#Instaweekend | A Vancouver Love Affair

This weekend I fell in love. It’s one of those life-changing adorations that alters your outlook on the trials and tribulations of the human condition… An epic, poetic, cinematic, can’t-live-without-it kind of love…

Vancouver will be my new home one day in the near future. A city speckled with some of the nation’s best food and (cheap) drinks, scenic skies, and people who… wait for it… actually smile. And talk to you! And proffer connections without even an allusion to wanting them!

Nicki and I were in Vancouver for the West Coast launch of View the Vibe, at which we were introduced to VanCity’s amazing assortment of media darlings with the backdrop of the Dockside Restaurant and Brewing Co.‘s stunning patio situated by the docks on Granville Island.

After a whirlwind entrance to the city (airport > hotel > meeting > venue > party > late dinner and drinks at the phenomenal Parlour in Yaletown), I had a chance to explore a small snippet of the Vancouver way of life. It was enough to whet my appetite and give me a BC wanderlust so intense I spent my first night back in Toronto teary-eyed in my shoebox apartment, wishing I was still sitting on a small park bench in Gastown watching the world pass me by…

Thursday through Saturday I got to sample the fine craftsmanship of the Vancouver restaurant and bar scene. An unabashed explorer, I was wide-eyed at the attention to detail, impeccable service, and artisanal cocktailery that abounds in the city.

Nicki and I spent Thursday afternoon awash in sunlight at C Restaurant (apparently one of Vancouver’s “forgotten” patios, though it will be awhile before the memory fades for us), eating plates of tuna tataki, crab salad with mango champagne vinaigrette, phenomenal scallops with bone marrow, and sipping on watermelon cocktails. No stress, fresh-as-can-be seafood, and a view of the marina…

The evening that transpired thereafter started my lusty obsession with Vancouver. The night began at Calabash Bistro, a “reggaecentric” Caribbean restaurant on the outskirts of Gastown. We started with Dark n’ Stormies topped with fresh peels of coconut flesh, amazing ‘doubles’, and coconut dumplings with a sweet butter before dashing a couple blocks down to get to dinner at…

…L’Abattoir. A stunning space on Carrall Street, L’Abattoir has (like almost all the restaurants I visited) a superb cocktail list and finessed dishes. We ordered up a few different ditties, like the Dungeness crab in bagna cauda…

…and the West Coast oysters and halibut (ceviche style)…

…and the stunning Steak Diane…

…and the BBQ octopus (one of the best versions I’ve ever eaten)…

…and the fricasse of mushrooms alongside some absolutely fantastic roast scallops with pork belly…

Stuffed to the brim, post-L’Abattoir called for drinks at The Diamond, my new obsession. Well-priced cocktails, a brick-and-mortar space accented by chandeliers, and an unpretentious vibe. Sitting in the ambient room sipping on a New Toronto cocktail led to thoughts of just that. Is Vancouver the new Toronto…? Those thoughts subsided shortly after another cocktail and a yearning for late night ‘za, so we had an in-the-know cabbie drop us off outside Megabite Pizza Parlour, where I couldn’t help but order the…

Friday went off-course in a great way. After wandering around aimlessly (no plans often lead to the best times), we wound up in Yaletown at Paulies Kitchen, which shares the cocktail program with its sister spot, The Distillery. Attention to detail in the glassware of the cocktails-on-tap…

…and some cute vessels for their barrel-aged cocktails make this Yaletown patio/restaurant/bar a must-visit.

At night, we perched ourselves at the bar at Revel Room, ordered up some liquid happy and spicy apps, and got the low-down on some of Gastown’s other shining stars from bartender Scott, leading us to pop over to Wildebeest. A richly raw space with an intangible quality, Wildebeest continued the Vancouver love affair in an ever-so apropos way. Smoked foie gras torchon with brown butter brioche and peach sorbet? Yes, please! Tonka bean ice cream with chocolate crumble, peanut butter brittle, and housemade nutella? Bring. It. On…

Though we had a list in hand of spots to check out, we threw caution to the wind when one of Wildebeest’s brood mentioned a Latin-American restaurant called Cuchillo that had apparently opened rather recently a few blocks away. We beelined through the rain to reach this joint, which immediately felt like home. (Take a look at their logo and you’ll understand why.) Un-home-like, however, was their pricing. Place is cheap! We had an amazing margarita, an ‘el pelonchas’, and a fantastic albacore tuna ceviche with Peruvian double smoked bacon causa…

…and some uber cool mole lamb ‘albondigas’ tacos. Translation: lamb meatballs with garlic popcorn. Our bill came to $47.35. Cray!

Trying to make the night any better seemed like an exercise in futility, until we stumbled upon Pourhouse Restaurant. We needed two things: drinks and dessert. Banana bread with Bailey’s ice cream and bruleed bananas warmed us up from the rain, while proper absinthe (carafe spitting small droplets of water over brown sugar into the glasses to louche the Green Fairy and all) ensured we’d stay warm the rest of the night…

Saturday. Last day in Vancouver. Yaletown. The Flying Pig. Banana bread waiting on the table in lieu of stale baguette. Iced vanilla Kahlua mocha helping to subside the minor hangover…

…and Chef Erik’s Croque Madame to quash it altogether. Beautiful space, beautiful time, beautiful Vancouver. I could get used to this…