The Famous Warehouse

One sunny day I decided to take a walk down Granville St and let the fates decide my lunch destination. I realized that I don't walk down Granville all that often, so I wasn't really sure what would catch my eye.  It turns out that this did:



Five dollar lunch? Really?  Could that be true?  Could it be any good if it is true?  Fate had lead me to The Famous Warehouse to find out! 

Giovane

The only thing that makes me happier at lunch than a good sandwich, is a good sandwich that comes with a surprise side of assorted pickled goodness. Giovane made me very happy.

India Abroad

India Abroad is a food fair stall in the weirdest food fair that I have been to. Most of the food fairs that I have been to have been attached to a mall. The International Cuisine Food Fair is a stand alone fair tucked into the businesses along Hornby Street, across from the YWCA. And international it is. You can get Greek, Italian, Japanese, East Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Vietnamese and Sandwiches. This trip was for Indian.

Miyako Sushi

The downtown core of Vancouver has around 50 sushi restaurants. You would think that much selection would make it easy to replace my (old) favorite lunchtime sushi restaurant since the office move. I certainly don't mind trying new places, but I want to find THE ONE. The good, reliable one that I can go to over and over when I don't feel like something new. My criteria for the one is available seating, good lunchtime specials, a clean bathroom and quick- but polite- service. I think I have found a contender in Miyako Sushi on West Pender.

Olympia Bar & Grill

I wasn't sure where to go to eat one day so I started towards Granville Street to see what caught my fancy. I chose the Olympia Bar & Grill because I am pretty sure this location used to be a Taco Time when I lived downtown. That amused me, so I went in to check it out. I like not knowing what is going to happen when wandering into a random restaurant. Will it be an amazing? Will it be a giant mistake? Find out what happened, after the jump.

Sapporo Ramen Shogun

I struggled with this review because the most interesting thing about Sapporo Ramen Shogun is the name. It makes me think of drunken kung-fu fighters. The name is cool, the food is...okay. Review done!

Just kidding. I took some pictures.

Mom's Grilled Cheese Truck

Doesn't that name tell you everything about this food truck? I was so happy to hear that a grilled cheese truck would be hitting the streets in the last round of street truck additions. Even more happy that they are one of the closest ones to my work. Total win for me and for everyone who eats there, really. Mom's Grilled Cheese Truck is located on the Howe St. side of the art gallery, Monday through Friday at lunchtimes.

Steamrollers- Hornby

I want to like Steamrollers more than I do. I am a huge fan of burritos, especially Mission style burritos. Big M used to live across from a Steamrollers and he waxes poetic about their Christmas turkey and cranberry burritos. Me, meh.

Casablanca Mediterranean Cuisine

Back when I worked in Gastown, in my before days, I used to have Shawarma Tuesdays (and sometimes Thursdays as well). I love shawarma. I love the smell, the rotating chicken cooker thing, watching the chicken fall as it is cut off the rotisserie, yummy sauce, hummus, I love everything about it. A shawarma plate would be the food that I would pick to be with me on a deserted island. To be specific, I would choose the shawarma plate from Casablanca Mediterranean Cuisine.

Never heard of it? I guess you haven't been spending too much in the Harbour Center Mall food court. Amid the 1985 glory of neon lights and mirrored ceilings is my favorite shawarma shop.

Joyeaux Cafe & Restaurant

Joyeaux Cafe & Restaurant, from the outside, looks like one of those places that serves everything but doesn't seem to focus on anything. Going from what you can read when you pass the outside you can get: breakfast, lunch, snacks, salad bar, dinner, all day breakfast and authentic Vietnamese. I am a bit wary of the serve everything under the sun places as but, I heard this was the closest soup restaurant and I was looking for some pho.

Urban Grill & Urban Sushi

One of the first things I did when our office moved was to find a new sushi joint. There is certainly no shortage by my office. According to Urbanspoon, there are 53 downtown sushi restaurants. How do you start? I went to the closest one. That would be Urban Grill and Urban Sushi on Granville St.

