A seasonal dish so succulent, it sent my saucy spirits soaring

Mark Laba
Province

Ningtu

Where: 2130 Kingsway

Payment/reservations: Cash or Interac only, 604-438-6669

Drinks: Wine and beer

Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for dinner, closed Wednesdays

There are so many beautiful sights stirring the senses this time of year as spring lurches forward on soggy little lamb feet. Lines of blossoming cherry trees dropping their pink and white petals to blanket the ground like a gentle snowfall, flowers blooming, scenting the air with their fecundity, snow on the mountains as a backdrop to the rare warm sunny day and the sight of 20 or so live spot prawns flopping about in a cheap plastic bucket, spindly legs kicking and antennae waving about like tiny semaphore operators.

It’s the latter that truly raises my spirits and sends my soul soaring.

So it was that I met the subject of my adoration in this unassuming place out on Kingsway. Specializing in Shanghainese cuisine, the décor is nondescript but neat and clean befitting a restaurant where the focus is simply on eating. Big round tables equipped with Lazy Susans are evidence that this is a place where large groups of family and friends gather for a feast.

We were no different as we welcomed back Peaches’ brother The Parking Lot, up from North Carolina for a visit and so the troops came out in force with the Doctor, the Dentists, the City Planner, the teacher, a gaggle of children and the only people missing it seems were the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker.

As we warmed ourselves over tea the live prawns were brought out for viewing. Moments later they reappeared simply done up with ginger, onion and sugar, a secret ingredient in many Shanghai dishes and so succulent I didn’t mind having to detach the heads and pull off legs to get at the flesh. A seasonal dish, so right now they’re $22 a pound. Get ‘em while they last.

Next up was Peking duck ($24.95), that classic two-course affair of crispy quacker skin and then the meat served with both pancakes and lettuce wrap and hoisin sauce. Wonderful and had the Lazy Susan spinning at warp speed.

Following this was a glutinous schlimazel of sole done up in a homemade rice wine sauce ($9), the fish as soft and tender as a kiss on the lips from Neptune’s sister. The good-looking one I mean. This dish was a crowd-pleaser and paved the way for the more foreboding braised bean curd with big brooding mushrooms ($7.95) that could have doubled as elves’ umbrellas. But beneath their menacing nature they proved to have a delicate pungent flavour and paired with the slithery bricks of tofu truly delicious, even if a bit of a challenge for the chopsticks.

There was also a decent ginger beef that balanced the flavours of sweet and spicy like a Chinese acrobat spinning plates upside down on a one-legged stool, savoury Shanghai chow mein, some sprightly wok-tossed green veggies but the crowning glory of the evening was the great Beijing dish, Beggar’s Chicken ($32). You need to call a day in advance for preparation time wherein a whole chicken is stuffed with Chinese mushrooms, shredded pork, bamboo shoots and dried vegetables, coated in flour (in the old days it would be wrapped in clay) and baked for hours. The inside reveals a dark mass of savoury innards, the combination of flavours a transporting experience.

It’s said beggars can’t be choosers and that’s usually true but when you tag along with a couple of dentists and a doctor even a schlub like me can go from Beggar’s Chicken to Peking Duck in the space of an evening.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

A menu as long as the Great Wall of China.

RATINGS: Food: B+ Service: A Atmosphere: B

© The Vancouver Province 2008

 

Owner lives in Japan but hands-on operator also owns funky Indian diner Clove

Mia Stainsby
Sun

Lime is the name, not a far cry from the name of the former inhabitant, Rime.

In fact, Lime, a Japanese restaurant, did retain something from Rime — not the Turkish food, but the nightly live entertainment. We went early one evening while they were doing sound checks and I must say, it’s not the most pleasing of sounds. Another evening, we caught the front end of a lively Afro-fusian group. The music was great, although it made strange with the Japanese food. And maybe that’s what the owners are thinking because they’re changing the music scene, going lower key and more backgroundy with it.

The owner lives in Japan but the hands-on operator is Hseuh Li, who owns Clove, the funky Indian restaurant a few blocks south on Commercial. “I still cook there three, four times a week. I love it. I can’t quit,” he says. He grew up in Osaka where his parents ran an extra-large Chinese restaurant for 2,000. “I was peeling potatoes when I was six,” he says.

