Hello Vancouver

We finally made it! After a long journey, inclusive of a stop-over in Dallas and both flights delayed, we landed in Vancouver last night. You can smell Canadian pride from the arrivals, plenty of local features replicated on the side to the walk towards immigration. 

arrivals in Vancouver ©italiansuitcase

The guy that checked our passports gave us a deep conscious smile while returning them - as he knew already we will love our time here...
Canada seems very practical and efficient at first impression, all went smooth and quickly.

We checked in at the Opus Hotel, vibrant atmosphere with a DJ set in the bar and classy modern decor. Best feature is the walk-in shower with a huge glass wall overlooking the bedroom!
A quick change of dress and we walked along Hamilton St, part of the vibe of Yaletown centres here, good choice of restaurants and bars. We reserved a table at the Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar as we read v positive reviews almost everywhere. Despite being almost midnight, they accommodate us at the bar and we ordered oysters and sushi. 
When in San Francisco a couple of years ago, I literally fell in love with Kumamoto oysters; unfortunately they were not available but the barman make a great suggestion to try Kusshi oysters instead, small size, ultra-clean smooth fruity flavour. 
Rolls (mango&lobster, crab&smoked eel) and nigiri were abundant, almost like having sashimi with a bit of rice; in London each one of those fish slices would be enough for 2 or 3 pieces! Only one tiny flaw was the wasabi in the nigiri, a little too much..

sushi @ the Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar ©italiansuitcase

The Aquabus to cross the False Creek is an experience in itself and the view to the mountain is impressive


A stroll in Granville Island and its market is a must, some market stalls are delicious



My favourite was the bagel one, it tasted soo good that I fell in love with Sockeye Salmon 

After 5 days in Whistler we came back and hired a bike and cycled around town, it was sunny and quite warm; Stanley Park is impressive but better going around in the right direction starting from Devonian Harbour Park because it's a one way route, unless ups & downs are what you fancy..
A couple of places to mention for breakfast and dinner:

- The Elbow Room Cafe has huge yummy pancakes, Patrick (the owner) is quite a character and very savvy

- The Salmon House in North Vancouver: deliciously fresh fish and incredible view over Vancouver. Ask for a window table ;-)

We went to Miku, an award winning sushi restaurant and the original place for Aburi Sushi in North America (Aburi style refers to nigiri sushi where the fish is partially grilled, topside, and partially raw). It was a completely different sushi experience, worthwhile a visit but at the end of dinner we were quite tired of extreme (sometimes too spicy) flavours.