hired belly’s best restaurants and dining
Alessandra and Jean-Francis Quaglia: smartly tapped into changing tastes with their sleek new TWB, Tim Pawsey photo We’ve always felt Provence Marinaside is one of Vancouver’s more under-appreciated rooms—but that might just be about to change with the arrival of TWB, which stands for (drum roll) The Wine Bar—at Provence. (We’re a tad [...]
Blue Water Café's periwinkles with saffron aioli, Tim Pawsey photo UPDATED, Jan 17, 2013. It’s a long way from British Columbia to Cornwall, in the South West of England. But, beyond the stunning scenery—which is in some ways quite reminiscent of Canada’s west coast—there are some other similarities. That beautiful part of the [...]
Siena: braised lamb filled ravioli, Tim Pawsey photo One of the hazards of writing “Best of” / “Year End” lists is that you’re guaranteed to miss one (or more)—even more likely if you’ve been waging a kleenex demolition derby against the lurgy sweeping through Vancouver these days. That said, here’s a greatly expanded [...]
Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut Thinking of buying some bubbles in the next few days? You’re not alone. By far the majority of Champagne quaffed during the year is consumed during the holidays—and the same goes for sparkling wine. Here in the swank surroundings of Hired Belly corporate HQ, while we relish the taste [...]
TFP mussels and clams – the perfect wet weather foil One spot that’s an easy lure for lunch—particularly when it’s raining cats and dogs—is Yaletown’s The Flying Pig (1168 Hamilton St, 604-568-1344). There’s just something about this place, from its easy going ways and cosy room with a great buzz to the quality [...]
Pork hock and bacon terrine. We were hooked, umm hocked ... TP photo We finally managed to get into forage last night for a serious meal. And believe me, it was serious. Chef Chris Whittaker was showcasing pork from Gelderman Farms (Abbotsford) with Audrey and Jerry Gelderman in attendance. Think Porkapalooza—and then some. [...]
A quick roundup of under $20 great Portuguese table wine deals
Forage chef Chris Whittaker basks in Chowdown glory, with the original painting (included in his prizes) used for the contest promo, TP Photo Just a day after Forage officially opened, chef Chris Whittaker has been crowned Chowder Chowdown Champion at the Vancouver Aquarium’s keenly contested annual sustainable seafood celebration. Whittaker’s dish wowed not only [...]
Single malts: seeing the light, Tim Pawsey image I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m no single malt expert. But I do have an appreciation for them, thanks to a relatively early introduction to Scotch whisky as a young (almost legal) adult. Before leaving London I worked for my late uncle [...]
Another winner from Okanagan Crush Pad Now Closed. A few weeks ago we dropped byEdible Canada at the Market(1596 Johnston St. 604-682-6681) for a post theatre, late night bite. (Somehow a trip to Chile in between derailed our good intentions to post about it sooner.) It’s also been a while since we wrote at length about [...]
