Calabash Bistro just opened up in Chinatown, on the edge of the Downtown Eastside and Gastown.  They are a delicious addition to our neighborhood, and only too welcome with their Jamaican flavor, art and music.

Calabash Bistro Chef Cullin

Last week I had the Fry Fish sandwich with homemade Jerk Fries and Jamaican ketchup.  OH MY WORD.  It was simple, delicious, and I had to go back again this week!  This time I ate the Jerk Chicken sandwich with Jerk Fries and salad.  The chicken was made with the chefs own house made jerk sauce.  Speaking of sauces..  I’m a sucker for them!  So their Jerk Aioli and Jamaican Ketchup threw me over the edge.  And OH MY GOSH..  Their homemade Coco Bread..  It’s a light sandwich shaped bread that they use for their sandwiches or make into a patty.  And it is wonderful.

Dayna, Calabash Bartender

Both times I’ve dropped in, the servers were really friendly and they are on the ball with great service.   The upstairs is comfortable posh, with local art work and Caribbean décor, with the chefs cooking in the background wearing their colorful tams.  We tried a couple of their drinks, and I would definitely recommend the Ginger Ale which is made in house and is strong and nice.

A unique aspect of Calabash is their desire to bring art and music into the eating experience.  Their downstairs lounge is host of Foundation Radio, an online radio station that plays roots, reggae, jazz, blues, motown and funk music.  They often have live music with DJ’s spinning and local artists performing reggae, hip-hop, funk, and poetry.

Natalie, Server and weekend DJ

If you haven’t checked it out, come in at lunch for their daily special sandwiches that are very reasonably prices ($6-$12), or come in the evening for their delicious Mains ($10-13).  I haven’t tried the sides yet, but I’ll have to wait for next week to check out the Plantain Chips and Fried Coconut Dumplings.  J

I just had the little point and shoot camera with me, but they were nice enough to pose.

Calabash Bistro

Many moons ago, when we were at our old offices Mina Jung came into our office about opening up her dream business, selling healthy Korean food as a lunch alternative. She planned on calling the business Next Sunday Kimbab because as a child she always looked forward to the Next Sunday. It took a while and the idea was refined, but Next Sunday Kimbab is now open and providing healthy Korean food delivered to your office for lunch or meetings.

A Next Sunday Kimbab retail location is still in the long term plans, but BOB staff were quite happy with the samples Mina brought over today. So consider Kimbab for your next meeting or staff lunch, you can learn more about Next Sunday Kimbab from their Facebook Page or their blog.

Everyone has been there, generally in the last dozen days or so. You get off the train, you go to the game, you go to Canada Hockey Place, maybe a live site, but how many of these millions have gone to Chinatown? You know the other half of the station’s name?

Stadium Chinatown Skytrain Station

The station isn’t actually in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown, it is actually West of the Millennium Gate which marks the entrance pretty graphically to Chinatown. The Tinseltown complex and the condos around the Skytrain station are in an area of town the marketer’s have dubbed “Crosstown”. Crosstown has no historical significance. No local, no Vancouverite, says “Come on lets go to Crosstown!”

Chinatown with the exception of during the Chinese New Year’s parade is a lot less crowded than the area around False Creek. It is great for a stroll, or getting a bite of Dim Sum, or during the Olympics to take in one of many Art Installations and cultural expos going on.

Spirit of Place is now open in the Chinese Cultural Centre and the square at the entrance to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park. I wrote earlier how visiting the park or the garden might make nice break from the crowds. I also created a Do-It-Yourself Art Walk which starts in Chinatown at basically the bus stop at Main & Pender. It could easily includ Spirit of Place which is just across from Pender from the Bright Light installation.

If art and culture is not your thing and you really just want to watch hockey, Fortune Sound Club has set up a big 14ft screen and is showing the Canada VS Russia game free tonight. After that you could go for Dim Sum at Bao Bei, than maybe drinks at the Keefer Lounge before returning back to Fortune Sound Club to check out the Traveling Disco Party.

Stadium-Chinatown Skytrain Station has it’s own Wikipedia page and Translink has blogged about the changes to expect during the Olympics.

Thanks to Mike Chu for the first photo used in this posting.

Besides protests? Well I’m glad you asked. Building Opportunities with Business, the local BIAs, and many businesses and organizations have been working together to promote tourism in Vancouver’s historic inner-city and combat some of the negative stereotypes and even the urban blight that threatened to engulf Vancouver’s urban heritage.

