We’re highlighting spots to visit along the Canada Line, if you need some reasons to explore! Check out earlier posts in this series, and if you have spots to share, e-mail me along with a couple of photos and I’ll put it up. (Fewer spots are fine too, and they can all be at one station or spread out.)

This entry is by Karen Hamilton of TinyBites.ca, a fabulous Vancouver food blog! Check her site out: she’s already doing a terrific Dine the Canada Line series. Mmmm….

The arrival of the Canada Line promises eating opportunities galore for a culinary tourist like myself. The jewels of Richmond cuisine that were formerly too much of a driving headache to visit are now just a hop and a train away from my Yaletown abode. Similarly, the restaurants of downtown and the Cambie corridor are now that much more accessible for those that usually eat south of the Fraser River.

I plan to report on my Skytrain-enabled eating many times as the 2010 Winter Olympics draw closer. Until my Dine the Canada Line Series becomes more robust, enjoy these five restaurants from Yaletown to Lansdowne that make my tummy smile.

Yaletown: Rodney’s Oyster House

Rodney’s Oyster House is the most rambunctious (seafood) restaurant in Yaletown. Eat by the oyster bar and watch your order get shucked while you get wildly entertained by the irreverent service staff. Buy a suggestive souvenir, if you dare.

To get to Rodney’s, exit Yaletown Station at Davie and Mainland and walk uphill on Davie until you hit Hamilton Street. You should see the round blue logo of Rodney’s to the right as you peer down the cobbled alley.

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Broadway – City Hall: Peaceful Restaurant

Broadway and Cambie sports a dizzying array of noodle houses perfect for a quick lunch stop, but with all the choice, it’s hard to know which ones provide the best value and quality. One of my favourites is Peaceful Restaurant. I am a fan of their Mandarin pork dumplings and find their selection of handmade noodle dishes to be more intriguing than neighbourhood runner-up, Sha Lin.

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Broadway – City Hall / King Edward: Dutch Wooden Shoe Cafe

Dutch Wooden Shoe Cafe has been my favourite breakfast nook in the Lower Mainland for more than five years running. The menu is a novella of pannekoek choice ranging from the typical to the exotic (like the Nasi Goreng pannekoek pictured above), which is double the deal on Pannekoek Tuesdays. Not in the mood for pancakes? Try their waffles, eggs hollandaise combos, or stick with tradition with an Ontbijt breakfast.

This restaurant is equidistant from the entrances of Broadway – City Hall and King Edward stations, so depending on your final destination, choose your drop-off point and make your way to 17th and Cambie. You may burn a few calories getting to the cafe, but after the huge portions you’ll experience there, you may just appreciate the exercise there and back.

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Aberdeen: Northern Delicacy

We discovered the spicy wontons at Northern Delicacy a few years back and have returned for them each time we found ourselves in Aberdeen Mall. Their other dim sum dishes are worth the trip, as are the dessert options at the nearby Qoola, Beard Papa’s, and Saint Germain Bakery.

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Lansdowne: Dinesty Chinese Restaurant

New to me but not new to Richmond diners, this cash-only restaurant delivers one of the better xiao long bao (soupy, steamed pork dumplings) that I have sampled in Greater Vancouver. Also very pleased with the shredded pork with hoi sin sauce and pancakes, seen above. Think Peking Duck pancakes rethought with pork.

From the mouth of Lansdowne Station, walk south for 5 minutes along No. 3 Road and hang east on Ackroyd Drive. You’ll see the bright red sign of Dinesty easily from the path.

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