Lime seems to be a hit on Commercial Drive and the clientele is varied, from Japanese-speaking families to the vintage-clad hipsters. The room has been renovated but it’s still dark except for the sushi bar on a raised level with a wall of pale apricot and silver and an ikebana arrangement on the counter brightening up the room.

The sushi is very good. The man in charge is Masa Kudo, who’s worked at Tojo’s and the Blue Water Cafe’s sushi bar, as well as in a Kyoto sushi bar for 10 years. Beside him is Atsu Inomata, who was head chef at Sakai restaurant until it closed. And in the back kitchen, rolling out the hot foods, is Kayo Uki, who hails from Yoshi restaurant. You’ll have to try her soba noodles, which she crafts from scratch. Her family in Japan is well-known for their soba making and she herself is a soba “master,” giving classes on how to make it.

Much of the seafood for the sushi and sashimi is from the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo. A good test of the quality was the uni, which so often disappoints — here it was bright and oceany and fresh. A seafood sunomono with scallops, snow crab and shrimp in a grapefruit bowl was the best sunomono ever. It came adorned with a jelly grapefruit star.

While the sushi didn’t disappoint, the hot foods weren’t consistent. The tempura was good — light and delicate and delicious. Smoked sablefish with soba noodles and crispy tofu, with Uki’s soba noodles rolled inside the fish, was a delicious dish, with a light broth.

“Bif Teki,” medallions of premium beef tenderloin marinated in red wine soy, had lots of company on the plate — marinated vegetables, a tamago (egg) roll around vegetables, enoki mushrooms and horseradish. It wasn’t a strong concept, muddled by elements that didn’t belong together.

A dish that truly didn’t work was “Japanese cabbage roll in cream sauce,” an unlovely dish wthat required a knife and fork. It was difficult, even then, to cut. A shame, because there were scallops, prawns, shiitake mushrooms and asparagus tucked inside the cabbage, wishing it had been put to better use.

Japanese desserts have always struck me as offbeat in a Hello Kitty sort of way. The melted marshmallow and raspberry jelly with Oreo crust and vanilla ice cream was certainly one of those desserts. It was cute and quite edible — the raspberry jelly wasn’t Jell-O kind but a square of gelatin with real raspberries. Anyway, we ate it all up. Mocha ice cream turned out to be matcha ice cream and it was good.

Considering the high quality of sushi, there was a notable lack of sake and not a premium one at that. And the wine list is serviceable but short and unremarkable.

LIME

Overall: 3 1/2

Food: 3 1/2

Ambience: 3

Service: 3

Price: $$

1130 Commercial Dr., 604-215-1130. www.limerestaurant.ca. Open 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., Tuesday to Saturday; to midnight Sunday.

Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

The portions at Uncle Ming’s Kitchen are large and economical and well received by a variety of customers

Stephanie Yuen
Sun

I have a confession to make, and should probably throw in an apology, too.

Let me explain.

As a Hong Kong born-and- raised Canadian Chinese, “chop suey” was never in my diet growing up; the same can be said about fortune cookies, which originated in San Franciso.

Upon first experiencing a dish in a “chop suey” restaurant of sliced, deep-fried chicken swimming in a yellowy custard-like sauce, called “lemon chicken,” I twitched, and the awful greasy taste lingered in my mouth just a bit too long. Consequently I find myself staying away from any eatery that looks like it might serve, or bears the sign, “chopsuey.”

That was why I did not consider going into Uncle Ming’s Kitchen on Main Street, a “chop suey” look-alike, until my husband, who works in that neighbourhood, set me straight.

Uncle Ming’s Kitchen is at the south end of Main on the ground floor of a commercial building. With less than 20 seats, it resembles a deli more than an eatery. The tidy but small dining room is often full, though, especially during lunch hours.

“Most of both our eat-ins and take-outs are regular customers,” says Sharon Lau, as she puts down the phone and starts to write down an order of fried rice and pan-fried vermicelli.

“A lot of lunch clients also like to call ahead to place orders.”

Wah and her husband, Ming Lau, have owned and operated this “hole-in-the-wall” eatery for four years. Ming worked in high-end Chinese restaurants, such as Kirin, before opening Uncle Ming’s, and his “woking” skill is well-honed and undeniably authentic. And because his portions are large and economical, his cooking is well-received by a variety of customers.

