hired belly’s best restaurants and dining
Tap & Barrel: wines on tap and dazzling downtown views, Tim Pawsey photo We owe a debt of thanks to Blasted Church’s Brent Hayman for being the first to give us the heads up on the burgeoning tap wine business, earlier this spring. He introduced us to Steve Thorp and Mike Macquisten at Vancouver [...]
Sea Cider: a wide range of styles, Tim Pawsey photo My first encounter with real cider happened at a relatively youg age. Not long after my 16th birthday, in a misguided attempt to beat the summer heat, I downed an ice cold pint of draught Somerset scrumpy—which was probably around 8 percent ABV, [...]
Been a bit churlish, we have, of late towards BC’s beloved burger-monger and family resto chain White Spot—due mainly to the presence of its large chicken mascot on BC Ferries the other weekend. (White Spot supplies a portion of BC Ferries food requirements...) Somebody in the Twitterverse took offence when we suggested (in jest) the [...]
Baru Quinoa salad, Tim Pawsey photo Our review of Baru Latino in last week’s Courier has a pretty upbeat tone to it. That’s maybe not surprising, considering the occasion was a birthday party with family and friends. But there’s more to this piece than meets the eye. First impressions are everything. Isn’t that how the [...]
Glancing around the room at Sardine Can (26 Powell St., 604-568-1350), I realise that I recognise just about everyone here. One sure sign a newbie has it made is when industry ‘insiders’ pack in from the word go. Then again, I’m not surprised. Andrey Durbach and Chris Stewart (Pied à Terre, La Buca, [...]
The first time I came to Vancouver was for my sister’s wedding. Like so many, I was immediately smitten by the city and its spectacular setting. Friends had lent us their 40's era apartment, which overlooked Kits Beach, and I slept in the living room. When I woke up and looked out the [...]
Taste superb food and wines, have some fun & support a worthy cause! As regular visitors may know, we're involved with the BC Hospitality Foundation. This charity provides last chance financial assistance for people in the hospitality and associated industries who are coping with hardship arising from a serious health-related condition. If this sounds a bit [...]
We’re still stoked about last week’s German wine pairing dim sum, presented by the German Wine Institute with Master of Wine Jeannie Cho Lee, at Vancouver’s Bao Bei, Tanis Ling’s groundbreaking Chinese room. As we’re tight for time, here’s our North Shore News story (below) to bring you up to speed. In summary, [...]
Calling all hopheads: Tickets go on sale at midnight tonight for Vancouver Craft Beer Week (May 18-26) Can it really be a year already since the last VCBW? Already, VCBW has quickly become one of the town’s hottest tickets. Last year many events sold out faster than you can say ‘cheers!’ What’s driving [...]
Encounter with a perfect pint, Tim Pawsey photo 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 [...]