Vancouver Voyage | DAY 13: Downtown Adventures + Lost Lagoon

Aimlessly walking around downtown always proves to be a fun activity, especially when weather conditions are optimal and transit happens to work in your favour.

​Similar to Toronto, the city truly comes alive with the influx of tourists on the weekend. Whether toting bulky cameras or brand name shopping bags, this crowd allows downtown shops to flourish with new business.

​I took to walking along Robson, in search of "Japantown".

Upon exiting the SkyTrain station, my feet began carrying me in the direction of H-Mart. Consisting of two floors, this H-Mart not only carried groceries and prepared foods such as japchae, it also consisted of a small dining area with bar seats to enjoy bingsoo in three different sizes. Half of the first floor had also been dedicated to the sale of Tony Moly products and cartoon-style socks à la Night Market.

​This was then succeeded by a brief stop at the Vancouver Public Library. The five- (potentially six?) level building was equally stunning from within as it exuded composed grandeur from the outside.

Touring the main floor, I discovered an interesting selection of Korean manhwa, imported fashion magazines, and even audio tapes - something that has gone obsolete in most libraries.

​I soon came to the realization that I was heading in the opposite direction of Japantown, thus retraced my path and continued west along Robson.

It was quite a refreshing experience to re-explore several of the shops I had chanced by on previous family visits; newcomers to the scene were also noticed.

​Eventually, I arrived at Konbinya, a well-loved Japanese convenience store in which Bon Crepe was located. The Japanese crepe spot was especially intriguing in that menus were pasted on both sides of the shop, enabling passerbys to place orders at the outside window and コンビニ shoppers to dine at one of the three tables placed inside upon receiving their order.

​​Green tea soft serve and Matcha Azuki parfaits seemed to be the top-sellers, which really came as no surprise considering the massive amount of visual appeal of both desserts. At that moment, however, I required a savoury option to serve as a late lunch.
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Their sole savoury option on their list of recommendations was the Teriyaki Chicken Mayo Crepe. I had nothing to lose, so I placed my order and headed inside to explore the quarters of the store while the couple prepared my Japanese crepe. Apparently, Konbinya has a special section dedicated to matcha-flavoured snacks!

​Japanese crepes, as described on a banner near the outside window, have a "chewy, mochi-like" texture that differentiates them from the crisp, eggy flavours of the French variety.

​Admittedly, my crepe was very mochi-like. It appeared to be tinier than your standard Crepe de Licious production, with a pale yellow hue that would have indicated a soggy composition in any other establishment. An abundance of chicken had been carefully wrapped inside the crepe after being slathered in Japanese mayonnaise and a lighter, slightly tart version of teriyaki sauce.

​At first, I had eyed the crepe with a significant amount of doubt: it was smaller than I had expected and didn't seem to contain enough ingredients to justify its cash-only price of $6.50. Sitting down at one of the wooden tables, though, I immediately discovered my mistake. The Teriyaki Chicken Mayo crepe was as flavourful as it was satisfying; the uber-chewy consistency of the crepe paired extremely well with the combination.

​Bon Crepe had fared well enough that I was almost tempted to grab a Green Tea Soft Serve before continuing my journey. Given that I had just eaten though, I opted to walk around first to eradicate feelings of fullness.

​Continuing onwards were even more food retailers, including the newly-opened Poke Time, Santouka, Guu with Garlic, Chatime, and another Japanese dessert house by the name of Chicco.

​Before I knew it, a familiar green banner came into view: I spotted Snowy Village! Besides their Richmond location on Alexandra Road, I hadn't realized that the Korean shaved ice parlour had a second spot in downtown with earlier (and much more appropriate) operating hours.

​Seating was limited to about five tables situated in a narrow hallway. Despite this, the restaurant was far from stuffy; rather it was cozy and a fantastic spot for group hangouts. Sufficient ventilation and password-secured Wi-Fi were other factors that greatly appealed to me.

Bingsoo was offered in two sizes: Regular and Large, each differing by a price point of three to four dollars. In addition to syrup- and fruit-based flavours, Snowy Village also offered caffeinated beverages and Croissant Taiyaki. An extra-large Melon Bingsoo, which I was informed was crafted from a whole honeydew melon, was being offered as a limited-time summer product between the months of June and August.

​A moment of inner conflict took place: the Teriyaki Chicken Mayo Crepe hadn't digested completely, but I had been desperately wanting to try Snowy Village since the day I discovered the Richmond location. Ultimately, I succumbed to these inner bingsoo-desiring thoughts and ordered a regular Green Tea Bingsoo.

Standing off to the side, I observed as colourful cups/bowls of shaved ice were delivered from behind an olive green curtain. These were then placed onto lined plastic trays, and order numbers were called out via a microphone attached to the shop's speaker system. Naturally, I found this interesting, and efficient at the same time.

I took my Green Tea Bingsoo to go and continued venturing westward, heading down a slightly steep slope to an area where cyclists were eagerly pedalling up and down the street, munching at the wonderfully flaky bits the entire way. It hit me at that moment: "This was genuine Korean bingsoo."

It was as if creamy vanilla flavour had been injected into the dessert, making each icy bite utterly flavourful - far from the dense spoonfuls of ice I'd been accustomed to having back home. Layers of green tea swirled inside my mouth, later joined by soybean powder-dusted pieces of injeolmi (Korean rice cake) and a heaping spoonful of sweet anko paste. Cafe Bene's got nothing on Snowy Village!

​Reaching Lost Lagoon was the highlight of my day. I have several friends that enjoy hiking, and one of the things that I've constantly heard about is the reward of witnessing a breathtaking landscape with the final step of a hike. It was a similar feeling, even if I had been exposed to A/C-filled shops for most of the day.

​I can't recall the duration of time I spent lounging in front of the lake, specifically since it was just too peaceful of a moment to suddenly terminate. The area was unique in that pedestrians and cyclists had separate dedicated paths; cycling traffic is heavy in that area, so the implementation of different lanes definitely improved safety (for both parties) and ease of ride-ability (for cyclists)

​As a concluding note, I must say that I was impressed with the overall commute. SkyTrain frequency on weekend mornings was approximately every five to seven minutes, which contrasted greatly to the twelve minute wait on weekday evenings. However, it is important to note the number of trains to the airport was drastically lower than that of to the downtown waterfront. Buses were not utilized during this trip, so I can't comment on their efficiency (or lack thereof) this time around.

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