Last weekend was the Chinatown New Year’s Parade and the first Vancouver Artwalk, both were big successes. Chinatown led by S.U.C.C.E.S.S. are inviting tourists daily learn more about Chinese culture.

Located at the Choi Hall at S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Social Service Centre (28 West Pender Street) will be open to the public as an exhibition site of Vancouver Chinatown’s services and upcoming events. We envision that through this partnership, we will create a positive image of Chinatown in the minds of the Vancouver 2010 visitors. Between February 15 (Monday) to February 20, 2010 (Saturday), six days in total, table space has been courteously reserved, free of charge, for your organization to promote your programs and services. S.U.C.C.E.S.S. will be staffing the site, 9am-5pm, during this period of time. Among the tables and booths, a variety of demonstrations are planned: performances by S.U.C.C.E.S.S. membership groups, Wii Olympic games and
fun facts of Chinatown, and more…

Vancouver’s DTES is home to more artists and galleries than anywhere else in Canada. From Jeffery Boone to W2’s Perel Gallery there is always exhibits of up-and-coming local artists and even the odd world renown figure such as Herzog.

Walking tours are very popular in the historic inner-city. A Wok Around Chinatown, Sins of the City, there is a variety to suit various interests. The Police Museum is running the Sins of the City walking tour twice daily during the Olympics at 11AM and 2PM. The museum itself is open everyday and located at 240 East Cordova.

Another option would be to take a guided tour by Pedicab, Dragon Rickshaw Adventures is operating daily during the Olympics.

Vancouver is home to some of the world’s best Chinese food, staff favourites in Chinatown include Bao Bei, Foo’s Ho Ho’s, and the Jade Dynasty. The rest of the inner-city contains some great eateries as well as night time destinations. The Irish Heather was recently featured on NBC and right next door the Blarney Stone is having live music every night and giving away official Team Canada hockey jerseys every time the Canadian Men’s team plays.

If Irish or Chinese food is not what your looking for their is Mexican, French, Japanese… just stroll up or down Water Street or check Gastown.org for more information.

Building Opportunities with Business is hosting an official Cultural Olympiad art installation.  The piece called Sheng High is by the artist Trimpin and we hired six local residents to act as gallery sitters.  In order for them to be a better resource I decided to create a list of answers to anticipated questions and request made by tourists visiting Chinatown and Vancouver for the first time.  I then decided to make it a blog post so that people could find the info online before coming to 163 East Pender if they are so incline.

Trimpin at BOB

• Where can I access the internet?
• The nearest cafe with free wireless is Waves on Main & Pender.  Several other cafes have free wireless.  BOB is making available bandwidth to guests so they can update Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, just ask the gallery sitter for the password.
• Where can I buy coffee?
• Again Waves is the closest specialty coffee shop.  There are many more in the neighborhood, with Smart Mouth on Water Street being a staff favourite.
• Where can I buy batteries?
• Dollar Giant right next door has cheap batteries of many sizes.
• Where can I buy memory cards and other electronic paraphernalia?
• London Drugs has an excellent audio visual department including a wide assortment of memory cards for your electronic devices.  They are located a few blocks away in Woodward’s.  They also have a one hour photo lab.
• Where should I go for Chinese food?
• Jade Dynasty is a staff favourite and almost next door to BOB.  In the evening staff also recommend Bao Bei and Foo’s Ho Ho’s.
• Where can I get Western food?
• Mitzi’s right next door above Dollar Giant serves Western food.  Gastown has many bars and restaurants and a staff favourite for lunch and breakfast is Deacon’s on Main and Alexander.  There is also a food court and several restaurants in the International Village shopping centre offering Western and Eastern food including fast food such as McDonald’s and Quizno’s.
• How do I get out of Chinatown?
• There is a bus stop right in front of BOB.  The following buses stop there: 4, 7, 19, and 22.  All of those head West back towards the business district and the shopping and entertainment district on Granville Street.  There are bus stops all around the intersection of Main & Hastings.  Useful buses include the 3, 8, and 10.  Cordova Street has a number of buses running East but you’re probably better off taking a Hastings bus or going up the hill to Broadway and catching the Express.  163 East Pender is within walking and biking distance of the Stadium/Chinatown Skytrain station.  It is approximately six blocks South West from here.  The Skytrain goes downtown and out to Burnaby.  You can transfer to the Canada line at Granville or Waterfront and head to Richmond that way.  Translink has a website you can use to plan trips.

Chinatown Gate