Chinatown BBQ: Carol Lee Brings Hong Kong-Style Barbecue to the ’Hood CITY INFORMER: WHAT’S INSIDE THE BURRARD STREET BRIDGE TOWERS? WHAT NOT TO DO AT JAZZ FEST // MEET THE SIKH MOTORCYCLE CLUB // EAT THE RICHMOND NIGHT MARKET // & MORE
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JUNE 2018 // $4.99
14 Weekend Getaways to Make the Most of Your Summer
July 1 , 2018 Catch the last of the Salt Spring sunset in front of your own campfire at laid-back luxe Stonehouse B&B.
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J U N E 2 0 1 8 // VO LU M E 5 1 // N U M B E R 4
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FE ATURE
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Love Your Summer Make the most of every single weekend this summer with our ultimate getaway guide.
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COVER PHOTO, MOTORCYCLES, PIER: CARLO RICCI
City
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11 Reasons to Love Vancouver Eating our way through the Night Market.
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12 In Brief Meet B.C.’s first animal-rights lawyer. 14 Jazz Festival Your guide to grooving with the cool kids. 16 Modern Family On the road with the Sikh Motorcycle Club.
Taste 19 The Dish Waff les stuffed with mac ’n’ cheese: what more do you want? (Perhaps just a cheese fondue to dip it into as well.)
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20 Reviews Carol Lee’s new Chinatown BBQ embraces the neighbourhood’s rich history.
Play 43
43 Hot Take Gelato-inspired hues infuse the season’s fashion with a little fun. 45 The Accessory Statement-making summer hats. 48 About Last Night Fred Lee’s social snaps.
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50 City Informer What’s going on inside the Burrard Street Bridge towers?
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Editorial Director Anicka Quin Executive Editor Stacey McLachlan Food Editor Neal McLennan Associate Art Director Natalie Gagnon Associate Editor Julia Dilworth Assistant Art Director Jenny Reed Online Editor Kaitlyn Funk Videographer Mark Philps Contributing Editors Frances Bula, Amanda Ross Editorial Interns Alyssa Hirose, Jessica Palacio, Allie Turner Art Intern Amanda Siegmann Editorial Email mail@vanmag.com Account Managers Judy Johnson, Theresa Tran Sales Coordinator Karina Platon Online Coordinator Theresa Tran Production Manager Lee Tidsbury Advertising Designer Swin Nung Chai Senior Marketing Strategist Kaitlyn Lush Sales Email karina.platon@vanmag.com Vancouver Office 3rd Floor, 2025 Willingdon Avenue Burnaby, B.C. V5C 0J3 604-877-7732 National Media Sales Representation, Mediative Senior Account Manager, National Sales Ian Lederer, 416-626-4258 ian.lederer@mediative.com U.S. Sales Representation, Media-Corps 1-866-744-9890, info@media-corps.com Yellow Pages Digital and Media Solutions Ltd. Vice-President & Chief Publishing Officer Caroline Andrews
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ED NOTE
Summer weekends around here are pretty sweet.
A FEW YEARS BACK, when my nephew— then about two and a half—was here visiting from Calgary with his parents, my sister asked him which he preferred: Calgary or the coast. “Here!” he said adamantly. “Why?” she asked. “Because it has all of this!” he answered, spreading his chubby arms open wide to the beach and the ocean in front of him. When it comes to summer in Vancouver, or anywhere on the coast really, that’s a tough argument to beat. A friend who moved here from Montreal at the beginning of fall said he wasn’t sold on the city during that year’s particularly brutal snowy and rainy winter, but when summer came around and he finally got to experience just one glorious beach season, he admitted, “OK, I get it.” Here at VanMag we know these summer weekends are precious, and so we wanted to put together a story that planned an itinerary for every single one—all 14 of them. Our goal was to find weekend plans that are a little out of the ordinary, and I think we succeeded. Case in point: writer Masa Takei takes a float plane to access the South Chilcotin’s wildest mountain bike trails. (He also recommends making a pit stop in Centralia, Washington, on your next trip to Portland—to share a pint with the locals, and to explore both the deep craft beer list of the Olympic Club hotel and the incredible collection that Holly Phelps has assembled at the Shady Lady Bordello Museum.) Our exec editor Stacey McLachlan demonstrates that you don’t have to choose your favourite Gulf Island, because you can actually hit three in one (long) weekend. And associate editor Julia Dilworth stakes her claim on a quiet point on the Twin Islands, a feels-like-it’s-remote camping destination that’s only a twohour paddle from Deep Cove. Me? My local destination of choice for summer alternates between Third Beach (bike, rosé, bathing suit and book—it’s perfection) and Powell River. The latter is a “two ferries can’t be wrong” happy place I’ve been visiting for 10 years. My vacation starts the moment I crack open a Zunga blonde from Townsite on the back patio of the restaurant at the Earls Cove ferry terminal, and it only gets better from there. Here’s hoping your first few summer weekends are just as glorious. And how could they not be? We have all of this.
Coming Up Next Issue Should We Stop Fearing the ’Burbs? We’re digging deep for our first-ever Suburbs Issue to spotlight the gems that lie beyond Vancouver proper, with real estate breakdowns, intel about what’s coming next and of course, insider guides to the best places to eat, drink and live it up in the ’burbs.
Race of the Wiener Dogs! Those short little legs, those tough little attitudes—dachshunds take over the track at Hastings Park for two days each summer, and we’re there to capture who’s top dog at the races.
On the Web Get Snackin’ We asked city newcomers where they find their favourite ingredients, snacks and dishes in YVR. And for all Vancouverites, the proliferation of international cuisine means one thing—more delicious food to try, ASAP.
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PORTRAIT: EVA AN KHERA J; ST YLING BY LUISA RINO, MAKEUP BY MEL ANIE NEUFELD; CLOTHING COURTESY HOLT RENFREW, HOLTRENFREW.COM.
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ROSS G. STRACHAN
RE ASONS TO LOVE VANCOUVER
Reason #71 Because we can eat takoyaki and potatoes on a stick and eel jerky and mini doughnuts all in one night.
Yes, the annual Richmond Night Market features live dance performances and rows of too-cheap-to-pass-up tchotchkes, but the food offerings are always the main attraction. The brave test the limits of the human appetite, piling paper plates with crispy grilled squid, steaming bean-filled fish-shaped waffles, and chicken karaage; the smart bring hungry friends with whom to share their deep-fried riches. It may not bill itself as a food festival but here, under the open sky, awaits a veritable United Nations of snacks—Thai-style milk tea, matcha-ice-cream bao sandwiches, lamb kebabs and soft-shell crab tacos, all waiting to win your heart. Richmond Night Market opens May 11, richmondnightmarket.com
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City
IN BRIEF
THE E XPERT
The Protector
Rebeka Breder is one of first lawyers in Canada to make animal law her specialty—and as founder of the Canadian Bar Association’s B.C. animal law section and a teacher of UBC’s first-ever course in animal law, Breder is uniquely prepared to fight for our furry friends. BY
Kerry Banks
Q: A:
What exactly is covered by animal law?
