Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie Inc

NileGuide Expert tip:

They don't make reservations, so put your name on the list and head over to The Keefer bar for a drink while you wait.

Description:

• Vancouver is well known for it's Asian cuisine and there's no shortage of dim sum restaurants scattered around the city. In fact, you could dedicate an entire trip to eating at only dim sum restaurants in the GVR and you would likely not run out of places to go. There is one place that's different than your average Chinese restaurant, and that's Bao Bei. The menu is based around Chinese cuisine, and not the kind you would order from a take-out restaurant. Although there is a lot of meat on the menu, there are items that they can happily cater to vegetarians. And, all of their seafood is sustainably caught and their meat is free range and hormone free. The room itself is beautifully decorated in a very unique way. If there could be shabby chic with a Chinese brasserie element, that's what they have achieved at Bao Bei. The menu is supposed to be shared, so it's best if you go with at least one other person so that you can try a few different items on the menu. While you're there, order the Mantou, it's delicious and is made up of braised beef, a slice of pickle to cut the richness of the meat and served in a soft bun. The squid is another popular item that's sauteed in some delicious spices, along side some pork belly to create a perfect plate of protein. For vegetables, the king pea tips and bok choy are two solid choices that pack a lot of flavor in some greens. Bao Bei is right on the cusp of Chinatown, which makes it a little off the beaten path, as most people likely won't just stumble upon it. It's definitely worth a visit while you're in Vancouver and is an ideal place to take a date, anyone that loves food, or someone you want to impress.
  
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