I have lived in some of the best food cities in the world: New York, Rome, San Francisco but Vancouver can hold its own. It’s not only a stunning city, but has a temperate climate and lots of Asian food! Can I start with the most beautifully presented Thai meal I have ever had at Baan Lao, it’s in the Richmond but worth the trip. I could also add to that some great, down-home Vietnamese at Ahn and Chi. I also adore that these restaurants pair a lot of the local British Columbian wines with their offerings, many of which pair so well!
This high-energy City runs on neighborhoods and the Richmond, an area that is 54 percent Chinese and located near the airport, is home to some of the best food in town. They call Vancouver Hancouver for a reason: it has all the Asian flavors from dim sum to durian. I wandered the city’s Chinatown as well but didn’t come up with any food finds, the area is also somewhat rough.
Dig Into the ‘Hoods
Granville Island is always a charming destination 
for a walk, some seafood, ice cream or shopping. It is also home to some stellar produce: I wish I could have taken some of those local cherries and apricots. It is also a place you can discover inventive seafood dishes on the tranquil patio at Vancouver Fish Company. The wine list is eclectic, and I really enjoyed the mussels with sausage and crispy shrimp. Right down the street is the amazing Artisan Sake Maker. This tiny, dine-in space and sake bar is off the charts with sakes they brew in the adjacent room and rice they source from British Columbia. They are even making pretty good facial creams from sake, which is a first for me but my skin seems to love it. Sakes from Artisan below and the owners of Artisan Sake are pictured above.
The hip residential neighborhood of Mount Pleasant is one of the best to walk around. I find many of this City’s more grandiose areas too full of big buildings with not enough street-side life. It is a similar vibe that we suffer from as well in Miami. However, I did discover two great hot spots in Ahn and Chi and their next-door cocktail bar the Good Thief. Wow do they knock the authentic flavors out of the ballpark: I’ve been to Vietnam and eat copious amounts of this fresh and delicious food whenever I can. The bar next store is a treasure trove of the innovative, including a cocktail that tastes a lot like a bowl of pho (see below to the right)! 
Yaletown (see picture above) is all about stunning building and waterfront access, so not surprisingly it is home to one of the best seafood restaurants in town, the Blue Water Cafe. From oysters on the half shell to beautifully cooked local fish, everything is on offer here is paired with some great local wines such as the Martin’s Lane Naramata Ranch Riesling. The vibe is understated and the service superb. The West End area of Vancouver is home to upscale shopping and some divine hotels such as the Azul Legacy Collection, which has fun light-up fireplaces in the rooms. It also provides access the local YMCA, which I wish I had had time to use. The rooftop restaurant is called Levantine and is home to some great Middle Eastern-influenced dishes like a quartet of dips, the best of which was the hummus with crunchy chickpeas. Picture of the rooftop at the Azul below.
The Richmond
This expansive neighborhood near the Vancouver airport is dripping in Asian riches. The Chinese food is divine. Jade does a fantastic lunch with delicious dim sum alternating with fish and beef dishes. To my surprise the fabulous owner told me that in the majority of serious Chinese restaurants servers don’t circulate with carts, which what many of them used to do when I grew up in NYC. They order off a menu, which I have seen multiple times in towns with large Chinese-American populations like Daly City, outside of San Francisco.
The most serious discovery I made in Vancouver was Baan Lao, which should be on level with Michelin-starred restaurants but Michelin is not yet rating restaurants in this area of the city. The restaurant’s highly structured, multi-course tasting was stunning. The chef worked for the royal family in Bangkok and was trying to bring some of that regal razzmatazz to Vancouver. The appetizers and desserts are stunningly presented. And the appetizers, such as coconut mousse with Dungeness Crab and coconut soup with truffle pearls are delicious. The stark white room on the water is impressive setting for a glorious prix fixe (see two of the dishes below).
