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Vancouver, BC: Got Kids?
Things we did during our week in Vancouver, BC (Canada) with kids!
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De 5-sterrenreview van Lori: PLAY ABOVE THE TREETOPS There are three main attractions here that are included with your admission ticket: The suspension bridge, The Cliffwalk, and the Treetops Adventure Hike. Bring your AAA card to get 10% off your admission (or check with your hotel), and look on your receipt, they might have coupons for Grouse Mountain tickets. HOURS: 8:30a-8pm during the summer when we went. If you don't want the bridge to shake, get there at 8:30am when you can have the bridge all to yourself. Once the tour buses start rolling in, the bridge starts jumping. PARKING: $5, pay in the lot across the street from the entrance. PRICE: (June 2015): $37.95 adult, $12 child (children under 6 are free), senior $34.95 THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE 450ft across, 230ft above the Capilano River. This was actually the focal point of our entire trip, the only day where everybody was all there at the same time. The bridge was wide enough for maybe 3 people to walk side by side comfortably, and it took a minute or two to briskly walk across. We got to take a few pictures with all of us on the mid-point of the bridge, but my Dad started getting motion sick so he turned around and went back to non-moving land. We had a few scared looking faces in the picture, not really Christmas card material anyway. That was the end of our complete group picture opportunity. The rest of us made it to the end of the bridge so we could do the Treetops Aventure. If you go across the bridge, you will have to come back across at some point to get back to your car. TREETOPS ADVENTURE This is a hike with steps, elevation changes, and seven more suspension bridges connected by multiple platforms that soar 100ft above the forest floor. There is a bathroom on this side of the bridge with flushing toilets and running water. There's even a snack bar with ice cream on this side of the bridge. The kids went wild on this side, it was like one giant treehouse. So again, no Christmas card opportunity since we were never all in the same tree at the same time. They have a free "Kids Rainforest Explorer" program similar to the Junior Ranger program in National Parks; kids have to find answers to questions on a "test". This helps them think about what they are looking at instead of just walking aimlessly tree to tree, and it is educational for the parents too. This portion of the park took maybe an hour or so, then we walked back over the main suspension bridge (which was now packed and rocking side to side as we made our way back to land). CLIFFWALK Open in June 2011, this is the parks newest addition, and to me it was way more scary than the suspension bridge. It does NOT move. It is somehow anchored into the treetop so tightly that you don't even realize you are suspended in mid air unless you look down. Let me make something very clear. This is ONE LANE, ONE WAY. You start on one side, and you exit the other side. If you freak out halfway, just walk really fast to the other side. DO NOT TURN AROUND and try to come back. This is too narrow for two people to fit. There was one lady that I wanted to ninja chop when I saw her coming the wrong way. Other than that, it was pretty cool. It turns out that my Dad (remember, the motion sick one) went on CliffWalk a few times while we were playing in the Treetops, and since it doesn't move, he liked it, so he went on Cliffwalk with all of us. I finally took a picture of all of us on Cliffwalk but then realized my Mom was missing. GIFTSHOP/SNACK BAR My mom took a detour through the gift shop. This is one of Vancouver's top attractions, so we had to check it out. Pricey? Yes, but Grouse Mountain was even pricier, so if I had to choose between the two, I'd come to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. -
De 5-sterrenreview van Lori: MUST BIKE or RUN along this Seawall. For me this was the most memorable part of our trip. The seawall is a 9km trip around the perimeter of Stanley park. I don't normally ride a bike, so to have all this gorgeous seawall with a designated bike path was amazing. I did the entire roundtrip with my sister/BIL and two kids (ages 7&9) without too many problems. 1. There is a separate path for bikers and rollerbladers/joggers. Make sure you know which path is yours because you will be quickly put in your place if on the wrong place. 2. The flow of traffic is counter clockwise. 3. Some portions of the bike path are very narrow and only fit one bike comfortably, but be prepared to let other bikers pass (especially under the bridge area). 