| EAT |
For visitors and locals alike, a feast of new and entertaining options to discover
Fans of Yotam Ottolenghi's best-selling Jerusalem and Plenty cookbooks will find their fix of Eastern Mediterranean comfort cooking at Jamjar on folksy Commercial Drive. Hot and cold mezze (tapas) built on foundations of lemon, garlic and olive oil come with fresh-baked flatbread straight out of the saj oven.
Take home a reusable jam jar of hummus, sesame-spinach dip
or lamb sausages from the retail counter.
2280 Commercial Dr.
604-252-3957
jamjaronthedrive.com
These food trucks have legs. Yolk's and Tacofino have wheeled their mobile brands into bricks-and-mortar restaurants. Yolk's now offers sparkling-wine mimosas alongside its all-day breakfast lineup of poached free-range egg sandwiches, truffle-lemon hash browns and Belgian waffles in a new full-service, 80-seat restaurant
1298 E. Hastings St.
604-428-9655
yolks.ca
Tacofino's wildly popular West Coast-Mexican fusion keeps expanding with craft margaritas, fresh ceviche and more delicious "stuff on tortillas" at the new sit-down Taco Bar
15 Blood Alley Square
604-899-7907
tacofino.com
Work up an appetite and walk off the calories by taking a culinary tour with Off The Eaten Track, which offers themed perambulating jaunts – brunch, food trucks, micro distilleries and more – through lesser-known neighbourhoods.
778-918-4584
offtheeatentracktours.ca
The final course is the best course. Why stop at one? May we suggest a sweet East End stroll around these new specialty dessert cafés and bakeries? Start with a small-batch crème brûlée infused with Guinness and topped with candied bacon at Crackle Crème
245 Union St.
cracklecreme.com
Saunter over to Purebread Bakery (159 W. Hastings St., purebread.ca) for a sour cherry chocolate scone. Refresh your palate with a creamy organic-milk ice cream swirl at Soft Peaks (25 Alexander St., softpeaks.ca). Then ease into a baked cake donut with Earl Grey glaze and rose-petal sprinkles at Cartems Donuterie (534 W. Pender St., cartems.com)
| PLAY |
Bored with downward dog? Take your yoga onto the water with a stand up paddleboard. SUP Yoga Vancouver combines two of the West Coast's biggest fitness crazes with its challenging and sometimes invigorating classes (oops, splash!) in various waterfront locales.
778-833-2445
standuppaddlevancouver.com
Sip a martini as you play a round at St. Andrew's. One Under offers high-definition indoor golf and upscale nightclub amenities in one convenient 5,000-square-foot facility beneath the Financial District. Tour up to 22 world-class courses (or just play closest-to-the-pin) in the venue's six simulator bays.
476 Granville St.
604-559-4653
oneunder.ca
| DRINK |
Craft breweries are booming in Vancouver, especially in Mount Pleasant, where you can barely swing a reusable glass growler without bumping into a new tasting room. There's no need to drive when you can take a self-guided walking tour. Start at Brassneck Brewery (2148 Main St., brassneck.ca), where small-batch sours and specialty brews are reserved for sit-down customers. Head around the corner to Main Street Brewing Company (261 E. 7th Ave., mainstreetbeer.ca), where four rotating casks are hooked up to an old-school British beer engine. Then wind down with a dark amber California common at the stylish 33 Acres Brewing Co. (15 W. 8th Ave., 33acresbrewing.com). Still thirsty? R&B Brewing Co., Red Truck Beer Co. and the Steel Toad Brew Pub are all within stumbling distance.
Got a thirst for fruits and veggies? Satisfy the craving for fresh-squeezed juice cold off the presses, now available in almost every Vancouver neighbourhood. In North Vancouver, kick-start the day with a spicy Tumeric Tonic at The Juicery Co., (254 1st St. E., 604-770-3131, thejuiceryco.ca). When in Yaletown, snap up a tropical pineapple-banana-avocado Capilano at Krokodile Pear (518 Davie St., 604-336-3651, krokodilepear.com).
Shhh! Don't tell the kids about Prohibition (pictured below), an underground jazz-era speakeasy in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. Appointed in lush drapery, ebony ceiling tiles and intimate metal-screened alcoves, this glamorous nightclub with live musical entertainment is the perfect escape for discerning adults seeking a sophisticated outlet.
801 West Georgia St. (entrance off Howe St.)
604-673-7088
prohibitionrhg.com
This content was produced by Randall Anthony Communications, in partnership with The Globe and Mail's advertising department. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.
Alexandra Gill