The Best Place on Earth: Vancouver BC

This is one bed and breakfast that is steeped in history. Built in 1905, it has been beautifully restored and refurbished with Victorian antiques without sacrifacing modern conveniences. Located 15 minutes by bus from the heart of downtown Vancouver, it is situated in a quiet neighbourhood and a stone's throw from Commercial drive aka Little Italy.

We stayed just shy of a week in this Victorian mansion in their newest studio suite- the Newcastle at CAD$89 per night (before tax). We opted out of the breakfast plan which was basically an addtional of CAD$5 per day and consisted of a basket of fruits, cereals and sandwiches delivered in a basket. The Newcastle studio is located at the highest floor and has a living area with a miniture TV, a working kitchenette and a small bedroom with a queen size bed. Cosy and quaint are the words that come into mind when we first view the place. We were greeted by Heather and Penny who were helpful and kind to allow us to check in early in the morning. Both made swift work of the check in procedure and the orientation, including tips on where and how to move around before we had the whole place to ourselves.

The bed and breakfast came with free internet access (located outside of the mansion, on the right hand basement), coin-laundry facilities (same place as the internet), free local calls from the suite and free on-site parking (if you are driving around). Transport to and fro downtown and surrounds were not a problem as the buses to downtown were just a short 10 minutes walk either from Commercial drive (#20) or at E Hastings road (#16). The Broadway skytrain is a mere 5 minutes by bus from Commercial drive as well as buses to UBC.

Besides the Victorian experience, staying near to Commercial drive or "Little Italy" has its additional perks. From affordable delis and restaurants offering a variety of cuisines like Italian (of course), Japanese, South Asian and Indian; to groceries offering fresh fruits and vegetables (including organic foods) and quaint little shops selling unique fashionwear, there is something to see, do and eat just a hop from the bed and breakfast.

Reservations can be made online here.

Let's go VanDusen suggested my friends on a beautiful sunny summer morning. And so we packed ourselves into my friends' car and headed for VanDusen (after we stuffed ourselves with dim sum at the Western Lake seafood restaurant). VanDusen Botanical Garden spans 22 hectares and is divided according to geographical regions from the Himalayas to South Africa, this garden boasts more than 255000 plants from around the world. It had a humble beginning in 1975 but the garden has gone from strength to strength. Certainly, it was one of the most beautiful gardens we had visited.

We had arrived just after 10am and the park was relatively quiet. Passing through the gantry, we made our way to the Phyllis Bentall garden first. Yes, we pretty much ignored the pamphlet which came with suggested walking routes and chose to walk according to our whims and fancy (again). The summer flowers like sunflowers were at the end season of their blooms but there were other perennials, roses, heather scattered around the garden that kept the garden colorful and made our visit memorable. The maples were beginning to show its autumn colors while cones from the various conifers and pine trees littered the ground. The plants were clearly labeled and we entertained ourselves guessing the names of the flowers and plants which we had came across before but never knew their names till now. We enjoyed the maze in particularly and managed to find the monkey tree planted in the middle of it rather quickly. Not so for another couple of ladies who were there before us but were still lost in the maze after we had exited. Goaded by their husbands, they continued for another 15 minutes before finally emerging at the right exit. As we moved to the meadows, we could hear their shrieks of delight as they finally found the exit.

In all, we spent about 3 hours in the park before the heat and hunger prompted us to leave reluctantly. Compared to Stanley park, this garden is more stately and elegant. Not to be missed by lovers of gardens and parks.

For details on admission fees and hours, go Here

If you love flowers and have only time to take in one tourist attraction while in Vancouver Island, then you MUST visit the Butchart Gardens. The gardens were created by Mrs Jennie Butchart to host and entertain guests in 1906. She began with a Japanese garden, expanded the gardens into the nearby disused quarry and created a unique sunken garden. From there, the garden grew to include fountains, rose garden, herbs garden spaning a total of 55 hectares in all.

We signed up for the Butchart gardens tour with the Pacific coach line. For CAD$142 return, we did not have to worry about the transportation to and fro Vancouver mainland to the island. The tour included entrance into the gardens and a short tour of Victoria after before returning to Vancouver in the evening. In all, the tour took about 12 hours.

We departed at the Pacific Central station and headed for the BCferries that will take us to Swartz Bay in Vancouver Island. Our driver cum guide hailed from Prince Edward Island, was laconic in his narration and had a tendency to go off tangent. Still, he offered interesting insights on life in Canada. We arrived at the Butchart gardens just after noon. Our first glimpse of the gardens at the entrance had everyone in the bus excited. By the time the coach was parked, we were all eager to head straight for the gardens. We were given 3 hours to explore and wished we had more time.

