But, I have been eating! Here’s a drive-by review of some memorable ones…

Downtown: Thierry Patisserie – I have been a regular at this lovely French cafe since they opened a few months back. Good coffee but the pastries, desserts, and macarons are what this place is all about. My faves: The apple turnover, layers of flaky delicate crust filled with tart and sweet apples – perfect. The blackberry macaron, with a actual blackberry in the middle it’s the perfect texture and flavour contrast in these cookies that are beautiful, but quite sweet. For chocolate lovers, the chocolate succé cake is dense, rich, and full of chocolate. I only needed 1 bite, but it was a good bite. Prices are a more than your average cafe, but worth it in most cases. However, I cannot grasp how 100g of candied maple pecans can cost $14.95. Or how a small tub of ice cream can cost $14.95. But then six lemon madelines for $6 is pretty good! Make sure you look at the price for no surprises.

Downtown: Bel Cafe – When David Hawksworth opens a cafe, you run to it! I did. Although, I walked into the cafe distracted and manged to look like a complete ditz right in front of David Hawksworth – not one of my better moments. However, is the food good. A crispy ham and cheese sandwich like no other and a smooth roasted tomato soup made a memorable lunch. And the macarons, despite being everywhere now, are quite tasty. The outside macron layer just shatters when you take a bite and the flavours (ie. black sesame seed and yuzu, raspberry and rosewater) are interesting and delicious. Again, expect to pay restaurant prices at the cafe, but the food you get is worthy.

Downtown: Hawksworth Restaurant, visit #2 – I was at Hawksworth for a second visit this week and it was a great dinner. Service was much improved from my first visit as well. I just LOVED my salad – pear, speck, burrata, and greens, which came beautifully plated on a wooden board. Amazing combination.

Downtown: My daily lunch spot is now Italian Kitchen 2 Go. A tasty sandwich with a fresh salad for $6.50? Best deal anywhere. They also have great pastas, and pizza. The line-ups are long, but the staff is fast and efficient.

Downtown: RIP amazing chorizo sandwich from La Brasserie Street – You know, I enjoy the now famous La Brasserie Chicken Sandwich, but I just LOVED their new sandwich of chorizo, arugula, roasted red peppers, and spicy tomato sauce. It was so delicious, saucy, and included vegetables! I just can’t bring myself to have a vegetable free lunch on most days. Sadly, so many people demanded the chicken sandwich that this amazing chorizo never stood a chance. They phased out the chorizo for chicken after a couple weeks. *sigh*

Kitsilano/Point Grey: La Ghianda – Keeping to the trend of “great restaurant opens a cafe,” La Ghianda is also a good one. From the owners of the excellent La Quercia is La Ghianda, an excellent Italian style deli and cafe. Go there for the huge Italian sandwiches (mortadella, mmmm), or made to order pastas.

South Granville: Go Fish 2.0 – Part of my summer is at least 1 long line-up and feast at the Go Fish shack by Granville Island. But a second Go Fish location is now open! This version is Go Fish restaurant style, in the former Bin 942 location on Broadway near Granville. I attended a menu tasting while back and it was excellent. My best memory was really the passion I saw in the chefs creating the food. They spoke about all the menu items with such zest and enjoyment – love that! The menu is different from the fish shack location. The fish and chips are still there, but the tacones are not. There are appetizers, mains, and desserts. I loved the “chips and dip” – a great little snack. Lots of Latin-influenced flavours on the menu. Definitely worth a visit.

Main St: Bob like Thai Food – Someone at work tipped me off on this place, telling me it was the most authentic Thai food they’d eaten since being in Thailand. With an endorsement like that, I ordered takeout from them that night. And I’ve ordered it again and again since. A menu with the usual items plus lots of interesting and authentic dishes you don’t see at other Thai restaurants. The pad thai is awesome. It’s different from the amazing Maenam pad thai, but just as good. With lunch specials for $7.50, it’s an affordable, yummy option. My friend just raves about the mango sticky rice, too.  The restaurant itself is super casual (but cold!).

Happy eating.

Hawksworth is a fresh addition to the Vancouver dining scene, featuring a gorgeous room, beautiful food, plus an even more stunning clientele. This is the restaurant where you put on that killer dress you’ve been saving up and work it.

