Breaking Bread with Clos du Soleil at Tavola

By |2018-01-21T15:05:18-08:00March 21st, 2014|Hired Belly's Best Wines, Spirits|

    A ground-breaking collaboration: Marc du Soleil, made by Long Table Distillery, TP photo The Hired Belly has attended more than few winemaker dinners. But some remain etched in my memory. The very first was when Howard Soon (now Peller Estates’ chief winemaker, then Calona Vineyards’) dropped by the original Raintree, in [...]

The RawBar at Fairmont Pacific Rim: Vancouver’s First All Ocean Wise Sushi Bar

By |2023-07-29T09:19:25-07:00March 14th, 2014|Belly's Best Bites, Sustainable|

Fairmont Pacific Rim Rawbar dragon and motoyaki rolls I’m always annoyed intrigued by people who scoff at the idea of Vancouver becoming a truly  “green city.” Maybe it’s just so much an entrenched part of the Canadian psyche: a feeling that progress and innovation always have to come from outside. Much in the [...]

The Fish Counter: Vancouver’s Go-To Sustainable Seafood Store Opens on Main St.

By |2021-04-06T17:25:16-07:00December 9th, 2013|Belly's Best Bites, Ocean Wise, Sustainable|

The Fish Counter: warm and welcoming, and already popular The Fish Counter (3825 Main St., Vancouver, 604-876-FISH [3474]) is the latest endeavour from celebrated Canadian Chef Robert Clark, with business partner Mike McDermid, long time fisheries expert, marine biologist and former program manager at the Vancouver Aquarium. The Fish Counter's Mike McDermid [...]

Waste Not, Want Not: Concerned about wasteful consumption, local chefs go whole hog

By |2018-04-08T16:30:35-07:00November 29th, 2013|Belly's Best Bites|

Unless you’re a regular overnight visitor to Vancouver’s higher end hotels, chances are you’re not aware of the Essential Vancouver. It’s the sister publication to monthly WHERE magazine, with whom I've enjoyed a much-valued relationship over many years. I’ve also been lucky enough to write for the Essential Vancouver since its inception. It’s a stunningly [...]

Paxton & Whitfield: A Slice of the Past (and Present)

By |2018-10-04T16:42:53-07:00September 19th, 2013|Travel|

Paxton & Whitfield, Jermyn Street On my way across London to Heathrow the other day, I had a little time to spare so I decided to  check out my old neighbourhood, St. James, where I used to work. Well, actually, it was really an excuse to drop by Paxton & Whitfield, at 93 Jermyn St., [...]

The Rain at Grain Stays Mainly on the Pane

By |2022-04-16T10:51:59-07:00August 9th, 2013|Belly's Best Bites|

 Grain’s slide-away wall brings Burrard Street right inside A breath of fresh air Regional cuisine is not what first used to come to mind at The Hyatt Regency Vancouver. However, all that has now changed. The main floor bar (just off the lobby, overlooking Burrard near Melville) has been convincingly reinvented and [...]

Milano Coffee Roasters Redux: Columbia Lounge and Tasting Bar

By |2019-02-10T11:04:03-08:00July 1st, 2013|coffee|

 Milano Roasters: Guitar & Beans Brian Turko's passions for music and coffee merge, often when he's roasting This week I discovered another side of Milano Coffee Roasters. They were having an open house at their Eight Avenue and Columbia Street location (156 W 8th Ave, 604-879-4468). This is where all the roasting and [...]

Bella Gelateria’s James Coleridge Named an Ace Bakery Artisan

By |2019-10-08T16:53:41-07:00March 30th, 2013|Restaurant Reviews|

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 [...]

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