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Gold medal plates

The Globe and Mail

By Cinda Chavich, The Globe and Mail Posted Friday, February 12, 2010 3:31 PM ET

There's no doubt Vancouver is a hot dining destination - Epicurious named it the top food city for 2010 - but when you're rushing between Olympic venues, with nary a private invitation to the hot spots, where's a fan to refuel?

Here are some hidden gems to hit around the venues when you're hungry:

CANADA PLACE/B.C. PLACE

The downtown hockey and ceremony sites sit between trendy Yaletown, Chinatown and historic Gastown - great neighbourhoods for excellent eats.

Stop at bakeries or take-out windows in Chinatown for onion pancakes and steamy barbecue pork buns. Duck into Hon's Wun-Tun House for filling bowls of noodle soup, or find a seat at massive Floata Seafood Restaurant - Canada's largest Chinese eatery with 1,000 seats (www.floata.com). Go for edgier modern Chinese - like a pumpkin purple yam shiitake spring roll - at Wild Rice (www.wildricevancouver.com)

UVA Wine Bar is a great espresso bar by day and a hot spot for late nigh small plates, charcuterie and an excellent wine list. For after-hours Asian (and "cold tea" - beer in a pot), hit Tsui Hang Village - still open at 3 a.m.

Or take the late night Izakaya Crawl between Japanese pubs, like Zakkushi for grilled pork skewers with garlic scapes (www.sakkushi.com), Gyoza King dumplings or stylist Kingyo (www.kingyoizakaya.com) for stone-grilled Kobe beef and Japanese tuna pizza.

And if all else fails, line up at the Japa Dog cart (www.japadog.com) downtown on Burrard, or at two other locations, for a gourmet Kurobuta pork hot dog, smothered in tasty stuff such as crunchy daikon radish, seaweed and miso gravy.

PACIFIC COLISEUM

The Pacific Coliseum hosts figure skating and short-track speed skating, and is close to Commercial Drive, where you'll find an international vibe (www.thedrive.ca).

Pack a picnic with fresh produce from local organic markets and seriously smoky housemade charcuterie from J, N&Z Deli. You’ll have your fill of fine Italian pastries at Fratelli Bkaery (www.frattellibakery.com) or deke down Venebles to Uprising Breads for grainy artisan loaves.

The haughty baristas behind the coffee bar at Caffé Calabria have been pulling espressos for 34 years, and it's a trip to sit among the cheesy life-size statuary in this old-time Italian café (www.caffecalabria.com).

Havana has Cuban-fusion food and a popular all-weather patio (www.havanarestaurant.ca), while Me & Julio does modern Mexican - try the pulled beef brisket taquitos (www.meandjulio.ca).

If you have little ones in tow, don't miss Little Nest, a mommy haven with kid-friendly fruit fries with yogurt dip and bow tie pasta with tomato sauce on the menu, lots of high chairs, and a place for them to play while you sip a fair-trade latte (littlenest.ca).

VANCOUVER OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC CENTRE

This new curling facility is between Cambie and Main, near the new Canada Line route and SoMa - the hip strip of South Main that's home to vintage shops and bohemian coffee bars.

You'll find serious Chinese dining at famed Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant on Main (www.sunsuiwah.com), with its big geoduck clams or crab, live from the fish tanks. But when you're in a hurry, you'll also get bowls of cheap and delicious Chinese noodles at Legendary Noodle (also on Main, www.legendarynoodle.ca) or Hawker’s Delight.

Crave is a popular neighbourhood spot on Main, serving up local ingredients all day, whether you're craving eggs Benny with smoked salmon, mac and cheese or braised lamb shanks (www.craverestaurants.com).

For a toasty Mexican sandwich - like one stuffed with slow-roasted pork and creamy panela cheese - head to new Las Tortas on Cambie (www.lastortas.ca)

Habit (on Main, open to 2 a.m.) has late-night comforts such as Brie and carrot-filled perogies with caramelized onions, or Ocean Wise B.C. salmon with French lentils. Order the Bento Box mix-your-own cocktail, for a bit of fun (www.habitlounge.ca).

UBC - THUNDERBIRD ARENA

Ride the B-Line bus (#99) out to the UBC arena for hockey - and, en route, explore the eclectic dining options in the cool beachside community of Kitsilano, a neighbourhood filled with starving students and yoga-mat-toting mommies from tony Point Grey.

East is East has that "Kits" hippie-turned-yuppie vibe - a spot for exotic roti wraps, thalis and saffron cardamom tea to share with friends while sprawled among the cushions and candles. Try a steamy chai or free mango lassi from their streetside takeout window (www.eastiseast.ca).