At my first lunch at Uncle Ming’s, my husband and I shared a beef chow mein off the special lunch menu and a bowl of vermicelli in soup with shredded pork and preserved vegetables.

The perfectly sauced chow mein was loaded with tender, moist beef that delivered a cultivated, not artificial taste — a good indication of Ming’s wokking prowess. Obviously, Uncle Ming’s Kitchen is not just another “chop suey” house.

We have since gone back regularly and have had the pleasure of trying different dishes offered on the menu, all at very affordable prices.

My favourites are Szechuan beef chow mein, with the perfect “kick”; the chicken with blackbean sauce on rice, one of the top sellers; and the Shanghai fried thick noodle, which is comparable to that offered in many Northern Chinese restaurants. My husband loves the vegetable dishes and the sweet and sour pork.

Crispness is the key to good vegetables and Ming does a good job making sure they are not overcooked or overseasoned.

The sweet and sour pork is a real technique tester because when done right, the chunks of pork should be crispy on the outside and tender inside but never soggy; and the sauce is more than sweet and sour but complex, with a hint of teriyaki taste, and should all be gone when the whole dish is consumed. And that is exactly what you get at Uncle Ming’s Kitchen.

AT A GLANCE

Uncle Ming’s Kitchen

8181 Main St.

604-327-7658

604-327-7698

Hours: Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Price: $

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

Excellent food on a bed of quality with creativity on the side

Mark Laba
Province

Toyo Sushi

Where: 2211 Cambie St.

Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-879-0990

Drinks: Fully licensed.

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. every day.

I’m always on the side of the little guy. Probably because I’m one of them. Back in high school, I remember the dread that washed over me when I had to make my way through Pig’s Alley, which was the name of the hallway where all the jocks had their lockers next to the gym. I don’t know how it got its name but I do know what would inevitably happen to me when I had to brave its passage.

I would be picked up and stuffed inside a locker. It was a good fit. More like a rented tux than a fitted one but me and the locker got along just fine. Sometimes I thought I should just save everyone the effort and stay in there until the end of the school year.

Unfortunately mine is not a David and Goliath story. I didn’t sling a rock and take down the giant. I just got stuffed in a locker over and over again. Along with other various humiliations. It’s kind of a metaphor for the RAV Line. Goliath earth-moving machines tear up Cambie Street and small businesses get cut down in their path. Some stand steadfast and hope for the best. Like this place. And, as locations go, this restaurant could very well be the poster child for RAV Line resistance. Penned in in every direction it seems by metal fencing with no apparent access to an entrance and the view from inside gazing out to a massive excavation, it’s a wonder this joint is still standing. Stuffed into a construction locker so to speak.

But stand it does and manages to dish up some pretty good Japanese food in the process. Paid a visit with Peaches, Small Fry Eli and his friend Aleks the Bionicle Kid. We stepped into a large room with wasabi green walls, nifty wood-walled booth seating that separates packs of diners from each other and all the usual Japanese knickknacks and arty trappings, plus two large flat screen TVs slanting down from the ceiling. There was a certain irony as the TV broadcast a golf game, lush rolling greens set against a window-view backdrop of chunks of concrete, twisted rebar, mounds of urban dirt and heavy machinery. And yet somehow the setting still maintained a tranquility though it was a Sunday, so no construction was going on.

We began with gyoza and the spicy tuna salad (both $3.95) that was a little startling visually with its generous hunks of raw tuna, flaps of iceberg lettuce and thin noodles in a spicy red sauce that appeared radioactive. My fears were assuaged once I tasted the concoction with its hint of sesame and, despite the foreboding colour, really full of delicate flavours.

Small Fry Eli and the Bionicle Kid had their hearts set on chicken teriyaki ($9.95) and as Aleks put it best, “I don’t know what you’re going to rate this place but the chicken deserves an A.”

Next up were the various sushi variations beginning with three maki sushi rolls. A yam tempura construction ($2.95) was excellent and the classic Dynamite ($4.95) with prawn tempura and avocado and the ubiquitous California ($3.95) followed suit.

The salmon nigiri ($1.75 per piece) displayed a fresh and glistening pink toupee of fish draped over rice and a temaki prawn schlimazel ($2.95) was like a shrimp and seaweed ice cream cone, which I don’t believe is one of the Baskin and Robbins 31 flavours.

