Restaurants

Mixing cultures is like breathing. It's something that I have always taken for granted and couldn't do without.

And food is part of culture! So mixing cuisines or "fusion" is something that makes sense to me.

The Green Lettuce Cafe Restaurant at 1949 Kingsway (604 876-9883) presents a unique Chinese and Indian mix.

Apparently, alot of Chinese people have lived in the cosmopolitan Indian city of Bombay for many years and over the years they have created a unique blend of Chinese and Indian Cuisine.

Fortunately, we don't have to go to Bombay to try this out.

I found three recommendations for the Sichuanese and Shanghaiese food at Shanghai Palace (604.261.6328) at 8012 Granville Street on the web today.

[EDITORS' NOTE: Thanks Stella! We have heard that Haru ( 1221 Thurlow St. 604-687-4278) is a fine restaurant but unfortunately have not tried it!

After our second visit to Cafe Olive on Saturday, which was an excellent dining experience just like our first visit, we decided to write a Mini-Review.

Coincidentally, The Georgia Straight also has a review of Cafe Olive this week which alas does not seem to be available online, so please read our Mini-Review of Cafe Olive.

When I lived in Germany, I was lucky enough to have a Turkish restaurant around the corner from me.

I loved that place! Just like a lot of Chinese restaurants here which serve "Candianized" Chinese food, it served "Germanized" Turkish food.

However they also served "real" Turkish food. Wonderful boreks with phyllo pastry and lots of dishes which, alas, don't appear to be available in Vancouver.

My taste for Turkish food has remained but until we visited Cafe Olive I had not been able to satisfy my cravings for Turkish food.

Tonight I had the pleasure of dining at Karen Barnaby's restaurant, The Fish House in Stanley Park.

I really enjoyed my meal. I had a organic green salad for $6.95 and grilled to Rare 8oz Ahi Tuna Steak "Diane"with classic green peppercorn sauce, buttermilk mashed potatoes for $28.95. The ahi was actually rare and the sauce and the mashed potatoes served as a nice highlight and background.

The best part for me was the dessert: the coconut cream pie ($6.95). It was beautiful and tasty.

A couple of months ago, a Japanese person that I met recommended the ramen at Kintaro Ramen (788 Davie Street, 604-682-7568, open from noon every day except Monday).

This restaurant focuses on one thing only: Ramen. Other than gyozas, there's nothing else on the menu. In other words no sushi!

We finally tried it today and were very impressed.

When I lived in Germany, I used to go the Tukan restaurant in Meersburg and eat their delicious flammkuchen.

Flammkuchen is the German "kissing cousin" of the French "tarte flambée". They are both very similar.

Both are like a Italian thin crust pizza without tomato sauce and are delicious.

A friend and I went for a late lunch to Pia's Kaffe (605 West Pender Street telephone 604 684 2737) which we mentioned previously.

I tried the open face sandwich platter, which is now $8. It was just as good as Jurgen Goethe described!

We went back to the Memphis Blues Barbeque House and are delighted to report that the food was just as wonderful as the first time. Check out our mini review of Memphis Blues Barbeque House for more details.