I'm a big fan of Falafel Maison and eat there regularly. Introduced to shawarmas on the platform of Finland Station in St. Petersburg (a big centre of shawarma production, by the way) I soon fell in love with them when I worked across the street from King Falafel in Toronto (they made the shawarma entry for Wikipedia even, and I had nothing to do with that...they are that good, though). Upon returning to Vancouver I searched high and low something that compared with King Falafel or even the ones in St. Petersburg, some of which are outstanding.

When I found Falafel Maison, I knew I'd found what I needed. The meat is spicy and a big greasy. Lots of hummus on the pita, tons of parsley, shredded lettuce, onion and tomato, with tahini and hot sauce as well. No tzatziki or any of that crap. Bold, contrasting hot & cold flavours, generous portions. There is not all that much grease, surprisingly, as the pita never gets soggy (the only flaw at King Falafel).

Oh, and Middle Eastern music pounding from the stereo, about six seats in total and the everyone knows you because it's family-run. If there's a better shawarma place in Vancouver, I'd be surprised.

The service has probably impressed me the most about this place. My first visit I'd arranged for a few out-of-towners to meet me there. None of us realized we'd need a reservation and none were dressed anywhere near to the standards of the other patrons quite frankly. We looked more like we were going to White Spot. Nobody batted an eye, either staff or patron. I really appreciated that, as it was quite the self-concious moment. My next visit I went with a guy who was in town on business and had been there a few times already that week. We were given the king's treatment.

In terms of food, I'm still having sticker shock with regards to the price of mussels in this town, so maybe I shouldn't stress out too much about it. The moules congolaise were damn good but with many of my favourite ingredients I'd expect nothing less.

The beer list was solid, too, and gave me the opportunity to try out some interesting combinations. I'd like to see it expanded a bit to offer a greater range of combinations though.

This isn't suburbia. This is the city, and this is real food. Real food comes from real places. The atmosphere here is killer. The front opens onto the street for fresh air and prime people watching. Counter service is swift and better than table service any day. Plastic, ambiant insects are a problem? Go to Earl's. It's cramped, a little bit loud...you know, with your neighbours there. And they're all there because the food is outstanding. I've never had a dish I didn't like, very rare for me. The spring rolls are among the best in the city. The lontong, mee soto and other dishes are what people who know their food love the best - the flavours are fresh and bright, complex yet simple and harmonic. I'm a big guy with a big appetite and the portions work just fine as long as I throw a couple spring rolls in there. But one thing...skip the free green tea. It's kind of vile, been sitting all day and is too mossy and astringent.