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

Some colleagues of BOB’s over at UGM recommended we pay a visit to the Velvet Matador at 508 Powell Street. It is a little off the beaten track, but not too far from Railtown or the residential areas of Strathcona. The Velvet Matador is a small cafe run by Hannah Walker. They serve specialty teas and coffees as well as sandwiches and other goodies. BOB staff was pretty pleased with the various drinks we’ve ordered there, so if you’re in Railtown or Eastvan, perhaps you should swing by.

They plan to have live music on some nights, their website is under construction, but they’re already in Google.

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.

Building Opportunities with Business is proud to play host to an official Cultural Olympiad event featuring world renown artist Trimpin.

Trimpin (born Gerhard Trimpin 1951 in Istein, Germany, now part of Efringen-Kirchen) is a Seattle, Washington-based kinetic sculptor, sound artist, musician, and composer, most of whose pieces integrate both sculpture and music in some way, and many of which make use of computers to play these instruments.

The piece being display in our coworking/event space at 163 East Pender is called Sheng High.  Our space was chosen by the Cultural Olympiad staff and the artist himself due to being situatied in historic Chinatown and having the necessary high ceilings to allow the piece to be displayed and function.

The artist himself has journeyed North form his home in Seattle to personally install the work in our space.  He will be finished shortly with the exhibit open free to the general public from January 29 to February 28.  As part of the installation BOB negotiated the employment of six residents in a part time capacity as greeters and caretakers of the space.  Rumors of a private reception attended by the artist himself to take place this week are probably true.