THIERRY

As anyone with a sweet tooth can attest, finding a good location for dessert that caters to every mood and craving can seem like an impossible task. Unless you've discovered Thierry. 

Thierry, by award winning pastry chef Thierry Busset, is part chocolaterie, part patisserie, and part café. It serves hand crafted chocolates, macaroons, pastries, and desserts, all of which have seasonal options. You could spend hours perusing the counter, looking at all the delicious cakes and the rainbow assortment of macaroons. The only thing stopping you will be the impatient line up behind you - this place is popular!

The interior of the café matches the luxury of the Alberni shopping strip on which Thierry resides. With curved, palmwood walls, Thonet brentwood café chairs, and a heated outdoor patio, you may never want to leave!

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HOKKAIDO RAMEN SANTOUKA

Vancouver has seen a surge in the popularity of ramen over the last five years, most of which seem to be located in the West End neighbourhood around Robson and Denman Streets. While there are many to choose from, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka consistently makes the lists of best ramen restaurants in Vancouver. The restaurant is part of a chain from Hokkaido, Japan's most northern island. The restaurants were started by a man called Hitoshi Hatanka who was unhappy with the ramen available in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. He decided to open his own restaurant, which quickly became a local favourite. Today he has restaurants in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States, and Canada (Toronto and Vancouver). 

The menu has multiple pages, but we recommend their signature topknots toroniku ramen. For those new to the ramen experience, it comes in four flavours here: shoyu (soy), miso (soybean paste), shio (salt), and kara miso (spicy soybean).  

There's bound to be a line up out the door, but it's worth the wait. Seating is either at a large circular table where you can watch how the locals eat the long noodles, or at booths.

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