The garden was in full bloom with some autumn froliage. Words like spectacular, beautiful, picturesque could not describe the full beauty of the gardens. We were given a book identifying the various blooms in the garden as well as a map which was useful during our self-guided tour. For those who have more time, there is a restaurant, cafe and an ice-cream kiosk in the garden.

Go Here for further details on admission and events.

From the Butchart gardens, we departed for Victoria for a short bus tour covering the uplands, the Beacon Hill park and Mile Zero. As the coach turned a corner towards the Empress Hotel, I was surprised and delighted to see a familiar building- the iconic school from South Park. We were given about an hour to walk around Victoria, as we strolled around town, we could see why Victoria was a popular filming location. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and wished we had time to stay overnight.

Our first intention was to visit the UBC Botanical Gardens but we got lost very quickly upon arriving at UBC. We ended up at the entrance of the Wreck beach, a place which we were warned NOT to go by our host. When we caught sight of a familiar Japanese low wall, we were delighted to find ourselves outside the Nitobe Memorial Garden.

Nitobe Memorial Garden is ranked 4th best traditional Japanese gardens outside of Japan. It is part of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Botanical garden and is located behind the Center of Asian studies. It was created to honour Dr Inazo Nitobe (1862-1933), a scholar and diplomat who spent most of his life promoting trust and understanding between Japan and America.

Entry fee is CAD$6 for adults. We were given a pamphlet by an affable gentleman at the gatehouse who had obviously not seen many visitors as he took a while to process our tickets. As we passed the gate, we felt a sense of déjà vu, it was as if we were transported to Japan. We instantly felt a sense of calm and tranquility, our pace slackened and we experienced a sense of timelessness. This garden was created in Shinto style and was meant as a place for contemplation. The garden spans 1 hectare and has a traditional Japanese tea house. Many of the flora like the cherry blossoms were imported from Japan, native hemlocks and cedar trees were also used and pruned to Japanese style to compliment the garden.

We lingered in the garden and were reluctant to leave. We could imagine the beauty of this garden in April, when the cherry blossoms bloomed. At the time of our visit, the maples were still green, still, the beauty of the garden left an indelible impression in our minds.

Tips
Do take some time to read the pamphlet before you begin your tour of the garden. There is a self guided tour with useful information explaining the concepts and symbolism of the garden which will enhance your appreciation of the garden in the pamphlet.

The easiest way to find the Nitobe Memorial Garden if you are arriving by transit bus is to head for the Asian Center (which is where the nearest restrooms are by the way), going through and towards the back of the center (look for the signage posted on the wall) will bring you to the entrance of the garden. Many of the students we approached could not direct us to the garden and signage to the garden was also absent.

Go here for detailed instructions on how to get there.

Opening Hours
15th March-31st October: 9-5pm daily
1st November- 15th March: 10-2pm daily.
Closed on Public holidays.

We were fortunate to have friends in Vancouver who acted us our hosts and guide to Vancouver. Thanks to them, we were not only able to see the main tourist attractions like the Capilano Suspension bridge, Dr Sun Yat Sen garden in Chinatown, Gastown, Granville Island and Stanley park but lesser known sights like Burnaby mountain, Coal harbour and Deep cove. Visiting Vancouver, we felt as if we have visited not just a country but a composite of many including Japan, Korea, China and Europe.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

This award winning attraction, also the oldest attraction makes for a fun family outing. It has something for everyone. The star attraction of course is the 137m long bridge and the treetop walk that gave visitors a birdseye view of the fir canopy. The park has informative signs on its flora and fauna. It was a fun and educative experience for us.

Dr Sun Yat Sen Garden

Dr Sun Yat Sen garden is a faithful recreation of the Chinese traditional garden according to style of the Ming dynasty. It is run by a non-profit organisation whose aim is to foster better understanding of the Chinese traditions and culture. We decided to pop in for a quick look around after a scrumptious breakfast at an authentic Hong Kong teahouse in Chinatown. We limited our visit to the outer garden which is free of charge. Our visit left us curious as to the name of the garden, this mystery was solved when we walked towards the bright red arch that marked the beginning of Chinatown along Carrall street. Here we stopped to admire the mural and the narrowest building in Chinatown and found ourselves in Shanghai and Canton alley, the original site of Chinatown where the history of the Chinese migrants to Vancouver were illustrated. This was where we also learnt that Dr Sun Yat Sen has visited Vancouver three times to raise funds to support his cause.

Burnaby mountain park

Located in Burnaby, it offers superb views of downtown Vancouver and the Burrand inlet. Locals flock here during the fireworks festival for its spectacular views at night. The park has a beautiful rose garden and a sculpture entitled "The playground of the Gods" which was installed in 2005 to celebrate its anniversary of Burnaby's sister city relationship with Kushiro, Japan. We felt a sense of deja vu as we had visited Kushiro in that year.