Essentially this is no-nonsense sushi that doesn’t compromise quality and even manages a little creativity both in presentation and in special rolls like the Crazy or Red Dragon or the Kochuran sporting crabmeat and deep-fried salmon. And you have to hand it to this restaurant that in the onslaught of construction this place is as tenacious as a fish fighting at the end of a hook.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

The meat and potatoes of the sushi world that’s bound to please.

RATINGS: Food: B+ Service: A Atmosphere: B

© The Vancouver Province 2008

 

In addition to 18 kinds of Mexico’s trademark drink, Tequila Kitchen offers Mexican fare that’s far from the ordinary

Mia Stainsby
Sun

TEQUILA KITCHEN

Overall: 3

Food: 3

Ambience: 3

Service: 4

Price: $$

1043 Mainland St., 604-681-2120. www.tequilakitchen.ca

Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars.

– – –

The name, Tequila Kitchen, trips the imagination, doesn’t it? I noticed my partner walked extra fast toward what sounded like heaven.

This Mexican restaurant in Yaletown lived up to its name — the tequila list is the largest in the city with about 18 good tequilas and one mezcal (which isn’t made from the blue agave to qualify as a tequila).

Tequila Kitchen also offers flights of tequila and if you seem the slightest bit interested, one of the owners, Emi Nunez, appears at your table, sharing his passion for the beverage.

And while there are tequila cocktails and margaritas, you will not find the Slushy-like strawberry margaritas here. What you will find are drinks like jalapeno cucumber margarita; cactus pear margarita; aged tequila with cassis, lime juice and ginger ale; and tequila muddled with raspberries, mint and sugar, topped with soda.

Tequila Kitchen opened in March, offering a discounted seven-course tasting menu for $25, a really good deal. It was their how-do-you-do to Vancouver, with tasters like halibut and octopus ceviche, slow-roasted duck breast in a hibiscus and serrano chile glaze; braised lamb shank in a “drunken” sauce; and chile-glazed spicy pork ribs. The food was a welcome departure from most Mexican restaurants, with not an enchilada or burrito or fajita or taco or nacho to be found.

“I will never do nachos or burritos,” says Laura Enriquez, who owns the restaurant with partner Claudia Ibarrondo and son Emiliano Nunez (Emi). “Maybe they would in the north of Mexico. But I might do enchiladas.”

The introductory $25 tasting menu is no longer running but they do offer another, a $37 tasting menu with 10 items. As well, the a la carte menu is up and running and that’s what we ordered from on our second visit.

Frankly, we weren’t as happy with the larger portioned a la carte dishes. The flavours seemed somewhat out of control — the cactus salad tasted pickled and tostadas de atun (raw tuna on tortillas with red onion, avocado, cilantro and a citrus dressing) didn’t work because the tuna was too chewy. Chile rellanos de mariscos was a messy dish of seafood in a sauce over tortilla but we couldn’t, by taste, tell what the seafood was.

We only tried one dessert, a very common confection in Mexico, the palanqueta de Nuez con Helado — a walnut praline with ice cream, Mexican chocolate and caramel sauce. The pralines were cut into bite-sized half-inch squares, topped with a spoonful of ice cream. I regretted not ordering the pears with whipped cream and brown sugar tequila sauce.

One thing’s for sure. There’s heart and soul in the restaurant. Servers are ultra-friendly and the engaging Nunez makes the rounds and welcomes his guests (and you do feel like welcome guests). With the bill, they bring a notebook to the table for diners to write comments and feedback about your experience and the food. (One closet restaurant critic wrote a densely-filled page, offering opinions on each and every dish his party tried.)

Chef Juan Gonzalez worked in a high-end hotel restaurant in Mexico and at Don Francesco and The Charlatan in Vancouver. The kitchen will be changing up the set menu every month. Enriquez describes the style of food as “what we would do at our house.”

The food didn’t prove to be a knock-out but the positives are an enlightened Mexican menu, a tequila list that will create a demand for the drink like never before, and the rarity of a friendly, welcoming staff, all around.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

Coza Tuscan Grill in Langley keeps things simple and unique

Alfie Lau
Sun

The last time I looked Tuscany was not part of Langley but the moment we stepped inside Coza Tuscan Grill, the aura of fine Italian cooking was definitely in the air.

