Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
al distilled spirit, and you'll be looking for the nearest karaoke bar as soon as you hit
the street.
ESPANA
TAPAS
$$
(
www.espanarestaurant.ca
;
1118 Denman St; tapas plates $5-12; 5pm-1am Sun-Thu, to 2am Fri
& Sat; 5)
Reservations are not taken but it's worth the line-up to get into Vancouver's
best new Spanish tapas joint. The tables are crammed close and the atmosphere is warm
and welcoming, triggering a hubbub of chat that's mostly centered on the great grub.
The crispy squid and the cod and potato croquettes are delish, while the crispy chick-
peas dish is a revelation.
There's a small but authentic sherry list to consider plus a good array of Spanish
wines - why not go the Cava route and toast your lovely meal?
MOTOMACHI SHOKUDO
JAPANESE
$$
(740 Denman St; mains $9-14; noon-11pm Thu-Tue; 5)
A West End favorite, this incred-
ibly tiny ramen house - it has fewer than 20 seats - combines lightning-fast service
with perfect comfort dishes. First-timers should try the New Generation miso ramen,
which comes brimming with bean sprouts, sweet corn, shredded cabbage and barbe-
cued pork. An added plus is that most ingredients are organic.
Note that only cash or debit cards are accepted here. And if the queue's long, try its
nearby sister noodlery,
Kintaro Ramen
, just a few doors south.
SURA KOREAN ROYAL CUISINE
ASIAN
$$
(
www.surakoreancuisine.com
; 1518 Robson St; mains $10-20; 11am-11pm; 5)
From the
1400-block of Robson St on and around onto Denman and Davie Sts, you'll find a
finger-licking smorgasbord of casual but authentic Korean and Japanese eateries. A cut
above its ESL-student-luring siblings, slick Sura offers awesome Korean comfort
dishes in a cozy, bistro-like setting. Try the spicy beef soup, kimchi pancakes and ex-
cellent
bibimbap
: beef, veggies and a still-cooking egg in a hot stone bowl.
The set-course lunches ($15 or $20) are a great deal if you want to try as many fla-
vors as possible; each comes with lots of little plates to dip into.
COAST
SEAFOOD
$$
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