I love good food and wine but ironically I’m a pretty awful chef so I take every opportunity I can to go out for a nice meal and when travelling, I especially love to try new restaurants, cuisines and local wines. So while in Vancouver recently, I made a point of searching out the best food that the city has to offer and fortunately I wasn’t disappointed.

Granville Island Public Market

On my first morning in Vancouver, I decided to take the Aquabus to Granville Island to pick up breakfast at the Public Market. The stores were lined with fresh pastries, fruit and flowers and everything from bagels, donuts and honey to meat and seafood was on offer. I wandered around the market at least twice before deciding what to get. I eventually settled on a fresh juice, a cappuccino and an almond biscuit filled with a chocolate almond mousse and dipped in chocolate (it was even more decadent and delicious than it sounds). While enjoying my breakfast in the sun and taking in the views of the city across False Creek, I decided to also grab something for lunch and picked up a small quiche to take with me to keep me going for the day.

The Flying Pig

Playing music that included Jack and Diane by John Mellencamp, 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins, California Waiting by Kings of Leon and The Zephyr Song by Red Hot Chili Peppers, I probably would have raved about this restaurant even if the food was awful but luckily the food also made it worth the visit. The Flying Pig has three locations in Vancouver and I went to the one in Yaletown where I enjoyed a duo of Halibut and Salmon (I found seafood to generally be a good choice in Vancouver) and of course a glass (or two) of wine from British Columbia.

Score on Davie (drinks)

After dinner at The Flying Pig, I wandered up Davie Street and popped into Score on Davie for a drink. Although I can’t speak to the food, it certainly was an incredibly popular Saturday night spot and I thoroughly enjoyed sipping a glass of wine at the bar while reading messages on the walls written in magnetic letters (who else remembers those?).

Fergie’s Cafe (breakfast)

On my second day in Vancouver, I drove up to Squamish to see Howe Sound, North America’s southern most fjord. Arriving before the Sea to Sky Gondola (which I wanted to take so as to get the best views of Howe Sound) opened, I stopped at the tourist information office to ask for breakfast restaurant recommendations. The first place that was recommended was Fergie’s Cafe which was a quick 15 minute drive further north. Clearly I wasn’t the only one to whom this restaurant had been recommended as I arrived to a queue of people waiting to order. Although I waited for about 30 minutes just to order, I have to say that it was worth the wait – the coffee was strong, the location lovely and the avocado benny was delicious and certainly filled me up and got me ready for my day of exploring.

Chill Winston

On my last evening, after a visit to the Vancouver Lookout, I wandered along Water Street and past the famous Gastown Steam Clock (which disappointingly read the incorrect time although I’m glad that I was there to hear the clock’s steam powered whistles play the Westminster Chimes when it struck the quarter hour). At the end of Water Street, while looking for another restaurant that I had read about, I stumbled across Chill Winston. With it being a gorgeous afternoon and having spotted a table in the sun, I didn’t even bother looking at the menu before sitting down. This may have been a mistake as my main course wasn’t anything to write home about but they did serve great local wine so it turned out to be the perfect spot to while away the afternoon.