Coza, open since October 2007, is a concept that Cara Restaurants hopes can be taken across the country. The first Coza opened in Langley because of the favourable demographics — the mix of young, urban families and long-established Valley residents — and a great location adjacent to Willowbrook Mall.

According to Al Story, guest experiences general manager, Coza has a simple philosophy.

“If they don’t do it in Tuscany, we don’t do it here,” he said. “There’s no deep fryer. We want an authentic Tuscan meal and that means we keep the menu simple, the tastes unique and intriguing and everything comes from three distinct [places]: the pasta pan, the grill or the big Italian forno.”

The one-page menu is certainly easy to read. We started off with a couple of primi (appetizers): the Fonduta alla Coza ($9) and the calamari alla Griglia ($9).

The fonduta is Coza’s signature dip, replete with Roma tomatoes, a sublime goat cheese and a black olive tapenade served with home-cooked flatbread. We could imagine ourselves in the Tuscan countryside, enjoying a beautiful spring night. Even better was the calamari, fire-grilled instead of deep-fried.

For our mains, by accident, we ended up with one dish each from the grill, pasta pan and oven.

From the grill, the Gamberone al prosciutto ($22) was a beautiful array of tiger shrimp wrapped with prosciutto and served with lemon vegetable orzo — a great dish worthy of Tuscany.

From the oven, I had the roasted wild Pacific corvina ($18), a fish I hadn’t heard of before.

Our server Janna advised it tasted like halibut but it was a smooth whitefish closer to the taste of snapper. And cooking it in the forno kept all the flavour in, making it a fish dish I would definitely order again.

The only hiccup at Coza occurred with our order of veal chop limoncello ($29). The grilled veal came tougher than a smoker’s face and after my companion spent too long sawing into it, we asked to have a word with Janna.

She listened intently to our concerns and within a minute, Story was over to see how he could accommodate us.

Taking back the veal, he said the kitchen could quickly cook up their signature pasta al pesto ($17). We accepted his apology and enjoyed a delectable linguine dish with so much chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes and pine nuts that we had the makings of tomorrow’s lunch.

“We tell our staff that if anything arises, they should tell me immediately so that we can do something right away,” Story said.

“We want all our diners to have a great experience and even when it doesn’t happen [to plan], we do everything we can to try and make things better.”

For our dessert, we shared an of Italian staple, the tiramisu ($6), which was a decadent way to finish a very fine meal, and some decaf coffee.

“We’re very pleased with how well-received we’ve been since we opened,” Story said the day after our meal. “It’s been a lot of word-of-mouth and we’re learning about what works and what we have to do when we expand this concept.

“In Tuscany, it’s all about good friends, good food, good wine and a good atmosphere,” said Story. “That’s what we hope to do here at Coza.”

For a new restaurant, they’re certainly on their way.

AT A GLANCE

COZA TUSCAN GRILL

20065 Langley Bypass

Open from 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For reservations, call 604-539-8880. For more information, go to www.coza.ca.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

Vancouver joins Burnaby with all-you-can-eat

Mia Stainsby
Sun

If I had a resident tapeworm, avaricious and requiring sustenance, I might be tempted by all-you-can-eat menus; but I don’t, and I’m not. But for those with Lycra stomachs capable of stretching to accommodate an all-you-can-eat assault, I give you Fish On Rice.

The first Fish On Rice opened three years ago in Burnaby and it’s been so successful, the owner recently moved into the more finicky Vancouver market.

I was checking out some art galleries on South Granville one Saturday (the Tiko Kerr exhibit at the Winsor Gallery in particular) and thought I’d try Fish on Rice for lunch. I opted to order a la carte and checked out the food and restaurant in general.

The place was packed, it’s got a nice buzz and I found the servers went out of their way to be helpful, even when they were running like crazy. Both locations have tatami rooms, something that seems to have had its day.

As you can imagine, an all-you-can-eat establishment cannot serve amazing food unless they run it as a charity. It’s a question of whether the food is decently prepared or whether it’s slop.

Well, at Fish On Rice, I had a nice lunch: tempura that didn’t suffer from greasiness; not-bad sashimi; black cod, cooked robata style (messily plated but tasty and fresh). The sushi didn’t sparkle, but it was fine.