First, the good:
- I love the room. It’s contemporary with a huge glam factor and overlooks the Vancouver Art Gallery, one of the city’s most beautiful buildings.
- The beautiful restaurant and bar are just asking for you to dress up. The people watching here is excellent.
- A great cocktail list – Plan for a before dinner drink at the bar and watch the bartenders craft some beautiful drinks. I am not drinking alcohol at the moment, and they had several “zero proof” cocktails for me too.
- Playful plates. For every dish we ordered, the plates came out colourful, composed, and playful. I truly enjoyed the plating for all dishes. You eat with your eyes first, after all.
- From the bar menu:  thick cut, triple fried  frites, soft and tender inside with a crispy exterior.
- The Foie Gras Parfait – a delicious, must-have appetizer. Great texture, flavour, and the best part – it comes with foie gras cotton candy!
- Yellowfin tuna carpaccio – fresh, generous slices of yellowfin with a perfectly balanced sauce and crispy puffed rice
-Seared scallops with a housemade xo sauce – perfectly cooked with sweet, salty, spicy flavours
- Tender, tender pork loin cooked sous vide with spatzle
- Flaky and moist olive oil poached salmon with mild Indian flavours and an eggplant caviar tinted black with squid ink
- And I didn’t order this, but I sure wish I did – a 22oz rib eye to share. Every order that came out of the kitchen looked so good and tender.
- The restaurant also offers a great bar menu and brunch/lunch menus, so there’s something for all occasions.

However.

My first Hawksworth experience was not perfect, so I need to detail my issues. But, I am giving them some benefit of the doubt as they are newly opened and I was there at 8pm on a Saturday night – the place was packed.

The drawbacks:
- I was really disappointed with the service. Our waiter was nice, but clearly too busy and there was no personalized service at all. For a restaurant of this caliber, that is unacceptable. It took 20 minutes for our drinks to be served after we were seated, and another 20 minutes before they returned to take our order. Coffees arrived after our desserts were served. A friend ordered a cocktail that she did not like and it sat at our table throughout the entire dinner, full. When the mains were cleared the waiter picked it up, asked if she was done with it and walked off. What?!! My friend said not to say anything, or I would have.

- Dessert was a miss. Most people at our table had the milk chocolate mousse with passion fruit. Sounds delicious, but the milk chocolate was way too subtle for the tart passion fruit, which overwhelmed it. Pretty plate, but unbalanced flavour. I’ll order a different dessert next time.

- And my nit-pick issue. There is carpet in the centre of the dining room, where we were seated. It’s a nice carpet, but there’s one problem. The chairs don’t slide gracefully on the carpet. Getting in/out of the chair turned into a slightly awkward occasion.

So, let’s return to the good as my overall experience at Hawksworth was wonderful. Great food, glam room, and fun people watching. I can’t think of another restaurant in Vancouver with a combination quite like this. Go, dress-up, and enjoy.

Hawksworth Restaurant
801 West Georgia Street inside the Rosewood Hotel Georgia (@ Howe)
604.673.7000

Blogger’s note: I title this blog “Vancouver Good” because I like to only write about the good things in Vancouver. Overall, I really liked Hawksworth and look forward to many future visits. I had to highlight some drawbacks this time or I would have felt uneasy making the recommendation when I did experience some negatives.

First, I love how the Loden Hotel renovated the restaurant formerly known as Voya into Tableau – an urban, French bistro feel, a la Balthazar in NYC. They’ve also added an outdoor patio for afternoon lunches and drinks.

I’ve only been for lunch, but the food was excellent. A nicely cooked halibut cobb salad with fresh greens and a mild blue cheese. Or the quintessential bistro dish, steak frites – sliced steak drizzled with a red wine sauce. You also get a lovely salad with the dish, which makes having steak and fries for lunch much healthier. Portions are a little small, but you don’t leave the restaurant hungry.

The website also says takeout is coming soon. This excites me – as a new mom, I am eating at home more so having access to quality takeout food will be a treat.

The restaurant was bustling at lunch with a diverse crowd, including lots of business meetings – this is a great expense account restaurant.

The restaurant scene in this part of downtown isn’t great, so it’s nice to see Tableau here. I hope it does well.

Tableau Bar & Bistro
1181 Melville Street (@Bute)
Vancouver
604-639-8692

Rotisserie chicken – shredded and tossed in gravy, mounded on a pillowy soft buttermilk bun and topped with crispy fried onions. That’s it. Simple and super yum. The gravy makes the sandwich moist, but not soggy, and the whole sandwich smells and tastes great. Add a dollop of grainy mustard and you’re all set.

In a perfect world they’d have a salad I could have on the side, but I will never so no to such a tasty sandwich. The truck is open until 6pm everyday.Go get one.

