sure. wait. what?

Last year, I visited Vancouver to see the beaches. This year, I visited again to see the tourist traps. Today, I’m writing about the food.

Before heading off to Vancouver, a friend sent me a bunch of TikTok videos featuring the city’s must-eats. I’m not quite a foodie, but when I showed L the videos, he decided he was craving rice crepes.

Yi Jin Cheng Fen

We landed in Richmond around lunchtime, and Yi Jin Cheng Fen was our first stop. The restaurant was full. The vibe was also the Goldilocks standard of tidiness of, I’d say, 40% of Chinese restaurants. Not filthy, not clean, just right.

The “rice crepes” that L was craving were actually rice noodle rolls. They’re like lumpia, except the wrap was soft and chewy instead of fried and crunchy. We ordered the pork rolls, and they weren’t bad, but they weren’t my favorite either.

The congee was yummy though, and definitely my favorite. It had the right amount of tangy ginger and the right softness of the rice. It tasted like comfort, and I loved it. L said his mom could easily make it. I said my mom could too. Wala ka sa nanay ko, choz.

We also ordered what L called “donuts,” but they looked nothing like donuts. They had the same chewy wrapper as the rice noodle rolls, but inside was a crunchy treat that had the same texture as a croissant, just a little tougher. You’re supposed to dip it in a peanut butter and hoisin sauce mix. L loved it. I thought it was alright.

Japadog

L told me that Japadog is a “must” in Vancouver. There was no lineup when we got there. We ordered the classic hotdogs, which I thought were nothing special. It had seafood flakes instead of relish. Other than that, I found it to be just okay.

Tacofino

And now come the tacos! We went to the taco bar in Gastown because it was on L’s checklist. Tacofino has a sit-down restaurant, but it also has a takeout stall by the entrance. We decided to order takeout and eat on the patio instead of waiting for a table.

We have all four tacos on the menu. I loved that they have vegetarian options instead of being meat-only. My favorite among the four tacos was the eggplant and vegan chorizo. We also had Jarritos, a soda brand from Mexico. I had the mandarin flavor. It was okay. Fanta does citrus-flavored soda better, IMO.

Hello Nori

L and I visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge early one morning. We walked around the expansive network of hanging bridges, and by lunchtime, we were starving. We decided to go to Hello Nori upon L’s friend’s recommendation. We didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even know what omakase was until we got there.

I suppose Hello Nori wasn’t straight-up omakase though. We still had to order from the menu, but the chef did not make the hand rolls all at once. The chef was on standby and waited for us to finish a hand roll before making the next one. The servers were also on their feet, always topping up our glasses of water and replenishing the wasabi and ginger plates.

The hand rolls were tasty, but the matcha drink I got was meh. I still highly recommend if you’re into Japanese cuisine.

La Forêt

La Forêt was my recommendation to L, my only contribution to the trip’s intenerary. I had been to La Forêt before, and even though I didn’t find the food to be particularly special, I liked the ambiance a lot. La Forêt has lots of plants and a few pretty art pieces on the wall, and the food is pretty too. L ordered a croissant sandwich and black waffles, while I got the bulgogi platter. Good stuff.

Uncle Tetsu

We went to Vancouver not long before Uncle Tetsu opened in our city. This was highly recommended by L’s sister-in-law, and it was hyped to me as the best, fluffiest cheesecake ever. As a lover of cheesecake, I was stoked.

It was good cheesecake, that’s for sure. Perfect for the Asian palate — not too sweet, not bland, just right. I haven’t had it again since, but I might try to visit the Uncle Tetsu that just opened in town. Tonight, maybe?

Gyo-O

Gyo-O Japanese Restaurant was our last stop before heading home. The walls are lined with wooden blocks with Japanese script written everywhere. The vibe was cozy, similar to what I see in Japanese shows.

L had been here before, and he was really looking forward to trying their oyster ramen. Unfortunately, it wasn’t on the menu anymore. Bummer, so we decided to go for the seafood ramen instead. It was delish! With those juicy clams and tender scallops, it was a seafood lover’s heaven.