4. When you see kids on bikes, expect the unexpected. They stop suddenly, they fall off their bikes suddenly and some of them don't normally even get to ride bikes that often so they aren't very good at steering and stopping. 5. Many tourists are doing this for the scenery. Many locals are doing this for the workout. Be courteous and let the speedy ones pass you. 6. Stop on the grass to take pictures. It's gorgeous. Plan on taking longer than you think because there are so many stops along the way to take great panoramic shots. 2 hours is about how long it took us and we stopped at just about every stop along the way. You can also park in Stanley Park and stop at each lookout point (don't forget to pay for parking) but I'm glad the kids wanted to bike around Stanley Park because this was something I'll never forget. Absolutely gorgeous. -
De 4-sterrenreview van Lori: BEAUTIFUL VIEWS overlooking VANCOUVER, but you will PAY $$$$ There are two ways to get up to the top of this mountain: 2+hr hike up Grouse Grind (4000ft+ elevation change) ...or 8min gondola ride. We were on a time crunch and had kids and seniors with us so we chose to ride the gondola. Maybe next time I'll do the hike. Or not. PARKING: must pay for parking ADMISSION: $$$$ must pay for admission to ride the gondola up. We had coupons for a few dollars off admission from our Capilano Suspension Bridge receipt, which didn't do much damage to our whopping bill. Winter and summer prices are different. We went in June when there isn't much to do up there and it was still expensive. Check out www.grousemountain.com/general-admission-membership for prices, but just to give you an idea: adult gondola ride $43.95. For a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids under 19), $113.95. Kids under 4 are free. In addition to the gondola, which takes you up to the level of the lumberjack show, the grizzly experience and a few snack shops, we also went up the chair lift, which was an additional cost. (family of 4 total cost to use the gondola and chair lift=$121.95) VIEWS: they are absolutely fantastic if you go on a clear day. The gondola can pack in 100 people but only has seats for about 10. The views at that first level are great but the views at the top of the chair lift are even better! ACTIVITIES (summer) Once off the gondola, they have a zipline experience - a dual line 5-line course that takes about 2 hours to complete (for an additional charge, of course). They run every 30 minutes. The grizzly experience is two grizzly bears in an enclosure. The lumberjack show runs twice a day. We were at the top of the chair lift during the show but we could hear the laughing from the top of the mountain. My mom saw it and said it was a comedy show. The chair lift is a nice and quiet 4-person/chair ride. Since I've never taken the kids skiing, this was their first experience on a real chair lift and they stayed really really still the whole ride. I've never seen my kids sit still for that long. The "Eye of the Wind" is a trip up to the center of a non working windmill, and I'm glad we skipped that part because it didn't look all that great. FOOD/SHOP They had a cafeteria style eatery which served decent ski lodge type food, and there were two shops to spend more money on Grouse mountain souvenirs. Be careful, they will rip you off at every chance they have. I think this place is definitely worth coming to...however, if you are on a tight budget, skip this place because we had 10+ people in our group, dropped a ton of cash to spend less than 4 hrs at this place. -
De 4-sterrenreview van Lori: We had kids ages 1 through 10 and they each found things that fascinated them during our 4hr visit (which included lunch). This was a very neat place to spend a rainy cold Vancouver morning. Compared to the other science museums we've gone to in the US, I thought this one was pretty good. There were age-appropriate areas for toddlers all the way up through maybe early-middle school. If my kids wrote this review they would write about the balls they threw into the water way, the balls they pushed into the vacuum maze, the dinosaur room, the live bee colony, the hippo hanging on a fulcrum, or the fiber optics displays. Kids are gonna love it no matter what. Here are some adult tips: 1. KIDS. Yep there's tons of kids here, and they cry, ride strollers, and run around. If you don't like kids, don't come here, or wait until they have "after dark" type events. I never used to visit these types of places until AFTER I had kids, and I would never come here without them. 2. Architecture lab. A whole room dedicated to building things with little wooden planks, just to see how fast your little one will knock it down. I think they enjoy the demolition more than the construction. Right outside this architecture lab is a brain wave game. Two people sit across each other with their foreheads on a sensor. The object of the game is to create "alpha" waves by getting rid of all your mind chatter. If you can create this artificial "nirvana" in your head by blocking out all the noise surrounding you, your alpha waves will roll all the way across the table...If not, your opponent will roll the ball all the way into your side. Talk about playing mind games. 