It’s a multidisciplinary approach to the law that includes pet custody cases, veterinary malpractice suits, strata disputes, breeder disputes, so-called dangerous dog cases, wrongful death or injury and disagreements between rescue operations and current or previous dog owners. I only take on those cases where I feel I will advance the interests and rights of animals. Q: Is this a growing field? A: I’ve been practising this type of law for over a decade, but animal law is still in its infancy in Canada. I equate it to where environmental law was about 20 to 30 years ago. It’s just a matter of time before more and more people begin to practice it.
For the Dogs Animal-rights lawyer Rebeka Breder and her rescue Great Dane/Mastiff, Tero.
people aren’t aware that it’s perfectly legal to kill one’s pet as long as it is done in a humane manner. But the law is starting to evolve and courts are starting to recognize that animals are sentient beings with feelings, emotion and intelligence. It can take a long time for the law to catch up with shifting societal values. Q: In what sort of cases would you like to see greater flexibility in the law?
A: I defend a lot of so-called “dangerous dogs.” The laws in these cases are not very precise and dog owners often face a steep uphill Q: Have you noticed any recent battle when trying to defend their changes in the way animals “dangerous dog.” These cases can are regarded by the law? get quite emotional, with the city A: Under Canadian law, animals have fighting tooth and nail to put a dog always been classified as property down and the owners fighting to and had no rights. For example, many save it. I think that Animal Control
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Many people aren’t aware that it’s perfectly legal to kill one’s pet. has too much discretion in deciding when and how to seize a dog and what to do with the dog once it is seized. I’m proud to say that as a result of one of my cases that was heard at the Supreme Court, provincial court judges are now able to release a “dangerous dog” back to its owners or the community on conditions. However, I still see lawyers trying to argue that judges do not have the jurisdiction to make such decisions. Q: What is most rewarding aspect of your work? A: Knowing that I’m helping individual animals and helping animals in the bigger picture by contributing to the evolution of animal law.
VE NT UR E
144 couples took part in this year’s Love in the Square event, which offers free weddings at seven altars set up in Robson Square. Vancouverite Beatrice Raymond paid $100 for her custom-made wedding dress in 1967—which, as of last year, she has now worn to four ceremonies to marry and re-marry her husband, Stanley.
THE BRE AK DOWN
We’ve Got That Vow Factor As Vancouver’s wedding industry kicks in to high season this month, we take a look at a few local digits behind some recent “I dos.” BY
Melissa Edwards
The Producers Canadian couples in a recent Global/Ipsos survey thought weddings should cost an average of $8,937. Meanwhile, the biggest Lower Mainland wedding executed in the last year by local planner Nicola Wiltens had a budget of $800,000.
7,000 couples With only a slight jog off course, Anthony Johnson and James Makokis paused to get married at English Bay at the 32-kilometre mark while running the 2017 BMO Vancouver Marathon.
4,415 couples tied the knot in the city of Vancouver last year.
coupled up in the ’burbs last year.
THE TICKE T
BREAKOUT FESTIVAL: MIGOS BY KEVIN CORTOPASSI
Breakout Festival 2018
Migos The Deets Date: June 9 and 10 Venue: PNE Amphitheatre Price: $99 to $269 breakout-festival.com
Despite hip-hop and R&B becoming the dominant forces of popular music (a 2017 Nielsen study reported that they account for 25 percent of all music consumed in the U.S.), the genres were under-represented in this city’s live music scene—particularly in terms of up-and-coming local talent. So Vancouverite Johnny Black took action: he established promotions company Crescendo1 in 2015 for the express purpose of putting on all-ages shows (at Granville Island’s Red Gate Revue Stage and the now-shuttered Alexander Gastown) and supporting the music online. And now he’s teamed up with veteran concert promoter Timbre Productions to mount Vancouver’s first exclusively hip-hop/R&B festival since Rock the Bells in 2009. In addition to hosting many of the homegrown acts Black has been boosting over the past few years, the two-day fest boasts chart-topping Georgia trio Migos, Drake rival (and fellow Torontonian) Tory Lanez and New York City-based A Boogie wit da Hoodie, plus DJs, a food-truck area, access to Playland and more. —Michael White
Comedians-turned-producers Kelly and Kelly open up their doors to the creative community. EVER STUCK with a YouTube video all the way to the end before realizing you just watched—and, um, liked—an ad? It could be the product of Kelly and Kelly, a Vancouver creative studio making content you actually don’t want to skip over. A hybrid ad agency and production studio, Kelly and Kelly was cofounded by Pat Kelly and Chris Kelly (no relation), creators of CBC Radio’s beloved satire This Is That. Along with partner Lauren Bercovitch, they’ve carved out a niche genre of zeitgeisty humour, like Dexter Guff Is Smarter Than You, a podcast lampooning self-help gurus, and a viral video spoofing TED Talks for CBC, a sensibility they also apply to paid partnerships with brands like Telus and Lululemon. In October, the team moved into a new Creekside headquarters to set up a fully equipped podcasting studio of their own, offering training, support and collaboration for aspiring podcasters. Projects like Record Club, based on the local storytelling event series, are already getting off the ground. Supporting potential competitors to produce and share their work might seem antithetical, but the Kelly and Kelly crew don’t see it that way. “If you make great stuff, that’s what sets you apart,” says Bercovitch. “We’re not afraid of having more people in the game. It pushes us to be more creative, but that’s a challenge we’re willing to accept.”—Michelle Cyca
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JA Z Z F E S T
All That Jazz
This is it: the year you’re actually going to Jazz Fest. Here’s all you need to know. BY
DESPITE HAVING BEEN pronounced dead more times than Kanye has rapped the word “Kanye” (or Donald Trump has tweeted the phrase “witch hunt”), jazz lives. It’s a slippery genre to pin down, rooted in protest and improv, and it’s a constant, disruptive influence on pop culture— from De La Soul and Nas using Ahmad Jamal’s piano riffs in the ’90s to Jay-Z sampling Nina Simone last year. (In this vein, in September former A Tribe Called Quest producer Q-Tip will be teaching the young’uns at NYU an enlightening course on the jazz roots of hip-hop.) Over the past 30 years the Vancouver International Jazz Festival has carved out a sweet spot in this ongoing global conversation. If you don’t know our backyard jazz scene, it’s a perfect first foray into a rich mine of local talent. It’s also a way to check out incoming headliners, which this year include Macy Gray and two-time Grammy nominee Roberta Gambarini. The fest’s big-tent definition of jazz (Robert Plant?) elicits grumbles from some purists, but the upside is that there’s something here for everyone. You can filter for your tastes, somewhat, by venue: Pyatt Hall for traditional, classic jazz; Ironworks, the Imperial and Performance Works for more progressive, crossover fare; the Vogue for rootsy R&B, folk and salsa; Civic Plaza in North Van for danceable grooves; and the Queen Elizabeth for a mix of headliners that varies from rock to jazz.
