his two-story Chinese restaurant is one of the primest Chinese-food bargains in town. The Imp attracts a crowd of young Japanese club-goers and Chinese patrons of all ages, with the mix varying depending on the time (the restaurant is located in the Art Deco Marine Building). The food and service are very authentic, and this place offers quite a contrast to the more serene confines of Burrard-eria.

Chinese cuisine in an atmosphere that not only manages to avoid the irremediable vulgarity of which too many upscale Asian restaurants are guilty, but that’s actually as elegant as any premium French place. But since this is a Chinese restaurant of course they offer a huge menu of dishes, best of which is Dim Sum. Of particular interest are the many small-plate dishes priced per plate - items like stir-fried garlic (surprisingly spicy) and pickled lotus roots (surprisingly vinegar-y).

Nice service and an array of culinary delights: meaty twin lobster rolls, steamed shrimp dumplings, noodles with seasonal vegetables, roast duck with plum sauce and slivers of pork with black peppercorns are just a few of the good dishes that are sold here. Other more substantial side dishes as well - noodles, seafood items, sauteed vegetables and lobster, crab, and shrimp caught fresh from the tanks.

Imperial Chinese Seafood can be trusted to deliver excellent food every time, but has none of the atmospheric qualities needed to make an extraordinary restaurant. The dining room is huge, with some big communal tables, smaller tables in the front windows, and additional small tables in a back dining room, with great views of Stanley Park and the North Shore Mountains. - R.B.