Deep Cove

This little idyllic gem offers a glimpse of the life of early pioneers. Its heritage has been well preserved. Its ideal location, i.e., close proximity to the sea and mountain also proved popular among the locals and outdoor sports enthusiasts. For the less adventurous, a stroll along the cove and Deep Cover downtown makes for a relaxing afternoon.

Money saving tips
The Smartvisit card is a useful card to have if you intend to take in the many tourist attractions in Vancouver and Victoria. This card includes free entry to 50 attractions, a free day tour to Whistler, a half day orca-sighting tour and a harbour cruise in the Burrand inlet. Once activated, this card is valid for 2 days, 3 days or 5 days consecutively so timing is important. We purchased the 3 day pass for CAD$152 (inclusive of tax) and found it a good deal.

If you are moving around by public transport, purchase the Fare Savers booklet available at newsstands. The booklet comes with 10 coupons which you can use on transit buses, seabuses and skytrain. The booklet is sold according to zones. Most attractions are located in downtown which is zone 1. A booklet of 10 for zone 1 costs CAD$19, this is a saving of CAD$6 (fare for zone 1 is CAD$2.50 and is valid for 90 minutes).

Vera's Shack is a fast-food chain that boasts a 6oz burger patty made fresh to order and cooked just right. It began humbly in 1977 at a beach concession by Vera and her husband Frank. We visited the 9th store located at Commercial drive after walking past it several times on our last day in Vancouver.

The joint was small, mostly standing room only with the smell from the grill attracting many, including drooling dogs during meal times. Vera's shack has been voted consistently as the best burger in Vancouver, with the "Doug's special" listed as one of the 101 things to taste before you die. Since the burgers were made fresh to order and customised to taste, be prepared to wait (but oh so worth the wait). We tried the Vera's classic burger with special sauce and was impressed by the size and the taste. For CAD$6 per burger, it was certainly a fair deal.

Japa dog is not just any hot dog stand, it is a popular hot dog stand located in downtown Vancouver next to the Sutton Hotel; patronized and given the stamp of approval by food critics like Anthony Bourdain and local food magazines. It's fame has even spread to Japan where Japa dog is unavailable.

This small hot dog stand is run mainly by Japanese students and boasts a short menu. The favorites and must try are: Terimayo, Oroshi and Misomayo. These are hot dogs with a Japanese twist. Instead of the classic relish and ketchup, teriyaki sauce, daikon and miso is used.

For pork lovers, do try the Kurobuta, a premium Berkshire pork. Toppings like relish, onions, capsicum are available with a whole range of sauces to chose from. My personal favorite was the Kurobuta hot dog with wasabi mayonnaise. Ooshii!! Prices start from CAD$3 to 6.50. Soft drinks sell at CAD$1.

Nothing beats a piping hot hot dog on a cool day. Comfort food with a Japanese twist!

Worker owned and run, fair trade and organic. This sums up the philosophy of Theresa's, a hole in the wall cafe located along Commercial Drive that strives to offer organic food at reasonable prices. We went hunting for breakfast and stumbled upon Theresa's. We entered the cafe upon the urging of a local who was going to have his breakfast there (at least I thought he was local).

The cafe is small with a seating capacity of perhaps less than 20 adults. The menu offered the usual continental breakfast selection. The concept is to chose what you want and pay for it. There are also breakfast sets for those who cannot think clearly without drinking their morning brew first. My friend chose the bagel and sausages while I picked the Theresa's breakfast set that came with 2 eggs in preferred style (sunny side up for me), home fries that were actually potatoes baked with roasted garlic, 2 sausages and 2 slices of buttered toast. Home brew coffee was free flow and we were issued a mug upon payment and told to help ourselves from the thermos flask. Service is pretty much self-service and patrons are encouraged to clear the table before they leave. The place was laid back and homey. The food was excellent, not too oily although it was a tad salty for us. Portions were generous and we paid about CAD$10 each for our breakfast in all. It is a pity that we discovered this place on our last day of stay in Vancouver.

If you would like to know a little more about Theresa's, visit their website here

Opening hours:
Mondays & Tuesdays 8-2pm,
Wednesdays - Sundays 8-9pm

Getting There:
We were staying at the Aberdeen Mansion so Theresa's was just a 10 min stroll from the bed and breakfast place.

Transit bus #20 stops right in front of the cafe.

Jang Mo Jib literally translated, means mother-in-law, offers authentic Korean dishes at reasonable prices. We tried the new branch at Burnaby, along Kingsway which had opened recently and was in the soft-launch phase at the time of our visit. A sign upon entry warned us that service maybe slow due to teething problems but we shouldered on, enticed by the fragrant scent and sizzling sound of barbequed meat, that and the fact that we were very hungry. We had arrived early but the restaurant quickly filled up with curious Asian locals and tourists.