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HOT LIST
Tyee Bridge
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Ones to Watch The fest features local Vancouver musicians you should know by now but probably don’t— established players like pianist Miles Black and saxophonist Cory Weeds, along with up-and-comers like bassist James Meger and teenage vocalist Maya Rae. Here are four solid bets among the dozens available. Kamasi Washington 8 p.m., June 24 // Queen Elizabeth Theatre The L.A.-based tenor saxophonist’s groundbreaking three-sided concept album The Epic was a Pitchfork album of the year for 2015. Vincent Herring Quartet 7:30 p.m., June 25 // Pyatt Hall Herring is an alto saxophone powerhouse with the chops to pull off hard-charging bebop and the soul to turn standard ballads into lingering, meditative arias. Maya Rae with Miles Black 7:30 p.m., June 30 // Pyatt Hall At 16, Maya Rae possesses lovely, assured vocals that have already earned her high praise, including being dubbed one of the “35 best Canadian jazz artists under 35” by CBC Music. Drip Audio Night with Sick Boss, Jesse Zubot and Ken Vandermark, Fond of Tigers and Peregrine Falls 9 p.m., June 29 // The Imperial Expect a boundary-bending and riveting sampler evening featuring the virtuosi of Vancouver’s Drip Audio label. Words like indescribable, cacophonous and sublime are all in the ballpark.
Stay Up Late To know the heart of the fest, says Keith MacLachlan, jazz percussionist, trumpet player and writer of The Jazz Shed blog, don’t miss the late-night jam sessions. “The sessions are the truest part of whole event. They’re a mix of whoever shows up, locals or out-of-towners—a good spicy gamble where you’re guaranteed to hear some of the best jazz during the festival. People who have never met before get up on the stand, call a tune and bring down the house.” Late-night jams are held at Frankie’s Jazz Club on Beatty Street from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. (roughly), led by Vancouver saxophone heavyweight Mike Allen and his quartet.
BEST YALETOWN 2018 1177 Marinaside Crescent
CROWD: TREBLE FIVE RECORDS; VINCENT HERRING QUARTET: GUIDO LUCARELLI; FOND OF TIGERS COMPOSITE: CRAIG SINCL AIR
What Not To Do At A Jazz Show Just like there’s good naked and bad naked, in a jazz venue there’s good Untitled-8 noise and bad noise. Chatting with a friend is bad noise. Of course you’re smart and amazing, but nobody is paying to hear you talk. Don’t confuse a jazz show with a pub crawl. Clapping after a solo, on the other hand—or appreciative hoots or whistles when the band is cooking—is good noise, part of your job in keeping the energy up. But be tuned into the energy of the room, and if the players ask the audience to hold applause till the end (which a few occasionally do) then of course be mindful of that. Don’t necessarily expect to get up and dance, no matter how many kir royales (or joints) you’ve had, unless you’re at a dance-suitable venue and with an artist who is clearly about that. There are several at this year’s fest who will get you on your feet, like Coco Jafro, or the Ayrad and François Houle Trio. As one local aficionado put it: “Conduct yourself like any good jazz musician. Keep your eyes and ears open, read the mood of the venue. Listen, be respectful of the players, and don’t get in the way.”
604 681 4144
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2018-05-01 2:38
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City
M O D E R N FA M I LY
1 “I called the RCMP and said, ‘Someone’s riding on No.3 Road with no helmet,’ and then I got on the road. They pulled me over and asked why I had no helmet and I told them that my religion does not allow me. They gave me a ticket, and I said, ‘Okay, see you in court.’”— Avtar Singh Dhillon, Dhillon 71, activist and retired truck driver
Road Warriors These bikers are bound by their faith and a love of raw horsepower. AS TOLD TO
Drew Clarke
PHOTO BY
Carlo Ricci
Group portrait taken at Akali Singh Sikh Society, April 17, 2018
In 1999, the BC Human Rights Tribunal ruled that the provincial motorcycle helmet law was discriminatory and should be amended to accommodate Sikhs wearing a turban—a fight that began with motorcyclist Avtar Dhillon. Not long after, the Sikh Motorcycle Club was born. This badass brotherhood advocates road safety and giving back to the community.
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2 “Luckily, there are no accidents I have ever heard of. No accidents, no nothing, because everybody just follows the law, they know what they’re doing. Safe ride, safe season. When the season starts, we do a prayer in the Gurdwara, our Sikh temple. That’s for the safety of all the riders across the world— not only for us.” —Harinder Singh Deol, 32, truck driver
3 “We try to do charity work as much as we can. We did a charity run for the Canadian Cancer Society and collected $115,000. We went all the way from Vancouver to Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto—we rode for about 16 days. All together, almost 12,000 kilometres. I was so honoured to be a part of that.”—Rachhpal Singh Dhaliwal, 49, commercial transport mechanic
4 “Every intersection, I get the thumbs up, y’know? Every intersection—I can hardly believe it. The older members, who have been riding for 20 years, they say people are not used to the colour. They like the colour, it’s rare. It’s an eyecatching thing.” —Gurdip Singh, Singh, 39, truck driver
5 “When I was in India, I saw the Sikh Motorcycle Club on YouTube and from that time I was thinking, ‘I want to be a member of that club.’ Last year, finally my dream came true.”—Sukhpreet true.”— Sukhpreet Sidhu, Singh Sidhu 29, pharmacist
6 “My family told me that I should join, to connect with my culture, my community. Then I came here and the people are so nice, very friendly, so I just love to stay in the club. Day by day, my interest is going up and up, living with these guys and talking with these guys.”—Sumit Sumit “Ricky” Singh, 24, construction worker
7 “When I was a kid, I used to hear stories about motorcyclists, about big guys doing bad things and gangs and all that stuff. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to join this club; I wanted to change people’s perceptions. Not all people who ride motorcycles are guys.”—Jasbad guys.”— Singh, karanbir Singh 28, IT engineer
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Frosé™
Back by popular demand, your favourite summer cocktail. rosé wine, strawberries, elderflower, smirnoff vodka and lemon
U N B I A S E D R E V I E WS / WA F F L E S
VA N M AG .C O M/ TA S T E
Taste THE DISH
PHOTO: CLINTON HUSSE Y; ST YLING: L AWREN MONETA
LOOK AGAIN these aren’t waffles—at least not in any way you know. They’re actually a full serving of mac ’n’ cheese as imagined by the mad scientists running the kitchen at the newly opened Victor in the Parq Vancouver. And while such a dish could easily be solely Instagram bait, the surprise is just how the dish channels what’s great about mac ’n’ cheese—the balance of crunch and gooeyness—in a cute li’l package. 39 Smithe St., parqvancouver.com
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Taste
REVIEWS
PASSION PLAY
Carol Lee’s Chinatown BBQ aims to take back the idea of a neighbourhood restaurant. BY
Fiona Morrow Christin Gilbert
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
THEY HAD ME at the window, where lacquered roasted ducks and soysteamed chickens hang plump and glistening in their own juices. Hong Kong-style barbecue (siu mei) has been dear to my heart since I became a frequent feeder in London’s Chinatown almost three decades ago. The subtle spikes of five spice and soy, honey and hoisin infused across crispy skin and through tender meat are surely the definition of toothsome comfort food. In Vancouver, I spent a decade finding good excuses to lunch at Daisy Garden on Pender, always ready for a plate of siu yuk (roast pork) on rice. When the restaurant burned to the ground in 2015, it was more than an individual business tragedy: it was a huge loss to a community already facing an onslaught of ahistorical development. Step forward Carol Lee, businesswoman, entrepreneur and founder of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Lee, whose passion and commitment to revitalizing the neighbourhood while also acknowledging and preserving its heritage has been rightly celebrated, saw the gradual shuttering of once-beloved restaurants and decided it was time to step into the hospitality industry.
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Classic BBQ Duck
Carol Lee
The service is warm and friendly, and the hot tea is free and plentiful.
