I was recently at a wellness retreat in Whistler that had a schedule packed with yoga, seminars, workshops, and a very natural brunch each morning. My biggest take-away from the weekend was learning to slow down and find balance, especially when it comes to food. Take your time to let your body enjoy a meal, share your table with someone who makes you smile, and no matter what’s on your plate, you will feel so much better when you savour not only your meal, but your experience.

John and I are pretty good at making time for date nights, and 9 times out of 10 those take place at a local restaurant. We satiate our appetites for an emotional connection, to enjoy a space together, try something new or cherish an old favourite.

Vancouver’s own AnnaLena in Kitsilano made Canada’s Best New Restaurants as determined by Air Canada enRoute Magazine. It’s definitely been on our radar since it opened up, and since I’ve read all of the rave reviews.

Photo credit Allison Kuhl

Andrew from Scout Magazine writes: “It hits that very rare sweet spot, the one that sees killer cooking and quality bartending combined inside a neighbourhood joint that expresses itself – both in static design and service posture – as casually as it can.”

AnnaLena presents modern Canadian comfort food that resonates with diners across the city and while it’s not in our neighbourhood, it sounds like a place John and I will have to make time to travel to for our next date night.

Seared trout at AnnaLena. Photo credit Allison Kuhl

Amex Canada is giving all Canadians the chance to experience the benefits of dining at one of the amazing new Top 10 restaurants across the country, including Pigeonhole in Calgary, AnnaLena in Vancouver and Bar Raval in Toronto. Now you can experience the perks of being a Cardmember too, even if you’re not one!

We’ll be using the premium dining services offered by Amex Canada for our next date night since, as a married couple of almost 10 years now, we know that getting a great deal on an amazing meal also significantly adds to our enjoyment factor.

In Vancouver, you can enter online at www.AmexInvites.ca before November 24th for your chance to savour an exclusive dining event at AnnaLena on December 2nd that includes a prix fixe menu created by an award-winning chef. And, if you’re in Toronto, visit www.AmexInvites.ca from November 26 through December 6 for a chance to attend an exclusive dining event at Bar Raval.

As for John and I, we’ll be making our reservations too to see if this Best New Restaurant becomes our new favourite for date night.

In the heart of Downtown Vancouver, between busy intersections, crowded shops, and puddle-laden sidewalks, there is a warm, calm, and welcoming tea room serving up delectable seasonal treats paired with a comforting selection of TWG holiday teas.

Festive Tea Service at The Urban Tea Merchant

Reza Nasooti, who is the Tea Sommelier at The Urban Tea Merchant in Vancouver, describes a holiday tea as something with spices and flavours that we associate with holiday cooking and baking, such as cloves, sweet orange, and cinnamon. Each holiday tea may also have a different base, such as black tea, green tea, or herbals. Most importantly, he says: “A holiday tea can be anything that exudes and brings forth the warmth of family, friends, and being together at this time of year.”

At The Urban Tea Merchant, you can enjoy at least half a dozen Christmas blends from TWG that feature everything from marzipan, hibiscus (White Christmas), and rooibos (Red Christmas) to jasmine pearls plated with molten 24ct gold (Christmas Jewel).

I popped by for their Festive Tea Service, stepping out of the blue and grey Downtown rain and into the warmth of the tea room, that glowed in golds and reds. The service begins with a bubbly warm up for your taste buds: A sparkling holiday tea mocktail ($8*, alcohol-free) made with pear Nectar, sparkling apple juice, ginger, and TWG’s Red Christmas Tea. This is included with the service although looking at the menu I may have to come in another time to try the cocktail made with Prosecco and Red Christmas Tea ($12*).

From the Christmas Collection, Reza began by pouring the Christmas Jewel tea, filling my cup slowly — and in a clockwise motion to release the aromas — with the soft, rosé-coloured blend.

The next sample was White Christmas, which I remember from my first visit to The Urban Tea Merchant back in 2012, and I’m not sure why I haven’t had it since! It has precious Yin Zhen (silver needles) blended with orange peel, hibiscus and spices.

Next was the Holiday Spirit, which I sipped during the tea service as three tiers of treats were presented on my table. It is “a nostalgic blend of black tea blended with magical and evocative spices […] that pays tribute to the warmth and joy of the celebratory season.”

Savouries all include tea-infused bites such as the honey-tea shooter topped with a garnish of Noel! Noel! tea-infused duck breast and an amarena cherry and an Imperial Lapsang Souchong Tea-infused chicken salad with black sesame. My favourite was the smoked salmon rosette with wasabi Sencha Tea creme and ponzu gel. It was the ultimate fusion of West Coast flavours with a tongue-tingling flare in just one (big) bite.

On the sweet side, there are truffles, strawberries, TWG tea macarons, fresh fruit and a strawberry dome with creme Anglaise and candied pistachios. The pièce de résistance was the Egg Nog Vanilla Bourbon Tea panna cotta with pomegranate mousse.

After all of these tummy-pleasing tiers of goodness you’ll want to wrap yourself in a thick scarf (preferably one knitted by a grandmother or loving relative), light some candles, put on some Bing Crosby records, and cuddle up under a Christmas tree. Be sure to make your way home first as The Urban Tea Merchant closes at 7:00pm or 8:00pm depending on the day.

The Festive Tea Service is $52* per person. The Traditional Tea Set is $38* per person. Other seasonal tea service options include the Children’s Sugar Plum Tea Service ($28* per person, 12 years and under) with sandwiches, sweets, scones and child-friendly rooibos teas such as Red Christmas Tea or Creme Caramel Tea.

