Bella Gelateria's James Coleridge No half measures in James Coleridge's gelato conquering world, Tim Pawsey photo We’re big fans of Bella Gelateria. In part it’s because we never know what the extraordinarily talented James Coleridge will get up to next. Another reason: if you walk by his always-busy storefront at the corner of Vancouver’s Burrard and Cordova, no [...]
A small but seriously addictive "snack", crispy chicken skin, TP Photo I’m feeling just a tad guilty because I’ve spent the last few days thinking about chef Hamid Salimian’s amazing Persian-inspired tasting menu that he rolled out for us the other evening. Guilty, because the timeline for this menu is short. It runs [...]
The Mexican partners: Roger Creixams, chef Ana Vander and Claudia Roma, TP photo Something about the shifting scene of the restaurant business intrigues me. And, believe me, it is always shifting. Restaurants come and go, and usually their owners go with them—although sometimes owner and surroundings stay put, and the change comes from [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
Minestrone: a steaming bowl of seasonally appropriate goodness, TP photo CLOSED We’re always intrigued when a leading hotel decides to work with a celebrated restaurant–as opposed to running its own in-house operation. We watched with interest over the last couple of years the machinations surrounding the pop-ups at Opus Hotel, which [...]
Tuned up heritage bar and dining lounge adds up to historic district's latest lively lure L'Abattoir's bar has a real buzz—and great tastes too, Tim Pawsey photo Walk into Gastown’s newest star, L’Abattoir (217 Carrall St., 604-568-1701) and the first person you’ll likely meet is Shaun Layton, who runs everything bar-wise here. Shaun [...]