Chinatown BBQ (in the space of a onetime pottery store) is the first to open, with two more (in the former Foo’s Ho Ho and Garden Villa locations) to follow. The sensory hit of Chinatown BBQ is full on: the familiar aromas come first, of course, but then the decor swung in with a gorgeous 1960s Hong Kong vibe and I actually grew nervous the food wouldn’t meet my rapidly rising expectations. With its black-and-white checkerboard floors, emerald-green wood, ruby-red upholstery (on refurbished Foo’s Ho Ho chairs) and delightful old family photographs that line the walls, the
design (by local wunderkind Craig Stanghetta of Ste. Marie Design) skirts nostalgia. But its fresh and modern vibe (and smiling clientele) are still welcoming to everyone from local seniors to families to hipsters. The faces are familiar—Lee hired several staff from Daisy Garden—the service is warm and friendly, and the hot tea is free and plentiful. The menu is to the point, with barbecue meats flanked by a few traditional sides (chicken feet, marinated tofu) and curries. You are free to build your barbecue plate the way you like it, but I opted for the house’s own Four Treasures chef’s plate ($14.50) with soft
Client: C|Prime / Size: 4.6” X 4.9” / CMYK / Vancouver Magazine
A NEW YORK ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER Reflected in its carefully crafted menu, C|Prime puts a premium on locally sourced and curated ingredients. Using the finest cuts of BC-raised meats, fresh seafood, vegetables and cheeses paired with innovative, rich sauces and salts, the restaurant offers incomparable dishes that showcase both Italian and New York inspired flavours.
Located in the Century Plaza Hotel
1015 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y5 T (604) 684 3474 F (604) 682 5790
Four Treasures
and sweet barbecue pork, dusky Untitled-3 soy chicken, roast pork and salted egg on rice. No real complaints, although the roast pork could have been cut thicker to emphasize the contrast between its melting fat and crispy skin. A plate of roasted duck (served with plum sauce, $12) presented a bird with properly rendered fat, avoiding the rubbery chew that can spoil this classic. Sesame-oil marinated jellyfish ($9) was crunchy, cool and slippery—more texture than flavour—and the garlic gai lan ($6.50), cut smaller than usual, felt elegant for it. The curry beef brisket ($15.95) was a knockout, rich with its warming backbone of star anise and flecked with a decent kick of chili. Simple, true to tradition, yet subtly refined, if Chinatown BBQ is representative of Lee’s culinary vision for the neighbourhood, we can only expect many more delicious treats to come.
W W W. C P R I M E . C A
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2016-06-08 4:15
Clos du Soleil Winery Keremeos, BC
Similkameen Valley Elegance Premium wines available for ordering online.
CloseduSoleilJUNE18TS_gvs.indd 1
www.closdusoleil.ca 250-499-2831
2018-05-02 12:26
CARLO RICCI
Love Your Summer
Ocean View and Chill Paperwork and office emails feel miles away at Salt Spring’s Stonehouse B&B.
We wait all year for our West Coast summer to finally arrive, so why not make the most of it? We’ve compiled a host of road trip itineraries to get you exploring, indulging and soaking up the best of B.C. and beyond, from the first of June to Labour Day—14 itineraries to fill all 14 summer weekends. Let’s go!
Travel
S U M M E R G E TAWAY S
June
2/3
Conquer the Woods June
9/10 To Do: Take on the rugged B.C. backcountry with the help of a Chilcotin pro mountain biking tour company (bonus: enjoy a scenic float plane tour along the way).
Wake up on the waterfront in Ucluelet. A LOT OF PEOPLE book accommodation in “Ukey” because Tofino is too busy or too expensive, but you’ll love your stay along this less touristed peninsula…especially if you’ve checked into a quirky-cozy yurt at Wya Point Resort. The small two-person waterfront yurts with wraparound cedar decks start at $135 per night, and you can bring the dog along, to boot. When you’re not beachcombing or scouring Ucluelet’s craggy ocean rocks for critters, a trip to the Amphitrite Point Lighthouse serves up some laid-back sightseeing with looping walks along less-than-threekilometre sections of the Wild Pacific Trail, each with scenic lookouts that peek out at the coast. This trip you’re cooking most of your own meals, but treat yourself to a very Vancouver-calibre farm-to-table dinner (where the catch of the day comes from Ucluelet fishmongers) at homey wine-bar-chic Norwoods.—Julia Dilworth
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THE SOUTH CHILCOTIN is veiny with pack trails worn down by gold miners hauling in supplies and hauling out their bounty. In the Spruce Lake Protected Area, about 150 kilometres north of Whistler, the gold in the hills is now the trails themselves. The flowing, world-class singletrack yields epic days spent biking, hiking or horseback riding through God’s country: think alpine and sub-alpine meadows, copper-rich red rock slopes, glacial green lakes and sweeping vistas of mountains. So even if you like to earn your turns, a little boost from a float plane is welcome—especially if you’d like to get deep into the backcountry on a multi-day trip. Enter Tyax Adventures, Canada’s only floatplanesupported mountain biking company. Founded by former National Veteran Cross-Country champion Dale Douglas, the company has a ’65 de Havilland Beaver to airlift 1,100 pounds of riders, gear and bikes up into pedalling nirvana.
IMAGE CREDIT
Love Yurts
Take It All In At Lorna Lake in Big Creek Park it’s the great outdoors, all to yourself.
IMAGE GOLDSTONE/7MESH BRIAN CREDIT
Friday
Tyax can pick you up from anywhere there’s water, including directly from Vancouver, Seattle or Tofino. However, for the best bang for your time and money, meet the plane on Whistler’s Green Lake and turn a four-and-a-halfhour drive along rough roads into a halfhour scenic flight over the spectacular Coast Range. Maybe you’ll detour off the flight path to check out a herd of mountain goats, little white puffballs on a mountain ridge; it’s a good prelude to the drama of skidding onto a glassy alpine lake and the realization that you’re about to cover somewhere around 80 kilometres of pure rolling bliss over the next three days. Bikes can be rented but most riders on this intermediate trip will want to bring their own.
Saturday
You’ll open your eyes to warm morning light diff using through the white walls of your “safari-style” wall tent; having made it to Bear Paw camp yesterday afternoon, you can replay the day of creek-crossings, hill-climbing and general wonderment as you made your way through Big Creek Park, down through Graveyard Valley and up Elbow Pass to the headwaters of Tyaughton Creek. Here your camp host awaits, with oatmeal and pancakes to fuel you for 27 kilometres and about a thousand metres of elevation gain and loss through Deer Pass to a quintessential Chilcotin view spot, then through technical terrain. Push a rowboat into Spruce Lake and see if you can’t supplement dinner with a fresh trout or two.
Sunday
Wake, ride, repeat. You’ll want to savour this cycle, as it’s your last on this trip. Just shy of 28 kilometres today with another 1,000 metres of elevation gain (and then as much elevation drop) as your journey through Windy Pass takes you down into Eldorado Basin and the final descent along the fast, sandy track along Lick Creek. Depending on the time of year, you may get slowed down by photo-ops among the alpine wildflowers or wandering bears or deer. The final reward at the end of your journey at Tyaughton Lake is to make an entrance, salty from your miles in the saddle, through the lobby of Tyax Wilderness Resort. Trade your spurs for a civilized drink at the bar and a session in the spa. You’ve earned it.—Masa Takei
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June
16/17
The Checklist
Yin yoga session Find a hammock Sauna sweat Beach stroll
Stretch Yourself
Bend hard and play hard at the Nectar Yoga B&B on Bowen Island.
