Calling all oyster lovers! Here’s a list of buck a shuck oyster joints in Vancouver.
Let me know if you have any to add to the list.
Boathouse (Various Locations) – Daily from 3-6pm, appetizers from $2.79 and drinks specials from $4.99
Cardero’s (1483 Coal Harbour Quay, Vancouver) – During BC Lions, Whitecaps FC, and Vancouver Canucks games. Minimum 1/2 dozen order.
Coast (1054 Alberni Street, Vancouver) - Daily from 3-5pm, also a dozen peel and eat shrimp for $12
Goldfish Seafood & Chophouse (1118 Mainland Street, Vancouver – In the lounge from 4-7pm daily
Ebisu (827 Bute Street) – Daily from 4:30-6:30pm, with lots of happy hour specials
La Brasserie (1091 Davie Street, Vancouver) - After 9pm and during Sunday brunch
Oyster Seafood & Raw Bar (502-475 Howe Street, Vancouver) – Daily from 3-7pm
Relish Gastro Pub (888 Nelson Street, Vancouver) – Daily from 3-6pm
Rodney’s Oyster House (1228 Hamilton Street, Vancouver) - Monday to Saturday from 3-6pm
Updated: October 9, 2011
Hapa Izakaya recently opened it’s newest location in Yaletown. I have tried the other two locations and there’s spectacular quality across the board. There are always new and innovative dishes to try; the restaurant also does a great job with showcasing ingredients that are in season. The presentation style they use is simplistic, but focuses on the food. My favourite dish of the night was the saba sashimi – they torch the dish at your table to brown the skin a little. It was fresh and very tasty.
The ebi mayo was a little different from the one we had at the Kitsilano location. The batter was thin and the sauce was soaked into the batter more here. Read more about the Kitsilano location here.
I’m a huge fan of raw oysters, so we had to order the fresh oysters with 3 dressings: hot mustard, seafood sauce, and a lemon. The dressings were nothing special, but the oysters were clean and fresh.
We tend to order what we’ve eaten before at restaurants, because we know the dishes are good. The ika was grilled to perfection and great as always. We also had the sockeye and spring salmon sashimi. I’ve never had spring salmon sashimi before and it was light compared to the regular salmon sashimi you get from sushi restaurants. We had 6 dishes, including about 5 alcoholic beverages and our final bill was about $100. Overall, Hapa is one of my top choices for izakaya restaurants for dinner or light snacks and drinks before dinner – I think they’ll gain quite a bit of attention in the next month.
Location: 1193 Hamilton Street Vancouver, BC (map)
SkyTrain Stop: Yaletown Roundhouse Station
Price: $5-$15; tapas style
More Info? http://www.hapaizakaya.com/
Society is the Glowbal Restaurant Group’s latest addition, which just opened in the last few months. The only other Glowbal Group restaurant I have been to is Glowbal, which has never ever disappointed me. I guess my expectations were quite high but that also comes along with the price you pay. It was lunch time, so we each ordered a dish, but the chef sent out some forno meatloaf balls (now that I look at their menu) because our dishes were running a little late – I thought the waitress said KOBE meatballs. They were wrapped in turkey bacon, which made them quite salty. The picture also makes them look very greasy. Apart from the saltiness, they were good but maybe because they were also free. For our entrees, we had the lobster gnocchi, lobster shepherds pie, and the beef ribs.
 
I had the lobster gnocchi - I’ve never had lobster for lunch before, so it was very exciting! However, I have to agree with Mijune’s review about the gnocchi being too big. Some of them were abnormally huge and they didn’t have the ridges on them, like the traditional kind. I felt like I was eating chunks of potato contraption in a cheesy soup. I think the garlic bread as a side was a little too heavy and I would have preferred a salad instead. I had a taste of the lobster shepherds pie and it was quite delicious. I think the beef ribs were a little over burnt though, as you can see from the picture, but my friend was still satisfied and finished off the dish. The menu does a great job describing the dishes and making them sound so delicious and unique, however they were not as good as I expected. Would I go back? Maybe just for drinks and appetizers. I just expected better quality from Glowbal Groups’ reputation and a place charging $15+ per entree.
 
Location: 1257 Hamilton Street Vancouver, BC (map)
SkyTrain Stop: Yaletown Roundhouse Station
Price: $10-$20; Mains $15-$20
More Info? http://www.society-grg.ca/
Vancouver’s health conscious atmosphere is apparent through the popularity of large natural and organic supermarkets throughout the city. Choices Markets are only found throughout BC in Vancouver and surrounding areas. Whole Foods originated in Austin, Texas and is now available all over the U.S, Canada, and the UK; claiming to be the largest natural health food store. Whole Foods is starting to pop up in Toronto, but there are more stores in Vancouver. These markets drift away from the main stream commercial supermarkets and carry exclusive high quality brands including produce, seafood, meat and poultry. They are also socially responsible to the communities they serve and they are environmentally friendly - Whole Foods utilizes paper bags and provides compost-able containers for take-out foods. Of course the cost of shopping at these markets is more than commercial ones, but Vancouverites are willing to pay the extra dollars for “natural” and organic foods. Personally, I cannot to afford to shop at these stores on a regular basis but they are useful when I am looking for particular or special items. For example, my friend and I love getting fresh oysters from Whole Foods! They carry a wide selection of oysters for about $0.69 to $2.00 each and they shuck em’ for free. They are great if you are an oyster fan or if you’re having a dinner party.
  
More Info? http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/ and http://www.choicesmarket.com/
Get your chance to try some top notch restaurants at the Taste of Yaletown with affordable tasting menus! The best thing is, most restaurants allow online reservations.
|
|
