Hungry yet? You should be.

Having been out of town for awhile Kintaro topped my list of places to visit upon my return to Vancouver. We have reviewed this restaurant on BR before and I have personally checked out other restaurants like it but nothing can really compare to the quality and consistency of the delicious food at Kintaro so let's recap what Kintaro has on offer.

This ramen house, located on Denman at Robson street, usually starts with a wait at the door if you arrive after 7 pm. The turnover is quick so do not give up! You might have to wait longer if you want a private table but if sitting at the bar or with a group at the table in front is okay the wait will not be long.

Many other ramen houses have been popping up around Kintaro, but no matter how high-end pretty the new establishments can be I have yet to find one that can come close. Not as good, too few ingredients, too expensive, the list goes on. Kintaro has it all and the cost is really low. So why try another place at all? Monday nights. Kintaro is closed on Monday nights. Atmosphere might be another consideration if you require a formal dining experience.

I know what you're thinking. There must be Pho downtown right? It seems odd that this piece of culinary tradition should be lacking in Vancouver's downtown but it took me a long time to figure out where to find a good Pho dish over the lunch hour. As it turns out, the Joyeaux Café was my answer.

The Joyeaux Café is in a new location on Howe Street as a result of ongoing construction in the Pender Street area. At the old location, I knew this café as a custom sandwich haunt but the new location does a better job of showcasing the variety of Pho dishes, traditional Vietnamese baguette sandwiches and other foods that they have on offer.

The Coka Moka Café takes fusion fare to a whole new level. This café has been around for over a year now in it's current form at the busy intersection of Smithe and Granville streets, right next door to the south east entrance of Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre.

For those who know the area well you are probably thinking about graffiti when I mention the location. The owners of this café have had graffiti artists update the exterior (see the video for details). The wall adjacent to the building has been in mural form for a good seven or eight years now, this latest update sees the building looking a few shades younger after the past artwork had been looking a little weathered.

With a wide selection of breads and toppings you can choose what suits you best for your next lunch on the go. Seen here is the Tandoori Chicken sandwich on whole wheat. Recommended by the chef, this sandwich features fresh marinated chicken served with other fresh fixings and a side of cheesy poofs or chips to top up your order.

Located at where Homer street meets Cordova the "urban bakery" known as Brioche is a Vancouver classic. This restaurant is located in one of the many heritage buildings in the area featuring a uniquely traditional café design which is hard to find in this city. On the main menu you will find a variety of staples that make up a good lunch. On the left you will see another board, actually a door painted to be a chalkboard, which features daily selections. There are a lot of daily items on there but they are almost all universally good so be adventurous when you have the chance.

If you follow that door and you will find an almost-private room in the back where additional seating is available along the Water street side of the building. Outside of lunch hours this is a great place to have a meeting while you enjoy the rich flavours of the menu. As with many cafés in Vancouver's Gastown you can also opt to sit outdoors if the weather permits, though seating can be limited when the kitchen is brewing up a storm. Like other heritage buildings, Brioche lacks air conditioning which only adds to the old-world appeal of this venue.

If you are looking for lunch that burns (in a good way) you need to check out Rice 'N Spice in Royal Centre at Georgia and Burrard. Located on the food court level this place always has a line up of about twenty people or more. Clearly this is one hot spot and the food lives up to the popularity, even though this place is hard to find online.

This curry bar features nearly everything under the sun. A daily special for each day of the week has my personal favourite, chicken masala, featured on Wednesdays. On other days I opt for the chicken curry or if I've got a craving for sweet foods I'll go for the chilli chicken. The standard dish comes with two veggie options as well, and usually there are at least six to choose from. So you can get some dal (the lentil dish) and some chick peas (as seen here) or you can get some cabbage, mixed vegetables and even some potatoes if the rice or noodle option is not enough starch to keep you happy.

You read that title right folks. Café Crêpe's Robson Street location should be classified as a no-go for any local people looking to dine over their lunch break. I say this because this location has a tendency to ruin your schedule if you have any plans at all.

When we arrived, perhaps about ten minutes into the lunch hour, we were made to wait before getting a seat. No big deal here - perhaps just a taste of Paris coming through - for we were promptly seated after things calmed down. So far things are okay.

It took quite awhile for us to flag down our server to take our order. At lunch hour on a Monday one might expect that they would be "on it" for the daily rush. Whatever. We're still doing alright by any account I suppose. I thought about what I wanted, scrolled down the menu and pointed at what I wanted as I read it aloud to our server. I ordered a chicken baguette sandwich with the only side order I saw available: fries (I think they have soup too but nobody told us the daily specials). It's been a long time since I've had fries but no worries I guess. You only live once and there are bigger things to complain about than this.

What happened next?