Vancouver’s upstairs Gurkha Himalayan Kitchen adds a different dimension to West End dining

April 10, 2012

Upstairs restaurants (i.e. those without any significant street level presence) can be notoriously challenging. In a business where ‘location, location, location’ is everything, you can count one hand those in downtown Vancouver that are successful—starting with CinCin as arguably the most enduring. In fact, part of CinCin’s very success—beyond impeccably executed wood fired dishes and a [...]

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Gastown’s Bitter: Sweet Destination for a Perfect Pint

March 23, 2012

If there’s one thing the Hired Belly finds hard to resist it’s a decent pint, particularly when it’s properly poured, and at the right temperature.  I’m sure it’s one of the many very sound traits inherited from my dad—who I still sorely miss. Growing up, beer was very much a church and state kind of thing—literally. [...]

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Siena: Vancouver’s South Granville Enjoys a New Rising Star

March 19, 2012

Do you ever wonder how restaurateurs pick their locations? Late last year, Mark Taylor (the man behind small plates Cru) received word that the one time, long ago Star Anise space (latterly turned failed Thai resto) at Granville & 12th was up for grabs. As it turns out, Taylor at one time lived just down [...]

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Wine Festival Vintners Brunch Food & Wine Smackdown: Lift Ascends

March 8, 2012

Most people know the Wine Festival’s Vintner’s Brunch as the festival’s flagship food and wine event. It usually sells out within minutes of tix being available—even more so now that it’s held in the dazzling surrounds of the new Convention Centre West, with its sweeping ocean-mountain vista. Few realize that beyond being a pretty nice [...]

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Tasting Diversity – Speed dating wine-style with some of Chile’s best

March 7, 2012

Another Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival done! But what an action packed week, with an amazing array of events, most of which went off without a hitch. Kudos to the tireless Playhouse team, to the legion of unsung volunteers who make this thing work, and especially to Wines of Chile, for truly raising the bar on [...]

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Why the food at Vancouver Trade & Convention Centre is, well, unconventional

March 6, 2012

We reckon we’ve eaten our fair share of meals on the rubber chicken circuit. But I don’t know why I’m even saying that here, because the food at Vancouver Trade & Convention Centre is just about as far removed from standard convention fare as you can possibly imagine. Last week’s Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival [...]

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Periwinkles, Seaweed, Sardines and Sea Cucumber: Unsung Heroes Return to Blue Water Café

February 22, 2012

Regular visitors will know we’ve recently developed a bit of a thing for sardines. We’ve found some pretty good canned filets, that do just fine for our pissaladierre recipe. But nothing comes close to the fresh caught fish. A heads up: this is the last week for chef Frank Pabst’s Unsung Heroes Festival, which runs [...]

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Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Returns with a Delightfully ‘Cheeky’ Launch

February 14, 2012

Vancouver’s classiest cocktail salute is back with a vengeance this week. Judging by the weekend pre-show and first day’s activities, it promises to far outshine last year’s inaugural event, which was impressive—even more so considering it was the first run. Where cocktails and bartenders mix, even the most functional of activities is likely to turn [...]

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Goodbye Goldfish: Hello Minami

January 31, 2012

We get more than our fair share of press releases in this age of hyper-communication but here’s one with a difference. We like it both for its clarity but also for its tone. And, as we’ve come to expect from someone who’s given so much to Vancouver as Bud Kanke, its class. In fact, kudos [...]

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Sun Peaks Winter Wine Festival: The Skiing Senator, Snowshoes and Syrah

January 30, 2012

How much fun can you have at an award-winning ski resort with a couple of dozen BC wineries in tow, more than a few good meals—and even some healthy outdoor exercise? Plenty! Last week’s whirlwind trip to Sun Peaks Resort for the 14th Annual Winter Okanagan Wine Festival yielded more material than we could squeeze into [...]

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