3. Smart window. This window has liquid crystals which allow you to see through the window when you turn the switch on because the electricity running through the crystals aligns them all up nicely. When you turn the switch off, the window is opaque, because the crystals are randomly dispersed. Or something. It was wild. 4. RECIPROCATE membership! We brought our Hawaii science museum membership card (check ASTC.org) which reciprocates with this Science World so we got in free (saving my family $85). 5. PARKING. We paid for parking by the hour in the adjacent lot. After we were done we headed over to Chinatown to see the Sun Yat Sen garden which was only a few blocks away. Kids loved it. -
De 5-sterrenreview van Lori: We rented bikes twice during our vacation! There are bike rental places on every corner but Yes Cycle is closest to Stanley Park so this very convenient, as you don't have to cross any major intersections to get to the park (only one minor stop sign and you're in the park). PRICE: The longer you rent, the cheaper it gets per hour ie: $7/hr, $18/3hr. Daily rates avail too and they bill by the 15min increment too (so if it's 75min, you don't pay for the full 2hrs). You leave a blank credit card auth, and they shred it when you come back. What's great is you don't have to tell them how long you want to ride, just take your time, and come back when you're finished. Both times we rented the bikes, it was just under two hours. We had kids ages 7 to 70 years old and they have bikes and helmets for everyone. They have a baby seat you can pack your kid if they're under 45lbs. They have training wheel bikes, attached carriers, tandem bikes for adults, and the tandem attachment where you can put a kid bike on the back of the adult bike. They have baskets too so don't forget to ask for one to hold your stuff. My daughter is 7 and she wanted to ride the 2 wheel by herself. When we took the route towards Coal Harbor and Canada Place she was fine. Paths were big and not too crowded in the morning. On our second trip we did the Seawall route around Stanley Park and the paths are narrow, with lots of bikers (doing it for their workout, not for the scenery) who will overtake you on the narrow pathways and this freaked her out. There were even some parts with two way bike traffic on the narrow path, which is when she freaked out and decided she wanted to walk her bike back. (But you know I made her ride back right?) She wants to go again today but she wants to ride the tandem so she doesn't have to steer or brake. Staff here is excellent. I never rented a bike from anywhere else but I would definitely come here again. Make sure you follow the signs and stay on bike paths and obey the rules or you will get yelled at by other bikers, rollerbladers, and joggers. -
De 4-sterrenreview van Lori: While not necessarily the best place to TAKE kids, if you HAVE kids, this place has two floors of stores with kids stuff. So if you want to buy something cool for a kid, this is your place. If you bring that kid here, be prepared to drop a ton of money...because they will want everything from every store. For instance, we went upstairs to use the bathroom and ended up buying a $65 sandal for my daughter which she will probably outgrow by the end of summer. I would never do that in real life, but vacation makes you do strange things that you regret when the credit card bill comes later. What other kinds of stuff can you buy here? Overpriced Magic stuff, books, stuffed animals, toys, shoes, kites, stamps, clothes, and more. You could get all your Christmas shopping done here in one trip! There's also a mini play area (think mini Chuck E Cheese) and a small arcade for the kids, as well as an outdoor lake with ducks. LOCATED: Granville Island near the entrance (the Public Market is toward the back). PARKING: 3hr free (once per day). They monitor this closely so move your car after 3hrs into a paid space if you need more time. I didn't think we would need more time but we had lunch at Vancouver Fish House (which took foreverrrr), and also did the Public Market at Granville and the AquaBus tour of False Creek while we were down there. -
