88 Eats

Let's eat some classic Hong Kong food (HK). We venture out to Van Tea Cafe for some classic comfort food, rice and noodles for a family weekday dinner. Van Tea Cafe is a popular brand. With two locations, is it overhyped, underrated, or middle of the pack? Does its large menu affect the quality of the dishes? HK cafes are a popular choice for Vancouverites due to its wide menu, multiple offerings, and no-frills dining experience. You come for the food basically. Don't expect 5 star service. They are called "cha chaan teng" for its casual vibes. Van Tea Cafe is an addition to a neighbhourhood that doesn't have a lot of close options (unless you travel to Fraser St for Angel Cake Cafe) and you have to drive 10 blocks north or south for restaurants.  Van Tea provides significant value if you're dining in a large group; their meals are not only good for family dining, but for a casual weeknight dinner. It fits that 'reliable' niche in providing ample food ...

Let's drink some bubble tea! We wanted some refreshing mango drinks to quench our thirst on this sunny Weekend evening, so we made the trek to this new spot called Alfa Tea, formerly called Macu Tea. Is it worth the hype and long wait? Or is Macu Tea better? The story behind Alfa Tea Concept is quite interesting. It was formerly known as Macu Tea, a popular bubble tea chain with four locations across Greater Vancouver (Richmond, downtown Vancouver, Kerrisdale, and Burnaby in the Willingdon Square plaza).  Macu Tea during peak times was consistently busy, around 30 minutes to an hour wait. It was a popular chain and brand in Vancouver. However, recent news suggested operational issues with Macu. There were rumours about management conflicts (perhaps franchisee fallout?) that were circulating on Reddit, and shortly after, 3 of the locations are being swapped to this new brand called "Alfa Tea", with the only Macu remaining in Kerrisdale.  Luckily, the line wasn't too ba...

Let's eat some pizza! We ordered some Boston Pizza Takeout and enjoyed some pizza, wings, and pasta for a hefty weekday dinner for 2. For a mid-tier pizza restaurant and chain, does it still hold up in 2026? Boston Pizza is a well known restaurant chain with a good brand image. They've really positioned and established themselves as a reliable, 'safe' place to eat; not outstanding, but not terrible. They have a wide selection of food and dishes, but that comes with trade-offs; as a chain restaurant with many locations, the quality has been known to be inconsistent and the food isn't as memorable.  One thing stood out when I ordered on skipthedishes; it's definitely more on the expensive side. Yes there are built in service and fees for ordering, but part of what you pay goes to the restaurant experience. Next time, I'd probably eat in instead of getting takeout, but let's review the food.  We ordered three things: lemon pepper wings and fries, the Meateo...

Let's go to the movies! Today, we're switching it up and we're reviewing our movie experience instead of a restaurant. We went to Marine Gateway to watch the new Mario Movie. Is it worth it in 2026? With the rise of streaming, many are opting to just wait until movies come out on streaming platforms (like Disney Plus, Netflix). However, the movie experience is something that can't be replicated at home. Movies can be very expensive. On Tuesdays it's half off admission at Cineplex, but otherwise for General Admission, it can easily be around $20 and more (plus add ons). If you want to buy popcorn, snacks, and drinks, it can easily be $100 for a family of 4.  Luckily, I'm part of the Cineclub - every month for $9.99, I get one general admission ticket and can buy one more ticket at that price (extra charges for 3D). This is incredible value because if I'm busy a certain month or the movie listings aren't appealing, these tickets carry forward. Given the ma...

Let's eat some sushi! Today we got Samurai Sushi, which is a popular spot for sushi in South Vancouver. Samurai Sushi's value proposition is large quantities of sushi at an affordable price. That means that all of the rolls are huge, stuffed with sushi rice and filling. But does that mean it's actually good? They used to have 3 locations (Fraser St., Oakridge, and downtown Denman St.), but the Oakridge location was rebranded as Kimura Sushi (still the same menu, different owner). Across the board, the prices are very reasonable and fit a variety of taste palates, from vegetarians to those craving sashimi. We got our sushi from the Fraser St. location. I used to eat Samurai Sushi more often growing up as a high school student; it was cheap, filling, and perfect for a weekday snack after school. Their combos are very reasonably priced relative to other Japanese restaurants. You can also phone ahead to save time. We ordered 2 California rolls, 1 unagi roll, 1 chopped scallop r...

Let's eat some donuts! Is Krispy Kreme worth the hype?  We try their new location at Broadway and Cambie in Vancouver. These well-known donuts are a popular fundraising option, but historically have not always the most accessible here in Vancouver because the location's located in a suburb about an hour drive away called Delta. This is a Krispy Kreme Cafe , which is a smaller outpost compared to the Delta location (and other locations you might be familiar with). These cafes have a smaller, limited menu but serve mainly the classics; drinks, and donuts (original glazed and some more premium flavours).  We got the assorted mix of donuts, which is a dozen donuts of varying flavours. The price is very good, around $18 for 12 premium donuts. At this price, this is surprisingly strong value. If I were to buy these donuts at a local, more premium bakery, it would easily cost around $3 a donut. This is also even much better value than going to cheaper Tim Hortons or other similar est...

