Top 7 Restaurants In Vancouver That You Will Want To Visit

If you are planning a trip in the near future to Vancouver, you will definitely want to start researching as soon as possible. When creating your travel itinerary, you will need to include the places that you will want to visit. The metropolis, located in Western Canada, has a population of about approximately 2.6 million.

As one of the third largest cities in Canada, Vancouver has a lot to offer to the tourist, including delicious cuisine, flavor-filled vegetarian restaurants and endless entertainment opportunities. Below, you will discover a list of the seven top restaurants in Vancouver.

#1 Blue Water Café

Blue Water Café, at 1095 Hamilton Street in Vancouver, is a seafood restaurant that serves fresh wild coastal species. The restaurant’s “Seafood Tower” is extremely popular among the locals. It features clams, oysters, mussels, sashimi, crab, salmon tartare and tuna.

Sablefish is the restaurant’s signature dish, which includes baby bok choy, pumpernickel crush, Sturgeon, miso sake glaze, quinoa, edamame, yuzu dashi and mushrooms. If ever you are in Vancouver, you will definitely want to play a visit to the Blue Water Café. This is one visit that you will never forget and neither will your taste buds.

#2 Bauhaus

Bauhaus, at 1 Cordova Street W in Vancouver, features a menu with German, contemporary, European, vegetarian and gluten-free cuisines. The restaurant serves dinner and lunch only. What makes the restaurant so popular, besides its delicious cuisine, is its calming, romantic atmosphere. The staff is super-friendly, helpful and more than willing to offer meal suggestions.

If you cannot make up your mind to which dish to get, you can always opt for the tasting menu. This particular menu includes wine pairings, which is ideal for the win lover.

The owner, Uwe Boll, frequently comes out to the dining area to mingle with the visitors. He is friendly, chanting and very knowledgeable on food.

#3 Lupo

Lupo, at 869 Hamilton Street in Vancouver, is another wonderful restaurant. The menu consists of vegan, vegetarian, Italian and gluten-free cuisines. Prices are reasonable and the ingredients are still high quality and fresh. The environment is warm, romantic and pleasant, making it the perfect location for couples that are celebrating special events.

The menu offerings include lobster, prawns, Zuppa de Pesce seafood soup, buffalo mozzarella, veal, tiramisu, burrata salad, antipasti Parmesan sformatto, braised meat and much more. The restaurant has a nice wine collection, as well.

The staff is extremely helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. In addition to this, the service is fairly quick, so there will not be a long delay before your meal is served to your table.

#4 Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro

Salmon n’ Bannock Bistro, at 7-1128 Broadway W in Vancouver, features a menu with Native American, Canadian, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free cuisines. The atmosphere is perfect for singles, couples and families who just want to enjoy a night out on the town. The staff is knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.

The service is fast and the servers are professional and clean-cut.

The menu offerings include, but not limited to, smoked oolichan, Saskatoon berry pie, salmon burger, a variety of salads with blueberries, bison spare ribs, wild sockeye salmon and gluten-free bannocks.

Before visiting Canada, be sure you complete the Canada ETA application several months prior to your trip. You will not be permitted to enter the country without a valid ETA.

#5 Forage

Forage, at 1300 Robson Street in Vancouver, serves a variety of cuisines, including vegetarian, contemporary, vegan, Canadian, and gluten-free. Forage serves breaks, lunch and dinner. The atmosphere is quiet, warm and family-friendly. The service is fast and the servers are professionally dressed in appropriate attire. The staff is friendly, helpful and more than willing to provide meal recommendations.

As a restaurant that specializes in “family-style” dining, which is ideal for small and large groups. The menu includes, but not limited to, smoke duck breast, Vietnamese-style bison carpaccio, beetroot salad, smoked yogurt, liver parfait, hash browns, short ribs, hanger steak and crispy halibut cheek benny.

#6 Mak N Ming

The Mak N Mink restaurant is located on Yew Street. The restaurant offers a mixture of Asian and French flavors. The restaurant was set up by chefs Amanda Cheng and Makoto Ono. There are plenty of delicious items on the menu. Just remember that the menu changes regularly. This helps to keep the restaurant fresh and exciting. Some of the most popular dishes include halibut, radish and spruce, pork and cauliflower, and cheese, red fruit tartlet. Once you’ve tasted the delicious meals, there is no doubt that you’ll be eager to return to Mak N Ming again in the near future. They’ll even let you bring your own wine.

#7 The Five Sails Restaurant

Located at the R level Pan Pacific Hotel at 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, The Five Sails Restaurant truly offers world class dining. With their scrumptious dishes and stunning views, this restaurant is unmatched. You can dine in style and view the water, mountains, and Stanley Park all at the same time. Don’t forget to take advantage of the intimate private dining room, as this cozy lounge will hold up to twenty guests and offers a modern fireplace with elevated booths.

The chefs pay extra special attention to their dishes and offer everything from vegetarian menus to seafood. Oh, and the wine collection is without a doubt one of the best in the country.

Note: The photograph in this article has been borrowed under the Creative Commons License from wikipedia.org and it has been linked to its host page on wikipedia.

