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

At the helm is Executive Chef is David Wong, who recently represented Canada at the 2009 Bocuse D’or. The idea of Oru is pan-Asian cuisine, but NOT fusion. On the menu, you’ll find classic offerings of Indian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and additional Asian cuisines, all with a West Coast take. The restaurant recommends you share all the dishes with the table, although you can certainly dine a la carte. I sampled a selection of dishes, including:

• Albacore Tuna Tataki, with a fresh, almost frozen slice of avocado on top, a beautiful texture
• Moushou Duck Leg, shredded pieces of duck mixed with Chinese flavours and served with a hoisin sauce and fluffy steamed buns
• Shoyu Japanese Ramen with braised pork belly and house made noodles. A delicate broth and nice bite to the noodles.
• Smoked sablefish in a claypot with Asian mushrooms and snap peas. Beautifully tender sablefish, but a smallish portion.
• Grilled “crying tiger” rib eye steak with maitake mushrooms and curry-style “crying tiger” sauce. The plate is just beautiful with these perfectly cooked thick slices of steak.
• The signature fried rice with caramelized pineapple and a pound of poached Atlantic lobster. As amazing as that sounds, I wasn’t that crazy about that dish. At $35, it didn’t give me the wow factor I was expecting.

Six of us shared the above dishes, and the total came to $32/person, including tax and tip (plus drinks). Pretty good, considering the variety we tried. All the dishes were good, but no one dish stood out. The concept is refined, high-end Asian food. There’s certainly room for this concept, and I plan to return.

The restaurant itself is beautiful with a calming mood. The huge open kitchen works quietly and diligently in the background. Service-wise, the entire Fairmont Pacific Rim repeatedly gives me top notch service. I was at the  Willow Stream Spa upstairs before dinner, getting a tour and having a pre-dinner drink. They took my coat at the spa, and brought it down to the restaurant for me. All valet parking is complimentary if you’re at the restaurant or spa. The hotel wants us locals to come and they’re giving as all the resaons to come.

Next time – a pre-dinner drink in the lounge while the piano plays in the background.

Oru Asian Bistro
Fairmont Pacific Rim
1038 Canada Place (near Burrard), Vancouver
604 695 5500

—-

I attended a fabulous wine tasting event last week (hosted by the Downtown Networking Association) at Eclektica Art Gallery.

It’s a lovely gallery featuring original paintings, ceramics, jewelery, prints, and gift items.

What I enjoyed:

• The gallery’s slogan is “Art for Everyone” and they stay true to this. The owners focus on having a wide range of price points and styles for all people. For example, they had a lovely mother of pearl platter for $15 versus a framed Koren print for $500.00.
• My favourite – beautiful wood bowls made by a local artist. Several different sizes and several different woods. Prices range from about $40-$150, depending on size and wood.
• Excellent selection of jewelry and accessories for all styles
• The gallery looks small when you walk in…until you see the soaring ceiling and multiple floors. They’ve done a nice job with the space, considering the location.

A great stop if you’re decorating or looking for a unique gift.

Eclektica Art Gallery
1118 Homer St, Vancouver in Yaletown
604-568 1491

Vancouver Magazine featured the restaurant last summer before they opened, and the numbers they quote are quite telling of how tough the restaurant business can be, forecasting a break-even date of five years from now!

Once open, they’ll have to manage expenditures tightly. Each month, $12,883 will go to rent, strata fees, and taxes. (Hydro, heat, air conditioning, garbage and recycling pickup, maintenance, and one parking stall are included.) Four phone lines, Internet, alarm, interest, and insurance plus licences and permits add $6,018, and they hope $5,100 will cover miscellaneous costs (laundry, janitorial and office supplies, vehicle expenses, and so on). The big dings will be $77,000 in salaries and labour, $42,000 for liquor, and $39,000 for food. All told, they’re looking to spend no more than $182,000 per month, or $6,066.70 a day. They project an average revenue of $8,500 a day (they’ll close only for Christmas and New Year’s)–a gross of $3,085,500 by the end of year one. They forecast a steady climb to $4,049,991 by their fifth year, at which point they expect to break even.

Anyway, enough about numbers. Given the hype and delays, the Corner Suite was a long anticipated opening for many foodies. And the good news is: the food (and drink) are great!

