Why you must visit this foodie Canadian city at least once in your life

There are as many food lists and rankings as there are restaurants in the wonderfully diverse city of Vancouver. And given there are more than 2800 eateries, there are a lot of opinions out there.

From an industry perspective, few matter quite as much as those published in a Michelin guide. When Vancouver's first guide was launched in 2022, eight one-Michelin-starred restaurants were revealed. Another was added last year. Then there are Michelin's Bib Gourmands and recommendations - heard of them? Unique, boundary-pushing cuisine will have you in the running for a Michelin star while a Bib Gourmand recognises friendly establishments that serve "good food at moderate prices". Vancouver now has 20 Bib Gourmands and dozens more recommended eateries. Here are three of them.

Steeped in the colourful, historic past of not just Vancouver's first jail but also the nearby meat-packing district, L'Abattoir somehow simultaneously manages to be funky as well as sophisticated. Its location between Blood Alley and Gaoler's Mews is fascinating but really, it's all about the food - and the service.

Since the pandemic, executive chef and owner Lee Cooper has returned to the kitchen full-time and from locals in the know, having one of the city's most highly regarded chefs on tap has elevated the already lofty standards.

He says L'Abattoir offers "French-influenced west coast cuisine, complemented by an award-winning wine program and inspired cocktail list". That's it in a nutshell, and on the Saturday night we visit, the place is pumping. The small eight-seat restaurant bar is clearly prime real estate; and the mezzanine dining room and the atrium host excited, chatty crowds.

Choose from the chef's menu (add extra for wine pairings); go a la carte or try the avant-premiere prix fix menu with its optional paired wines. We indulge in a tasting menu - divine pescatarian offerings paired with (mostly) Canadian wines.

L'Abattoir is thoroughly invested in its cellar and again this year secured the prestigious Platinum Award at the 2024 Vancouver International Wine Festival's Excellence Awards, a distinction they've held since 2018. Sommelier Michelle is the ultimate professional - knowledgeable, friendly and always willing to answer our questions. Waitstaff are similarly wonderful.

I must admit to a tiny welp of delight when Cooper's much-loved baked Pacific oyster comes out. It's a dish he's made his own with its black truffle and garlic butter and, combined with a Stevens Block Chardonnay from the Meyer Family Vineyards in the Okanagan Valley, kicks my tastebuds into overdrive. The arrival of a Mayhem 22 Merlot Rosé with the next plate - Japanese hamachi with winter citrus, chilli and white shoyu - lightens proceedings before my favourite plate of the night. Who knew a single scallop with tofu and broccolini could be quite so lip-smackingly wondrous?

The sablefish and dungeness crab dish that follows features staples of the Pacific Northwest and the inclusion of vadouvan, or French curry mix, elevates it mightily.

A cheeky raspberry sorbet resets our palates before the finale - a rice pudding. Just the words are enough to have my stomach in my throat but this iteration, featuring pandan, tonka bean and tropical fruits, has me questioning all my childhood hang-ups.

L'Abattoir, 217 Carrall Street, Vancouver; labattoir.ca

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Imagine sushi without soy or wasabi but fire instead. Add the occasional French or Italian touch, and you have the essence of Miku, a ridiculously popular restaurant in downtown Vancouver. The flame-seared sushi (aka aburi-style cuisine) was developed nearly a century ago in Japan. It arrived in Vancouver in 2008. Miki overlooks downtown Vancouver's Canada Place. While you're drinking in the refreshments you can also drink in the floor-to-ceiling views over Vancouver Harbour, complete with cruise ship and helicopter comings and goings.

If the food wasn't as breathtakingly fresh and creative as it is, you could be forgiven for being distracted, but truly, there's no excuse.

My lunchtime feast was "deluxe shokai" - chef's selection of premium sashimi, two off-menu hot appetisers, a sushi course and dessert. Even as a pescatarian, raw fish is not my go-to meal but this is something else. The sashimi is the ideal introduction to a meal that builds and builds.The lobster tail with aburi salmon sushi, cayenne, and much-vaunted Miku sauce is spectacular as is the artic char with creamy kombu dashi.

But it's the sushi course where Miku truly shines: 10 pieces of signature traditional and aburi-styled bites. Aburi salmon oshi sushi, with wild sockeye salmon, jalapeno and that special sauce is as good as it gets, and makes me understand why food connoisseurs attempt to deconstruct the Miku sauce in their own time.

Miku, 200 Granville Street #70, Vancouver; mikurestaurant.com

Just like the magnificent art that adorns its walls, Ophelia can be whatever you want it to be. The Sunday afternoon when we stopped by it was part brunch spot, part bar, and by the time we left, a restaurant warming up for dinner service.

Mexican-born executive chef Francisco Higareda opened the contemporary eatery in Vancouver's Olympic Village in 2020. The neighbourhood is a legacy of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and worth exploring after you've eaten.

Higareda's culinary CV is extensive. From education in Mexico and Argentina to working in multiple Michelin-starred restaurants across Spain and France, it's not just his authenticity that Ophelia trades on - it's his creativity, too. The restaurant pays homage in name and spirit to his Spanish-born mother, who ignited his passion for food.

You won't find any Anglicised staples of Mexico here - burritos, tacos, tortillas and tostadas may sound familiar but they've been taken to a new level. Take the prawn ceviche tostada - marinated tiger prawns, pico de gallo and avocado with habanero sauce. Spicy as it may be, it's more than just "rip the lining off your throat" spicy; there's fire but flavour, too.

The same applies to the tacos. The spicy almond sauce and fresh coriander and onion salad give the mushrooms a zesty perspective. Corn-crusted octopus with its side of cilantro rice, braised kale and zucchini and rich white mole is about as far from cookie-cutter Mexican as you'd hope. The carnivores rave about the bone marrow tortillas that come with "inhalable" corn chilli rub. There's also a substantive tequila and mezcal drinks list (as you'd expect), and a selection of signature cocktails to get you in the Mexican mood.

Ophelia, 165 2nd Avenue West, Vancouver; orpheliakitchen.ca

The writer travelled courtesy of Destination British Columbia.