Restaurants in Canada
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Sushi Mart
You'll be rubbing shoulders with chatty young Asians at the large communal dining table here, one of the best spots in town for a sushi feast in a casual setting. Check the fresh-sheet blackboard showing what's available and then tuck into expertly prepared and well-priced shareable platters of all your fave nigiri, maki and sashimi treats. Wash it all down with a large bottle of Sapporo or a hot sake or two.
reviewed
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Temple
A soothingly trendy interior might indicate style over substance at this compact downtown restaurant but the opposite turns out to be the case. With a focus on Pacific Northwest cuisine, the menu is a taste-tripper's dream, with seafood particularly well represented: sample the Quadra Island mussels and you won't be disappointed. A Belgian beer focus at the bar means that you can try pairing food with an array of unusual ales.
reviewed
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Urban
Drawing more than its fair share of diners to this stretch of King St W, Urban's secret is its cool rooftop patio where a mature crowd lingers over dishes like the daily risotto ($18) and halibut saltimbocca with herb and mascarpone polenta, ratatouille and olive oil ($28). If you have to ask what saltimbocca is, staff are knowledgeable without smugness. Exactly how do they roll the serviettes to create a replica of City Hall?
reviewed
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Spoon
Impressive Spoon ladles out a dose of style amongst an otherwise dated row of restaurants. It’s a long, thin room with voluminous wine glasses, spoon-shaped chairs, lulling jazz and picture-perfect clientele. Start with some PEI mussels in green tea, lemongrass, lime leaf and coconut broth, before moving on to the braised lamb shank with sweet-potato mash, sprouts and pomegranate reduction. Wines by the glass or bottle.
reviewed
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Chez Clo
Homey atmosphere and good-value Québécois breakfasts have made this corner diner an institution for the best part of two decades. Slide onto a breakfast stool and order eggs, bacon, baked beans and cretons (pork drippings) or return for Québec specialties such as tourtière (meat pie), poutine or ragoût de boulettes, all in view of the monumental Nativité de la Ste-Vierge church.
reviewed
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Rodney’s Oyster House
You’ll find upwards of a dozen fresh oyster varieties being shucked before your eyes at this decidedly laid-back seafood joint for true bivalve fans. All are best washed down with a simple but effective cold-beer accompaniment and a noisy chat with your neighbors about the much posher places you could be eating at just along the street. On chilly days, the hearty chowders or steamed mussels are like manna from heaven.
reviewed
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Fuel
Despite the bland utilitarian name, this stylish Kits eatery sources exceptional regional ingredients and transforms them with a knowing cosmopolitan flair. Everything is seasonal, so expect regular menu changes – if you’re lucky, the crispy rainbow trout with sidestripe shrimp ravioli will be available. If not, console yourself with some Okanagan cherry tart or a satisfying selection of tasty regional cheeses.
reviewed
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JJ's Fine Dining
Lunch or dinner is only an hour long so arrive early at this windowless Vancouver Community College spot and you’ll be treated to some excellent West Coast fare served by trainee staff genuinely aiming to please. The ever-changing dinner menu – expect favorites such as salmon and rack of lamb – is a steal at $21.50 for three courses. Lunches are mostly under $10 and Friday night is buffet night ($19.50).
reviewed
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Vents du Sud
The cuisine is rustic terrines, conserves of duck, grilled meats and hearty sauces of garlic, peppers and tomatoes. It's one of the few places on the Montréal scene devoted to this kind of food. Service is warm and welcoming and good at giving menu recommendations if you are not familiar with this type of cuisine. Its garage-sale chairs, salty regulars and moustached host give it the feel of a village eatery. Reserve ahead.
reviewed
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Downtown
Fun, relaxed and reasonable, this place is especially popular for lunch during the week. All the usual suspects are featured on the menu including salmon and beef tartare with fries and salads, along with pasta dishes and all-you-can-eat mussels (around C$16). Inside it's cozy with exposed brick walls, and there's none of the nervous energy of a lot of other bistro-type eateries in town. A children's menu is also available.
reviewed
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Le Patriarche
The nouvelle cuisine echoes the contemporary art hanging on the 180-year-old stone walls in this top-class restaurant. Imaginative culinary creations seem almost too lovely to eat, but the feeling soon passes when you read the restaurants’ roll call of local suppliers. Start off with coconut and lemongrass poached scallops before moving on to roasted rack of lamb, caribou steak or a garden-vegetable mushroom risotto.
reviewed
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Le Pain Béni
Another great gourmet outing can be head at this small, unpretentious dining room inside the Auberge Place d’Armes. Le Pain Béni serves an excellent assortment of dishes with Québec highlights. Recent favorites include lamb-shank confit, lobster lasagna with sweetbread and morels, and beer-braised wild boar over parmesan risotto. Prices are reasonable compared with similar options. Delectable desserts are the coup de grâce.
reviewed
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Mikado
Sadly, good Japanese fare is a rarity in Montréal, which makes respectable Mikado all the more of a standout in this sushi-challenged city. Step inside and you’ll find an elegant, Zenlike dining room with a lively wraparound sushi counter. Sashimi is mouthwateringly fresh, while the tuna tempura and grilled organic salmon teriyaki are other highlights. For dessert, try the refreshing green-tea nougat glacé.
