Rating / 4 out of 5 stars

What’s all the Hubbub, Bub? Well, if you make your way onto Hornby street just a block away from Robson, that Hubbub is sandwiches. The abandoned sports bar project turned sandwich shop dishes out torpedo like packages of protein, carb and veggies in a well manicured operation.

(Above: Hubbub sandwich served wrapped in butcher paper, with a side of chips in a tin bowl on a tin tray.)

Everything about Hubbub is polished, from the clean, minimal decor, to the painted on the the wall signage giving directions on how to order, to the presentation and packaging of the sandwiches themselves.

The menu is small: Pork, Turkey Sausage, Chicken Breast, Veggie and Prawn, plus a handful of sides and beverages.

(Above: What’s all the Hubbub, Bub?)

Case and I shared the Turkey sausage — a free-range, lightly spiced chorizo sourced from a local butcher. It arrived neatly packaged in a soft, yet firm baguette (not crispy mind you) meticulously layered with lettuce, onions, jalapenos and their secret sauce. Crispy BC grown potato chips served as our sandwich’s accompaniment.

(Above: Extreme close up of Hubbub’s Turkey Sausage sandy.)

Our chips and sandwich including tax and tip came to under $15. Hubbub certainly isn’t the most inexpensive meal around, but the portions are good — teetering from decent if you’re really hungry, to not quite enough if split between two people.

Perfect for: Downtown sandwiches made by folks who may or may not be artists.

The Details

859 Hornby Street, Vancouver
604.568.3398
hubbubsandwiches.com
@_hubbub

Rating / 4 out of 5 stars

The Dump Truck in Portland is a food cart specializing in dumplings — taking them to a whole new level, or at least a different place. The brightly yellow coloured food cart is located on the Alder Street “Pod” of carts. It’s hard to miss.

The Dump Truck is owned by three partners — one having lived in Beijing for a period, and a love for dumplings ensued. But unlike the traditional Mandarin style dumplings one would get in a Chinese restaurant, the Dump Truck concocts up a few strange but very tasty fillings.

We ordered bacon cheeseburger (you read that right) dumplings served on a bed of  julienned vegetables: a simple filling of cheese, beef and bacon all minced together, which kept the texture closer to a dumpling filling than hamburger. The outer wrapping was thin, nice and firm with a bit of chewiness. The bacon cheese burger tasted very much like a cheeseburger  – which was frightening. But some how it works very well.

We tried some of the more down to earth dumplings, like the portabello, which consisted of julienned portabello mushroom, rice noodles and ginger with a side of soy vinegar for dipping. The dumplings were delicious and highly addictive.

Our bill including tips came to $15 for two orders of 8 pieces of dumplings, which was a great deal.

Perfect for: a walk on the wild side of dumplings.

The Details:

Southwest 10th and Alder, Portland
503.877.3867
twitter.com/dumptruckpdx

Rating / 2 out of 5 stars

Kimono Koi Crepes is a food cart serving both sweet and savoury Japanese style crepe on Georgia and Granville. They’ve managed to snag the enviable spot right outside the Vancouver City Centre Canada Line station, taunting hungry train riders as they proceed from one point to another.

Case and I stumbled upon this pink cart decorated with hearts and images of geisha girls, initially passing right by. Feeling peckish, we doubled back and ordered their savoury Ham and Cheese crepe.

Japanese Crepes are a little different than the traditional French variety, tending to be filled with a lot more unusual ingredients — many of which will leave you scratching your head.

(Above: Ham and Cheese Crepe stuffed with lettuce, Japanese seaweed and drizzled with teriyaki sauce and mayo.)

The Ham and Cheese sounded benign enough, but Kimono Koi ensured that extra twist by topping it with Japanese seaweed and drizzling it with teriyaki and mayo. The combination seemed to work — the soft, slightly chewy crepe held together this bedlam of flavours that somehow managed to find a bit of harmony.

At $6.75 including taxes, Kimono Koi is neither a bargain, nor is it pricey. Although the Ham and Cheese crepe was tasty, I’m not sure it’s one of those things we’d keep coming back for. Maybe if we’re in the mood for dessert, we’ll give one of their sweet, dessert-sounding crepes a try.

Perfect for: a little taste of organized chaos.

The Details

Granville Street & West Georgia Street, Vancouver
778.989.4883
kimonokoicrepes.com

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Vancouver welcomes to the fray yet another boutique French bistro serving down home cooking in an intimate setting. Twisted Fork Bistro settles into the western strip of Granville Street providing diners a reprieve from the familiar slew of single slice pizza and gyro joints that dot the corridor.

Case and I arrived near opening and Twisted Fork was already near capacity, brimming with activity (be prepared to put your name down and wait). The cramped and narrow dining room was awash with lush, vibrant warm colours, and peppered with painted artwork. We took a seat near the front window with a view of the street, perusing their abbreviated menu of classic brunch dishes infused with a slight modern twist.

(Top to bottom: 1. Gruyere baked eggs with sourdough toast, roasted potatoes and baked beans with bacon. 2. A tub of French press coffee.)

I settled on the asparagus scrambled egg — a pillowy soft bed of velvety eggs enveloping crisp bits of asparagus, served with a beautiful, thick sourdough toast and homemade jam. Accompanying the eggs were a roasted tomato, potatoes and nicely sauteed spinach — no fillers.

For Case, decadent eggs baked and infused with sharp, gruyere cheese and a side of baked beans served with a rasher of crispy bacon. Our meal was accompanied by an oversized, bottomless French pressed coffee.

(Above: Asparagus scrambled egg served with sourdough toast and homemade jam, roasted tomatoes, potatoes and sauteed spinach.)

Brunch including taxes and tip came to $37. The service, although friendly, was at a snail’s pace, so be prepared to get know your neighbours well. But overall, the well thought out menu of simply, yet well prepared comfort food is a welcome addition to the outer edges of this Granville strip.

Perfect for: Brunch the next day.

The Details

1147 Granville Street, Vancouver
604.568.0749
www.twistedforkbistro.ca

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

La Taqueria Taco Shop is nestled amongst the graffiti-riddled storefronts in Downtown Vancouver bordering East and West Hastings. The distinctively purple and yellow shaded spray-painted imagery of a rose and the Virgin Mary on the front facade blends effortlessly into the gritty landscape as the busy heads of hard-at-work chefs prepare freshly made tacos in plain view of passerbys.

The folks at La Taqueria prepare what they refer to as pinche Tacos inside this narrow, brick-lined eatery. We sat near the back with a picturesque view of the back alley side by side with other eager patrons along a bar that runs the length of the restaurant (there are no tables here). We ordered this quartet: The Asada with nicely seasoned and grilled AAA flank beef with cucumber; Al Pastor – Chilliwack pork marinated in chile, achiote & sweetened ever so gently with pineapple; Frijoles Charros Con Queso – refried cowboy beans melted with mexican cheese; and finally Pescado – grilled seasonal fish spiked with pico de gallo. All this goodness is wrapped in a freshly made, soft corn tortilla.

Opposite the kitchen sits a jalapeno pepper and pickled onion bar which you can add to season your tacos as you please. We had a bottle of Jarritos Mandarin soda, a refreshingly sugary and sparkly compliment to our meal.

The food is freshly prepared with local ingredients resulting in a variety of far more interesting flavour combinations than your standard Tex-Mex affair. Our meal came to $14 including taxes and tips, which is an awesome deal.

Perfect for:

Something quick, cheap and good on the border of East/West Hastings that won’t likely get you arrested.

The Details

322 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
604.568.4406
lataqueria.ca