Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

Almost exactly a year ago I tried the Honjin Sushi Taste of Yaletown menu . With Brix closed for a private function and therefore not taking walk-ins, I ended up at Honjin Sushi again for a very late dinner (after 9pm). Being across a courtyard opposite Urban Fare, Honjin Sushi is much less visible in Yaletown, but definitely worth a visit. Their Taste of Yaletown menu this year is much stronger than last year's, which had rice as part of your main. Nothing wrong with it, but it stopped the momentum of a great meal after some really nice appetizers and a delightful sushi roll. This year, their $29 menu (same as last year) did away with rice and yet still so very filling so that you will probably be grateful the dessert is just one scoop of ice cream. APPETIZER Honjin Tuna Tsunami Chunks of Tuna, Mango, Avocado and cucumber in a fruity spicy sauce surrounded with three pieces of Salmon Tartar: chopped salmon, avocado and cucumber served on a shisho leaf tempura OR Negitor

Follow Me Foodie is giving away THREE x $50 gift cards as part of the Taste of Yaletown promotion. All you have to do is Comment, Tweet, or Like to enter!

Meet on Main is a rather busy vegan/gluten free eatery that has apparently positioned itself very well geographically to grab the vegan / gluten-free demographic. We were there this past Friday for a 7pm dinner. Out at 9pm and the place still hadn't slowed down. The kitchen is a bit slow but the servers do keep up quite well otherwise. Décor is spacious and simple, with a remarkable amount of what looks like furniture lifted from an old high school. Not much to look at but not off-putting per se. Food generally looks "normal" -- that is, if you weren't paying attention, you might think this a regular restaurant. Some of it doesn't taste "normal", though -- mostly the pretend-to-be-meat items. Vegan pretend-meat often involves soy or tofu or something else that has a bitter aftertaste. Texture isn't bad, but taste is too far off for a meat-eater to pull a fast one on them. For vegetarians and vegans, beggars can't be choosers and they wil

Their Sushi Garden neighbors see lineups earlier, but this place does get busy on a Friday night shortly after 6pm. Despite the claustrophobic entrance, it is quite spacious. Nothing too special to look at -- simple and clean. Traditional Phat Thai ($13.95) Rice noodle or egg noodle with shrimps & scallops, ground peanuts & bean sprout in Tamarind sauce OR tomato sauce Quite a big portion! For a single person, this will probably see you stuffed. Good for sharing as a light dinner between two persons. Tasty, safe choice. Pretty big shrimps. Haw Mok Ma Phraao ($15.95 with chicken) Red curry paste with sliced coconut served in fresh young coconut If you have it to go or have leftovers packed, ask for the coconut. Otherwise they will pour it out into a styrofoam box. This was somewhat creamy-ish and pretty tasty. Good amount of curry, although it's packed into a small coconut, so it will initially look small. Good ratio of curry to content -- that is, not "w