Download the street food app to find this and all food trucks in the city.

While afternoon tea is generally a ladies dominated activity, after enjoying today’s service I’ve decided it’s a nice date event too. It’s a relaxed but special Valentine’s experience if you’re looking for something different from the over-priced prix fixe menus at most restaurants on Valentine’s day.

The Urban Tea Merchant’s downtown location is a calming environment amidst the hustle and bustle of all the corporate offices surrounding it. The tea room is cozy and quiet for a nice afternoon of treats and conversation.

Here’s a close-up of the Sweetheart Afternoon Tea, available February 11-14 for Valentine’s day.

- First, choose from the store’s 150+ selection of teas, including J’aime – a green tea accented with French macarons, almonds, and fruit

- Next, enjoy a glass of chilled white tea and a tea-infused strawberry sorbet to cleanse the palate for the tea service

- The tiered tray of high tea goodies come next. Highlights include: crispy endive spear with a mild creamy blue cheese and candied walnuts, smoked chicken salad in a pistachio cone, broccoli and cheese quiche, flaky scones with devonshire cream and a tea infused jelly, chocolate dipped strawberries, raspberry and pistachio French macarons, and Thomas Haas sparkle cookies.

- There’s also a smaller kid-themed tea tray available with fun items like nutella and pb&j sandwiches:

- As part of the Sweetheart Afternoon Tea service, each guest receives a beautifully wrapped tin of Urban Merchant Tea to take home ($29.95 value).

Overall, I enjoyed my high tea experience at the Urban Tea Merchant. It’s very comparable to many of the better high tea locations in town and the service is excellent. While my high tea experience here was complimentary, I would have no problem returning and paying for tea service and this write-up is on the blog because I can recommend it.

The Urban Tea Merchant also offers smaller afternoon tea services plus a tea and chocolate fondue feature. Nice alternatives to regular tea service, which can be a little over the top.

I’ll be doing a follow-up post next, listing all my favourite high tea locations.

The Urban Tea Merchant, Downtown and West Vancouver
Sweetheart Afternoon Tea February 11th through 14th
11:30am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm $48 per person (includes a special $29.95 tea gift)
Served daily – Petit Afternoon Tea ($25), Westcoast Afternoon Tea ($29) and Signature Afternoon Tea ($48)
Downtown – 1070 West Georgia Street, Vancouver (Entrances also on Alberni Street) 604-692-0071
West Vancouver – 825 Main Street, Park Royal Village 604-926-3392

I was in San Francisco this summer indulging in the excellent Bi-rite and Humphry Slocombe creameries, lamenting the fact Vancouver had nothing as good. Now we do.

This is gelato done right, the way the best places in Italy make it. Everything is made fresh with the best ingredients under the watchful eye and technique of James Coleridge, who trained at the Carpigiani Gelato University in Italy. He’s been at the store every time I’ve gone to Bella – definitely talk him up when you’re there if you want to learn more.

What makes the gelato so good? It’s fresh, light, creamy, and so  flavourful, No words can do it justice – you must just try it. For me, it’s all about the nocciola (hazelnut) flavour, which blew me away on my first tasting. Bella Gelateria brings in fresh hazelnuts from the Piedmont region of Italy and makes the hazelnut paste for the gelato on site. Perhaps the most iconic gelato flavour is pistachio, which is light and sweet with a nutty bite – by far the best in Vancouver. For the traditionalists, there are the standard chocolate and vanilla as well. There’s a great selection of flavours, plus some sorbetto options as well.

Prices start at $4.95 for one flavour/scoop in a cone or cup. This is the same price as a cone at those marble slab ice cream joints, and trust me, Bella is better.

Bella Gelateria is located on the northwest corner of Burrard & Cordova street downtown, near Coal Harbour, in the same building as the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel.

These are calories worth indulging in.

Bella Gelateria
1001 W. Cordova Street
604.569.1010
Open daily from 11am-10pm (’til 11pm on Fri & Sat)

I’ve seen lots of great top patio lists for Vancouver already, but below are some favourites & recommendations. And remember, this is a list for patio first, food second.

Downtown
The Gallery Cafe (at the Vancouver Art Gallery), 750 Hornby Street (best accessed off of Robson & Howe): If you want a truly sunny patio, nothing beats the Gallery Cafe’s huge outdoor licensed patio atop the Vancouver Art Gallery. A great place to catch some rays, people watch, and catch up over a glass of wine. Food is cafe style – sandwiches, salads (with art gallery prices).

