Angus An’s guide to Vancouver

The words creative, traditional, and super-delicious stand out when Angus An, the award-winning chef and author, talks about food in Vancouver. Formally trained in New York at the French Culinary Institute, An is as at home in Bangkok and Hong Kong as he is in London and Montreal: his work with Normand Laprise at Toqué! continues to inspire and influence him.

Maenam, An’s Michelin-recommended flagship restaurant in the Kitsilano neighbourhood, is now in its 15th year. His fast-casual noodle bars, Longtail Kitchen in the suburb of New Westminster, and Fat Mao in Chinatown are complemented by two informal spots on Granville Island: Popina Canteen for burgers and lobster rolls, and Sen Pad Thai, which he describes as “fast food but with really good ingredients.”

An’s friendships with chefs across Vancouver, and his love of his city’s Chinese food – “the best in the country” – are at the heart of this dining guide to his hometown.

“Cioppino’s is the standard for Italian fine dining in Canada, in my opinion. Pino is a friend who’s been around for a really long time, and his dedication and hard work is second to none. He’s a very creative chef, bringing different aspects to Italian cuisine with a lot of different flavours. I just had dinner there last week!”

“Joël Watanabe is a good friend, and his restaurant is a seamless blend of Italian and Japanese cuisine. The food is very well thought out and doesn’t feel like fusion at all. It’s an effortless, perfect marriage of two iconic cuisines, and it’s very delicious.”

“Boulevard, in the Sutton Place Hotel downtown, has been popular for a really long time and has two of the most talented chefs in the country, Alex Chen and Roger Ma. They showcase local products really well, with a good balance of classical French and lighter Asian flavours, which works really well here in a city with a large Asian population.”

“This is one of my favourite sushi spots in Vancouver and one of the original omakase bars. Masa-san is a super gracious host, very Japanese, and his flavours are unique, with red vinegar rice that’s super delicious. They won a Michelin star last year. It’s always a very good experience, with some of the best local and Japanese fish around.”

“This place needs no introduction – they won number one last year in Canada’s 100 Best, and number three this year. Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson is a very talented chef with a really good balance of modern technique and classic fermentation who brings a lot of harmony and flavour to his dishes. It can be hard to get a table now with all the awards, but it’s still one of my favourite places in the city.”

“I think this is the best barbecue in the world. It’s super casual in Richmond, with a few places to sit. It’s literally a hole in the wall, in the corner of a parkade underneath a Superstore. Their char siu is super nice; just like at Schwartz’s in Montreal, you can choose the level of fat – like medium fat or extra firm. Everything is super delicious. When it’s Chinese holidays, they’ll have [lines] into the parking lot just to get takeout. It’s near the airport, so every time a chef friend comes from out of town, we always have to swing by here first. I’m feeling hungry now!”

“Chef Sam Leung is one of the most creative Chinese chefs in the city. He’s a super sweet guy who tried to retire, but that didn’t last long – and it’s really to our benefit. New Fishport is a bit out of the way in South Vancouver, but it has some of the most creative, traditional Chinese dishes around. He’s classically Cantonese-style trained, and really immersed in modern cooking techniques. His food isn’t traditional, but [the] flavour is. It’s really well executed, and I have a lot of respect for what he’s doing. I’ve been there for dinner several times, and every time it just blows me away.”

“This place opened during Covid in 2020, on a stretch of road that was being torn up in the Broadway Corridor. It’s not in an area or a building where you’d expect to find a restaurant like this, but it wasn’t too long before people started to discover what they do and what they offer. For dim sum or for dinner, it’s just superb. They have a large list of really creative, freshly made dim sum. For dinner, one dish that blew me away was crispy chicken pressed onto sticky rice, almost like a nigiri – super delicious, and their ling cod claypot is amazing as well.”