The all-you-can-eat option is $11.95 for lunch and $20.95 for dinner, seven days a week. There’s also a “Happy Hour” option from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. for $13.95. (It costs less for kids and seniors.)

These open-ended meals are what most go for. The menu features some 120 items under appetizers, sashimi, sushi, donburi, tempura, teriyaki, robata, noodles categories.

But there are some rules. You have to finish off your plate (more or less) before ordering more and you’ve got two hours to eat and scram. General manager Tommy Chau says that’s because there’s usually people waiting for tables.

Chau has been shocked by people’s ability to pack it in. “They’re regular sized people,” he says. “One person, a female in her mid-20s who weighed about 100 pounds, sat for the two hours, read a book and ate non-stop. Probably, the amount she ate would have made three people feel full,” he says.

Chau says the next Fish On Rice will most likely be in Surrey. “We get customers from there coming to eat in Burnaby,” he says.

The restaurant also delivers through gowaiters.com and offers 15 per cent off for pick-up orders of $20 or more.

AT A GLANCE

FISH ON RICE

4361 Kingsway, Burnaby, 604-439-8882

And 1414 West Broadway, 604-732-0112

www.fishonricejapanesecuisine.com

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

Other

New York’s Vongerichten looking at Shangri-La Hotel

Bruce Constantineau
Sun

Renowned New York chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is negotiating to open a new restaurant in the Shangri-La Hotel in Vancouver early next year.

If he comes, he’ll be the second global culinary superstar to commit to a new Vancouver eatery in just over a month — following chef Daniel Boulud’s decision to become a partner in Lumiere restaurant.

“We are in discussions with Jean-Georges Vongerichten for the restaurant at Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver,” Shangri-La representative Jill Killeen confirmed Wednesday. “There is no signed agreement at this time.

“Shangri-La intends to bring an exciting, international food and wine dynamic to our first hotel in North America, and even greater excitement to Vancouver‘s dining scene.”

Like Boulud, Vongerichten was born in France and made his name in New York.

The 52-year-old chef currently has more than 15 restaurants throughout the world — including New York, Chicago, London, Paris, Shanghai, the Bahamas and Bora Bora.

His upscale Jean Georges restaurant on Central Park West in New York is one of just three restaurants in that city with a coveted three-star rating from the Michelin Guide.

Killeen denied earlier speculation the Shangri-La Hotel — scheduled to open near Georgia and Thurlow in January 2009 — was trying to attract celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay to open a restaurant in its project.

Barbara-jo McIntosh, owner of Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks store, said the potential arrival of two such high-powered celebrity chefs in Vancouver reflects the city’s growth.

“It’s a sign that Vancouver is becoming recognized as a growing metropolis with a culinary scene that is worthy of these grand chefs’ attention,” she said in an interview. “It’s fine, and kind of neat, but it doesn’t excite me to an exultant level because we already have a great culinary community.

“I can’t imagine myself staying away from Pino’s or Bluewater or Bishop’s because these guys are coming, but of course I’ll go visit them.

“These guys are really, really good, and certainly on an international level it could attract more corporate entertaining [to Vancouver].”

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

Eat it up

Joanne Sasvari
Sun

Walking into Fraiche, the luxe new bistro perched atop the British Properties, you could easily be seduced by the sleek decor, the opulent art or the upscale-but-comforting West Coast cuisine.

But if you’re like most Lower Mainlanders, chances are your eyes will be drawn straight to the stunning view from the floor-to-ceiling windows and you’ll think, “Great! Someplace cool to bring the rellies when they come to visit.”

Yep, it’s April, and the beginning of the annual deluge of Calgarians and Torontonians desperate to shake the slush from their boots.

They want a taste of the West Coast fine life, and Vancouverites know there’s plenty to savour in Canada‘s most dynamic dining scene.

But your guests won’t want to experience your fave hole-in-the-wall tapas bar or strip mall dim sum joint. No, they want fine food and a fine view.

Trouble is, many view restaurants have a bad rep for focusing on the scenery and ignoring what goes on in the kitchen.

So we’ve done the work for you. We’ve checked out more than 25 great places where the food is as fab as the view. Your guests can thank us later.