You need To stretch, right? And to remember how to breathe? Yes, you do. At Nectar Yoga retreaters stay in one of two cottages (or in a garden suite on request) amidst the Bowen Island woods. Clean, cozy and minimalist, the retreat’s decluttered atmosphere, forest quiet and tasty vegetarian breakfasts—from waffles and smoothies to chia-pudding-and-granola parfaits—will reconnect your chi in all the right places. Along with other instructors, Nectar owner and yogini Andrea Clark leads classes in your choice of yoga styles (including Hatha, Flow, Vinyasa and Yin) in a geodesic dome that looks out into the trees. Deep stretching and relaxation are all-season sports, but Nectar Yoga “summer is the most magical time on Bowen,” says Clark. After your morning practice you can read your book in the hammocks slung between 100-foot-tall conifers, or walk to the sea at Miller’s Landing or To Do: Devour Osoyoos Festival and Tinhorn Creek’s Concert Series. Sandy Beach. Lunch on a curry wrap or Goal: Feast with films; sip and swirl to song. smoked salmon sandwich at the Snug 23/24 The meals aT Devour Osoyoos’s main screening gala and Coffee House; for dinner, eat Italian at multi-course dinner are a far cry from standard Cineplex Tuscany restaurant, or Spanish fare. Chefs fly in from all over Canada for the food and film at the Barcelona Tapas and festival, crafting dishes that pair with short, food-themed Wine Bar in Snug Cove. cinematic selections. They are sometimes inspired by the Back at Nectar Yoga, explicit ingredients in the movie, other times by the prominent culture or mood. Beef short rib seco from Ancora chef have an evening sit in Ricardo Valverde, for example, was served up at last year’s the wood-fired Finnevent to accompany a moving Italian film about memory ish sauna—handand taste. Packages (which include accommodation at made of B.C. poplar, the Watermark Beach Resort and a pass to all the festival birch and cedar—and events) start at $369—popcorn and Captain America, this is definitely not. If you’re more into music than movies, settle in for one of your detour down the road to Tinhorn Creek to catch one of their most blissful sleeps of epic summer concerts ($40) right on the grand lawn, glass of Ancora’s beef the year.—Tyee Bridge short ribs wine in hand, of course.—Stacey McLachlan
June
Pair Wine with Culture
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TWO RIVERS MEATS
THE SHOP BUTCHER SHOP & EATERY
TRADITIONAL BUTCHERY | DRY AGED BEEF | WOOD FIRED GRILL | CHARCUTERIE
FOR BC, BY BC We offer local, natural meat that connects farmers who care about animals with people who care about food.
www.TwoRiversMeats.ca 180 Donaghy Ave North Vancouver @TwoRiversMeats | 604.990.5288
June
30
To Do:
Three Gulf Islands, one long weekend: you can do this.
Galiano Inn
Canadian Wilderness Adventures
Pilgrimme
G ALIANO ISL AND
Sacred Mountain Lavender
Island Hopping FRIDAY NIGHT, hop a ferry to Galiano Island and check in to the Galiano Inn. Drop your bags in your villa and soak up the sunset views from your patio Jacuzzi. The next morning, strap on the hiking boots to take on Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park, where the white-shell beaches date back more than 3,000 years, and work up an appetite for dinner at hyper-local, hyper-whimsical Pilgrimme. The gourmet restaurant in the woods is a foodie destination (a pilgrimage, if you will), so make a reservation to guarantee a taste of chef Jesse McCleery’s wildly inventive fare: think fermented barley grits with duck egg and beef heart tartare on sea lettuce. Post dessert, catch the late ferry to Pender Island, where Woods on Pender awaits to fulfill those West Coast glamping dreams with its roster of kitted-out Airstream trailers. Come Sunday morning, snag jam-slathered sourdough from the resort’s Coffee Kitchen Restaurant to fuel your Kayak Pender Island
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SALT SPR ING ISL AND
outing, which follows the island’s shorelines through kelp beds and gentle waves and practically guarantees wildlife sightings (hello, seal pups!). Toast your adventurous spirit at Twin Island Cider’s quaint orchardside tasting shed, where heirloom apples are naturally fermented into something delightfully funky and fizzy. Then it’s back to the ferry terminal for your sunset ride over to Salt Spring Island. Settle in for the night at laidback-luxe Stonehouse B&B—after a nightcap or two on the heated patio at Moby’s Pub—and, come Monday, hit the farm-tour circuit with stops that include everything from the chèvre paradise that is Salt Spring Island Cheese to the purple fields of Sacred Mountain Lavender. If you’ve got time, catch a show at the Fritz Movie Theatre (where $10 gets you both your ticket and a bucket of real-buttered popcorn) before heading out and leaving island life behind…at least until the weekend rolls around again.—S.M.
PENDER ISL AND
L AVENDER: MAUREEN BARLIN; PILGRIMME: SHELORA SHELDON
July
1/2
Hunter Gather
July
7/8
Peak Weekend
To Do: Go off-roading before breakfast in Whistler.
AN URBAN RETREAT
Good Morning
West coast ambiance and signature treatments at Sense, A Rosewood Spa ®
Grab a cheesy egg croissant and morning brew at Lift Coffee Co.; it’s right around the corner from Canadian Wilderness Adventures, where you’ll be checking in for your 9 a.m. buggy tour. High in the mountains and strapped into your side-by-side, you’ll zip through creeks and over boulders on crazy-scenic off-road trails. Wear every dust-preventing item provided and prepare to be “antiqued” in mud.
Located on the 4th floor at Rosewood Hotel Georgia T. +1 604 673 7045 | georgia.spa@rosewoodhotels.com Mention VANMAG15 for 15% off your next treatment @rwhotelgeorgia
Good Afternoon
Refuel with simple margaritas and chili mayo-topped Pacific rockfish tacos ($3.25 a pop) at La Cantina. (Note: The Untitled-6 1 patio is a high-traff ic area for patrons with cute can-I-pet-your-pups.) Then head back to CWA to rent yourself a canoe ($109 for a three-hour guided tour) for the River of Golden Dreams. Locals and gangs of Australians buy cheap plastic boats and drift down, but paddling is a fun challenge. You’ll find a river of crystal-clear water and epic mountain views—once you get the hang of paddling around corners.
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BUGGY TOUR: BL AKE JORGENSON
Good Night
Detouring off the main village circuit, tuck into dinner at polished hipster-chic Hunter Gather. Casual and bright, with Future Islands playing, it’s hard to believe the space was recently a 7-Eleven. Tuck into hearty sandwiches stuffed with in-house, 18-hour-smoked meats, all paired with pints of cold craft beer or Okanagan-all-star wine flights (Joie Farm, Liquidity, Covert Farms). Grab your nightcap at the Attic, a very local-heavy spot for post-dinner cocktails. Sip on a potent whiskey sour and get hiking tips from your new barstool friends.
