Tag: Food

On Granville Island in Vancouver, particularly if you have a group and enough time, there is the Foodie Tour. This is an opportunity for someone who actually knows what they’re doing to show you around Granville Island Market and tempt you with different foods offered by the many vendors. We started with A Bread Affair, which has sour dough bread variations that will make you happy.  Bread makes me happy. I also learned there more flavors of macaron than I thought were logically possible from Bon Macaron Patisserie.  E.g. Blackberry Hazelnut. The tour is undertaken in the midst of the […]

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For the first time in two years, this past July 9, the West 4th Avenue Business Improvement Association shut down 4th Avenue and turned it into a street party.  They say this is Vancouver’s largest free music and arts festival.  Every couple of blocks there are live music tents and DJs.  It’s good fun just to walk the road and take it all in. The party runs from Burrard St. to MacDonald Ave., which is truly the centre of Kitsilano.  Stores put out tents and you can often find some decent deals.  West of Balsam Ave., there is a decent […]

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If you are visiting Vancouver, you should not miss Granville Island. Food, shopping, boats, artisans, entertainment and more. Food and shopping is what you’ve likely heard, but when I last walked onto the island, I noticed the first thing you see looking forward is the Theatresports venue, where you can enjoy improv. If you look behind you, you will see the Kids Market, which is a collection of toy stores and other fun things. Adults do not need children to enjoy that section. On the road heading to Granville Island Market, you will find unusual (i.e. not so branded) shops […]

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Urban Fare is an upscale grocery store in Vancouver with many extras. There are four locations in Vancouver: 177 Davie St. (Yaletown), 1133 Alberni St. (downtown beside the Shangri-La hotel), 305 Bute St. (Coal Harbour), 1688 Salt St. (Olympic Village). The chain is an offshoot of the more aggressively priced Save-On Foods. But Urban Fare is not the place you go for grocery deals. What it does have is higher quality products than you might see elsewhere. It’s definitely the emergency “Honey get me something on the way home from work I’m making pasta sauce” destination. However, at lunch time […]

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On 403 Lowrys Rd, Parksville you will find the Morningstar Farm, which is home to two businesses: the Mooberry Winery and the Little Qualicum Cheeseworks. The Morningstar Log Cabin that greets you. The whimsical and comic layout of both these businesses is to be admired. And it’s refreshing to find because on Lowry’s Road there’s creeping urban development and a Save-On Foods, which I suspect would never stock their products, is a mere 2.3 km away. It’s easy to find your way around the farm. The wines are all fruit wines ranging from apple (close to apple cider but not […]

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Surrey BC is a community in the Greater Vancouver Regional District that is a rapidly growing city. It’s profile in the news is the home to some nasty gang violence. I think therefore those like me with less knowledge of Surrey will be wonderfully surprised by Crescent Beach, which is in South Surrey on the way to White Rock, BC. What fools you about Crescent Beach is that once you are there and have parked the car, the vibe is of an isolated beach town … the type where the population is about 40 in the off season and peaks […]

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For context I’m on a ultra low sugar and refined carbohydrate diet that allows one cheat day per week. Now, if you’re going to cheat, you ought to do it correctly, so I chose Chocolate Arts on West 3rd Ave in Vancouver. They had a special ice cream sandwich with macarons for $4.50. As you can see from the teeth marks below, this confection did not last long! They also have a choose-your-own-chocolate for making hot chocolate. Despite being a chocolate freak, I don’t enjoy the regular hot chocolates you can have elsewhere. This one is like nothing else. And […]

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There is a small shopping area in Vancouver‘s Kitsilano neighbourhood that you may not know about. It runs one block on West 1st Ave between Burrard and Cypress. There are restaurants, spas, clothing stores, a wine shop and tucked in one spot on the north side is Koko Monk. If you are a true chocolate freak, you must try this place. It’s tiny, but you can sit and have a hot chocolate, but the artistic unique flavoured chocolates are something to try and behold. There are unusual flavours including lavender and watermelon that are so carefully blended in, you are […]

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It’s tricky to explain the allure of the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) in Vancouver. This Fair, which is the west coast version of the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) in Toronto, has that expected mish-mash of food, special exhibit buildings and the midway, which is called PlayLand. Perhaps the mish-mash itself is the allure. The deterrent and tarnish on the allure is the wallet busting pricing. E.g. a 591 mL bottle of Dasani water is shown everywhere (in perky lettering) as $3.50. My family and friends chose the Saturday of the Labour Day weekend to attend. Hot sunny day. Pure glorious […]

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What better way to experience your destination than by enjoying local food and beverage.  The communities of Comox and Courtenay are bursting with the sights, smells and tastes of passionate people willing to share their products with you. If you are lucky enough to be here on a Saturday you can start your day at The Comox Farmers Market, a favourite gathering place since 1992.  You can sip a coffee, nibble on home baked treats and enjoy our local entertainment while supporting our local farms and businesses.  The market is located in the Exhibition Fair Grounds. After the market head […]

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