The essence of a city can be discovered through it’s food and there can be no better proponent of the same other than the city of Vancouver in Canada. Being a port city, it has seen the influx of a large group of people resulting in a bustling metropolis teeming with flavours from all over the world. So we decided to take a culinary trip known as the Gastown Tasting Tour with Vancouver Food Tour and discover some food, drink and history along the way.

Where does the Gastown Food Tour start?

Our journey starts at the Waterfront station which incidentally was the first railway line that connected Vancouver to Montreal 150 years ago. Our guide Hannah met us there and proceeded to head us off to the historic Gastown, the place where the city of Vancouver was established.

Stop 1: Nuba

The city of Vancouver was an old English outpost in British Columbia responsible for trade with the East and importing silk and spice in return for lumber. Here, a man named Gassy Jack (known for his blabbering tongue) set up a whiskey salon and thus the area derived it’s name Gassy’s town or Gastown. Hannah first decides to take us to the Lebanese establishment of Nuba. The restaurant, located in one of the oldest buildings of Gastown has an ethereal feel to it as authentic Lebanese food is served on a platter and is best demolished with fingers. On the platter Labneh, Hummus, Falafel and Pita bread shared the same space with cauliflowers fried in Olive Oil. A dish that I have been in love with back home, we demolished the plate within no time while sipping on some Sangria.

Stop 2: The Irish Heather

Hannah then decided to take us to one of the most spookier of Vancouver’s streets: the Blood Alley. Although there are quite a few theories that surround this place, one of the better ones suggest that a butcher shop operated in the area which allowed the rainwater to wash away the handiwork. Just outside the Blood Alley, we head to the Irish Bar, The Irish Heather. The city of Vancouver has a booming craft brewery scene and it is aptly represented in this bar. Although half a pint of Guinness was warranted, Snigdha especially fell in love with a local Apple Based cider Red Roof from the Orchard Hill Estate Cidery. We tried out some bites from here including a date stuffed with Goat Cheese and wrapped in Bacon along with some Prosciutto drizzled with Olive Oil. The Irish Heather also leads into a speakeasy which stores more than a hundred different varieties of whiskey.

Stop 3: Salt Tasting Room

Salt Tasting Room was one of the restaurants on our trip in Vancouver that really piqued my interest. A decade old award winning restaurant, they have gone back to the basics and promotes tasting flights almost exclusively. Their menu showcases charcuterie, cheese and alcohol from the local British Columbia area, including wines, crafted beers even ales and ciders.

You can choose yourself a food flight (3 meats/cheese along with 3 condiments) for CAD 16 (INR 800) along with a flight of local wines from BC for CAD 15 (INR 750). We tried out the Canada Plate which featured a local Chevre Cheese along with a honey from the Similkameen Valley, a slice of Speck (Cured Pork leg) with Guinness Mustard and a St. Pauline Cheese with pickled vegetables. The wine flights included three wines from the local British Columbia area. The centre red being the Skaha Vineyards Cabarnet Franc ’14, a Reisling ’15 from Tantalus Estate Vineyard in the Okanagan Valley and a white from Pentage Winery which was a combination of Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier ’11.

Why should you try out the Vancouver Food Tour?

The variety of food and drink that we tried out on this trip with Vancouver Food Tour was immense. They also have quite a few other tours that you might enjoy: Vancouver Vegan Foodie Tour, Modern Chinatown Tasting Tour, Urban Brewery Experience and the West Coast Foodie Experience which is a three day extravaganza So, the next time you’re heading to Vancouver, do hit up Vancouver Food Tour for a meal and a trip worth remembering. You can connect with them and book your tickets here.

Price for Gastown Tasting Tour: CDN 110 per person (INR 5500 per person)