Sleep Tight
The Pan Pacific Mountainside remains one of our top picks for Whistler accommodation because it sits right at the base of the Blackcomb gondola, so you’re right in the action and yet still getting those big mountain views. One-bedroom suites from $219.—J.D.
A waterfront jewel on Bellingham Bay Luxurious Guest Rooms | Fine Waterfront Dining Recently Voted #1 Luxury Hotel by Evening Magazine HotelBellwether.com | 360-392-3100
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S U M M E R G E TAWAY S
July
14/15
The Checklist
Bike tune-up Load up the trail mix Hit the road
Behold the Beowulf “MONSTERS, HEROES, BATTLES, ripped-off appendages hanging from rafters…” so goes Beowulf, the oldest surviving epic poem in English literature, about a warrior who defeats fiendish foe Grendel (and other nemeses, including a dragon). Now there’s another epic: a 35-kilometre cross-country bike trail named after this tale of conquest. Purpose-built for mountain biking, this scenic loop along ridgelines and through old-growth forests opened
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last year at SilverStar Mountain Resort near Vernon, and has already received the coveted IMBA Epic designation (the International Mountain Bicycling Association currently recognizes 46 bucket-list, backcountry, mostly single-track “epics” worldwide). “The name Beowulf came to light during the build,” says Jason Martin, trail builder and SilverStar bike park coordinator, because “we knew we were looking to build an ‘epic’ trail,
but the word is so overused we wanted to put a twist on it.” Beowulf became the DNA. “The story relates to the entirety of this trail, from its inception—looking at maps, Google Earth, walking around the bush for weeks, finding a line—to the four-year build of the trail itself,” says Martin. “Every inch of trail has a story behind it, and these stories continue with each rider.” Add your spin to the saga this summer and, as the local battle cry goes, “tackle the dragon!”—Barb Sligl
ROB THOMPSON
This “epic” mountain-bike loop at SilverStar Mountain Resort is a worthy challenge.
July
21/22 July 28/29
Party here
Harvesting at Beaufort
Drink this
Backyard Bash
Pair craft beer with live music at Victoria’s best block party. Millstone Estate Winery
40 Knots
Wine About It
Explore B.C.’s next big wine-country contender, one glass at a time. The Nanaimo–Comox Valley area is as-yet unsung as a wine region, but it’s on the rise thanks to recent investments (and reinvestments) in estate wineries there in the past five years. Here are three wineries within 90 minutes of the Nanaimo ferry dock that are worth the trip.
BEAUFORT: BOOMER JERRIT T; 40KNOTS: K AREN MCKINNON
Millstone Estate Winery
This six-acre winery on the Millstone River is only 10 minutes from the Nanaimo harbour. Take your glasses out to the backyard picnic table for an al fresco happy hour with the chickens. If the weather is too hot or too wet, the tasting room comes with a nice selection of original jazz and blues vinyl playing in the background. Don’t miss the rosé (pairs well with Thelonius Monk), or the cabernet franc (better with Jimmy Rushing).
Beaufort Vineyard and Estate Winery
Started in 2006, Beaufort was bought by filmmaker James Cameron in 2014 because he loved the property (and, presumably, the wine). The cozy tasting room is in a renovated barn; a side picnic area overlooks the vineyards and the Beaufort Range. The wines are worth the hourplus drive from Nanaimo to the Comox Valley. Try the Big Nose Red or the Beaudacious white, a blend of estategrown German varietals.
40 Knots Vineyard and Estate Winery
40 Knots has a sprawling vineyard terrace where you can bring your own snacks— or they can provide you with a picnic basket filled with cheeses, smoked salmon and other morsels. Lauded B.C. winemaker Michael Bartier consults and provides them with Okanagan-grown merlot grapes for their tasty Stall Speed merlot. For island-grown grapes, try the Uncloaked chardonnay or pinot noir.—T.B.
Phillips’s annual Backyard Weekender in Victoria proffers the quintessential Canadian summer experience, transforming the parking lot behind the brewery into an outdoor concert venue complete with their excellent craft beer—the Blue Buck ale is a standout—two-handed street fare, and a lineup of musical acts that lean heavily into soul. Among them: locals Electric Sex Panther, Prince’s former band the Revolution, and Reggie Watts (a.k.a. the inquisitive hype man of The Late, Late Show with James Corden). A few blocks over, on a rapidly reviving stretch of the upper harbour, Canoe Brewpub and recently arrived Fishhook at Mermaid Wharf vie for the title of best patio. Also in contention: the Veranda at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. After undergoing a major refurbishment of its rooms and dining spaces, Victoria’s grande dame is also newly revived a quintessential Canadian experience of a different sort. To queen and country!—Rosemary Poole
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Aug
Tin Hat vista
Band Camp
Unplug and play at this out-of-the way music fest in northern B.C.
11/12
Aug
3–6
ArtsWells Festival in northern B.C. is essentially summer camp for music and art lovers, a place to “jam, adventure, frolic, loiter,” says Vancouver Island musician and artist Jenny Ritter. “We go north and participate in that wonderful madness.” The four-day party is set near Bowron Lakes in the neighbouring towns of Wells and Barkerville (a National Historic Site from the Gold Rush era). A nine-hour drive from Vancouver, it’s isolated (read: no cell service). And that’s the appeal, says Ritter. Everyone who comes this far is committed to being there, in the moment—with moments that include visual installations, wandering performers, parades, artisans, galleries and workshops.
August
Sooke Is for Lovers
17–19 To Do: Cozy up with
the one you love at the off-the-grid Point No Point in Sooke.
Point No Point
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Friday
But the magic really takes place in the extraordinary music venues, from St. Saviour’s Church in Barkerville (one of the original buildings from 1869) to the Sunset Theatre (built in 1934, it was B.C.’s first gambling hall and a former morgue) and bright-yellow Wells Community Hall (a 1938 structure that once housed a pistol range). “Every year there is inevitably some band I’ve never heard of that blows my mind, playing in the most intimate setting,” says Ritter. It’s what happened during her own performance at the Sunset last summer: “We had a six-piece band, and got to play as loud and as soft as we wanted…I felt like a goddamn superstar.”—B.S.
Happy Trails Explore the coast with the most on the Sunshine Coast Trail.
Imagine the Pacific Crest Trail but with more coastal, knock-you-off-your-socks scenery and zero Wild fans throwing boots about. The whole 180-kilometre Sunshine Coast Trail snakes from the Saltery Bay ferry terminal up past Powell River to end at Desolation Sound’s Sarah Point, with free hut-to-hut camping all the way. Manzanita Bluff offers a gorgeous panoramic view and is an easy day-hike option (about an hour each way from the Spire Access off Sarah Point Road); Tin Hat is harder, but the mountain vista goes 360 degrees. Either way, a stop at Nancy’s Bakery for a baseballmitt-sized white chocolate raspberry cinnamon bun is mandatory.—J.D.