False Creek North
Nu Restaurant, 1661 Granville Street (under the Granville St. Bridge): Nu features and all-seasons patio right on the water, with tables, couches, and a great view of False Creek and Granville Island across the water. A great spot for lunch or dinner while enjoying the view is a relaxed setting. And the food here is great.

Coal Harbour
Cardero’s Restaurant, 1583 Coal Harbour Quay: Cardero’s makes many best patio lists because, it’s a nice patio! A big, airy space right in the centre of Coal Harbour. A calming location away from the bustle of downtown Vancouver.

Willow Stream Spa and the  Fairmont Pacific Rim Lobby, 1038 Canada Place Way (near Burrard & Cordova) - The newest Fairmont Hotel is beautiful on the inside with a great outdoor patio off the lobby lounge, which features live music daily. Plus, the Willow Stream spa on the 5th floor is just completing construction on an incredible outdoor patio, which will include fire pits, hot tubs, and outdoor treatment – I hear it should be ready later this month.

Gastown
Chill Winston, 3 Alexander Street: Right in the centre of Gastown by the Gassy Jack statue is Chill Winston’s huge patio – perfect for drinks while overlooking the cobblestone roads and Gastown shops. Downsides: it’s a busy patio so there can be waits, and you’ll get your share of people asking for spare change. While it’s shadier, the small patio at Jules can be a good alternative.

Granville Island
Sammy J Peppers, 1517 Anderson St, right inside Granville Island. Remember, what I said about patio first, food second? Sammy J on Granville Island does sport a fantastic patio for those who want the breeze, but not the glaring hot sunlight. It’s a fully covered patio, overlooking the boats and a boardwalk. A good spot for a beer in a slightly less crazy part of Granville Island in the summer. (but if you like crazy, hit up Bridges or the Backstage Lounge)

Main St.
Crave Restaurant, 3941 Main St (near 24th): You’d never guess it from the front of the restaurant, but Crave has a beautiful patio in the back of the restaurant. It’s been nicely lanscaped and feels like a comfy backyard. Food here is good, but inconsistent. Brunch is my favourite meal here.

Burgoo Bistro on Main, 3096 Main St (near 16th): The Main Street Burgoo has a great patio right on Main Street that gets plenty of sun.

Kitsilano
The Boathouse on Kits Beach (formerly the Watermark Restaurant), 1305 Arbutus Street: I’ll miss the prawn spring rolls at the Watermark, but otherwise, I’m sure the Boathouse will fit right into the Kits Beach scene. An incredible view of the city, mountains, and beach.

The Smoking Dog, 1889 W. 1st Ave (@ Cypress): I used to live 50 steps from the Dog and enjoyed the patio regularly. Sun drenched, quiet street, great French bistro food.

Yaletown
The Keg, 1011 Mainland Street: I haven’t been, but everyone I know is raving about the patio at the new Keg in Yaletown.

Tucked into a teeny space on Granville Street between Pender & Hastings, walk into a heavenly smelling shop filled with baked breakfast goods, plenty of treats, and gourmet sandwiches for lunch.

Examples:

- The memorable vanilla bean cinnamon bun. Moist, gooey and rich with a vanilla bean icing, it’s the perfect size treat. Not so big that it’s “too much” and not so small that it’s not enough.
- A rice crispy square filled with cranberries and chocolate – I love good rice crispy squares!
- Scones and loafs, all freshly made from scratch each day
- Light and fluffy Belgium waffles. They were making them last time I was in the shop. It took some serious willpower not to buy about 10 of them.
- For lunch, a pan seared salmon sandwich with rich garlic aioli and arugula. Light, but satisfying

Chef/owner Lydia Lai and her staff are usually on hand to serve up your food and give you tips on maximum food enjoyment (ie. put the cinnamon bun in the microwave for 20 secs for maximum gooey-ness). They’re all very lovely – the type of business and people you want to support.

Also available for catering, I hope to keep coming back to Crème de la Crumb for a long time.

Crème de la Crumb Bakeshop & Catering
Twitter – cremedelacrumb
466 Granville Street, (b/w Pender & Hastings)
(604) 683-5595

Glowbal and Afterglow, Yaletown, 1079 Mainland St – Glowbal restaurant was the the first and original restaurant and recently changed their cuisine focus to steaks and satays. Afterglow is at the back of the restaurant and is a lounge/bar. To be honest, I don’t like this restaurant at all. The two times I’ve been there, food was unspectacular for the price and service was insulting. However, I haven’t been back in a while, so I imagine it’s improved. What you do get here is a urban, modern setting and decent food at a marked up price. It’s a nice place for business meetings or for drinks.