Or visit Burgoo on West 19th to warm up with comforting homemade soups and stews like the namesake Kentucky Burgoo with tender beef, corn and lima beans (www.burgoo.ca)

Between hockey games, grab a coffee and lunch at the Wi-Fi-friendly campus hangout, The Beanery (tucked off the street among student housing). Breakfast en route might be at funky Mix: The Bakery (www.mixthebakery.com) - have a big healthy Karmic Orb cookie or bowl of homemade granola, or come for the big Waldorf salad sandwich.

Kibune Sushi (on Yew Street near Kits Beach) is a hidden gem sushi bar - try Hide Endo's Hiro Maki encircled in avocado or crunchy deep-fried prawn heads (www.kibune.com).

CYPRESS BOWL

Cypress Mountain is the site of freestyle skiing and snowboarding events. You won't find any restaurants on the hill, but you can dine in nearby North and West Van.

The SeaBus ferry from downtown Vancouver lands at the Lonsdale Quay market. Stop at tiny Little Tokyo Sushi Bar, George's Souvlaki for takeout, or have a hearty breakfast with locals at the All Day Café.

Tomahawk Restaurant, Vancouver's original drive-in, opened in 1926, and with its lunch counter and native artifacts on display, it's a funky place for fast fuelling, whether you have the huge double-smoked bacon and organic eggs breakfast, or one of its legendary burgers (www.tomahawkrestaurant.com).

Savary Island Pie Company, on Marine Drive, is a great little bakery cafe with fabulous fresh pies, from lemon buttermilk with berries to savoury tourtiere.

RICHMOND OLYMPIC OVAL

The ultramodern Olympic Oval hosts long-track speed skating in Richmond, a city with a thriving Chinese community and more than 200 authentic Asian restaurants.

At the formal Shiang Garden Seafood Restaurant (at 4540 No. 3 Road), order pastel pink shrimp dumplings or vegetarian dumplings, filled with watercress and Chinese radish, and pan-fried onion pancakes to wrap around sliced rare beef in oyster sauce.

Shanghai River is the place for juicy and authentic Shanghai pork dumplings and hand-pulled noodles - get a table near the glassed-in kitchen and watch the cooks fold dumplings.

Posh (1123-3779 Sexsmith Rd.) is a modern sukiyaki-style hot pot restaurant. Cook your own selection of organic vegetables and meats in a bubbling sweet soy broth - an all-you-can-eat bargain at $11.88 (www.303posh.com).

Head to Steveston, a former fishing village, for Pajo’s classic fish and chips, wrapped in a paper cone on the docks, and visit the uncompromising Nicolai at Romania Country Bread, for organic artisan loaves from his own hand-built brick oven.

WHISTLER

The site of skiing and sliding events is also a food lover's paradise, but even if you can't get a table at Araxi or Bearfoot Bistro, you'll be well fed. Whistler's "après" scene is legendary, and you'll find BIG breakfasts to fuel its young, athletic locals all day.

Gather with locals at Elements for après drinks and creative tapas, or, first thing in the morning, for variations on eggs Bennie and crispy potato rosti tarts with crème fraîche. The eggs bennie are also legendary at Eva’s Riverside Cafe (www.riversidecafe.ca).

Gone Bakery - literally hidden behind a local bookstore in the Village Square - has excellent coffee, huge muffins and hearty soups. Or squeeze into a corn at Ingrid’s Deli, across the street from Araxi, for breakfast wraps, veggie burgers, perogies, big gooey Nanaimo bars and her famous French onion soup. (www.ingridswhistler.com).

For the most affordable sushi in town, locals lineup at Samarai Sushi (fast take-out counter) in Creekside. Or you can head to Splitz Grill, home of giant gourmet burgers of all kinds (beef, chicken, lamb, veggie, salmon) topped with anything from baba ganoush to sauerkraut (www.splitzgrill.com).

And check out the indigenous eats at the Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Centre's café, where you can try smoked salmon and bannock wraps, venison chili and traditional wild soapberry juice (www.slcc.ca).

Special to The Globe and Mail

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unusual suspects: hidden food finds at the vancouver olympics

16/02/10

Vancouver restaurants are legendary but during the 2010 Olympics you might need to find a hidden gem that’s off the beaten path, close to Olympic hockey or speed skating venues. Here’s a list of some out-of-the-way eateries to find great fast and fab food...

Cinda Chavich photos

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