First the drinks. Your options are plentiful, starting with the beautiful, 30-page drink menu – The Genuine Article – full of classic, modern, and new takes on cocktails. Our table indulged in several cocktails, the classic Old Fashioned being the highlight of the evening.

The food menu is a small, but eclectic mix of options, all well prepared. Some highlights:

• Cod brandade with crostini. At $5, it’s a generous portion of flavourful, smooth, and salty yumminess
• Seafood chowder – rich, thick, and full of smoky bacon
• A light salad of delicate greens, a fried patty of goat cheese, poached pears, nuts, and a fruity vinaigrette
• Foie gras torchon, with an orange compote and brioche. I didn’t try this dish, but my dining mates deemed it worthy
• A croque madame full of ham and cheese with freshly fried truffled potato chips and arugula salad
• Mussels and fries – fresh mussels with an aioli for dipping the fries
• We skipped dessert, but you certainly have several sweet options plus a two page menu of cheeses to choose from
• The restaurant also offers a 2-course menu for $24.70 each day – expect something different every time

Service was attentive, but the restaurant was not overly busy – likely suffering from the Olympic hangover that’s happening around the city.

The room is fun! Another room that manages to use turquoise and black and make it look cool (Nu being the other). They used some kind of rubberized turquoise paint on the chairs, which gives them a vibrant finish.

Overall – we’ll be back. Food is good, drinks are good, prices are good…it’s all good.

The Corner Suite Bistro Deluxe
850 Thurlow Street, Vancouver (@ Haro)
604 569 3415

Now, I love meat, and I love cooked food. While Gorilla is doesn’t have either, it is still great spot for a quick bite, smoothie, or snack. The food is refreshing, well prepared, and the staff is friendly.

On the theme of moderation, I generally only eat meat 1x a day. All my other meals are vegetarian. Gorilla Foods is a great stop for one of my daily meals. My new office is right by them too, so they’ve become a regular stop.

Read my full article at Granville Online Magazine.

Gorilla Foods
101 – 436 Richards St, Vancouver
604-684-3663

I’m keeping everything to one post so it’s easy to reference and print off. I’m only covering Vancouver, not Whistler (although my friends swear that Rimrock Cafe is one of the best fine dining experiences ever. And of course there’s that Hell’s Kitchen winner at Araxi.)

I’ve listed some picks close to the big Olympic venues, so you know what’s in the vicinity. My picks are for good food, but also cheaper places and convenient places if you’re in a hurry.

BY VENUE:

BC Place & Canada Hockey Place (AKA GM Place)
These 2 venues are right next to each other. Here are 5 great places nearby (between a 5-10 min. walk)

1. Breakast/Lunch/Coffee/Sweets: Cafe Medina, 556 Beatty Street (near Dunsmuir), 604-879-3114.
One of Vancouver’s best breakfasts and famous for their Belgian waffles – refined, but casual. Expect line-ups. Medina just opened a take-out window also.

2. Dinner: Chambar Belgian Restaurant, 562 Beatty Street (near Dunsmuir), 604-879-7118
Great French/Belgian/Morroccan style food in a modern setting. Same owners as Cafe Medina.

3. Lunch/Dinner/Drinks: The Kingston Pub, 755 Richards St (b/w Robson & Georgia), 604-681-7011
You’re not going to get anything special here,  but the drinks are cold, there’s lots of seats, and food is good

4. Fast Food/Lunch/Dinner: Japa Dog, 530 Robson St (near Richards)
Anyone know if they’re open? I’m pretty sure their target was to be open for the Olympics. Vancouver’s only famous street food turned store front – Japanese style hot dogs! Sounds strange, but they’re pretty tasty. Expect lines. If Japa dog isn’t open, any of the falafel places in the vicinity are okay.

5. Wild Rice, 117 W. Pender (at Abbott), 604.642.2882, open for lunch & dinner during Olympics, OR Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie, 163 Keefer Street, 604-688-0876, open for dinner
Both these restaurants provide a modern take on Chinese cuisine. Wild Rice has been leading this charge for years, but Bao Bei recently opened to much fanfare. I’ll vouch for Wild Rice. The food and service is always good, although sometimes they have some strange menu items (the mussel potstickers I had there years ago were interesting in a bad way). I usually don’t recommend places I haven’t been do, but enough people I trust vouch for Bao Bei that I’ll recommend it here.

