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July 31, 2012 by Caroline Song   0 Comments

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With just 2 weeks left here at NextPhase, I think it's time to reveal my identity. I'm a marketing intern/social media coordinator at NextPhase Strategy. I love to eat, but I don't have time to bring a homemade lunch every day, and I'm on a low budget, being a university student. That's why I was slightly concerned when I started working at NextPhase's Yaletown office. I saw a lot of upscale restaurants, seafood bars, and steakhouses, but there seemed to be a lack of affordable eateries.

After a quick search on the Web, I came across Urbanspoon.com, where I was able to browse restaurants by a variety of categories, such as price, cuisine, and location. I also discovered that two of my coworkers had quite the collection of take-out menus.

So, I ended up trying 18 different eateries in Yaletown, all of which offer meals ranging from $6 to $12. Here's the list including highlights and my personal ratings.

1. BaoQi Eatery: specialty Vietnamese subs. ★★
2. Basil's Pasta: build-your-own pasta bar. ★★★★
3. Chez Fayé Café: café with a diverse lunch menu. ★
4. Fresh Bowl: modern South Asian fusion. ★★★
5. FreshSlice Pizza: pizza by the slice. ★
6. Fuse Pan Asian Express: 'fast' Thai; light meals. ★★
7. Jako Sushi: Japanese; variety of combos. ★★
8. Jugo Juice: smoothies and light sandwiches. ★★★
9. Opa!: 'fast' Greek; great combos. ★★★★
10. Quizno's: make-your-own subs and pickled peperoncini . ★★
11. Rice and Spice: 'quick' Indian curries. ★
12. Salsa & Agave: affordable, real Mexican. ★★★
13. Simply Thai: $10 gourmet Thai dishes; custom spice levels. ★★★★
14. Steam Rollers: steamed traditional and wet burritos. ★★
15. Subway: classic custom subs. ★★
16. Sushi Maro: small Sushi place right across from the Skytrain station. ★★
17. Yamato Sushi: Sushi restaurant featuring cheap bentos. ★
18. Yopo: Chinese; daily lunch specials. ★★★ 

Aside from these, there's also Pacific Centre- just a Skytrain ride away- for a more crowd-immersing food court experience. I have definitely enjoyed working in such a unique neighbourhood and having had the opportunity to try out so many different restaurants.