reviewed
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Fresco
The Okanagan Valley's finest restaurant is also one of BC's best. Noted chef Rod Butters (definitely no relation to the winsome South Park character) celebrates the produce of the region in this exquisite location in a restored brick storefront. The menu changes constantly - a surprise find at the farmers' market can appear that night - but always features intensely flavored yet simple prepared dishes. Book ahead.
reviewed
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Apple Festival
Also consider the University of British Columbia’s weekend Apple Festival in mid-October. It’s a chance to sample as many seedy treats as you can cram in your mouth, ranging from regional favorites such as Spartan and Macintosh to unusual heritage strains including Ambrosia and Grimes Golden. And, of course, there’s the longest peel contest, with prizes for whoever can peel the longest unbroken apple skin.
reviewed
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Sweet Basil
Halifax's finest cuisine need not cost a fortune; lunch at this chic, country-style bistro will appease your inner gourmet, guilt-free. Try the creative lunch crepe special that changes daily, or the walnut-crusted chicken breast at dinner. Whatever you do, save room for dessert; a separate kitchen is dedicated to fantastical creations that make Haligonians' mouths water. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available.
reviewed
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Xacutti
It's pronounced 'Sha-koo-tee, ' but don't worry too much about that. Focus instead on the gorgeous stained-glass shopfront, beyond which swirls of chocolate brown and jet black come alive with saffron accents – a befitting setting for exotic Indian dishes like Bengal chicken curry with cashew basmati ($24), supplemented by a well-versed wine list. Take-out isn't below them; Sunday brunch is a cool fusion exercise.
reviewed
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Lumière
With Iron Chef Rob Feenie's 2008 departure, few thought this multi-award-winning eatery would survive. But superstar New Yorker Daniel Boulud rolled in and reinvented the top-notch French and West Coast fusion eatery with dishes like Redbro chicken stuffed with truffles and the celebrated six-mushroom ravioli. The menu comprises multi-course tasting selections intended for savoring and the best way to go is the $65 three-course seasonal menu (you can add wine pairing for an extra $35). A sophisticated eatery, this is dining as an event.
reviewed
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Tutti Frutti
Plates are laden with gut-busting helpings at this bustling downtown breakfast place. Don't expect much atmosphere from the no-frills dining room, the ambience here comes from the crowds particularly on weekends. The velours bleu (two eggs, bacon and two blueberry pancakes served with potatoes, toast and coffee) is one of the most popular dishes - you won't need to eat for the rest of the day it's so filling.
reviewed
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Maestro SVP
Hundreds of oyster shells are nailed to the wall in this seafood bistro with high-backed chairs and halogen spots. The calamari is a great appetizer and the oysters – a palette of 15 varieties – are served in a bewildering number of ways. Try the oyster shooter – a raw specimen in jalapeño vodka, cocktail sauce and horseradish – and you’ll never have to prove your courage again.
reviewed
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Lift Bar & Grill
Hanging over the seawall in Coal Harbour near Stanley Park, the swanky Lift serves unrivalled views of the verdant rainforest and mist-cloaked mountains from its wraparound windows and heated deck. If you can pull yourself away from the vistas, dip into gourmet comfort dishes such as bison strip loin or prosciutto-wrapped salmon then sidle over to the shiny bar for martinis: ask for a Sticky Granny Smith if you dare.
reviewed
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Pop Bistro
This exquisitely designed, narrow bistro just east of the Don River is a shining light of class on an otherwise uninspiring strip of Queen St E. A simple menu of half a dozen appetizers and as many mains is balanced and well conceived, embracing the likes of beef and chevre salad with pork shallot reduction ($10) and lamb meatloaf with blue cheese and sweet potato ($17). Sunday brunch features eggs done in every way.
reviewed
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Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
Well-executed West Coast fusion lunches and signature desserts – don’t leave without trying a delicate pastry confection – are the menu mainstays at this school near the entrance to Granville Island. But the seafood buffet (lunch/dinner $24/36) is the main reason to come. Expect to un-notch your belt as you tuck into treats such as almond-crusted Arctic char and clams in lemongrass coconut broth.
reviewed
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Euro Deli
One of the lower Main’s gems, for people-watching and its fresh pastas. Students and punks flop on the outside steps with pizza slices, inside regulars shoo away newcomers from ‘their’ tables. This bustling eatery is cafeteria-style and food changes daily – just go up and choose your pasta from the counter. If chocolate cake is on offer when you visit, pounce! It’s pure decadence.
reviewed
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Cyrano's
Follow your nose in Cyrano's, an enduring (since 1959) downtown bistro with red leather seats and a portrait of the nasally well-endowed Monsieur de Bergerac on the wall. Order reliably good salads, ribs or seafood offerings, or launch into the signature 16oz rib steak. If you're in a hurry, sit at the bar and graze through a quick-fire menu of burgers, wings and oysters, washed down with Creemore Springs on tap.
reviewed