De 4-sterrenreview van Lori: June is not salmon season, so we didn't see salmon. The hatchery is a nice peaceful place surrounded with waterfalls and natural beauty. No tours, no workers anywhere, no TV screens...just a few displays and plaques to read about the life of a salmon. We didn't even see juveniles or salmon eggs. Nothing. It was quite uneventful. However, I've been to this place before when the salmon were jumping and it was an amazing sight to see. This place is FREE, so if it is salmon season, and the fish are jumping, I'd recommend checking it out. If it's not salmon season, you could skip it and not be missing out on much. P.S. There are other hatcheries that allow you to catch (and keep) their fish, but this isn't one of them. -
Vancouver, BC, Canada
De 4-sterrenreview van Lori: 3.5 stars but I'm on vacation so I'm rounding up. Food is pretty good, service was pretty slow, despite our early 5:30 seating which wasn't too crazy. Water glasses went empty for the entire meal (I'm a huge water drinker so this is my biggest issue), we asked for salt which never came, and didn't get checked on during our meal. MIXED GRILL $32. Sockeye salmon, scallops, and shrimp were very good. Recommend, but it needed a little more salt, which I never received. SMOKED BLACK COD. Wow this was also very good. CHICKEN TAGLIATELLE. Chicken was tender and seasoned well. No need for extra salt with this. KIDS MENU. They struck gold here. Fish & chips, grilled cheese, grilled salmon (extra $2), chicken strips, tagliatelle pasta, and it's comes with a Shirley Temple and ice cream for $10! Location: inside Stanley Park near the tennis courts and right by the Pitch n Putt. Parking: MUST PAY FOR PARKING! We paid for a daily pass ($11/day during the summer) when we went to the Aquarium this morning so that ticket was good all day while inside the park. Common theme for ALL OF STANLEY PARK: you must pay for parking. We learned our lesson the first day when we got a $40 parking ticket after stopping for 10min in a parallel parking space near the totem poles. I think I'm going to make a list titled: "Stanley Park: MUST PAY FOR PARKING" and this will be my first in that series. -
De 5-sterrenreview van Lori: APARTMENT LIVING in Westend LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION! At first glance when we drove up I thought OMG what did we book ourselves into. The front is hidden behind trees, and there's no driveway to unload the luggage. Get over it, this is a true hidden GEM. Not "Four Seasons" worthy 5-stars, but 5-stars for best in it's class (similar to Fairfield/Homewood/Hampton Suites, etc), and great location. Check in first, get your remote clicker to get into the underground parking garage and then unload your stuff. This place is a small boutique 4-story hotel that allows you to walk everywhere because of it's nice central location. There is only 1 elevator, and it requires a room key to get up. There are a few steps to navigate after the elevator, FYI (if you have a wheelchair or stroller). The fourth floor units have high ceilings and more light than lower floors. I would have loved to stay here longer! SHOPPING 15min walk to Lululemon's brand new flagship store (corner of Burrard/Robson), passing a ton of trendy stores along the way like FCUK, JCrew, Sephora, Club Monaco, Forever 21, and luggage stores so you can bring back everything you just purchased. EATING 1min walk to: Guu with Garlic, Hokkaido Santouka Ramen, Safeway, McDonalds 3min walk to: Whole Foods, BC liquor 5min walk to: Tavola and a whole range of cute eateries. You will not go hungry looking for food in this neighborhood. LIVING The "suite" reminds me of upscale just-after college apartment living. We paid $160/night and got: Hardwood floors, lots of nice natural sunlight, an enclosed balcony, a tiny office with a desk, a small kitchen with full refrigerator/stove/sink, living room with pull out sofabed, dining table, small bedroom with an extra wide king sized bed w/queen sized headboard and stackable washer dryer. Bathroom was small but separate from the bedroom and living room. The doors are thin, I could hear my kids talking when I was in the hallway. It was very quiet all night, no car traffic noises and because this is a small hotel, there wasn't a lot of foot traffic or doors slamming like in larger hotels. I did hear seagulls starting around 6am. FREE WIFI Thank goodness for this because my cell phone didn't really have any data connection except at the hotel. FREE PARKING There is secured parking underground, accessed through two automatic gates you control with the remote they give you upon check-in. We never took our car out because everything was walking distance away! OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES Yes Cycle is one block away--so you can rent a bike or jog around Stanley Park or cruise the sea wall. -
