A post-gym lunch and a wander around Granville Island turned up maple habanero mustard, horchata chocolate and plenty of inspiration for dinner, Christmas presents and host gifts.
Granville Island makes me so excited about food. I can stop for lunch and find myself planning dinner and mentally matching treats with people on my Christmas list. It is also perfect on a rainy Vancouver day, with so much to browse inside the Public Market. Give me time to wander and I am very happy.
Lunch first at Chau Café
I headed to Granville Island after the gym looking for lunch, and the Sapa Power Salad at Chau Café was exactly what I needed. I added lemongrass chicken to a bowl full of vegetables and quinoa, with peanuts, seeds and coconut citrus dressing. Everything tasted fresh, and there was plenty of both vegetables and protein.
Lunch taken care of, there was time to look around. These are some of the things that caught my eye, from the Public Market counters to the shelves at Alimentaria Mexicana.
Mustard and a very tempting pantry
At Granville Island Spice Co., formerly South China Seas Trading Co., the bright yellow bottle of Twisting Maple maple habanero mustard was hard to miss. I would try it on a sandwich, whisk a little into a vinaigrette or brush it over roast chicken toward the end of cooking. It could also give a cheese board a little heat.
Nearby, a display brought together Holy Duck, OKAZU, Haute, MAMA and Super Magic Taste condiments. There were enough chilli oils to make choosing one a project of its own. I also spotted East Van Jam, including onion with vodka and rosemary, blueberry with spices, and raspberry with vanilla and anise. The chilli oils had me thinking about noodles, fried eggs and roasted vegetables. The onion jam could go into a grilled cheese sandwich, while the fruit spreads would be lovely with toast, yogurt or a cheese board.
Even the salt deserved a second look. Belamandil’s hand-harvested Portuguese sea salt came in cork-topped containers illustrated with shorebirds. A practical kitchen staple, but also a lovely little gift for someone who cooks.
The freezer held Dicky’s Dumps, with chicken and ginger, pork and chives, shrimp and scallop, and vegetarian dumplings. I’ve had them many times and love them.
They are perfect for holiday entertaining. I would pan-fry a batch and put out a platter with dipping sauces and chilli oil for guests to help themselves. Add some greens and they can become part of a casual dinner, too. A bag in the freezer is a useful head start when friends are coming over and there is already plenty to do.
Cheese and charcuterie to go
The cheese counter had its own colourful distractions. Little waxed rounds from The Queen’s Castle included gin and tonic, Laphroaig whisky and truffle cheddars, alongside Snowdonia cheeses. Add crackers and jam for a tasting board, or melt a few slices into a toastie the next day.
At Lina’s Deli, charcuterie cups stood ready to go, with crackers rising above slices of cured meat. The sign listed them at $14.28 plus tax. Beside them were “charcuterie shots,” little cups of mini dried pork sausages priced at $12.99. An easy option for anyone who wants a market snack without assembling a whole picnic.
Fish and mushrooms for dinner
The fish had whole New Zealand tai snapper and Greek sea bream arranged on ice. The signs listed the snapper at $24.90 a pound and the sea bream at $18.90 a pound. Seeing whole fish laid out like that is a good reminder to consider something beyond the usual fillet. I would keep dinner simple with a whole fish roasted with lemon and herbs, and some market vegetables alongside.
The mushroom display was another stop for a photograph, with pale and brown mushrooms, labelled local oyster mushrooms, and golden mushrooms farther along the counter. I was imagining mushrooms sautéed with garlic and butter, piled onto toast, stirred through risotto or tucked into a puff pastry tart. A rainy evening at home with mushroom pasta sounded very appealing.
Coffee and chocolate at Alimentaria Mexicana
Over at Alimentaria Mexicana, El Cafecito’s colourful counter had a drinks board worth reading properly. Café de olla latte, horchatte and matcha horchatte were among the options, along with a $9 signature flight.
On the shelves, Kasama’s Horchatte white chocolate bar carried Alimentaria Mexicana branding and a beautifully illustrated wrapper. The pantry selection included salsa roja, jalapeño salsa and Martinelo’s Vancouver-made salsa macha. There was also a salsa macha XO labelled with olive oil, dried shrimp, garlic, onion and chile. The chocolate would slip nicely into a Christmas stocking or a small gift bag. The salsas suggested breakfast tacos and roast potatoes, while a spoonful of salsa macha could bring some heat to beans, rice bowls or those freezer dumplings.
In the fridge, Coqueto tepache stood out in colourful cans, labelled as a fermented pineapple beverage and priced at $6.50. A few cans with a jar of salsa and some tortilla chips could make a fun contribution to a casual get-together.
Halloween at Stuart’s Bakery
Stuart’s Bakery had the season covered with rows of Halloween cookies: orange pumpkins, white ghosts, dark bats and black cats with icing skeletons. The little ghosts, including one with “Boo!” written across it, were particularly photogenic.
Christmas gifts and something for the host
So many of these finds would make good Christmas or host gifts. I would choose the illustrated salt container for a keen cook, Kasama chocolate for a stocking, or mustard and cheese for someone who loves a snack board. A jar of jam with something from the bakery could be a lovely next-morning treat for the person who has just made everyone dinner.
For a larger gift, I would build a small bag around something they enjoy making. Dumplings and chilli oil could become dinner for a busy friend. Salsa, tortilla chips and chocolate would suit someone who loves Mexican flavours. Wrap a couple of pantry finds in a tea towel and add a handwritten serving suggestion.
This is why I find Granville Island so hard to hurry through. I am looking at mushrooms and imagining pasta, then spotting a gift a few steps later. On a rainy day, lunch and an unhurried browse feel like a very good use of an afternoon. I would happily return with a Christmas list and time for coffee.publis
