Month: July 2007

What about a series on restaurants in Vancouver? Sure the Straight and whatever other websites all have their “best of” Vancouver, but I don’t know any of those reviewers so fie on them. I want to know what my trusted friends think. So, first off, let’s talk Indian food. What’s the best Indian place you’ve been to? What was your experience like?

There’s three places I’ve been to lately.

New India Buffet & Restaurant has the benefit of being the closest to me (on Broadway near the hospital). It also has a really good atmosphere. This is one of the few restaurants where I feel okay to take some books & papers and eat and work. The booths are nice and reasonably private. The best part is the buffet. I have never ordered off the menu. I walk in and sometimes I’m not even greeted by anyone, which suits me fine – I just drop my coat in a booth and start on the buffet. The food is not amazing, but they have what I like about Indian food – tasty butter chicken and naan, and gulab jamon – those little desert balls covered in syrup. Because Indian food is my favourite cuisine, but I can’t handly spicy/hot foods, that’s often all that I have. The buffet is $10 for lunch and a little more for dinner. This is one of those experiences I treat myself rarely to, because I tend to eat slowly but constantly over the course of 60-120 minutes, and walk out feeling completely stuffed.
http://www.foodvancouver.com/restaurant.php?restaurant=497

New India Buffet & Restaurant

http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp?r=718

Maurya Indian Cuisine (also on Broadway but closer to Granville) also has a buffet, which I tried once, just for a change and because I had a coupon. The food was good enough, but all the open tables with no separations had me feeling like I was in a Chinese restaurant. What can I say, I’m a booth man. Maurya gets lots of good reviews but for me something happened that was unforgivable. Since they change up the buffet menu, when I went there was no butter chicken. Sorry kids, that just doesn’t cut it.
http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp?r=548
http://www.foodvancouver.com/restaurant.php?restaurant=384
http://www.mauryaindiancuisine.com/zgrid/themes/41/intro/index.jsp

Indian Oven on West 4th has, as far as Joyce & I are concerned, the best Chicken Korma in the city. The butter chicken is also very good. Price is good but sometimes the wait is long. And what’s the deal with these restaurants where rice and naan are extra? Weird. Plus they deliver! But make sure they got your order right before you pay. Isn’t that perennial advice, though?
http://www.theindianoven.com/zgrid/proc/site/sitep.jsp
http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp?r=570

I remember going to Annapurna on 4th, but it’s been so long I really can’t comment.
Has anyone been to Nirvana? (the restaurant)

So there were at least 3 camera crews, including CBC, Global and Channel M here yesterday, and a bunch of other reporters with dictaphones and notepads, when the local MLA sat at my neighbor’s dining room table for a little press conference about what’s happening in our building.

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20070717_201106_5004

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=4717bf2e-2e65-43c3-b3d9-165d85785096

Will it help? Can I stay? Who knows….

So on the advice of Zdepthcharge (if that is your real name) I went to Max’s Deli and got a “real” cup of coffee, in pursuit of my quest to find another zero calorie beverage besides diet pop and water. They had some sugar free hazelnut syrup so I had her put a shot of that in to give it a bit of sweetness. The small cup was $2 plus change. I got outside and took a swig. I walked the 3 blocks home and put probably a quarter cup of Splenda in it. Okay, now it was sweet, but it still tasted rank. The only thing I could think of was to put a couple drops of licorice extract in it. I managed to finish it the next day after it had been chilling in the fridge all night. I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t like coffee, but I do like some coffee flavoured things. Well, at least I gave it a try and the next time someone asks me why I don’t drink coffee I can tell them this story.

I’ve started piling all the stuff I’m getting rid of on the “dining room” table (I put dining room in quotations because we have never dined there), and the towers are teetering. Books, CDs, DVDs, VHS (movies so far, I haven’t gotten to the cartoons yet) games, and assorted knick knacks. Although I do love the birthday auction, I know I can get better prices on the CDs and books at Zulu/Red Cat & Pulp Fiction. And since it’s pretty much a guarantee that I’ll be moving into a more expensive place, I could use the extra cash. I spent much of my evenings and free time picking at the bookshelves and I’ve barely made a dent. If there’s ever been a time to borrow something from me, this is it!

And also of course if anyone want to take a look at the teetering towers, let me know – I’d rather sell to friends than to stores. Why just yesterday David came by and bought a big stack of comics for ten cents each.