How to Stay Healthy While Travelling

Whether you always travel for work or play, there’s one important thing you should do, and that’s staying healthy. That’s right. We all know how stressful travelling can be, and even the most seasoned travelers can still get sick.

Now, before you get all excited, you need to do some research first. Planning where to go, what to do, and knowing where to look for an online car rental booking will save you a lot of time and greatly reduce stress.

So, if you want your trip go smoothly, there are many easy and simple things you can do to stay healthy and fit while travelling.

Before you travel

Give yourself enough time to boost your immune system. You can take some supplements at least a week before you leave. That way, your body is strong enough to resist germs or bacteria that may cause illnesses you may encounter while travelling.

Pack smart

Make a list of all the essential vitamins and medications you need to bring and be sure to pack hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes. So, even if you unintentionally touch something dirty, you can easily clean your hands and protect yourself from those nasty germs.

Get immunized

Before you travel, consult your doctor. Check if there are any vaccines and immunizations you need to take. You can research the country you are going to visit and see what kind of shots you may need, like Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, Malaria, Diphtheria, Influenza, Yellow Fever, among others.

Get plenty of sleep

When you’ve got so many things to look forward to, it’s easy to get carried away. One of the things you may forgo when you travel is sleep. However, it’s the most important things that your body needs to stay healthy.

As you’re travelling, you’ll spend a lot of time walking all day, carrying your luggage, adjusting to different time zones, you name it. So, to make sure you have plenty of energy, make sure you have plenty of rest and sleep every chance you get.

Eat healthy

This part is equally important as getting adequate sleep. Remember that whatever you eat will have a direct impact on your overall well-being. While it may be tempting to try unhealthy foods, you should focus on getting proper nutrition if you want to remain fit.

Drink lots of water

The fastest way to feeling fatigued is dehydration. When you are flying, drink plenty of water whenever you have the chance. You can bring your own travel bottle, so you can clean it anytime. Just remember to find a clean source of drinking water if you need a refill.

Be active

When you are overseas, it’s easy to forget about hitting the gym. But there are many ways you can get some workout even if you’re far from home. You can always find some good places to run, take a brisk walk or go cycling. Some hotel accommodations may even offer free access to the gym or you can go swimming if there is a pool available.

Take care of your skin

Going to the beach to get a nice tan? Then be sure to bring some sun protection, like sunscreen, sunglasses, and a nice beach hat. At night, you may also want to apply some bug-repellent lotion to ward off those pesky mosquitos and other insects you may encounter.

The last thing you want to happen is to get your vacation ruined because you got sick. But we hope these tips will be more than enough to help you keep safe and healthy while you’re travelling.

If you have some tips of your own, we’d love to hear them. Sharing is caring, so please leave us a comment that others may benefit from your experience and tips.

The biggest risks for all travelers and how to eliminate them

As a traveler, you should know all the potential risks you might face during your trips and you should either aim to prevent it or eliminate them completely. This knowledge will allow you to enjoy your business or leisure trip without a worry.

Traveling risks to be avoided at any cost

Travelling is riskier than watching TV or staying at home, but it can provide you with immense joy. The good news is that potential risks can be easily managed with the right mindset and proper preparation.

A list of common travelling risks

Check the following risks that you can face while travelling and find out more about the most effective ways to eliminate them.

1) Losing your belongings and theft

Travelling involves carrying your valuable belongings with you when staying in a hotel or when you are moving between places. Many travelers are faced with a danger of losing belongings either due to carelessness or due to theft. To solve this problem, you should take only the most important things with you. Each valuable thing that you carry adds more pressure because you need to decide how to secure it instead of enjoying your trip.

Many tourists can’t imagine their trips without their laptops, cameras, etc. It’s necessary to safeguard all of these things. Look for the best balance between not being careless and not being paranoid. Everything depends on where you go because risk levels vary in different countries. Find out more about these levels and popular theft methods and be prepared.

2) Violent crimes

This problem is quite serious and it often happens in developing countries. If you are in this situation, you should understand that your life and health are more important than your belongings. You need to resist only when it’s the only way out. You can easily reduce this risk by avoiding troubled areas and not looking clueless. Tourists are considered lucrative and easy targets. Don’t show your valuable possessions, and use them only when needed and in safe places. Trust your gut feeling to ensure the best travelling experience.

3) Losing your sanity

Sometimes, tourists who decide to travel for a long time end up getting disconnected from society and themselves. It can happen when you change destinations for bad reasons, such as running away from something in your life, killing time instead of enjoying new places, and others. Older tourists are more prone to experiencing this problem because they find it more difficult to meet and connect with locals or other travelers. You shouldn’t disconnect, so invest your time in meeting or interacting with other people and set clear travelling goals that must be accomplished to stay sane and happy.

