Earlier in the fall I spent a week test driving the 2025 Polestar P3 LE Dual Motor electric car around Vancouver while visiting some new and not so new restaurants.

I drove to East Van to Super Thai Hot Pot ((3327 Kingsway) for dinner and Lawrence joined me this time. They specialize in self-serve Malatang style hot pot where you choose your own selections from over 100 ingredients which is then weighed at the cashier at $18.49 per pound. You then choose your broth from the selection of Thai broth flavours. I had the Coconut Curry broth and Lawrence had the Fish Maw Chicken broth.

We received some complimentary shrimp crackers. Visited the complimentary sauce bar to mix up my own sauces to enhance our hot pot experience.

We also got some of their fresh iced teas, I had the Lemon Green tea while Lawrence had the Oolong tea. We also chose some snacks as I hadn’t done so before. The Fish Sticks came with a sweet plum sauce and we also got the Tornado Potato cause it looked so fun and tasted great too.

To finish the hot pot experience they serve everyone a complimentary soft serve ice cream cone and the night we were there it was Matcha which we both love.

The next day I headed over to the Olympic Village neighbourhood to check out Just Another coffee shop for a Cortado.

Performance and driving is where the Polestar 3 shines brightest. Unlike many electric SUVs that feel fast but boat-like in corners, the Polestar 3 feels genuinely athletic. The standard Long Range Dual Motor setup produces 489 hp and 620 lb-ft of torque. It delivers a 0-60 mph time of roughly 4.8 seconds.

The next day I drove to West Vancouver for dinner at Asur Kitchen (1746 Marine Drive, West Vancouver) that specializes in Persian cuisine. Here I had a Green salad then the Fesenjoon, a flavorful stew made with ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses, served with half of a golden-fried Cornish chicken and saffron rice.

The next day it was back to East Van to Osteria al Centro (located at 3087 Slocan Street) for dinner as our 11th Annual Pasta challenge was in full swing.

The pasta dish created by Chef James was the Ossobucco alla Milanese with Saffron Pappardelle and Tartufo Nero and featured a delicious Veal Osso Bucco smoked then slowly braised in white wine to make a Ragu. They add Guancale, fresh local Chanterelle Mushrooms served over Saffron stained Pappardelle noodles and finish with shavings of Fresh Tartufo Nero (black Truffle) imported from Umbria.

While there we had some of the delicious house-made Focaccia and then tried some of their dishes on the just launched fall menu that included the:

Burrata from Puglia with blistered tomatoes, Black Russian kale with mushrooms

Red kuri squash risotto

Duck Confit pizza with taleggio cheese, red pepper and roasted garlic

After this it was late night and the best time to charge the car. Charging this car features a peak DC fast-charging speed of 250 kW. In real-world terms, you can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes, provided you find a working 350kW charger.

The next day I headed to Gastown where my friend Paul was joining me for lunch at Sabina Mexican Food (51 West Hastings Street).

Specializing in Mexican cuisine from Guadalajara region of Mexico where Owner/Chef Fernando is from. The Gastown restaurant opened a few months ago; I visited recently to try several of their dishes.

The restaurant features a bright interior with colourful hangings representing the region of Mexico and their cuisine.

My friend Paul joined me as we started off with their home-made Horchata and the very unique and delicious Panela Asada that features grilled Panela cheese that is melted and topped with a choice of fillings. We had the rajas with corn tortillas. Next was the Ensalada de nopales (cactus salad) and the Esquites (creamy Mexican white corn) which rounded out the appetizers.

The Enchiladas stuffed with chicken with green sauce with rice on the side were very good; as was the Tacos topped with garlic mushrooms; we also had some tacos with the Mexican style chicken.

Pambazo with Mexican style chicken was very good, they bring in this special bread from Guadalajara and then bake it here with the filling and sauce; definitely worth trying. We also had the Tacos Gobernador that are made with shrimp and it is another specialty from back home. They also make a couple variations of Tamales, we had the ones with chicken.

For dessert, we tried 3 of them, and my favourite was the Cajeta flan and it’s one of the best renditions that I have had here in Vancouver. We also tried the Cinnamon roll tres leches as well as the Jericalla (this a specialty from Guadalajara) which is similar to a creme brulee just without the top brittle.

Watch this eatery for more Mexican specialities that originate in Guadalajara as well as some beverages they are about to launch. They are open for brunch as well as dinner daily and also have some fun evenings such as their Karaoke nights.

By: Richard Wolak

Disclosure: Polestar Canada provided me with the 2025 Polestar P3 LE Dual Motor to test drive, and photograph. As always, all opinions and photos are my own.