Vancouver
Food, glorious food
There is no end to the culinary adventures on Granville Island
I have always felt that the best meals are the ones in which you are surrounded by good people, delicious food and an amazing setting. There are those exquisite moments during such a meal when you are wholly present—not thinking about the little day-to-day annoyances or the meetings you have in the days to follow—that take the meal beyond simple calorie intake.
A Table With A View, Please: Diners digest the city skyline from Granville Island.—photo courtesy Tourism BC/Tom Ryan
A few years ago, I had such a meal on Vancouver’s Granville Island at a little restaurant perched on a dock overlooking False Creek and the city skyline. There, with the taste of fresh seafood still dancing on my palate and a glass of B.C. wine in hand, amidst the laughter and conversation of good friends, with the sun setting and the waves lapping against the piers, I was so fully in the moment that the memory even now is as fresh as if it just occurred.
Granville Island has that potential. It is chock-a-block with shops, galleries, boutiques, theatres, children’s museums, art schools and more. One can spend several days on Granville Island and still feel they’ve missed so much. And if you haven’t sampled some of the amazing food at the independent vendors, seafood markets or diverse restaurants, you have definitely missed something.
Stalls of exotic cheeses pierce the nostrils and pull you in. Loaves of freshly baked breads and bagels set you to salivating. Fresh Coho salmon displayed on a bed of ice fills you with visions of cedar planks and grills. Wild mushrooms and coffees and microbreweries—oh my!
In between savouring the exciting flavours and smells that abound on the island, be sure to take in some of the creative culture of the West Coast. Buskers can be found on almost every corner, filling the air with music and entertainment. Various festivals take place throughout the year, so it’s not unusual to catch a live improv performance on one corner, a mime performance on the next and a violinist on stilts beyond that. There are folk festivals, fringe festivals, jazz festivals, wooden boat festivals, literary arts festivals, Chinese New Year celebrations and more.
Potters, native carvers, glass-blowers, painters, printmakers and sculptors display their creations on Granville Island. For some of the most extraordinary artwork produced in Western Canada, be sure to stop in at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design.
And, at the end of the day, top it all off with a great meal with good friends and a glass of Pinot Gris as you gaze at the scenery. I promise, you’ll never forget it.
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