A few months ago, I had heard about the opening of a new diner-style breakfast spot being opened up by the owners of Cobre. The word of mouth has been pretty positive, so I thought I'd check it out. The menu offers a true diner breakfast experience with prices to match and the decor has most of the trappings of a classic diner with small, simple tables, a few large booths, a colourful decor palette and seating at the bar.

The first time I ever went to Deacon's Corner I was so appalled by the level of service (read: pitiful, atrocious and unorganized) I vowed never again to return. BUT last weekend we were looking for a place to eat in the morning and wanted to eat somewhere that was walking distance from my house and reasonably priced and we could think of few options that were both close and cheap. As the day grew older and the sun hotter, I felt my convictions about Deacon's Corner withering away. My hunger hastened the weakening of my resolve and I found myself standing in that familiar door way, waiting to be seated.

Most restaurants rarely change their menus. The staff at Regional Tasting Lounge (R.TL), however, made change a part of their restaurant's mandate. A recent addition to the Yaletown strip, this tapas lounge features food from different regions every three months—currently offering dishes from Portugal and France, as well as their usual selection from Coastal BC.

We visited R.TL during a tasting party for local bloggers. Our platters held five samples from the restaurant's full menu, including Dungeness Crab and Shrimp Cakes, Prawns Piri Piri and Duck Liver Pâté. We decided to also try full plates of the Fava Bean and Cilantro Salad, and the Entrecôte Gaufrittes (AAA beef strip loin). The food was delicately prepared and flavorful. Our favorites of the evening were the crab and shrimp cakes and the bean salad. The Prawn Piri Piri was a bit of a let-down for a prawn lover like me, but I would be willing to give it a proper chance on a full plate.

Back in the day when I lived in the West End I was always forced to decide between two sushi options. Representing the west side is Akira and to the east there is Shima. They are both on Denman and you can stare at the one that you passed by while you are chowing down at the other. Both of them are open relatively late by Denman street standards where everything seems to seep into darkness sometime chillingly close to 9 or 10 pm. I think both close at 11.

I don't want to be another person tooting the horn of Daniel Boulud's Bistro Moderne, but try eating here, and you too might share in this fate. The original DB Bistro Moderne in New York is said to have been a model for Rob Feenie's eponymous ex-restaurant, so it's no surprise that when Feenie's closed, the real deal came to replace it.

DB Bistro Moderne offers an interesting approach to casual cuisine because it plays off a balance between quality and comfort. Stefan Istel, the Chef de Cuisine at DB Bistro, stays true to the French culinary heritage that both he and Boulud share, but is inspired by the casual comfort of American dishes. Their menu seeks to bring the quality and complexity of French fine dining together with the familiarity and gratification of the American dinner palette.

If you're looking for a great place to eat Chinese style noodles at recession friendly prices, check out Sha-Lin Noodle House on Broadway at Cambie. I went there with two friends and we ordered two fried noodle dishes, one soup noodle dish, and green onion pancakes for under $30.

The best thing about Sha-Lin is that they make their noodles in house and curious on-lookers can watch the chefs pulling, pushing, dragging and cutting the noodle dough through the glass that separates the kitchen from the dining room. As you can probably guess, the names of the noodles are "pushing" noodles (a thick, udon size noodle), "dragging" noodles (skinny noodles), "cutting" noodles (wide, flat noodles) and "pulling" noodles, which I didn't have, but can guess are skinnier noodles not much different from the "dragging" noodles. I could be wrong with my guess so any one who knows can feel free to correct me.

I was pleased when I heard that we would be dining at Jules French Bistro because I love butter, and therefore I love French food.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a hostess who took our jackets and escorted us into a nice open dining room with a lot of campy French knick-knacks such as a miniature Eiffel Tower and a big roman numeral clock with Paris written across the bottom. There was also a pianist who performed during dinner on a piano that had framed pictures of the staff sitting on its mantle. Granted, the latter wasn't French inspired but still campy, and still weird. Perhaps they're really keen on reminding you that Jules is not just any kind of bistro, it's a French bistro!