Sooke is about an hour from Victoria, and as you head west from the city you’re approaching the forest primeval. This is the southern tip of the island that brought you such ruggedness as Cougar Annie and the shipwreck hot zone known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. You’re not here for culture; you’re here to leave all that in the rear-view mirror. So first things first: stock up. If you’re coming from the Swartz Bay ferry, hit up Four Quarters Meats in Sidney for excellent sausages, bacon and can’t-get-elsewhere stuff like their Lemon Drop or Mimosa salamis. For the wine-minded, stop at Church and State, about 20 minutes south. (Pick up the Signature Series Trebella and the cabernet franc if you can get them.) For the beer-hound, do a tasting and grab your Alpha Acid IPA to go at Victoria’s Hoyne Brewing. Once you’ve secured other, less essential groceries, head to one of the two dozen private cabins at Point No Point in Sooke. Sited on a bluff above a mile of private beach, they come complete with kitchens, fireplaces, private hot tubs and very audible surf. On this first evening, you’ll also enjoy the welcome culture shock of what Point No Point doesn’t have, thanks to its stubborn grasp on its 1950s roots: no phones, no TVs, and no wifi in your rooms. And no, no cell service, either. Thus the selection of cribbage boards and other games on offer. Walk to the beach to work up an appetite and remember that there is life beyond streaming video. Weekend Continues j
TIN HAT: JEREMY WILLIAMS; MUSICIAN: KENT BERNADET; POINT NO POINT: IAN MCSORLE Y/FAR & WIDE MARKETING
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This is the great outdoors, people. Not only is your cabin a pinecone’s throw from the beach, you are close to some of the best coastal hiking in Canada. Drive 15 minutes to the Mystic Beach trailhead, part of the 47-kilometre Juan de Fuca Trail. The hike to the surf takes less than an hour Sooke Harbour House via the forest trail, crossing a suspension bridge along the way. If the tide is out, you can treat yourself to a walk through the rock arch, a ride on the rope swing and (if it’s warm enough or you’re feeling just that happy) a skinny-dip in the waterfall. Those that prefer to roll can bike the Galloping Goose Trail for as long as your quads can stand it—but be aware that if you head north out of Sooke seeking the “ghost town” of Leechtown, there’s not really much to see (but that’s ghosts for you), and that the sword ferns and cedars there look pretty much the same as they do outside your cabin. Culture (if you must!) can be had at the 11-day Sooke Fine Arts Show, which runs from late July to early August and features hundreds of works by Vancouver Island sculptors, painters, photographers and jewellers. Last year’s juried prize winners include Vincent Fe’s steampunk teapot, Jonathan Kacki’s bikewheel photography and Nicole Sleeth’s arresting, cigarette-smoking nude. You can also absorb your fill of local history at the Sooke Region Museum, featuring photography, clothing and artifacts dating back as far as the 18th century. For dinner, head to Sooke Harbour House, which dishes farm-to-table food in your choice of top-shelf style (the main dining room) or with a more casual attitude (the Copper Room). The dining room menu changes daily, but if you’re going for Copper casual, do like the locals do and have either the B.C.-raised beef brisket and bison burger or the fish and chips, made from off-the-boat ling cod or halibut.
Sunday
Saturday
Travel
You’ve had your morning soak in the hot tub. You’re almost awake. What about coffee? Get it organic and locally roasted at the West Coast Grill along with your caramel French toast or a wild mushroom omelette. Caloried up, you’re ready for your last splash. Summer in Sooke means the Potholes. That’s not a pub, nor a road hazard—the Potholes are a series of swimming holes carved into the bedrock of the Sooke River by glacierdeposited boulders…and in more plain terms, they’re a hoot. Clear, clean and not-too-cold water will give you a last dose of West Coast wilderness to set you up for the trip home.—T.B.
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SOOKE POTHOLES: BRANDY SATURLE Y
Sooke Potholes
A BOUTIQUE WINERY POURING ONLY THE BEST OF EACH HARVEST
AWARD-WINNING BC VQA WINES IN AN EXCEPTIONAL LOCAL SETTING 3033 - 232nd Street, Langley, BC | 604.539.9463 | Tasting Room & Wine Shop opens 11am-5pm daily
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Travel
S U M M E R G E TAWAY S
Aug
25/26
PaddlePowered
Hop in the kayak and cruise over to Twin Island’s stellar spots.
Want to feel like you’re getting out of the city for a camping trip, but you didn’t make a park reservation six months ago? Your summer is saved thanks to Indian Arm’s Twin Islands: it’s a leisurely two-hoursor-less kayak paddle from Deep Cove, and all of the island’s camping platforms are first come, first serve. Double kayak for 48 hours, $189; extra day, $69; deepcovekayak.com
Best area to camp.
T WIN ISL ANDS
Paddling in Deep Cove
Hydrate Hard Facilities on the island are limited to outhouses, so be sure to pack enough drinking, bathing and cooking water. You won’t be carrying it (the water’s just going in the boat, then sitting at your campsite) so you can err on the side of extra. For two days, two 20-litre water containers from MEC ($10) will be more than enough. Get Cozy Don’t skimp on the sleeping cushions, wooden platform or no. Tucking a foamy into a double canoe is impossible, but slim-profile MEC sleeping pads (from $65) are surprisingly effective. Compact Cooking Tiny camp burners are fab space-savers that get the job done. (And let’s face it, when is there ever not a fire ban?) Pick up a nine-inch single burner at your local hardware store (from $36) that fuels with small propane cylinders.
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d Where to Set Up Camp Camp Here s. This is prime waterfront real estate (but prepare to wake up at the crack of dawn to an orchestra of clapping seals) with quick access to the loading dock. But there are more private spots with waterfront platforms as you head north up the island. Avoid the south island d. This is the runt of the two island masses and it’s fun to explore, but isn’t for camping (it also gets separated from the main island and outhouses when the tide comes in).
Where the Wild Things Are Flashy Friends Kayak up past the scary-looking old BC Hydro building and you’ll see virtually zillions of jellyfish in the water below (from big sea monsters to Swedish Berry-sized cuties with neon-coloured lights).—J.D.
DEEP COVE: SARAH BLINCO; JELLYFISH: MATHIEU JARRY
Packing Essentials
OUR ROOTS RUN DEEP
C E L E B R AT E 5 0 Y E A R S W I T H U S Our roots run deep with half century old vines, rooted in the Golden Mile Bench’s exceptional terroir. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of our estate vineyard, owner Curt Garland commissioned a limited edition, ultra premium red blend. Crafted to age, Garland features select small lots from our old vines and is available only at our winery. We invite you to visit and enjoy our Golden Anniversary festivities including commemorative culinary classes, live music, celebrity chef barbeques, winemaker dinners, an historic Revival Party Weekend, and much more. W W W. H E S T E R C R E E K . C O M / 5 0 T H
Travel
Sept
1/2/3
S U M M E R G E TAWAY S
Get Lost
Make a detour to explore the oh-so-charming Centralia, Washington.
Saturday Let’s say that you’re now nursing a hangover. You could stay within the confines of the Olympic Club Hotel for a local fried oyster and bacon bennie or bravely venture forth across the street for an old-school diner experience at the Centerville Café. Besides a mess of eggs you can enjoy having the locals crane their heads around the corner of their booths to take you in. Today is the day to visit Holly Phelps at the Shady Lady Bordello Museum. Her lovingly curated collection of local lore and authentic working-girl wear is ever-growing. There’s also joy to be had from wandering into the surrounding neighbourhoods…the only danger being an acute case of real estate envy when you find out that these gorgeous heritage homes can be bought for less than the down payment on a studio apartment in Vancouver. There are other options for night life in town: a questionable Irish pub and a couple of bars down the block, side by side, next to the gun store. From what locals say, it sounds like you’re far safer and likely to have better conversations in the gun store. Hang out on the back terrace of the Olympic instead, perhaps around the wood-fire pit if there’s still a chill in the air. You can’t have worked your way down the entire craft beer list in a single night (can you?).