NORTH SHORE

For the city’s ultimate view restaurants, look up, way up, to Grouse Mountain, where guests have two delicious options for enjoying the scenery. Altitudes Bistro offers casual fare, cool cocktails and a truly spectacular patio, while The Observatory offers high end West Coast cuisine. Note that Skyride tickets are complimentary with advance reservations to The Observatory. Call 604-980-9311 or visit www.grousemountain.com for more info.

Don’t want to squeeze onto a swaying, vertigo-inducing tram? West Vancouver has a couple of options with views almost as grand as those from the top of the mountain.

The chic newcomer is Fraiche, a much-needed addition to West Van’s tried-and-true restaurant lineup. It features what chef Wayne Martin (also of Crave on Main) is calling “North Shore comfort food,” which seems to mean West Coast ingredients with Mediterranean influences. It also has a spectacular wine list and creative cocktails. And oh, that view! Fraiche is at 2240 Chippendale Rd., West Vancouver, 604-925-7595, www.fraicherestaurant.ca.

Just down the road, Salmon House on the Hill has been serving up great seafood and even greater views for three decades. If you haven’t been in a while, it’s definitely time for another visit. There is some serious excitement going on in the kitchen these days, especially with the new “Uniquely B.C.” menu featuring locally sourced ingredients such as alder-grilled Hecate Strait coho salmon and Whistle View Farms veal chop. Salmon House is at 2229 Folkestone Way, West Vancouver, 604-926-8539, www.salmonhouse.com.

DOWNTOWN

Downtown Vancouver has an abundance of great restaurants, but only a handful of them have great views. Among them are longtime faves C and Raincity Grill, Milestones and the Sylvia Hotel. But two relative newcomers stand out in the bunch.

In 2006, NU landed on just about every best new restaurant list (including En Route, Where and Vancouver Magazine). Since then, this False Creek eatery has settled into its waterfront location as a super-stylish place for great brunches, cocktails, parties and patio action. NU is at 1661 Granville St., 604-646-4668, www.whatisnu.com.

Across the peninsula on Coal Harbour, Lift gazes out over Stanley Park and the North Shore mountains. Watch the seaplanes take off as you enjoy a glass of vino and a signature “whet plate” on the upstairs patio. Lift is also a multiple award winner, and its kitchen turns out consistently excellent cuisine. It’s located at 333 Menchion Mews, 604-689-5438, www.liftbarandgrill.com.

WEST SIDE

Kitsilano has always been a bit of puzzle for the visitor hungry for a view. The community looks out across sea and mountains, yet few of its myriad restaurants have a view. Luckily, there are two great exceptions to that rule.

The first is Watermark, that coolly modern building down on Kits beach. With its spectacular location and 180-seat beachside patio, Watermark could get away with serving just about anything and guests would still eat it up. It’s to the credit of executive chef Lynda Larouche that the restaurant serves such excellent West Coast cuisine. Watermark is at 1305 Arbutus St., 604-738-KITS (5487), www.watermarkrestaurant.ca.

Then there’s the place no one wants to tell you about because they want to keep the secret to themselves: The Galley Patio and Grill at the Jericho Sailing Centre, where the wind whips up both waves and hearty appetites. The beer is cold, the burgers done just right, the prices super-low and the view unbeatable. Note that, except in summer, The Galley is only open on weekends. It’s at 1300 Discovery St., 604-222-1331, www.thegalley.ca.

RICHMOND/STEVESTON

Nothing beats a sunny afternoon spent sitting on the Steveston pier, enjoying a beer and watching the fishing boats bring home the daily catch. If you like fresh seafood with your view, one great place to enjoy both is the Shady Island Seafood Bar & Grill, which offers a wide variety of oceanic delights as well as live entertainment on weekends. It’s at 112 3800 Bayview St., Richmond, 604-275-6587, www.shadyislandseafoodbarandgrill.com.

Bored with mountains and oceans? Then how about jazzing things up with some seaplane action? The Flying Beaver Bar & Grill is located by the No. 2 Road Bridge, where you can watch Harbour Air planes take off and land on the Middle Arm of the Fraser River. This brew pub offers a selection of craft beers and pub fare, and the best patio in town for plane-spotting. The Flying Beaver is at 4760 Inglis Dr., Richmond, 604-273-0278, www.markjamesgroup.com/flyingbeaver.html.

BURNABY

If you prefer a garden view, then make your way out to Burnaby, where two of the area’s most romantic restaurants are nestled among the trees and flowers.

