At Wednesday July 16th Main Street Farmers Market I ate nine different pies as part of the judging for the Berry Festival Pie Baking Contest. Did I feel a bit sick after? Well yes, but I am a pro so even if the pie was awesome I only took a bite. Except for one –…
Category: Good Life Samplings
Brunching at West Oak
There’s ladies that lunch and couples that brunch and I am a full patch member of both groups. On the weekends we have taken up the brunch ritual of late on what I call #brunchquest. We head out on our bikes or hop on the bus on less stellar days and spend some time over…
Nacho Average Food Truck
I am so very fond of nachos. I love lots of cheese, guac, salsa, sour cream, the works. It’s not often that I do indulge, but when the craving does get out of hand I just do it. I’ve got teenage memories of The Keg Nachos with their layers of refried beans, and the fact…
BC Blueberries At Krause Berry Farms
British Columbia has more than 800 blueberry farms and the blueberries are already coming in for the season. You’ve still got some time to grab a box and try out all sorts of recipes from smoothies to pies as the crop will come in until near the end of September. This year the growing conditions…
Bearfoot Bistro World Oyster Invitational
They Came They Shucked They Conquered Never wanting to be left out from any oyster event we can get to in a reasonable manner, we headed up to Whistler for the Annual World Oyster Invitational and Caesar Battle. Once settled in at the Westin Whistler Resort & Spa we enjoyed a chill night at the hotel, dining…
Pedal Power Kick-Starts Ned Bell’s Chefs For Oceans
We arrived early at the Vancouver Aquarium last week to judge a smoothie competition. The competitors included Executive Chef Robert Clark, co-owner of The Fish Counter, Executive Chef Tim Bedford of the Vancouver Aquarium, Executive Chef Quang Dang of West Restaurant and Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver Executive Chef Ned Bell. They all partnered with children, including Bell’s…
Vancouver Spot Prawn Festival
Each year Spot Prawns arrive in the market and we head down to the docks at False Creek Fisherman’s Wharf to greet Organic Ocean and their crew (including a few Vancouver chefs) on the first day of the harvest. The event is hosted by the Chefs’ Table Society and member chefs from across the Lower…
Calabash Bistro Does Brunch
Brunch just got even more laid back with Gastown’s Calabash Bistro’s launch of their new brunch menu. Stop in and stay a while with dishes that feature Caribbean flavours with Western twists. Calabash’s house-made jerk spice makes a welcome appearance here, but nothing is too spicy unless you want to add a dash of their…
The Blackbird Public House & Oyster Bar
I love a good oyster bar, even if oysters are the only forte. However, when there is the addition of a cocktail program, a serious scotch selection and a menu that showcases local products, I’ll spend more than a few moments checking it out. Recently I lunched at such a place – The Blackbird Public…
What to Eat & Drink at Eat! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival
Take at least a quick break from the sunshine this weekend and check out EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival at BC Place Stadium on May 30, 31 & June 1, 2014. Time it right and you can catch Lynn Crawford, Chuck Hughes, and Vikram Vij on the Food Network Celebrity Stage, along with Ned…
A New Bun In The Oven – PappaRoti
If you’ve visited Malaysia in the last ten years you are bound to have run into PappaRoti, a buttery and coffee-caramel coated bun. The PappaRoti Cafe’s now number 400 worldwide; the first location recently opened on Canada down towards the end of Robson Street. So what are these buns all about? Well they sound sweeter…
Lunch and Reminiscing on Granville Street at Fish Shack
The Granville Entertainment District has meant many things to me over the years. In high school we’d come to Vancouver from Kelowna to shop and pick up numerous pairs imported black cloth sandals made cheaply in China, probably the only non-designer thing we wore. We knew you could score “pot, shrooms or acid” outside McDonald’s…
ProNamel, Acid and Tooth Wear with Chef Ned Bell
It’s not often you head out for a meal and then are sent home with a dental lesson, a toothbrush and some toothpaste. However the point of this meal, hosted by ProNamel, was to demonstrate that even healthy choices for our bodies can cause acid damage to our teeth. Held at Yew at the Four Seasons…
Le Cigale Kitsilano
French Bistros ideally should always be bustling and that was certainly the case at La Cigale even in the early hours on last Friday night. La Cigale is French for a cicada, an insect similar but not related to locusts, so it’s somewhat fitting that patrons tend to flock to this place. The restaurant is…
Spice Market at Shangri-La
Lunch is always a treat at MARKET in the Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver, but in April it’s an extra special. From April 4 to 18, 2014 Anthony Ricco, the Executive Chef at New York’s famed Spice Market presents a menu inspired by the street food Jean-Georges enjoyed while travelling in Southeast Asia. Enjoy Spice Market flavours in…
Sakura Tea With Urban Tea Merchant
While the blossoms are almost gone from the trees of Vancouver, there’s still time to celebrate Sakura at the Urban Tea Merchant with their seasonal Sakura Tea Afternoon Tea service available until April 30, 2014. The tea merchant is tucked into a courtyard on Alberni Street with views of the colourful blossoms and sports a tea room…
Homer Street Cafe Brunch
There’s nothing better than a cozy restaurant filled with aromas of fresh coffee and bacon on a weekend morning; or any morning for that matter. If you’re looking for such comforts look no further than Homer Street Cafe at Homer and Smithe Street, just on the edge of Yaletown. Here you’ll find a giant rotisserie…
Diner Classic Lunches at Joe Fortes
While there’s a general lack of great diners in town, you can now sample diner classics at Joe Fortes. And while the atmosphere here is more up-scale than your average diner, the prices are not; all three items lunch items can be had for only $9.95 until March 28, 2014. We headed in for a…
Xi Shi Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea
Chinese New Year may have come and gone, but until March 13, 2014 you can still enjoy afternoon tea at the Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver’s Xi Shi Lounge. We love the modern lounge of Xi Shi and their Blue Willow China set; hanging out there on a rainy afternoon just feels right. The hotel has switched…
Eat Your Heart Out Tri-Cities Until Feb 23
Dine out at the following restaurants and $10 of your $35 3 course meal will go to support Eagle Ridge Hospital until Feb. 23! We checked out a number of dishes at a couple of the spots on the opening night where guests were shuttled to three of the restaurants and we hit up Browns, Onyx…
