A superb little Indian restaurant in the South Granville area, run by a charming man with a spooky photographic memory. The food, atmosphere, crowd and bar are all stylish but low-key and unpretentious. Around the corner from Vij's is the Stanley Theatre, formerly an Art Deco picture palace and now the flagship venue for the hopelessly middlebrow Arts Club Theatre Company. Vancouver's restaurants help to make up for the city's appalling lack of a cultural life.

1480, West 11th Ave;
tel: 604 736 6664;
www.vijs.ca

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Great veggie cafe: relaxed atmosphere and child friendly, good value and tasty menu choices. The best of British Columbia's wholefood/veggie cooking is here. Particularly loved the yam dip...

2301 Main Street
Tel: 604-708-0881

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It's a Canadian thing.

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A few blocks south and one east of Broadway and Commercial, John Hendry Park is a little oasis in suburban East Van. A dog-walker's delight, the park is essentially a circuit around Trout Lake, which used to be a peat bog. Nearby is one of my favourite cafes in the city, Libby's, little known to those outside the neighborhood. Work by local artists is usually up on the walls (and changes frequently), the food's decent and the staff have good taste in music. Just don't steal my couch at the back.

Broadway/Commercial skytrain stations are a ten minute walk away. Sits between 13th and 19th n/s, and between Victoria and Garden e/w;
www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/cc/troutlake/

Libby’s Kitchen: 3249 Porter St (Victoria and 18th);
tel: 604 874 5547;
www.libbyskitchen.com

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Subeez is a really funky yet laid-back eatery/bar, worth visiting for its brilliant food, comedy cocktail menu, and truly random decor: giant dribbly candles, strange sculptures, and psychedelic art work. It gets really bustling on fridays and saturdays, when theres a DJ who usually plays house music. And as it's just a hop skip and a jump away from the downtown bars and clubs, it's a great way to start a night out. At other times the atmosphere is very chilled with a more eclectic soundtrack, and you can enjoy settling into one of the comfy sofa booths with a kentucky julep.

The best thing about Subeez for me is how it manages to be very trendy yet completely unpretentious; the staff are all relaxed, friendly and efficient, and the fantastic menu is really reasonably priced. I would recommend the grilled goats cheese salad with a free-range chicken breast, and the huge platter of garlic mayo fries are a must to share. I practically lived there for 2 months ... go check it out!

look for the twinkly lights and red neon sign on the corner of Smithe and Homer (3 blocks down from Granville street)

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Less expensive than Tojo's (which is the REFLEX response in Vancouver to 'where is the best sushi?' - Tojo's is good, but not the only sushi in town!) AND the sushi at Yoshi's, in my opinion, is on a par. The service is more traditional Japanese, the sushi as or more varied and the setting superb and central.

689 Denman Street (604) 738-8226 Yoshi's at the corner of Denman and Georgia, downtown in the West End, just east of Stanley Park.

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British Columbia is home to about 80 wineries and is rapidly gaining a reputation for producing excellent varieties. Try Quails Gate Riesling ice wine ($54.99) or Mission Hill 2002 Occulus ($39.99).

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