A Taste of Vancouver (Sorry This Post is Past Due)
If you had any question as to which Vancouver I meant, take the apology as a cue: the Canadian one. And to be clear, it’s soor-ee. I don’t think I’ve been apologized to so much in my entire life as I was during my four days in Vancouver.
“I’m sorry my drink was where your elbow wanted to be!”
“I’m sorry it’s raining!”
“I’m sorry our delicious menu is making it difficult for you to decide what to order!”
“I’m sorry my existence caused you to run into me; please send my sincere apology to whomever it was you were texting!”
Seriously, people were just so nice! Also, the food was awesome. As per usual, much of my itinerary revolved around eating. Our Airbnb in Yaletown was perfectly located amidst a trendy array of bars and eateries. Exhausted from travel, we staggered down to The Parlour at the recommendation of our hostess for wood oven pizza and cocktails in the coziest of settings.
Day 1: Awake early and ready to explore, but first we have to fuel up! Small Victory, an adorable little bakery, is also just steps from our loft.
Our day’s adventures take us to Granville Island, where we taste local beers and artisan saki and hit up numerous stands within the Public Market to put together one heck of a spread.
This isn’t my first rodeo – I knew to make a late dinner reservation. After picking our race packets and enjoying some down time, we walk the mile or so to dinner at Tuc Craft Kitchen.
Day 2: Jet lag is still in our and we’re up bright and early, excited to bike the Vancouver seawall. But first, breakfast! Having been warned about the legendary wait times, we arrive at Medina Cafe fifteen minutes before opening – and good thing we do! A line has already formed down the block.
A long day of biking brings us back to the Granville Island Public Market. It’s even more bustling on a Saturday, and there’s live music playing every which way we turn. I can’t turn down this ice cream sandwich, and as soon as I taste it I’m glad I didn’t try.
Although we were considering carb-loading at Ask For Luigi, having already braved restaurant lines once we decide to stock up on provisions to make a pre-race dinner at home. Much cheaper, much cozier, and so delicious!
Day 3: Also from the public market, bagels with peanut butter and jelly for our pre-race meal. After a 13.1 mile run and a Mobi bike ride home, we are cold, hungry and in want of something quick and easy before hitting the breweries in Yeast Vancouver. So back to Small Victory it was. I don’t know if it was our level of hunger, but this sandwich really hit the spot.
Next, we hopped back on the Mobi and headed two miles to Yeast Vancouver where there are more breweries within a short walk than you could possibly hit in an afternoon. We managed to hit up five, the highlight of which was hands down Brassneck Brewery.
Once again, we have a late dinner reservation giving us time for a much needed nap. Our table mates at one of the breweries had said the best meal they’d had in years was at a place called Fable; I made the reservations long enough ago that I’d forgotten the name of our destination – I was excited to discover it was Fable! For some reason we thought it was reasonable to order three appetizers and two entrees for two people (which for some reason, our waiter was supportive of). We were so full that the bike ride home was wobbly, but it was worth it.
Day 4: Seriously, I promise we spent some of our time doing non-eating related activities. Just a very small proportion of it. Monday we decided to head back to Medina Cafe, having scoped out a couple other items on the menu we still wanted to try. Even on a Monday, we had to wait thirty minutes for a table confirming that this place is packed from 15 minutes before they open until closing time each day.
It was a rainy day, but that didn’t stop us from walking the whole city. We shopped in Gastown and wondered through Chinatown, where our noses drew us into a small resteraunt serving various sweet and savory confections. A line is always a good sign, and a regular was kind enough to tip me off to grab a number by the door (actually, kind enough to give us his because we were there first) and that we really must get the chicken steamed buns.
We ended our trip at the The Alibi Room, drinking beer while we watched the rain come down. Such a cozy little spot with so many amazing beers on tap! The food was also tasty – I had a lentil and warm winter squash salad with bacon vinaigrette and Courtney had meatballs. Too dark for photos.