4) Health dangers



Most people start thinking about their health only when it starts deteriorating. Health problems are more challenging when you’re away from home and your comfort zone. Before your next trip, especially to developing countries, you should go to your doctor, get emergency medications, and find out more about specific health risks. Unfortunately, developing countries may lack effective medications, and that’s why you should be prepared. Don’t forget to get your travel insurance to cover possible treatments. It’s affordable and beneficial for all tourists. If your health deteriorates or problems start, look for helpful information about reliable clinics or hospitals. In some countries, they can be of poor quality.

5) Visa issues and border controls

There are some problematic possessions that you shouldn’t carry with you while crossing borders, such as drugs or weapons. Even if you stay away from problems, border controls may seem frustrating. If unwanted incidents occur, it’s necessary to remain calm and avoid losing your temper because you will only make everything worse. Get more information about visa laws applicable in your chosen destination before travelling. Spend some time on your research to avoid possible problems and risks. Keep your passport safe because losing it is a real big headache.

6) Problems at home

When you’re far away, there are certain problems that are hard to solve, including bureaucracy, family health, and so on. You can easily avoid these risks by having open communication channels with your home. This is how you can ensure that you will receive the latest news fast when something important happens. And remember to sort things out before going to the next destination.      
    
7) Transportation

Using transportation exposes travelers to a high risk of accidents. When you go to places with increased risks, spend your time in airlines or reliable buses, trains and taxi companies. Choose the safest seats to travel comfortably. Avoid motorcycles in places with high traffic because they can get quite risky, especially if you are not used to them.

Once you identify possible travelling risks, it becomes easier to avoid or eliminate them. They can ruin any travelling experience, so use all the available methods to travel the world as safely as possible.

Getting closer to the Orangutans of Borneo

I absolutely dig wildlife holidays. I feel they allow us to see nature in its rawest and truest form. That sheer combination of awe, fear and joy when you see millions of animals migrating from Tanzania to Kenya, when you stand close to a family of gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda, watch a tiger walk by your jeep in the forests of India or see the Polar Bears in the arctic region of Canada, is a feeling that transcends many levels of travel happiness. One such rich wildlife experience that the wildlife lover in you needs to have is to get close to the Orang-utans of Borneo.



Orangutan, which literally translates into ‘man of the forest’ in Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malay, is one of those intelligent primates that is known for its similarities to us humans in terms of social circles, behavioural patterns and its ability to walk upright. Seeing this thick haired aurburn/orange primate swinging from one branch to the other, conversing with other orangutans using interesting sounds, walking on its two limbs and watching the different expressions on its face up close is quite a surreal experience. They are even known to build nests as their sleeping pads, which is a stupendous act in itself.



As these great apes are found only in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, it is the perfect excuse for an adventurous rainforest holiday. While the forests of Indonesian Borneo are home to the highest number of orangutans, I feel the best place for a sure shot orangutan interaction are the rainforests of Malaysian Borneo. They offer the perfect blend of easy access, good infrastructure and organized wildlife experience.



You could either see them in the wild (where sightings would depend on your luck) or you could catch them in action at the Orangutan rehabilitation sanctuaries where injured and poaching victims are taken care of till they are ready to be left in the wild. If you ask me, I am always in favor of the wild as it gives you the full rainforest experience, which is so much more than just an interaction with the Orangutan. You get to experience some of the remotest rainforests in the world, appreciate its unique flora and fauna and come across other unique species of animals such as the Pygmy elephant, Malay Sun Bear, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Proboscis Monkey, 10 plus varieties of hornbills, the Western Tarsier and so much more. Most of these species are endemic to this region and cannot be seen elsewhere and that gives this wildlife sighting a special ring to it.



The top three places for a wild rainforest experience in Malaysian Borneo would be Maliau Basin conservation area, Danum valley and Kinabatangan wildlife sanctuary. All three of these places are located in the Sabah province of Malaysia and are located pretty close to a domestic airport and are well managed by the wildlife authorities who offer everything from birdwatching, jungle treks, night treks, boat rides, canopy walks to nature photography. They are however a bit on the pricier side and need advance bookings and a lot of patience.



If you are running short on time, money and/or patience, the next best way to get close to the wild is by visiting an orangutan rehabilitation sanctuary. One of the best ones is the Sepilok Orangutan rehabilitation center that is located at the edge of the Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve in the Sabah province of North East Borneo. This place, home to about 80 orangutans, gives you a good peek into the lives of these primates in a natural conservation rescue area. The best Orangutan experience is had during their feeding times and hence it is prudent to know the feeding schedule so that you can see them throw all their antics. The center is also a great place to learn about this ape, what it eats, its behavior, so on and so forth.



Whether you opt for the wild rainforest experience or the rehabilitation center, the experience of getting close to an orangutan is going to be super special and one that you will treasure all your life. After all, only a few thousands of this species survive worldwide. Sabah and Malaysian Borneo will throw many other adventures your way during your wild rainforest holiday to make it an unbelievable experience.



How to get there: The nearest domestic airport would be Sandakan and may be Tawau. Kota Kinabalu would be your nearest international airport. Air Asia has excellent coverage here.

Tips: Remember to carry DEET insect repellant, full sleeved cotton clothing, sunglasses, a pair of binoculars, a flashlight or headlamp for those night treks and lots of sunscreen.