Hart House Restaurant is a Tudor-style historic mansion offering casual West Coast elegance on the shores of Burnaby‘s Deer Lake. Its pretty patio is a big hit with the brunch and garden weddings crowd, and it’s well worth the visit for chef Dennis Peckham’s exquisite West Coast cuisine. Hart House is at 6664 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby, 604-298-4278, HYPERLINK “http://www.harthouserestaurant.com/” www.harthouserestaurant.com.

For views of gardens and mountains, totem poles, Indian Arm inlet and more, you simply can’t beat Horizons on Burnaby Mountain. It’s an elegantly modern-looking room, but you’ll be hard-pressed to tear your eyes away from the lush views outside to notice anything else around you — not even the inventive West Coast-style cuisine by chef John Garrett. Horizons is at 100 Centennial Way, Burnaby, 604-299-1155, www.horizonsrestaurant.com

COQUITLAM

For some of the best dining — not to mention the most spectacular setting — in the Tri Cities area, pack your clubs and head out to Westwood Plateau Golf Academy. Of course, we’ll understand if you decide to leave the clubs in the car and go straight to the 19th hole, that is, Hazards Restaurant on the Plateau. Each seat has a perfect view all the way from the Fraser River to Mount Baker. Expect casual-elegant fare like spicy noodles, steaks and easy-to-share plates. Hazards is at 1630 Parkway Blvd., Coquitlam, 604-941-4219, www.westwoodplateaugolf.com.

LANGLEY

Sometimes, nothing can beat the old-school way of doing things, and that’s just what you’ll find at the charming, historic Bedford House Restaurant and Lounge in Fort Langley. This lovely old home looks out across beautiful gardens and the Fraser River, and offers such classic dishes as lobster bisque, beef Stroganoff and seafood crepes. Bedford House is at 272 Glover Rd., Fort Langley, 604-0888-2333. For more info, go to www.fortlangleyvillage.com and follow the links.

From the windows of Bacchus Bistro, you can gaze out across peaceful vineyards while enjoying delicious French fare. It’s a perfect spot to watch the sun set and pick up a bottle or two of award-winning Chaberton wine to enjoy later at home. Bacchus Bistro is at Domaine de Chaberton Estate Winery, 1064 216th St., Langley, 604-530-9694, www.domainedechaberton.com.

WHITE ROCK/SOUTH SURREY

You can’t go wrong with either the food or the views from any of the restaurants along White Rock’s Board Walk.

Two we especially love are the remarkable, award-winning Pearl on the Rock and, for more casual fare, the Washington Avenue Grill. Both offer spectacular views of Semiahmoo Bay and wonderful West Coast cuisine. Pearl on the Rock is at 14955 Marine Dr., 604-542-1064 www.pearlrestaurant.ca and Washington Avenue Grill is at 5 – 15782 Marine Dr., 604-541-4244, www.washingtonavenuegrill.com, both in White Rock

CHAINS WITH A VIEW

Look around the Lower Mainland’s for the very best view locations, and you will likely find a restaurant belonging to one of two local chains. Both offer good, though rarely outstanding, West Coast cuisine with a strong focus on seafood. More importantly, they have attractive rooms, reasonable prices, decent wine lists and unbeatable views, which is why they are such favourites with both visitors and locals.

The Boathouse has six locations, each with a better view than the last: English Bay (1795 Beach Ave., 604-669-2225), Richmond (8331 River Rd., 604-273-7014), New Westminster (900 Quayside Dr., 604-525-3474), White Rock (14935 Marine Dr., 604-536-7320), Horseshoe Bay (6695 Nelson St., 604-921-8188) and the newest location, Port Moody (2770 Esplanade Ave., 605-931-5300). For info, visit www.boathouserestaurants.ca.

The Sequoia Group has four locations with equally stellar views: The Sandbar on Granville Island (1535 Johnston St., 604-669-9030), Cardero’s Restaurant in Coal Harbour (1583 Coal Harbour Quay, 605-669-7666), Seasons in the Park (Queen Elizabeth Park, West 33rd Avenue and Main Street, 604-874-8008) and Sequoia Grill at the Teahouse in Stanley Park (Ferguson Point, Stanley Park Drive, 604-669-3281). For info, visit www.vancouver.dine.com.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008