We ordered the usual Korean favourites like seafood pancake, bulgogi or bbq beef wraps set (which came with assorted kimchi and rice), ginseng chicken soup (samkyetang) and jab chae glass noodles. The portions were shockingly huge, the table was unable to accommodate the dishes and we had to quicken our pace of eating. Still, we only managed to finish half of the food among the 4 of us and had to request for a doggy bag. Service was efficient and quicker than expected. Perhaps the warning sign upon entry had prepared us mentally and we were pleasantly surprised when service turned out otherwise.

The seafood pancake was thick and fluffy with crisp edges, and the ingredients used were fresh. We particularly enjoyed the samkyetang since the evening was cool and the steaming hot ginseng soup warmed us up. The food and the restaurant ambience transported us to Korea, this is as authentic as it gets. In all, we spent about CAD$85 plus tips and left the restaurant satiated and satisfied.

Yes, we went to another Korean restaurant, and we aren't even Koreans! While Jang Mo Jib is more family oriented and casual, Kyung Bok Gung seemed to cater for the upper echelon. This restaurant was voted as the best Korean restaurant in 2006.

Their specialty? Sliced beef short rib marinated with their house special BBQ sauce. Diners have the choice to DIY the beef slices using the round grill built into every table or request for it to be done in their kitchen. Another house specialty was the beef soup. We ordered their sliced beef rib marinated in their house special sauce, lettuce wraps and accompaniments, Samyetang (again), seafood pancake and a seafood-vegetable hotpot. Having learnt our lesson at Jang Mo Jib, we restrained ourselves from ordering more dishes. As expected, the portions were huge with assorted kimchi, fortunately, the dishes came at intervals so we were able to eat at a more leisurely pace.

We requested for the beef to be cooked before serving and ate the beef rib slices wrapped in lettuce, miso paste, garlic and kimchi (if you like the extra kick). The beef was fragrant and well marinated, it was so tender that it literally melted in our mouths. Yum! The seafood-vegetable hotpot and the seafood pancake were excellent too. The only complaint we had was the slow and inattentive service. The restaurant was bustling and it took several waves before we could catch their attention each time. In all, the meal costs about CAD$100 plus drinks.

For Korean cuisine lovers, this restaurant is a must try, however, be prepared to pay a little more and don't forget to bring patience along.

This restaurant, located in a quiet neighborhood is anything but quiet. Pushing through their doors and we were immediately greeted with a line; and it was not even 10am yet. My first impression is that I have crossed borders and somehow landed on Hong Kong instead. From the decor to the service staff, the atmosphere, especially when the wait staff greeted their regulars like friends who had not seen each other for a long time when in fact, it was only yesterday that they had breakfast there; I experienced a sense of deja vu.

The menu was standard Cantonese Dim Sum fare. Guests only need to mark what they want on the menu and hand it over to the waitress. Service was laid back but when they started to serve the food, it came quickly. We were immediately reminded that we were still in Vancouver when a) the menu came in 2 languages (Mandarin and English) and b), the food portions were upsized (except for the egg tarts). Yes, the siew mai and har gao (steamed pork dumpling and shrimp dumpling) were doubled in size compared to what we were accustomed to back home. We realised that we could not try as many of their selection as we wanted to because of the size (waste not, wont not).

In all, we ordered about 8 items on their menu and paid less than CAD$40 (plus tips). The ingredients used were fresh and the taste was authentic and excellent (better than what we have in Singapore even). It is no wonder the restaurant quickly fills up even though it was a week day, I cannot imagine how busy the restaurant must get on a weekend. Great food at reasonable prices although the exterior of the restaurant does not look impressive.

Canadians are said to consume more sushi per capita compared to the Japanese, or so we have been informed. Japanese restaurants run by Japanese, Chinese or Koreans seemed to be found everywhere in Vancouver. We were spoilt for choice.

Hime Sushi is a little family-run Japanese restaurant by Koreans. We stumbled upon this restaurant quite by accident. Located at West Point Grey, opposite Safeway, it is considered as one of the best sushi place to go in UBC. The place maybe small and cosy but the bright and cheerful decor lightened our mood. The menu offered traditional Japanese home-cooked food. We tried the soba, unagi bento (grilled eel on rice) and the assorted sashimi (raw fish). What impressed us was the sashimi. It was very fresh and instead of the usual pacific salmon, we were served sockeye salmon; something which we did not expect from a neighbourhood restaurant. The unagi was also excellent, the eel was fresh and well marinated. Service was laid back and polite. In all, we spent less than CAD$50 plus tips.

Getting There:
From UBC- take any of the buses headed for downtown and alight once you see Safeway. The bus stop is just outside the restaurant.