THERE'S a lot going on in that city over the bridge.
Maybe you work there, or occasionally meet friends for a weekend cocktail, but by and large, North Shore folk tend to spend most of our time on this bank of the inlet. And why wouldn't we? Nature dwells here, and we have made the most of it, trailing our neighbourhoods and communities along the ocean's edge and up the mountainsides. We have parks, villages, shopping, dining, community centres, libraries . . . we want for little, and have few reasons to leave.
Still, we're just a few minutes from that glittering metropolis, and every day it changes: a new store or restaurant opens; there's a concert, performance or gallery exhibition to attend; a festival or demonstration takes over the streets. And for the foodies among us, these days you can buy a wide variety of lunchtime snacks from street vendors - something we are sorely lacking here on the North Shore.
Rather than admire it all from afar, I recently enlisted my other half for a midweek sleepover so we could feast our way around downtown.
We set up for the night at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, the perfect base camp for exploring the city. I love this hotel - all sweeping rooflines, gargoyles and flying horses, the "chateau style" building is one of the few skyscrapers left downtown that isn't entirely made of glass. The classic look extends inside, and the service is exceptional. There's nothing quite like a little pampering, even in your own city. Shortly after our arrival we settled into high-backed armchairs under a chandelier in 900 West Lounge to snack on the famed spicy cracker mix, sip retro cocktails and plan our next-day tour of downtown shops and food carts.
We woke early and got started; after fortifying with fruit smoothies in the Fairmont Gold lounge, we hit the streets.
First up, just a half-block away, Thierry - the new atelier by chocolatier-pâtissier Thierry Busset. The shop is a longtime dream of the Top Table pastry chef, and the reality is worth a visit. The 220-squaremetre space is lined with all manner of treats: classic chocolates, pastries, cakes, and a colourful selection of those pretty meringue and buttercream confections known as macaron. We grabbed creamy lattés and a selection of sweets to go.
Our first cart stop: La Brasserie Street, the mobile version of La Brasserie restaurant. The red cart, parked smartly outside the Canada Line station at Georgia and Granville, dishes up one menu item: the Brass Sandwich ($6.25), beer-brined rotisserie chicken in rich gravy, topped with crispy fried onions, all on an airy buttermilk bun. We grabbed a bench on Granville Street and shared it (read: fought over it).
As mobile eats go, it set the bar pretty high, so with expectations raised we headed kitty-corner, towards The Bay, and found Nu Greek Street; less a cart, actually, than a stand covered by a couple of jaunty umbrellas. On the menu? Souvlaki - chicken, lamb or veggie - wrapped in pita ($6.50). It's traditional Greek street food, but it's in a league of its own (Not surprising, given the masterminds
behind this cart include Harry Kambolis and Robert Clark of the Kambolis Restaurant Group). The pita is freshbaked, dense, slightly chewy; the chicken spicy and juicy; the tsatsiki tangy.
Expectations were more than met. It's a good thing I don't work downtown, or I would regularly subject my coworkers to the garlic breath I gained by eating at Nu Greek Street.
We were just getting started. Next up: The Kaboom Box, another red cart, this one located at the corner of Granville and Robson. I liked the menu immediately; it uses sustainable ingredients sourced locally, including Oceanwise seafood and ethically produced meat.
We might have ordered wrong though. As we worked through our heavy, extra crunchy, panko-breaded oyster po'boy and an anemic serving of French fries ($7.14), we heard other customers gleefully ordering the B.C. venison burger.
Next time.
We worked off a few of the calories we'd gained on the way over to our Tofino favourite: Tacofino Cantina. The island operation now has two trucks in Vancouver, the amber taco truck and the blue burrito truck. Only the latter was rolling on our day downtown, near Burrard and Dunsmuir, but it was serving up a special: tortilla soup made with slowcooked free range chicken, ancho chilies, lime juice, sour cream, aged white cheddar and jack cheeses, avocado, cilantro and "on truck made" corn chips for $6.50 (small) or $9 (large). I regularly make tortilla soup at home, and it doesn't come close to this in utter deliciousness. It was well worth the 15-minute line-up to order, and the 25-minute wait to get our soup. (Though I may not have been so relaxed about it if I was actually on my lunch break.)
A few blocks away, near the Olympic Cauldron, Feastro the Rolling Bistro is dishing up one of the bigger menus on the streets, composed of grilled soft shell tacos made with seafood or barbecued meats; fish and chips; grilled seafood and ceviche. We sampled a halibut taco ($8), in a crispy chickpea batter, with tomato and anise chutney on a heap of leafy greens. It was a bright, freshtasting dish, but it was a small serving for the highest price of the day. Yes, I know the ingredients are good ones, but sidewalk diners know the carts aren't paying the same kind of overhead costs that restaurants pay. When street food starts to climb closer to the $10 mark, table service begins to seem like a better deal.
Sadly, with little time or appetite left, we failed to make it to the others on our list including The Re-Up BBQ, Roaming Dragon and Cartel Taco. Looks like I'll have to schedule another day downtown.