De 5-sterrenreview van Lori: DAISO Where have you been all my life? I must be the last person on this planet to set foot in The Daiso. This hugely popular Japanese chain expanded to Aberdeen Center in Richmond, BC in 2003, with two stories and 26,400 sq ft of space to shop for things you didn't think you would ever need but must buy because it is so damn cute and cheap and Japanese. HOURS: 9:30am to 9pm daily. Note that the mall has shorter hours, so you can shop here before/after the mall closes. For my Hawaii friends who don't know what this store is about, Daiso is like a Don Quijote/Shirokiya/Marukai meets Ikea store with almost everything in the store CAD$2 (US$1.57 using credit card when we went). My friends tell me in LA it's US$1.50, but I've never even been to the ones in SF or LA or Seattle. There are some items that are marked with a green tag that cost more, but everything I saw was still under $10. Everything is so random here. Disposable underwear, mechanical pencils, electric erasers, scissors, waterproof eyeliner, facial masks, pillboxes, pressure point massagers, toilet scrubbers, laundry bags, Canada souvenirs, stationery, dishes, snacks from japan, hair clippers, pet food, footballs, and more. Unlike the dollar stores or Pricebusters stores in the US which normally just sell crap, the stuff here is good stuff. You just have to walk up and down to find something calling out your name. For me it was the pens and pencils. I just love Japanese ball point pens and pencils, can't stand all the gel ink stuff that we get in the US. I'm not usually a shopper, but bumping into this store made my day. I had to go back twice in one day because there's no way you can take it all in the first time. I only wish I had found this store in the beginning of our trip instead of at the end. -
De 4-sterrenreview van Lori: We were looking for something fun for the kids to do after Granville Island so we took the harbor cruise. $8 adults/$4 kids for half an hour wasn't a bad deal at all. They take cash up front or credit card (upon arrival). We didn't use this as a means of transportation so I'm not sure if they run on time or are more efficient than driving, but the boats are cute and colorful and they all have their own personalities. Staff was excellent!
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De 4-sterrenreview van Lori: 4.5 stars! We stayed here on our last night before we flew out of Vancouver airport (YVR). This is a great location if you need to be close to the airport either on your first night or last night in Vancouver. LOCATION: This hotel is located in Richmond, about a 5-8min drive from YVR. It is located about a 20-30 min drive to Stanley Park, and a 45 min drive to Capilano/Grouse. It is directly across (walking distance) from Aberdeen Center, which is a 99.5% Asian shopping center, and surrounded by a plethora of Asian food restaurants. I am Asian, but I wasn't Asian enough to fit in with the crowd at Aberdeen. Anyway, back to the hotel. It was everything you would expect from an airport hotel location. PRO: 1. Free shuttle to/from the airport (we used this twice-we returned the rental car at night, and then again in the morning when we went to the airport) 2. Free wifi 3. Free bottled water in room 4. We stayed in a 1bdrm suite, for $210 through Expedia, so we had a refrigerator, bar area, and a living room. 5. Kiosk downstairs prints out real card stock boarding passes, no charge. 6. Sleep Number Beds. Google it if you've never heard of it. It was my first time and I loved it. CON: 1. Can't really think of anything. While close to the airport, it is not close to the tourist attractions in Vancouver. But just like you wouldn't stay at a hotel near LAX to go to Disneyland, same thing here. This is a hotel near the YVR airport. -
De 4-sterrenreview van Lori: BACON. Must eat Canadian Bacon in Canada Do you ever make a list of things you want to do when in a new city? I do. That was one of them. YUKON BREAKFAST That is the first thing listed on the menu so that's what I ordered. The 6 slices of Yukon bacon are thinly sliced maple smoked round strips of (Canadian) bacon, and they cook this very well. Yummmm. It wasn't crispy like American bacon, but more like a thick prosciutto, fried. It was a great addition to the eggs, hashbrown and thick cut toast/bread. I don't know why our "Canadian bacon" in the US looks more like round ham, because our version looks nothing like this. EGGS BENEDICT So this dish was also very good but my husband had to steal some of my bacon because he said he wanted to taste the bacon flavor without the sauce. Grrr. Get your own bacon. PANCAKES This