Vancouver Weekend Visit - Restaurant Help

[curiousgeo]

Hi Vancouver Hounds, my family and I will be making a return visit to Vancouver to tour the UBC campus and enjoy your city for two days. We will have three dinners and two breakfast or lunches while there. One breakfast will be a return to Paul's Place on our way over to UBC and one dinner will be at Gyoza King at the request of my family. We chose Gyoza King over Kintaro Ramen, mostly because of the varied menu choices available, including their great gyoza.

We intend to have one dim sum lunch, either at Sun Sui Wah (Main St.) which would be a short taxi ride or Kirin (Alberni St.) which we could walk to from our hotel. Any thoughts on these choices? Is Sun Sui Wah so much better it would warrant a taxi ride?

For our last two dinners I'm considering La Buca, La Brasserie (that suckling pig looks delicious) and the Hamilton Street Grill. Any thoughts on these choices or suggestions on what is especially good on their menus? We would welcome alternative suggestions as well. We are staying in the Robson Square area. Thanks for your help.

[curiousgeo]

Just noticed the additional responses, thanks to all of you for your comments. I think Lupo or La Buca will be our Italian choices, with Lupo having the edge of being closer to our hotel. Like wise Kirin looks like our dim sum choice, although we are pretty open to where we go. My wife is Chinese and loves good dim sum so is willing to seek it out. I think we have a pretty good range of restaurants now!

[fmed]

I think I would pick Kirin (Alberni) over Sun Sui Wah (Main St). Better yet - pick Kirin (Cambie St/12th Ave).

La Buca would be my choice...though it is a distant cab ride away downtown. La Brasserie is actually really good for lunch. Hamilton Street Grill has my favourite burger in the city...and their famous gingerbread stick toffee pudding is also awesome.

Have you considered some of the newer places in Gastown? (L'Abattoir, etc.)

[curiousgeo]

Thanks fmed, I appreciate your input. I always assumed that Sun Sui Wah was the place to go, but the convenience of Kirin is appealing as long as their dim sum is high quality.

La Brasserie and Hamilton both look solid. Any other good Italian places closer to downtown? We've eaten at Cin Cin previously and enjoyed it, just looking for something like a neighborhood place this time, which is why La Buca looks good.

[fmed]

Lupo has had some good reviews on this board (though it had a pretty bad one recently - but for the service and not for the food. It may have been an offnight, though). Adesso Bistro has also been getting some solid reviews. And of course Ciopinno in Yaletown which is really good.

[selena03]

I second Lupo, which is very close to where you are staying. I go there about every 6 weeks or so and have never had problems with service so hopefully the bad service in the recent review was just a one off. The food quality is absolutely delicious-closest thing to traditional tavern/trattoria fare in Vancouver.

[Meerschaum]

La Buca, Lupo and Cioppino's are all good choices, and I prefer them over Cin Cin. Campagnolo on Main, however, is my favorite casual Italian spot at the moment.

-----
La Buca Restaurant
4025 MacDonald St, Vancouver, BC V6L2N8, CA

Campagnolo
1020 Main St, Vancouver, BC V6A, CA

[KarenDW]

Kirin at Cambie & 12th Ave. would be an easy trip: take the Canada Line train from Vancouver/City Centre to Broadway/City Hall. I concur with fmed; Cambie St. location over Alberni, and definitely Kirin over SSW.

-----
12th Ave Cafe
1125 12th Ave W, Vancouver, BC V6H3Z3, CA