Also – I suppose I should tell you that there is a Costco right by Canada Hockey Place. So, if you want to eat nearby for cheap cheap cheap, it’s there. 605 Expo Boulevard,604-622–5050

Richmond Olympic Oval

While the Oval building is rather cool, there’s nothing around it. However, you’ll probably need to hit Aberdeen Centre Station or Lansdowne Station to get to the Oval, so let’s talk restaurant in these vicinities.

1. Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/Sweets. The Aberdeen Centre food court, 4151 Hazelbridge Way, top floor
Aberdeen Centre is an Asian style mall – futuristic looking on the outside with lots of interesting stores inside, including the famous $2 store Daiso. But the food court here is way better than a food court in another mall. Different kinds of Chinese cuisines, Japanese, Thai. All well-priced and good portions. My Dad and I come here to eat for fun sometimes. There’s also a great frozen yogurt stand (Qoola), decadent Japanese Beard Papas Cream Puffs, and a French crepe stand just opened. And don’t miss the cheesy but fun musical fountain show, which happens on the hour.

2. Dim Sum/Dinner: Gingeri Chinese Cuisine, inside Lansdowne Mall, 5300 No. 3 Road
This Chinese restaurant serves good quality dim sum and a great dinner. It’s also English-speaking friendly. Dim Sum is usually packed, but good.

3. Earl’s Restaurant, inside Lansdowne Mall, 5300 No. 3 Road
One of our standby chain restaurants. You’ll get good food, lots of seats, and fast service.

4. Hon’s, 4600 No. 3 Road or No. 9 Restaurant in Lansdowne Mall, 5300 No. 3 Road
Hon’s is a bit further out, but it’s the best cheap Chinese food out there. No. 9 to me is a Chinese-style greasy spoon. They have a huge menu of Chinese and Chinese/Canadian food.

5. Langley Farm Market, inside Lansdowne Mall, 5300 No. 3 Road
This is a fruit & vegetable market, but sometimes, I just want some healthy fruit to eat! It’s in the entrance near No. 9 restaurant and Bestbuy, off of No. 3 Road.

Pacific Coliseum

Breakfast/lunch/snacks/coffee: Laughing Bean Coffee Company, 2695 Hastings Street East (at Slocan, 2 blocks from the venue), (604) 251-5282
- Wayne from the Laughing Bean contacted me after I posted this guide to tell me about this lovely cafe. I dropped by today and it’s a great place to grab a quick bite and coffee, including sweet cinnamon buns, crossaints, and fresh soup & sandwiches. You’ll find this neighbourhood cafe by looking for the funny mannequins decked out in figure skating apparel in front of the shop. Wayne says they also have staff that  speak French, Dutch, Spanish, German.

Also, on the Hastings bus line there is:

Lunch/Dinner: Au Petit Chavignol and Les Amis du Fromage, 843 East Hastings Street (b/w Hawks and Campbell), (604) 255-4218
- Au Petit Chavignol is a great wine & cheese bar, but also have a selection of hot soups, sandwiches, and really tasty fries. Les Amis du Fromage is their cheese shop, where you can grab some food on the go.

Vancouver Olympic Centre

This centre is a 1Km walk from the station at Cambie & King Edward Ave. There’s not much on the walk to the centre, but if you walk North, in the opposite direction you’ll find:

1. Lunch/Dinner: Stella’s Tapas Bar, 3305 Cambie Street (near 17th ave), 604-874-6900
- Belgian style pub/restaurant with a great list of beers and good snacks menu

2. Lunch/Dinner: Pied-à-Terre, 3369 Cambie Street (near 18th ave), 604-873-3131
- Small restaurant with excellent French fare at good prices

3.  Flying Wedge Pizza, 3499 Cambie Street  (near 19th ave), 604-874-8284
- This is a local pizza chain specializing in gourmet pizza and lots of different flavour combinations. It’s not my favourite, but I’m in the minority as most people I know love this place. Buy by the pie or slice, it’s great if you’re in a hurry.

Additional Resources

Vancouver Slop Olympic Guide

The Zagat Vancouver guide is free during the Olympics

If you’re looking for restaurants specific to a neighbourhood, scan my tags – I label all my restaurants by neighbourhood. Or leave a comment and I’ll answer you there.