Went to Vancouver in September and wanted to share a quick recap.
- Nero Tondo – Fantastic meal here. Highly recommend. Everything was great, food, drink, service, staff, space. Really lovely night out. On Saturdays, they also do a late-night menu geared toward industry folks who are just getting off their shift. We were there late enough to catch the beginning of that service and enjoyed some awesome hot cakes (after having just finished our full meal). Dinner menu below, though I think this changes frequently.
- Niwa – Also had a fantastic meal here. I ranked this slightly below Nero Tondo, but others in my group disagreed so ymmv. Regardless of which one is better, they are both strongly recommended.
- Hyderabad Biryani House – I went here thanks to @hungryhungryhippos recommendation. I unfortunately didn’t have time to do a full meal, but wanted to stop in to try the mango lassi at a minimum. Wound up trying the mango lassi and the mutton marag. Holy hell, the mutton marag was so much better than I expected. I absolutely loved it. The mango lassi was also fantastic and had much more tang and less sweet than a typical lassi. I will probably come back to this spot for a full meal next time I’m in Vancouver. Thanks @hungryhungryhippos !
- Vij’s – This spot is no secret, but I had a great time here. The service was so friendly and the food was delicious. Based purely on how long this place has been around and how popular it is, I suspect there is probably better Indian food elsewhere in Vancouver, but that didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying my meal here.
- Mackenzie Room – This one is also no secret. It was a solid meal, but not on the level of Niwa or Nero Tondo. Seems like it would be a great go to for local.
- Excellent Tofu & Snacks (Richmond) – Nice little family run spot in Richmond. Had very comforting tofu pudding and some decent savory snacks. Service was on the slow side and they only took cash or Canadian debit cards, but otherwise no complaints. Would go back after dim sum next time.
- Dim sum - We had dim sum at New Mandarin Seafood and Empire. I have to say that I was not blown away with either. They weren’t bad, but I guess after all the talk of how much better Vancouver dim sum is than LA dim sum, I just didn’t pick up on that huge of a difference. This could be a user error situation, but I was not the only one who felt that way.
- Cocktails - Had cocktails at Meo, Odd Society Spirits, Resurrection Spirits, and the Watson. Meo was the best of the bunch. It was overall solid, but not enough to rave about it. Next time I’m in town I would try other options rather than return to these. Odd Society and Resurrection were pleasant enough and are well located for Nero Tondo and Niwa, but are not otherwise destinations.
