Like most cities Vancouver has a diverse conglomeration of peoples, with a particularly high Asian population – approximately 40%, which is great because there is more variety and opportunity for the best of one of my favorite cuisines!
Garlic with Guu, 1698 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6G 1C7, Canada
I was intrigued on account of my love for garlic, I mean, how often in your life do you find a slogan, ‘Garlic is Sexy’? I was totally in. You could pass this restaurant on the street and never imagine what exists inside. The storefront is so nondescript, but the inside has so much character.
Busy, trendy, fun. The staff greets you and shouts thank you in Japanese, creating a real fun energy. Different seating options include close together tables, a separate room where you sit on the ground and take your shoes off, and a bar where you can watch all of the action. It’s a fast pace tapas joint and as soon as your order plates start flying. On a chilly day we asked the waitress for a soup recommendation and ended up with the fish cake soup.
When it came out, I almost thought they served us the wrong thing. We both believed it to be a supersized tentacle and I was slightly freaked out, but feeling adventurous decided to eat it anyway. It had a bit of elasticity to it as a squid would, but the taste was right on and the texture was more crumbly – we soon conceded that it was indeed a fishcake! It was good too. Funny, there was a slab of mush on the side of an otherwise neat bowl. I wondered with such orderly presentation how a mush like that would go unnoticed, for about half of my meal. Finally I declared that no detail would be forgotten with chefs like these, and dipped my fishcake onto it. Ahhh yes, it was wonderful wasabi!! It totally pulled the dish together and added an element of heat. The broth was clean and satisfying.
I’m always down to try new things to eat, but it’s funny the way my mind plays tricks on me. I eat sushi with raw fish. I eat poke, cubes of raw fish. They are two of my favorite food items in the world, I crave them all the time. Still, sometimes my mind makes me think that eating raw fish is uncomfortable. So when Jeff suggested trying Salmon Carpaccio I thought – ahh, a different and uncomfortable form of eating raw fish! However, this was my favorite thing we ordered! It was so incredibly fresh, tender, flavorful, and delicious!
The special of the day rockfish was served whole and I really appreciated that presentation.
The fish was flakey and had a mild heat to it. A squeeze of lemon and a pile of roe, it was right on.
Yogi Korean Snack Bar, 1706 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6G 2J7, Canada
Loved the very casual and comfortable setting. After we put our order in a small cup of complimentary soup appeared, delightfully warm as we just came off of a grey and drizzly street.
We ordered way too much food, but everything was very fresh and wholesome tasting. Starting with something I had never heard of, we split a veggie kim bab – a Korean style hand-rolled sushi, it was superb.
We split two mains, the first was a generous portion of ramen with a great level of spice. The second was a big ole’ bowl of tuna bi-bim-bab chock full of veggies and colors underneath that gorgeous egg.
This was a super pleasant and affordable meal!
The Coffee Bun, 147 Chadwick Ct, North Vancouver, BC V7M 3K2, Canada
This place is so incredibly good, I have never had anything like it. The Korean pastry is soft, yet has a delicately crunchy crust, with just a hint of coffee flavor. There are sweet and savory options for fillings and toppings. We went after dinner and split four: original (butter and salt), chocolate, oreo, and maple-nut. 
All were really scrumptious and not stuffed to heavily, making for a great light snack. Surprisingly, the original was my favorite of the bunch! It’s simple sweet and saltiness was just so right. As I sip my coffee this morning, I so wish I had one of these which would be perfect for any time of day. The buns are baked daily which explains how fresh they tasted and made with no artificial additives.