Food is one of the best ways to explore a city, especially a multi-cultural city like Vancouver. For years Vancouver has been like a second home to me, the place I would go to escape the stresses of life. This time however was different. This time I was in Vancouver after completing a five week cross Canada trip, and exploring the city was at the top of my list.
Especially the city’s various gourmet food options!
I started with a small-group gourmet lunch tour in downtown Vancouver – which is really the best way the get a feel for the city’s food scene.
Receiving our steamed prawn and pork dumplings
Our tour started with a stop a Kirin, a well-known Chinese restaurant famous for its dumplings. Our first dish, steamed prawn and pork dumplings with flying fish roe was perfectly steamed – and had me wishing we could scratch the tour and just stay at Kirin and eat dumplings until I imploded. So. Good.
But alas, after trying two dishes at Kirin we were off to a rather unexpected gourmet foodie destination, Urban Fare, a gourmet grocery store.
Sipping on Merlot
While it was not the gourmet destination I had imagined our next stop would be, I was pleasantly surprised as we were treated to a glass of Mission Hill Cabernet Merlot (Urban Fare is the only grocery store in Vancouver that is permitted to serve alcohol in their dining area), some absolutely delightful cheeses, and to-die-for Caramel Pecan with Fleur de Sel Dark Chocolate Ganache from Thomas Haas Chocolate. Wine. Cheese. Chocolate. Urban Fare did not disappoint. In fact I have been on the hunt for Vermeer Cheese (one of the cheeses we tried) ever since.
As we walked to each gourmet destination our guide, Joyce, looked for amphitheaters in the form of sheltered doorways so as to regale us with tales of Vancouver’s history and the architecture around us. Being an architecture geek of sorts I was all ears, and instead of looking at the sidewalk during the tour, I was looking up at the buildings; making mental notes about places I wanted to return to afterward.
Delicious pastries
Our tour took us through a small section of downtown before we headed towards the waterfront to our final destination (and one of my absolute favorite places in Vancouver), Bella Gelateria. This is not your normal run-of-the-mill gelato place. James (the owner) is an award winning gelato maker who learned how to make gelato in Italy. His gelato is made from scratch. No pre-made bases, only fresh ingredients – which is why strawberry gelato is only available during strawberry season. When the weather is good, there are lines around the block. And thankfully as we were on a food tour we didn’t have to wait in that crazy line-up!
And of course, the gelato was absolutely delicious and I returned the next day for some Salted Caramel and Dark Chocolate gelatos!
Food tours are increasing in popularity throughout Vancouver, Canada, and the rest of the world. It’s a way to experience a local culture and try new flavors. And you may – as I did – walk away with a new food obsession!
Book the small-group gourmet lunch tour in Vancouver
-Pam MacNaughton
A Gourmet Food Tour in Vancouver by Pam MacNaughton from Viator Travel Blog