was also a hit with the kids, but you can get pancakes anywhere. Get the bacon. NO RESERVATIONS We got to the restaurant at 8am when they opened so it wasn't crowded, but I've heard that later in the day the wait can get quite long, in part due to the exposure they got on triple D. LOCATION No visible sign from the road. If you are on Marine Drive, turn south on Phillip and it will be on your left, behind the Mercedes dealership. We drove past it three times before finding it. Look for the white totem poles that look like they are in front of a house. That's the entrance. The kids said one of the totem poles looks like it's saying "put your seatbelt on". There is a lot of unique aboriginal art to see here, so it's a cool place unlike anything we have back home. Thanks to fellow Hawaii yelper Dean H. for recommending this place! If you're in the area, go check out this place that is the oldest family-run eatery in Canada, serving people since 1926. -
De 5-sterrenreview van Lori: AWESOME DIM SUM and THEN SOME I heard Vancouver was known for their incredible dim sum but we did not find anything good in Chinatown. I didn't realize that Richmond, BC was like a little extension of Hong Kong, especially right there on the top floor of the Aberdeen Center. This was probably the best dim sum experience I've had, and it didn't even involve old ladies pushing carts around yelling out things in Chinese (like what I'm used to). Thank you to my yelp friends Rob L, and Lyla D. who recommended this place over all the rest. HOURS: We went on a Sunday at 10am. No. We went at 9:45am and had a reservation at 10am, so they took us in before they opened. (Ancient Chinese secret: This will help you avoid the long lines that occur later in the mid morning while the first seating finishes up their meals. Use a Chinese name when making reservations.) They are open for dinner but stop serving dim sum at 5pm. ORDERING: They give you a long slip of paper and you have to sort of play "blackout bingo" as Lyla calls it. You mark which things you want, and what quantity/size. They bring everything out made to order, so you will have to wait for your food for a little bit before your food starts arriving. When we ordered, we were better off pointing to the yelp pictures to order our food, as the slip of paper was in Chinese with weird English translations "pork rice roll=char siu look fun". Oh if one person asks for tea, you will be charged $1/person for tea even if the other 3 people don't drink tea. Everything we ordered was delicious. Most of the dishes were in the $5 range but somehow we managed to order $145 food for 3 of us and I'd do it all over again. -
De 4-sterrenreview van Lori: My lululemon addiction started at their original store a few blocks down the street back in 2005. That was back in the day of diamond gussets and thick luon. Ah those were the days. Now I like their street clothes, outerwear, and underwear better than the workout clothes. This location (Burrard/Robson) is a good sized store, so my one suggestion would be to put all the sale stuff together. They disperse their sale stuff though out the store so you really have to look for deals. I rarely pay full price, because this stuff is so expensive... I only had 10 minutes to shop til closing, and I like to see what's on sale first right away before browsing the full priced stuff. The sales girls couldn't really tell me where the sale items were, and they didn't know if they had any "Canada only" styles or colors. Pfft. On this trip I also went to the lulu store in Park Royal which had different items on sale which were easier to get to, all in one rack. But they too didn't know if they had Canadian only designs/colors. The price tags are all the same prices as US prices, so with the conversion, it's a slightly better deal for those of us with US credit cards. -
De 5-sterrenreview van Lori: CASH ONLY. This place is located in Aberdeen Mall in their famous food court on the top floor. Frappe Bliss sells Taiwanese snow ice. It's delicious. They shave a block of already flavored ice, so there are no fake syrups like traditional shave ice. The different flavors of snow ice are not overly sweet, and the toppings are fresh. My sister and I had only a limited amount of cash on hand, so we ordered one Dream of Eden and one Thai Sensation. Although the "Eden" is their #1 seller, the Thai Sensation should not be overlooked. THAI SENSATION If you like mango sticky rice at Thai restaurants, you MUST get the Thai Sensation. I can't even remember all the different ingredients, all I know is it was a flavor explosion in my mouth and I am craving this right now. Think mango, coconut milk, milk flavored snow ice, azuki beans, and condensed milk. If I had more cash, I would have gotten another one. -
