sutton Place Hotel. A warm cozy room, where people from the film and music industry share the floor with high-powered brokers after a long day.
It used to be my hangout spot until my good friend Janet Macko moved to Edmonton. I recommend the chocolate martinis, they had me hooked for a while.
On the subject of chocolate, adjacent to the Gerard lounge is Fleuri, a restaurant known for its decadent Chocolate Buffet.
845 Burrard St. Vancouver,
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