Northern Cafe & Grill: Serious Hole-In-The-Wall Diner Eats

I’ve been known to frequent hole-in-the-wall joints. In fact, some of my favourite places to visit are down-to-earth eateries where the owners love what they do and are unpretentious about it. Well, I’m happy to say that I’ve found a new place that meets these standards. I suppose “found” really isn’t the right word as Northern Cafe has been around since 1949. But I can hardly be blamed for not visiting until now… tucked away on the second floor of a building supply store – you seriously are not going to come across this place unless you were intentionally trying to find this place (or if you happen to work in the trades).

Shun Fa Noodle House: Super Slow and Forgettable Service

Shun Fa Noodle House is a fairly forgettable place located on Victoria Drive (close to Mui Garden). I had to actually dig deep into my notes to help me remember anything about this place (yes, I keep notes about the places that I visit).

Hometown Pizza: Factory Special

Many, many years ago, there was a pizza joint located in Champlain Heights called Hometown Pizza that we’d often grab takeout from. The mom and pop shop left the area and we eventually forgot all about them. Recently, we noticed a Hometown Pizza that was located on 57th Ave and Knight Street so we decided to drop by and see if it was in fact the same place.

Ichikame Shokudo: Pretty Bowls for Ramen

Disclaimer: I originally wrote this review back in late October 2017 but I’m just getting to posting it due to a backlog in old posts and our Japan trip)…

A new ramen shop has popped up in Vancouver. Yes, I know, that’s not exactly earth shattering news given the number of ramen shops around town. Ichikame Shokudo is a tiny shop located on Victoria Drive in south-east Vancouver.