Coast, Downtown, 1054 Alberni St (near Burrard) – Coast is all about fresh seafood in a welcoming setting. The first Coast was located in Yaletown, but the restuarant moved to Alberni Street a while back and also opened the adjoining O Lounge next door. The food here is good, but I don’t go often. My most memorable coast experience dates a few years back when the head chef of Coast did a joint dinner with Hidekazu Tojo (of the amazing & famous Tojo’s – for serious Japanese lovers only). Were we treated to a beautiful feast of west coast and Japanese inspired cuisine.

The Italian Kitchen, Downtown, 1037 Alberni St (Across from Coast, near Burrard) – Now the Italian Kitchen I like. Fresh and well cooked modern Italian food. The food here is delicious, fresh, and memorable. The penne arrabbiata is my favourite pasta here – slightly spicy and salty with creamy burrata cheese to balance everything out. This restaurant is famous for their Kobe beef meatballs – they are big and meaty, but a little over-rated in my book.

Trattoria Italian Kitchen, Kitsilano, 1850 W. 4th Ave (b/w Burrard & Cypress) - In Italy, you have restaurants and you have trattorias. Trattorias are known to be more casual and more affordable versus the more upscale ristorante. This is also the idea of Trattoria Italian Kitchen, a more casual, more affordable version of The Italian Kitchen downtown and I enjoy it. The menu is focused on a lot of sharing – so you can share a pasta platter or a meat platter with friends. Get the bruschetta sampler, crispy bread topped with sweet tomatoes & basil, chickpeas, and mushrooms – so satisfying.

Sanafir, Downtown, 1026 Granville Street (near Nelson) -  Sanafir is located in the entertainment district of Granville Street, open late and attracting lots of groups. The ceilings in this place are amazingly high and the food is a blend of North Africa, Middle Eastern, and Asian. The decor is inspired along the same themes and quite fun. It’s a nice room. I’ve only had drinks here, so no comment on the food.

Society, Yaletown, 1257 Hamilton Street (b/w Drake and Davie) - This is the Glowbal Group’s latest restaurant, comfort food and junk food served in a trendy Yaletown setting. Not a bad idea. Grab a seat on the lovely patio and order up a milkshake, onion rings, poutine, mac ‘n cheese, pizza – you get the idea. Satisfying, comforting food that you don’t usually get at an upscale restaurant. More restaurants should serve milkshakes, so for that alone Society gets points for me. I’ve only been for lunch and ate something way too healthy (fresh greens with a cajun grilled salmon), but based on the plates of burgers and shakes at the tables around me, I’ll come back and give it another try.

A final note is that aside from off-hours, these are not quiet restaurants. Think energetic buzz and bustling noise. Great for groups and casual dinners out, but not so much for a romantic time.

So, I give you the Glowbal Group of restaurants – some parts good, some parts average, all worth a try – let me know you think.

Some highlights:

• The menu includes breakfast from 6am-11am, a lunch menu of pizza, soup, salad, and panini, and a extensive list of sweets, breads, and cakes.
• Menu prices are quite reasonable – the restaurant wants to be a go-to spot for more than just hotel guests. Pizzas are $9, a soup & sandwich combo is $12, and paninis are served with a crisp salad for $8-11.
• Locals can pick-up a fresh artisan loaves of brioche, sourdough, and wheat breads for $6 to take home.
• There’s a beautiful case of whole cakes, pies, and tarts (available by the slice too), including an Apple Galette, Tiramisu, Devil’s Food Cake, and Strawberry Shortcake.

I grabbed a window stool looking over Cordova St, enjoying a nice breeze through the open windows, reading a paper, and munching on my Genovese panini – a slice of roasted turkey breast, pesto, taleggio cheese, on a fruit and nut bread.

I’d say portions are on the small-medium size – not huge, but enough. When I toured the hotel last year, they showed off their huge and beautiful hotel kitchen. All bread and charcuterie and made fresh in-house, and top quality.

Giovane is a great spot for a nice, light lunch. Look for for the big, yellow lower case “g” sign, pointing you to the restaurant off of Cordova St.

Giovane Cafe, Bakery, & Deli
Fairmont Pacific Rim
1038 Canada Place (outside entrance on Cordova just west of Burrard)
604-694-5501
Open daily 6am-8pm