Al Basha
3143 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC

My dislike for Richmond is quite well know. Crazy drivers, small parking spaces, badly design parking locations, the list goes on and on. However, that isn’t the only part of Metro Vancouver I do not frequent. Vancouver West Side is another of such areas in town, despite there is no particular reason. Probably because of those houses I don’t think I will never have enough moola to purchase? Or, perhaps because there is that sense of “falsehood”. Probably because most of the restaurants are the type where there is more hype to be seen rather than what it is served on the plate? Or because, well, I have had a bad track there? Regardless of the reason, after my visit to the area on Greek Day, I found out there were actually small interesting shops. One of them happened to be Al Basha and I made a mental note to return “soon” and that is what I did…

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Tagged as:
Chicken,
Middle Eastern,
Vancouver,
West Side
Donair Dude
1172 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC

Last week, I wrote this tweet:
Just noticed/realized something: There are a lot of shawarma shops open/opening soon in the West End! Boom of Middle Eastern food?
Years ago, when I was living in the West End, I remember only a handful of such Middle Eastern eateries. There was Falafel King (with a second location in Davie) and Mediterranean Grill. Now, there are a couple of Babylon Cafe locations, Donair King, Sammy’s Hot Wing (which, could fall into the category of being there a long time as well), etc. etc. So, when FOODgrl wrote about yet-another such shops – Donair Dude – I was wondering… Was there anything that would make them stand out from the rest? Yes there was…

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Tagged as:
Lunch,
Middle Eastern,
Vancouver,
West End
Darya Restaurant
1795 Pendrell Street
Vancouver, BC

I have walked Robson, Denman and Davie Street so many times that, for the most part, I am aware of all the restaurants. Or so I thought. When I was walking back one day from English back to work, I noticed a restaurant just off Denman that, last time I remembered, was a Chinese restaurant. I guess it went under and now a Middle Easter/Persian restaurant – Darya Restaurant. Since I had lunch already, I put that in my lunch to visit queue. That opportunity came a couple of weeks ago and, as it has been a lot of times already in my lunches on work days, PO was tagging along.

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Tagged as:
Lamb,
Lunch,
Middle Eastern,
Vancouver
European Deli
1220 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC
In general, I try to be as responsible as possible when it comes to timing. Now, that does not mean I will be perfect; there will be times I will slip. When it comes to work, despite I have flex time, I am usually there past my usual required work hours (though, that might actually “mean” flex time, as in anytime before 9:00 a.m., and anytime after 5:00 p.m….). As for appointments, something similar: if I have an appointment at 11:00 a.m., I try to be there by 10:55 a.m. This is quite unlike some culture I am aware of where, if you say 11:00 a.m., people believe you actually mean 11:30 a.m….
On one day, I had a doctor appointment for 11:00 a.m. I usually avoid these hours because, well, it means I have to take an early break. However, to make up for that time, I started really early that day. Fortunately, that doctor’s appointment was relatively fast and, rather than go back to work directly, I decided to have an early lunch. Looking for places in Davie Street, I saw the usual suspects and after walking some streets, I was almost resigned to places I have been several times in the past. However, that’s when I noticed European Deli and its note of selling deli sandwiches…

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Tagged as:
Deli,
European,
Middle Eastern,
Vancouver
Abdul’s BBQ
Crystal Mall
4500 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC

About a month ago, I wrote a post about Falafel Maison, a Middle Eastern, shawarma restaurant in Downtown Vancouver when reader Koji mentioned Abdul’s BBQ, a similar place in Crystal Mall (overlooking Kingsway). This is a place I have been in the past; however, that was before I started blogging. For some reason, I haven’t been back in a long time and when he mentioned it, I thought, hey, why not!

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Tagged as:
Burnaby,
Chicken,
Middle Eastern,
Vegetarian
Falafel Maison
516 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC

During the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, there were some restaurants I hoped they were open on time during the Games. One of those restaurants that barely opened in time was Santouka. One I wished it had open but failed was Gyuu Don Ya. And how I found it was still closed? Because I walked all the way there! Since I was hungry and needed to eat quick, I browsed nearby options. Kushi Box? Nope, done. Viet Sub? Matoi Sushi? H-Mart? Done and done. Among the remaining ones was Falafel Maison. OK, lunch it is!

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Tagged as:
Downtown,
Lunch,
Middle Eastern,
Vancouver