I recently had the pleasure of doing a small food tour of Vancouver, these are a few of the places that made me fall in love with this beautiful city all over again.
1. Farmer’s Apprentice 1535 West 6th ave. - Feeling a little groggy from a late night and early flight, a couple friends and myself walked down to Farmer’s Apprentice for brunch and a pint. While waiting in line I noticed small batches of produce being carried in through the back door, a true indication of the menu and the vicinity in which most its ingredients were found. I had the smoked chicken with peach BBQ sauce, greens, corn bread and a poached egg alongside a pint of the Four Winds seasonal ale. If there ever was a way to start off your first Saturday on vacation this would surely be it.
2. Alibi Room 157 Alexander St. - Later that day and after a much needed siesta my friend and I found ourselves in Gastown looking for a cocktail and a snack before dinner later that evening. The Alibi Room is just off to the side of the main strip in Gastiown and offers a some seriously good cocktails and craft beer. They have a large pub style upstairs with a cavernous basement area filled with tables situated amongst barrels of craft beer. That being said it was a gorgeous evening so we opted for the patio. After some marinated olives, a mushroom/truffle/hazelnut pate, a couple of tequila/mint/ginger/fresh lime cocktails and a craft beer flight we were feeling very happy and nicely primed for dinner.
3. L’abattoir 217 Carral St.- This was the main event that evening and without hesitation I will say a flawless meal. The beautiful space is located in the heart of Gastown and features an upstairs dining area, a lower level lounge and a second dining area found in a secluded atrium near the back of the restaurant. The meal consisted of BBQ octopus, Albacore tuna, veal sweetbreads and beef tartare, all of which were executed with impeccable precision and extreme detail. We sampled the cocktail list, moved to wine then finished port and aged rum. I even had desert, an rarity to say the least. If you haven’t figured it out by now, you should definitely be making this a priority next time you are in the area.
4. Artisan Sakemaker at Granville Island - If you are into Sake, as I certainly am, you should definitely check out the Artisan Sakemaker on Granville island. This premium Sake is made from local ingredients and is produced right in the back of the shop. It was the perfect afternoon beverage to wash down a selection of breads, cured meats and cheeses from the market next door.
5. Musette Caffe 1262 Burrard st.- If you are a cyclist and you love coffee then check out Musette Caffe. It is a little tricky to find as it is located in the parking lot of a used car dealership but if you are arriving on two wheels you shouldn’t have any trouble at all. The interior is covered with vintage cycling gear and there are classic tours being played on televisions, a perfect distraction while enjoying a post/pre ride croissant and Americano. There is bicycle parking indoors and out, however parking spots are nonexistent.
6. Meat and Bread 370 Cambie St. & 1033 Pender St. - Sandwiches are life. I have searched high and low for the best and let me tell you there are not many people who do sandwiches as good as these guys do. The house special is their porchetta with crispy pork skin and salsa verde, a must try. The specials are always fantastic and you cannot go wrong with the corn beef. I ate three of these bad boys in two days and do not regret one second of it. I implore you to try this because lets face it, a great sandwich is a beautiful thing.
7. The Liberty Distillery at Granville island - These guys are making their own liquor on Granville island and it is pretty damn good. Some friends and I enjoyed a cocktail here to start off our evening, I had the white whiskey old fashioned with house bitters and gomme syrup. I know my old fashions and I must say this one was absolutely delightful.
8. Vij’s/Rangoli 1480 West 11th Ave. - This was the second time this year I had the pleasure of seeing Vikram and enjoying his food. The moment I arrived he was swooping from one restaurant to the other smiling and greeting his guests while somehow directing his team all the while. Luckily he remembered me from our time spent together on the river at Raw Almond earlier this year, as such he welcomed me and sat me right away on the patio at Rangoli next door to Vij’s. As I was heading for dinner later that evening and had already devoured a few sandwiches earlier, I decided to limit myself to one dish and a pint. The tamarind and yogurt marinated chicken was superb and Vikram’s hospitality was amazing, not that I had any doubt that it would have turned out differently. I can’t wait to go back with more people and eat more of this man’s spectacular creations.
9. Bao Bei Chinese Brassiere 163 Keefer St. - This place was so damn good I went there twice in three days. This new school Chinese brassiere is located in Chinatown and is totally my kind of restaurant. Unpretentious, delicious food with an amazing cocktail list and a relaxed atmosphere. The first time I went there my friend and I had steamed truffled pork dumplings, steamed prawn and chive dumplings, steamed buns with pork belly/preserved turnips/sugared peanuts, and a beef tartare alongside an octopus salad both with too many ingredients to name and both equally amazing. The second time I was invited to their after hours fried chicken staff meal, a ridiculously cool experience and a story I will share another time.
A special shout out to Vincent Hong and Jesse Perry, both of whom helped me out a lot throughout the course of these five days and of course much love to the city of Vancouver for the outstanding hospitality. I will definitely be back soon.
Words, Layout & Photography by Daniel Gurevich
