The Nanaimo Bar, famous for its layers of chocolate, custard, and coconut, is the inspiration for the Nanaimo Bar Trail throughout downtown Nanaimo. This tour, envisioned by Tourism Nanaimo’s Chelsea Barr three years ago, engages local businesses to remix the famous bar into drinks, cakes, and various other concoctions. Their innovative creations are featured on […]

Westwood Lake in Nanaimo is a man-made recreational oasis with 5.5km of hiking and walking trails, a playground, a dog off-leash area, and a sandy beach. It’s located just up the hill from the Harbour City, across the highway and at the base of Mount Benson. On its shores you’ll also find the Westwood Lake […]

Situated in the bountiful Cowichan Valley (Cowichan Bay being North America’s first Cittaslow designated region) Duncan is at the epicentre of farm-to-table goods on Vancouver Island and Chef Daniel Hudson is definitely taking advantage with his new restaurant Hudson’s on First. Fresh off an appearance on Top Chef Canada where he competed for five weeks, […]

Sounds of a city rushing by outside fades as you step into Cibo Trattoria located inside the Moda Hotel in the heart of Vancouver’s entertainment district. This boutique hotel’s Italian-themed culinary gem offers a comfortable and romantic oasis with candles, smooth music, and bottles of wine adorning the walls. John and I were recently invited […]

Yesterday the winners of Vancouver Magazine’s 24th Annual Vancouver Restaurant Awards were announced during a ceremony at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre. Hosted by Fiona Forbes and Michael Eckford, industry members and media were on hand to sip, sample, and tweet about the winners. There are over three dozen categories, with all those honoured listed […]

Grain Tasting Bar is the latest main lobby attraction at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver that combines rustic and contemporary elements with chic ambiance. Local craft beer specials on game nights, wood-fired pizzas, and featured BC growers, distillers, and brewers make this new hot spot shine. Photo courtesy of Grain Tasting Bar Chef Thomas Heinrich is […]

Diva at the Metropolitan Hotel on Howe Street’s focuses on delivering Pacific Northwest flavours through breakfast, lunch, and dinner with playful twists on classic dishes. I popped in for a power lunch earlier this month to experience Executive Chef Hamid Salimian’s latest offering – the Food Truck-Inspired Lunch. John and I first met Chef Hamid […]

Vancouver Island’s Comox Valley is hosting Dine Around for the next few weeks, offering up set price, multi-course menus at over 20 restaurants. They hosted a group of media this week and I was one of the lucky diners who got to sample dishes from a handful of the participating venues. Restaurants Dine Around restaurants […]

Eat Your Heart Out in the Tri-Cities kicks off this weekend in support of the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation. It will feature two weeks of dining at six local restaurants who will all be offering up three-course meals for $35 throughout the campaign. When: Sunday to Friday, February 24 to March 1, 2013 Sunday to […]

Dining Out For Life is back for its 19th year with over 200 participating restaurants who will be donating 25% of their total food sales from breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the campaign on Thursday, March 7th. Dining Out For Life is BC’s largest restaurant fundraiser and it benefits two great Vancouver charities: Friends For […]