Let's eat some Korean food. We went to So Hyang on Fraser St. Is it the best Korean food? Let's try some dishes and see. We went on Easter weekend. Korean cuisine is limited in this neighbourhood, so So Hyang stands out - and as we were eating, there was a lineup to get in. I love Korean food and the concept of banchan. A variety of different small dishes and sides that accompany your meal. Today's rotation included tofu skin, soy sauce eggs, bean sprouts, seaweed salad, and kimchi. When you dine-in, all of these dishes are replenishable. Some are also included in the take out order as well. We've ordered a couple of times at So Hyang in the past couple of years through delivery but it was time to eat in person.  We ordered 3 entrees and 2 appetizers: Sam gyup sal (pork belly with lettuce wraps) Japchae (Korean sweet potato noodles) Bibimbap in a stone bowl Seafood Pancake (appetizer) Deep Fried Squid (appetizer) The food came promptly along with the side dishes. There ...

Let's eat some banh mi! Banh mi is an underrated meal in Vancouver, with affordable prices and multiple locations to choose from in East Vancouver, there are a lot of high quality options. Is banh mi from Banh Mi Thai Hang 2 the best? Banh Mi is basically a Vietnamese sandwich with a variety of cold cuts, pate, pickled veggies, cilantro, and chili peppers. It's a popular street side eat and quite affordable at that. Other variations use different types of meat, like pork, chicken, and even a vegetarian option like tofu. In Vancouver, they are usually priced around $7-10 for one, making it a tasty and affordable option (listen up Subway).  Thai Hang 2 is primarily designed for takeout, with limited to no in person seating. They have some good offers, like buy 10 banh mi and get 1 free. We ordered 2 banh mi to share: the dac biet (special, the standard original one), and a lemongrass beef sandwich. T he dac biet costs $9, and the lemongrass beef cost $10 . Both were made quickly ...

Let's eat some Chipotle! We took advantage of the burrito day promotion on April 2 and played unlockburritoday, a vault style game where participants can guess the right chipotle order and enter to win free prizes. I was lucky to receive a BOGO offer, so I promptly used it on some burrito bowls. I'll be reviewing the steak and chicken al pastor burrito bowl.  My order includes white rice, fajita vegetables, corn, mild tomato salsa, black beans, lettuce, and sometimes guac (no sour cream or cheese - do not like). Chipotle has been a staple in our household and is a great, affordable option when we're craving it. For the price you pay, it's quite worth it given the portion size and flavours. Given the rise in the prices of fast food, Chipotle is a great option if you live close to one, with its high protein offerings and fresh toppings. We picked up our order at the Vancouver location on Cambie and Broadway, which has turned into a bit of a traffic nightmare given all the...

Let's eat some all-you-can-eat sushi at Daimanya. Is it possible to have both quantity and quality for AYCE sushi? All you can eat sushi is a bit of a mixed bag here in Vancouver; there's not a lot of options here, and the ones that we have tend to be hit or miss or very expensive for what you order. Richmond Sushi Ninkazu and Shabusen are popular options, but Daimanya positions themselves as a premium experience with better offerings at a higher price. We made a reservation and ate on a weekday afternoon, around a 5:00 PM reservation. Daimanya has a wide range of hot and cold items, from your typical sashimi, to rolls and unique hot dishes like A5 Miyazaki Hot Pot, wagyu beef fried rice, and lobster with truffle sauce. Everything we tried was fresh, tasty, and prepared well. We ordered a mix of rolls, grilled and fried items, and their premium A5 wagyu hotpot. The food came promptly as we dined at a off-peak time to take advantage of their price discounts.  The menu items we ...

Let's drink some lattes and eat a croissant! We dropped by C Market Coffee's new location to try their drinks and a treat at their Main St. location. With long lines surrounding its grand opening, is it worth it? C Market Coffee is a Korean styled cafe and coffee shop with multiple locations in the Tri-Cities They have locations in Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, and Coquitlam, making the Vancouver location one of the first expansions in Metro Vancouver.  C Market Coffee Vancouver's location is kind of in an interesting area; there's lots of construction and development going on, and there's not a lot of transit options (other than the 3 Main Bus). The advantage is that they're the only food establishment for a few blocks, which gives them a positioning advantage. Their store location is also huge, with plenty of seating making the cafe an inviting place to be with multiple drink and food options. I really liked the clean, simple aesthetic of the place. It's m...