Considering how much I’ve traveled, its rather shocking that it took me so long to get to Vancouver, a city known for its beauty, charm, culture and being one of the warmer places in Canada. A few things worth noting on the food front. Let’s start with food trucks:
Even though there are some fabulous restaurants in the city, one of my more orgasmic food moments was one single fried oyster at the Fresh Local Wild food truck. Below my tweet in real time on-site. For someone who rarely eats fried food, it was a real treat.
Then there’s Ebo Restaurant which I experienced at the EAT Vancouver event, held on the waterfront at the Convention Center, side by side the Travel Blogger Exchange (TBEX). Try their salmon and seared tuna sliders to start and then dive into some of their other delicacies. I’m now a fan.
EAT Vancouver had a number of interesting vendors from global cuisines, ranging from the Craving Asian soups (I tried the Thori and Daal) to the entrees: Aloo Gajaar, Aloo Gobi and Chilli Paneer. They’re located in Surrey BC in Canada but came into Vancouver to broaden their fan base like others on the show floor. I also shot some video at the KOREA booth who had a few things on offer for free (most of the vendors fed you for 3-5 tickets, which you purchased when you arrived).
Even further away was a woman from Coyote Acres Ranch in the north of Canada. It is owned and operated by the Bystedt family in the North Cariboo. They’re all about meat but without the use of any artificial ingredients. Their motto or at least one of them is: our meat is free of anything that shouldn’t be in an animal. I like it and I liked her – she was charming and knowledgeable about their products, which included an incredibly delicious Llama jerky. Other products that they tout on their farm include chicken breasts, whole roasting chickens, farm fresh eggs, cooking sausages (beef, pork, lamb and llama), organ meat (beef and lamb) and straight cuts. They also have sheep wool and Llama/Alpaca fibre on their farm and sell socks made from a blend of Llama/Alpaca and wool and felting supplies (backgrounds, felt mats, etc). I also tasted some Sweet Tree Ventures Birch Syrup with my jerky. YUM!! Some video I shot of their story below:
At EAT Vancouver, they had a fairly lengthy session on CHEESE….in other words, everything and anything you wanted to know about different kinds of cheeses, including how to store it, how to eat it, what to serve it with and more. Below is a video I shot of the class in action:
Check out an interview I did with a chef on a Chef Contest they were doing with four countries on-site. I didn’t have time to take in the dinner but it was held the evening after their 5 course preparation for $75 Canadian a person.
I have a more extensive post up on the Four Season’s YEW Restaurant which I reviewed while staying there. Here’s a video of some of the magic that was captured that night.
I tried Gelderman Farms’ Quality Park who came in to EAT Vancouver from Abbotsford B.C. When I asked if they could ship it to the states, he said with a smile, “we haven’t but I suppose we could.” Gelderman Farms is a family owned pig farm located in Fraser Valley, where owners Jerry and Audrey have been raising pigs since 1978. They sell chops, steaks, cutlets, roast rolled boneless, roast loin, bacon sliced (and double smoked – yum), and various kinds of sausage including: Italian, Farmer, Pepperoni, Smokies, Garlic and something they call Smokies.
Another restaurant worth noting is a noodle house on the other side of town called Congee Noodle House, off Commercial Street which most people told me to skip. I’m glad I made it over there (it took me a train, a bus and a long walk up the hill along Commercial) to get to East Broadway, which is where I discovered this busy noodle house. Rather large in size, the kitchen in the rear is bustling, churning out dishes for larger tables and take-out orders. They’re known for their congee (rice broth) and you have tons of options to choose from, ranging from sliced fish and pork liver congee to meat balls, dried oyster, preserved egg and shredded pork congee. There’s also something called Dace Fish Balls and Lettuce Congee on the menu and Pork Kidney or Pork Stomach and meat balls congee, neither of which I tried. Go for the steamed scallops and shrimp rice rolls and the Noodle in Soups. YUM!
For Indian food, try the Finest Cuisine of India which has been open since 1987. Located on Robson Street, they specialize in Tandoori, Vegetarian, Meat and Seafood dishes. In the Gastown district, you can also check out Sitar Restaurant on Powell Street which has great Indian food as well.
If you’re in a diner mood, check out Ricky’s All Day Grill on Dunsmuir Street along the Waterfront, where they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner all day long.
Mr. Pickwicks Fish and Chips and Go Fish serve fresh fish, the latter is cooked in a trailer and served outside against a downtown harbour panorama. (try the fish tacones). Raincity Grill also does fish-and-chips as well as other fish options.
Il Nido offers herb-crusted halibut with Tuscan beans, jalapeno tomato and Prosecco Cream Sauce and YEW which I noted earlier, makes an incredible Ceviche spot prawns and strawberry ceviche, served with lemon and shaved asparagus. I ordered it with a Canadian Rose called Laughing Stock (yes, Canada has wines :-), which was surprisingly better than the Blue Mountain chardonnay I tried from O’Kanagan Valley and I’m a huge Chard fan.
A few other restaurants worth mentioning:
**Cork & Fin in Gastown.
**Abatoir also in Gastown on the same street.
**Pourhouse for drinks.
**Keeferhouse for cocktails.
**Crave on Main Street, a boutique restaurant that has excellent brunch on both weekend days.
Lastly, be sure to head over to the Granville Public Market which you can easily and quickly get to by boat from the Pier for a few dollars. I wrote an extensive blog post on the market complete with tons of scrumptious food photos from various vendors serving everything from crepes, dark chocolate, sandwiches and soups to veggie platters, fresh fruit, fried fish and casserole dishes.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
