We found ourselves in the mood for some good, good Chinese food as opposed to the dirty, greasy stuff one usually associates with takeout and finds equally appealing.

Yes, this time around we felt like an authentic experience, and word of mouth as well as some basic internet research brought The Pink Pearl to our attention. So we ventured down East Hastings in the dark of night to seek it out.

The Pink Pearl is huge- a great rectangular expanse with white walls and traditional Chinese decor. It reminded me of a convention centre, actually. This was part of the experience. Our server here was very cordial, and food arrived course after course seamlessly. It seemed the serving staff were slightly telepathic.

While the Pink Pearl describes itself as a Chinese Seafood restaurant, there are still plenty of items on the expansive menu that feature poultry, beef, pork and vegetarian dishes. We were boggled at the selection and took a long time to order, passing up Peking duck (a little too hard on the wallet) for other classic fare such as wonton soup, ginger beef, lemon chicken and seafood. I would have dearly loved to eat the braised abalone, however the price and the scarcity held me back. The food lived up to and exceeded our expectations- we were very pleased. The Pink Pearl is deserving of its reputations as one of the best Chinese restaurants in Vancouver.

Address:

1132 E. Hastings St.
Vancouver, BC
604-253-4316

The Boathouse is one of those restaurants where you know exactly what to expect: the food will be pretty good, the menu items have catchy names, and the servers are good looking.

There is no risk here folks- this is a tried, tested and true dining experience -safe and satisfying. There are several locations throughout the lower mainland after all.

Now after that lengthy bit, I’ll get into the setting. The Boathouse English Bay is on a prime piece of Vancouver real estate. The view really doesn’t get much better than this. There is an ample (but tightly packed) outdoor patio (or deck, as they call it)- equipped with shields and roofing should the weather take a turn for the worse. There is no better place to be enjoying beer or wine, some food and looking out on a spectacular ocean vista. The restaurant inside is nice as well, but it’s really all about the patio. The Boathouse also has a bar with pub fare. We haven’t tried this, but figure it’s pretty good.

The Boathouse is seafood-centric, with a menu including items such as fresh-shucked oysters, and fish, mussels and their underwater comrades prepared every which way- there is no apparent focus more specific than fruit of the sea, and that’s ok. For the seafood averse, there are fallbacks like chicken and Caesar salad. Somehow, and I have NO idea how this happened, I wound up with pasta- but I think there was seafood in it. Regardless of this, I wasn’t overly impressed and neither was my party- but we weren’t looking to be impressed. When all was said and eaten, we left the restaurant satisfied, our wallets a little lighter, but not by too much, and we had appreciated a great view. Again- it’s about the patio.

Address:

1795 Beach Avenue
Vancouver, BC
604-669-2225