VANCOUVER - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 109

The M Elbow Room, one block south of Granville Street (560 Davie St., 604/685-3628,
7:30am-3:30pm Mon.-Fri., 8:30am-4pm Sat.-Sun., lunches $7-11), is a Vancouver institu-
tion where portions are huge and the prices reasonable ($10 for the Lumberjack breakfast),
but it's the service that you'll remember long after the meal. Feel like coffee? Get it your-
self. A glass of water, maybe? “Get off your ass and get it yourself,” a sign declares. The
waiters take no nonsense, and the constant banter from the open kitchen, if not memorable,
is at least unique. But it's all in good fun, and if you get abused you'll join a long list of
celebrities whose photos adorn the walls. If you don't finish your meal, you must make a
donation to a local charity; if it's a pancake you can't finish, you're advised to “just rub it
on your thighs, because that's where it's going anyway!”
CHINATOWN
Dining in Chinatown offers two distinct options: traditional eateries, where you'll find
the locals, and the larger, Westernized restaurants that attract non-Chinese and a younger
Chinese crowd. A perfect combination of the two is Kent's Kitchen (232 Keefer St., 604/
669-2237, lunch and dinner daily, $5.50-11), a modern café-style restaurant where the ser-
vice is fast and efficient, the food freshly prepared, and the prices incredibly low. Two spe-
cialty dishes, rice, and a can of pop make a meal that costs just $8, with more unusual dishes
such as pig's feet for $6 including rice. The most expensive combination is a large portion
of shrimp and sweet and sour pork, which along with rice and pop is $9.50 (and could eas-
ily feed two people).
Next door to Kent's, Hon's on Keefer (268 Keefer St., 604/688-8303, lunch and dinner
daily, $5.50-11) is a large, bright, and modern restaurant that attracts a younger Chinese
crowd for mostly Westernized Chinese food. The menu lists more than 300 dishes, all pre-
pared within sight of diners.
Tiny Gain Wah Restaurant (218 Keefer St., 604/684-1740, lunch and dinner daily,
$4.50-11) is typical of the many hundreds of noodle houses found in Hong Kong. The res-
taurant is best noted for congee, a simple soup of water extracted from boiling rice. A bowl
of congee costs $1.50, with flavorings an additional $0.50-2. On the main menu, no dish
except those containing seafood is over $10. The friendly staff is willing to describe the
more unfamiliar dishes.
Around the corner from Keefer Street, Gore Street is less Westernized; beyond the large
fish market you'll find Fu Wah (525 Gore St., 604/688-8722, daily for lunch and dinner
$3.50-9), which has a ridiculously inexpensive lunchtime dim sum menu.