If you’re shopping for a tea-lover this Christmas, you can create your own TWG Tea hamper by choosing from The Urban Tea Merchant’s collection of over 800 loose teas from 45 tea-producing regions around the world, packed in decorated tins. Add in tea jellies, chocolates, sugars, macarons and shortbreads and you’ve got the ultimate tea drinker’s gift basket.

Reservations can now be made for the Festive Tea and other afternoon tea services including group events. A gluten-free and vegetarian afternoon tea options are available upon request (in advance, with your booking).

The Urban Tea Merchant is located at 1070 West Georgia Street and you can find them on Twitter and Facebook.

* Prices in this blog post are as noted at the time of publication and may or may not include taxes. Pricing at the venue, per the venue is correct.

Whenever I’m out at an event and I introduce myself the first response, if someone has heard of Miss604.com, is about how helpful my event lists are. I have been curating these event lists, for whole months and for each weekend, for the last 5 years and I’m so thankful for all of the emails, tweets, and event listings everyone sends in. In fact, I pour over 300+ emails every month to bring you this list so I am very happy that you find it helpful — and that you keep sending me your event information.

Another bit of feedback I have received over the years is: “Can I get this to my inbox?” Well, now you can! I have started the Miss604 Weekend Events Newsletter that will be sent out every Thursday. It won’t feature the full weekend list, just a quick and easy-to-read list of 5-10 of my top picks and then a link to the big list if you would like to view that.

Miss604 Weekend Events Newsletter

If you are interested in signing up, simply enter your email in the form below. This is 100% opt-in and you can of course opt-out at any time. Email addresses are managed by me, purely on the newsletter system and are not given out to any third parties.

For a little incentive, I have a special contest just for those who sign up before Friday this week. Everyone who registers for the new Miss604 Weekend Events Newsletter will be entered to win a 4-pack of tickets to Science World to check out their exhibits, gallery, activities, and the current Animal Inside Out exhibition.

Sign Up

Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to delivering the best local event listing direct to your inbox every week. One winner will be drawn at random from all subscribers at 12:00pm on Friday, November 20, 2015.

Update: The winner of this contest is Laura!

Holidays in the West End just got a bit brighter with the announcement of the new Lumiere Festival. After a successful event last year, the Lumiere Festival is once again teaming up with the West End Business Improvement Association to set up free, fun and festival lighting installations from the end of November until early January.

Lumiere Festival

On December 11th and 12th, Spectators can expect the commercial streets of the West End to be filled with live entertainment, street activations, and a free festive hop-on, hop-off trolley tour. New for 2015, MK Illumination has stepped up as a major lighting sponsor with an impressive new lighting feature at Morton Park.

Other highlights include horse-drawn carriage rides leaving from JJ Bean on Bidwell Street provided by Hollyburn Properties, a decorative lighting installation at the Hayward bandstand courtesy of the Burrard Arts Foundation, and a spectacular lighting activation at the Davie Community Garden courtesy of the BC Illuminating Engineering Society’s Emerging Professionals.

“2015 marks the second year of our Lumiere Festival as well as a special year proclaimed by UNESCO as the International Year of Lights,” remarks Stéphane Mouttet, a founding director for the Lumière Festival Vancouver Society.

“Together with our event partners, the West End BIA, the Illuminating Engineering Society and the Vancouver Pride Society, we look forward to celebrating the beauty of lights as well as the significance of light-based technologies. Our hope is to grow this winter event into an annual tradition that will bring together communities and foster a sense of connectedness throughout the holiday season.”

Photo courtesy of the West End BIA

Lumiere connects a number of the dots outlined by the City of Vancouver in the West End Plan, linking the neighbourhood more closely to St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation’s ‘Lights of Hope’, the ‘Lights for Life’ on Beach Avenue, and the programmable lighting system installed along Davie Village.

Stay tuned for more programming information and updates. Follow the Lumiere Festival on Twitter and the West End BIA on Facebook.

There have been almost 200 weekly photo roundups published on Miss604.com, over 46,000 photos shared with the Miss604 Flickr Pool, and over 11,000 photos shared with the #Photos604 tag Instagram. Residents and visitors alike love to capture our city and celebrate its poignant street scenes, beautiful landscapes, and memorable landmarks.

I enlisted talented local photographer Clayton Perry to help me share some tips for capturing some of the most popular types of photos we see of our fair city. This is the third post in a three-part “How to Photograph Vancouver” series sponsored by London Drugs.

How to Photograph Science World at Night

Where was this photo taken?
Both of these images are taken from the seawall at the Village at False Creek (Olympic Village).

What is the best time of day for a shot like this?
The best time of the day for a shot like this is what is called the “blue hour” – this is the hour or so after the sun has set. The sky still maintains its blue colour and you are able to capture this along with the lights of the city and this photogenic landmark.

Is any extra equipment needed?
Ensure you are using a tripod and a shutter release cord (or remote control). This allows you the longer shutter speeds needed for the light stream from the False Creek Ferries as they sail on by.

What is your top tip for getting this image? 
My top tip for this shot as with any night shot is to use your tripod and shutter release cord and as always, dress warm, once the sun goes down, night shooting can get chilly.

About The Photographer

Vancouver-based photographer Clayton Perry was born on Vancouver Island and moved to the lower mainland in the late 1960s. He spent most of his childhood summers either in Sproat Lake near Port Alberni, Lake Okanagan while vacationing in Penticton, Victoria BC or his hometown of Richmond, British Columbia. He developed his skills around BC slowly developing a massive database consisting of over 45,000 images on Flickr alone. His passion lies in taking landscape and city images. Follow Clayton on Facebook and Twitter for more of his photography.