Mario's Coffee Express

We have been in our new office building for just over two weeks now and Mario's Coffee Express is fast becoming a favorite, quick lunch spot with my coworkers. Tucked into a building on Howe and Dunsmuir St, it would be easy to miss except for the signs outside claiming "the best coffee in town". Every time I see this type of sign I want to run into the restaurant and re-enact the scene from Elf. Awesome. I have yet to do that, but I did stop in for a "famous grilled sandwich" (no video clip available)

Gyudon Ya

Gyudon Ya is a Japanese fast food restaurant on the corner of Robson and Richards. For all you old-skool Vancouverites, it is the Cafe Sil Vous Plait location. (I miss their cornbread.) They used to be very recognizable from their giant orange canopy outside the restaurant but I guess they decided to tone it down and now the signage is red. They serve one thing, Gyudon-a Japanese dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with beef and onion simmered in a mildly sweet sauce.

Peaceful Restaurant (Davie)

I am going to be upfront and say I really wanted to like this restaurant. I love handmade noodle shops. I love meals in soup. I really thought that Peaceful Restaurant on Davie was going to be an awesome meal. Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives went to the Broadway location when they came to town. I will also admit that I may have made a menu mistake and maybe something else would have made me come away with a better experience. That being said, I was sadly let down by this lunch.

Something Healthy Wholesome Meals & Juice Bar

That is some name! No beating around the bush with what you are going to get here. Something Healthy Wholesome Meals & Juice Bar was a surprise to me. I ride my bike past it almost everyday, yet I didn't realize it was there until I stumbled across a description of the restaurant on another website. I was quite excited to try it as I am always on the lookout for good, affordable and healthy lunch options. It can't always be ramen...

Something Healthy is located down the street from International Village Mall in one of the new condo buildings. I am assuming they are fairly new as their website is nothing but a place holder, which I find strange in this day and age. There are a few pizza joints on this block and the Skytrain exit is right across the street so I imagine they must get some street walk ins.

Red Burrito (Robson)

I was playing around on the Urbanspoon site the other day trying to figure out where to go for lunch and a sidebar add came up showing a burrito. Perfect, as soon as I saw it, I could think of nothing but burritos. One of the closest burrito places to me is Red Burrito on Robson. Big M is a big fan of the Red Burrito on Commercial and he used to get burritos from there all the time when we lived on 5th. I hadn't been to the Robson location yet, so it was the natural choice.

The Noodle Box (Yaletown)

I had no idea that they had opened up a Noodle Box near my work in Yaletown until I read a Georgia Straight article about another restaurant opening near by.  So excited!  The Noodle Box in Kitsilano had been on my wish list for a while as I love noodles, but I rarely get to Kits.  I was so excited about the Yaletown opening that I took Big M there for a lunch date. 

Verace Pizzeria Napoletana and Enoteca

I am so happy that Vancouver is having a pizzeria explosion. Food on top of dough is almost as good as food wrapped in dough. Verace Pizzeria Napoletana and Enoteca is the newest offering within walking distance of my work, right beside the T&T Market, across from International Village Mall.

Ramen Jinya

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about Ramen Jinya before it opened. They are located in the strip of restaurants just down from the Library on Robson; the old Ezogiku Noodle spot. They were also a ramen joint and I was never really pleased with their soup. My anticipation was building every time I went by the remodel, however, as they had a giant poster in the window stating that Ramen Jinya was named "one of the 10 best dishes of 2010 in LA". Well, high praise indeed and after my first taste of my soup, I was a believer.

Nelson the Seagull

Nelson the Seagull. I love this restaurant name. Something about having a proper name in there makes me think there is some kind of back-story. Was Nelson a pet bird of the family that saved their Grandmother's life and therefore deserves eternal fame and glory? I tried to get more information from their website, but it is in desperate need of an update. The best background I could find was from a Scout Magazine article from early summer. So, not as dramatic as my idea, but still pretty cool.

Initial impression: if you are a hipster and you need a really tasty sandwich or a place to hang out, drink coffee and ponder your next art installation- Nelson the Seagull is for you.