De 5-sterrenreview van Lori: I called in the order and when we got there, the restaurant was empty at 8:15pm on a Wednesday night. I thought that was a bad sign but when we got home the food was fantastic. Maybe this area is more a lunch crowd? PALAAK PANEER. The spinach tasted fresher (and was greener) than what I'm used to. Excellent dish, generous take out portions. LAMB VINDALOO. Ordered this one with a little kick, and this was also prepared well. BUTTER CHICKEN. Super flavorful. Good chunks of tikka chicken. I loved it. Love love this place. -
De 5-sterrenreview van Lori: 5-star experience at a small hidden gem. You could totally bike past this place and never know it was here. We walked right to where the GPS sent us and we still couldn't figure out where it was, because the entrance was hiding behind some trees in a quiet neighborhood. I found this place on Yelp by searching "nearby" dinner, so thank you to the yelpers who sent me here! I made reservations by emailing Brad (the owner?), who was prompt at responding and letting us in right when they opened. Brad was so helpful in explaining the menu, the area, the city, and he pretty much oriented us to the town on our first night in Vancouver. Thank you Brad. I'm gonna cut right to the chase: BURRATA PLATE with Prosciutto - holy cow. must get this. Wine list was excellent, with some Sardinian wines my hubby had never seen before. Kids menu was non existent but they did make some pasta dishes for the kids who rated it "100 stars" so it must have been really really good pasta. My parents were also impressed with the food here so everybody was happy. They even have a gluten free pasta, which I forgot to order because I had the brick chicken! All the entrees were served sort of family style so everyone could try a little bit of everything. They have house made pastas, so everything is fresh. Try the gnocchi if you like soft pillows of dough. Ambience is cute and cozy inside, with additional outdoor seating and blankets for nights when it gets cold. Dress can be casual, service was top notch, food was excellent. If you're looking for Italian food, I'd definitely recommend checking this place out, dot forget to order the BURRATA.
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De 5-sterrenreview van Lori: For $39.95/day (less than $32 USD) I got a brand new Honda Civic for a couple of days. They also advertised luxury cars which they might have at another location if you reserve ahead of time. They had a small number of cars on site (about 5 civics, a few larger cars and a truck) which was enough for what I was looking for. It was nice to rent from a small place since normally we rent cars from the large companies like Alamo, Avis, and have to wait in long lines to get the keys and long lines to get out of the airport etc. My entire extended family rented a house nearby and we had too many butts to fit comfortably into the other 2 vehicles we had, so having this car rental place nearby was very convenient. LOCATION: North Vanvouver on Marine Drive, near Capilano. SERVICE: Excellent service on the phone and in person. They also have pickup and drop off service to nearby locations. Note: They put a $500 hold on my credit card during the rental period, and they took pictures of the car at every angle before they gave me the keys. So I took pictures of the car before I drove off the lot and then again when I returned it too. -
De 3-sterrenreview van Lori: Ordered take out from here on our way back from biking Stanley park. This is located near Yes Cycle on Denman Street, a few stores down from an all you can eat Mongolian BBQ place. If I had to do it again, I would go to the AYCE Mongolian place. If you know me and my Thai food, that's a huge statement. PAD THAI CHICKEN. This may not be fair but this is the dish (along with green curry) that I always order at every single Thai restaurant and it is the dish that I use to compare each eatery. Their version of Pad Thai had white noodles, with a few hidden pieces of chicken, a sprinkling of egg and peanuts. There was hardly any flavoring or sauce, which would have been okay if I had ordered curry but my sister ordered, and she didn't get curry. PAD SEE EW BEEF. This dish in the US has large flat noodles. Maybe in Canada this dish always comes with flat noodles, I don't know...but here the see ew noodles were the same as the Pad Thai noodles (skinny), but they added a brownish sauce and a few broccoli. It sort of just tasted like beef stir fry. Nothing wrong with that unless you are expecting large flat noodles with broccoli. MANGO STICKY RICE. This is the shining star here. Moral of the story: If you come here, don't order the Pad Thai.