Fox Theatre
Rectangle Gallery
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Dedicate this day of rest to art and antiques. But best to start at Dawn’s Delectables with baked goods juicy enough to put you back onto gluten. The Rectangle Gallery turned a main-street storefront into an open-space co-op for local artists to display their works. (Artist Abigail Gary’s paintings manage to make a forest service road look hauntingly beautiful.) Apart from the tattoo parlours, Elks Lodge and the beauty college, Tower Street is a veritable antique row. But these aren’t just your grandmother’s doilies: one store specializes in military uniforms, high school yearbooks and Aloha shirts, all in impressive quantities. When it finally reopens, the Fox Theatre will be a movie-going experience to rival anything else north of Hollywood. Pair that with dinner at La Tarasca, reputed to be the best Mexican north of California, and you’ve got yourself a date night to cap off the weekend.—M.T.
OLYMPIC CLUB: ORIN BLOMBERG; FOX THEATRE: CURTIS CRONN
The cornerstone of the downtown core is the Olympic Club Hotel and Theater, run by PNW brewing magnate McMenamins. The alluring Art Deco establishment is your base of operations: not only is it central, it’s also a self-contained pleasure palace. Back in the day, those pleasures would have consisted mainly of illicit card games, bootleg booze and the bawdy house upstairs. Today, the booze is above-board. There is a 100-person movie theatre where you can get served your grilled pork tenderloin and a pint as you watch the show. And, despite the original “Ladies Patronage Not Solicited” sign above the leaded-glass entrance, women are most welcome to join in on billiards or shuffleboard in the expansive, plant-studded games room. All of it is fairly dripping with period-piece, historic charm, but wired and plumbed with some mod cons (though bathrooms are still down the hall). Did we mention that it’s a rail town? You’ll fall asleep to the mournful wail of passing trains. (Courtesy earplugs are provided to guests.)
Olympic Club Hotel and Theater
Sunday
Friday
You could be excused for blowing right past Centralia, Washington, midway down the I-5 on your way to guaranteed good times in Portland. There’s not much else in sight, beyond a mediocre outlet mall, but if you were to take Exit 82 and stray inland just a couple of miles, you would find a Pacific Northwest small-town main street gem. The entire Centralia Downtown Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places, and charming enough to make you wonder what other jewels you’re missing on the I-5 corridor.
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OPENINGS
OFF THE WALL
First there was the wartime-bunker-chic Leisure Centre, and now downtown has welcomed Off-White—a high-fashion streetwear retailer founded by Louis Vuitton artistic director Virgil Abloh—that could pass for an underground parking lot if you pulled the spare garment racks and shoes on crates. If you haven’t walked by it yet, that could be because the Alberni Street entrance is in an alley. Is this a novel fashion experience (we were getting bored of soft surfaces and colour anyways!), or a 4,300-square-foot, concrete cry for help? Either way, Vancouver’s retail therapy just got a lot more experimental. off---white.com
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T H E H O T TA K E
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PRIMO GELATO Move over millennial pink—this summer’s scoop features a bevy of pastel sherbet hues in lavender, rose and baby blue.
Amanda Ross
i Inspired by South Korean K-Pop culture, CND’s Chic Shock spring lineup embodies a girly, urban street vibe in everything from sugary pink to lilac. Vinylux Long Wear polish in Candied, Taff y, Jellied and Gummi, $12.50, onyxaestheticsstudio.ca
i Under the careful stewardship of designer Jonathan Anderson, Loewe’s tie-dye jeans in graduated pastels look more hip than hippie. $790, loewe.com
n “Feet that smell sweet” isn’t the most common of phrases, but Lemon Jelly isn’t a common brand. Real lemon scent is infused into the PVC of each vegan-friendly shoe; a carbon-base insole keeps feet dry. Betony 04 in blue, $108, brownsshoes.com
k Vancouver’s own Indochino is going gangbusters globally (soon with a third New York showroom on Madison Avenue), but its Yaletown location still rocks the custom brand’s original DNA. Made-to-measure men’s suits and shirts are delivered in three weeks. Redditch Lavender shirt in 100-percent lightweight cotton, $99, indochino.com
NOW OPEN
Deciem
408 Howe St., deciem.com What: Cult-fave London beauty-emporium arrives in Vancouver with two outposts— downtown and Metrotown—to offer up its lineup of honest beauty brands. Why we’re excited: The humble (and selfdescribed abnormal) company’s roster of affordable, clean beauty brands, including its bestselling the Ordinary, mean no-nonsense, cruelty-free beauty products (many of which are vegan) are accessible to all.
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k Gucci’s Spring/Summer collection marries the nostalgia of the ’70s with the logo craze of the ’80s in its pink rubber beach bag tote with vintage logo. $1,170, gucci.com
PROMOTION
THANKS
to our Chefs’ Showcase restaurants for not only making the 2018 Restaurant Awards possible—but also delicious. The generous spread of hors d’oeuvres from nominated restaurants such as Ancora, Cactus Club, and Jitlada was enjoyed alongside local wines. As for who won, visit vanmag.com/ra2018 for the full list of winners.
Handmade Assorted Chocolates from Thomas Haas
A Sheraton Wall Centre chef plating delicious canapes for guests
Albacore Tuna, Radish, Avocado, and Tangerine Salad with Ginger Jalepeno Glaze from Sheraton Wall Centre Chez Christophe Chocolate Patisserie Café au Lait Chocolates
Lobster Summer Roll from Cactus Club Cafe
Tuc Craft Kitchen Cayenne and Parmesan Biscuit with Shrimp Mousse and Bacon Beacoup’s Petit Chocolate Double Croissants
Attendees enjoy samples from Vancouver’s top restaurants
Provence Marinaside Seared Albacore Tuna, Olive Essence, Crispy Caper and Cherry Tomato Chip
Churros with Raspberry, Mango, and Cinnamon Cream, Sea Salt Caramel Sauce from Sheraton Wall Centre
THANK YOU TO THESE PARTICIPATING CHEFS’ SHOWCASE RESTAURANTS Ancora Waterfront Dining Apna Chaat House Au Comptoir Bánh Mì Très Bon
Beaucoup Blue Water Cafe Cactus Club Cafe Chau Veggie
Chez Christophe Dosanko Fayuca Gudrun Hawksworth
House Special Jitlada La Glace La Mezcaleria Laksa King
Masayoshi Mr. Red Café Nuba Provence Marinaside
Temper Thomas Haas Tuc Craft Kitchen Yuwa Japanese Cuisine
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T H E AC C E S S O R Y
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TOP IT OFF
From picnics to patio Pimm’s, there’s a sun hat to complement each of summer’s most pressing engagements. 4
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1. Gucci Alba straw hat with floral-patterned silk ribbon ($595), gucci.com. 2. Sensi Studio Cordovez hand-woven long brim toquilla straw hat ($275), blubird.ca. 3. Nine West Packable soft straw visor ($30), simons.ca. 4. Inverni Iris straw sun hat ($225), holtrenfrew.ca. 5. Brixton Taupe Wesley fedora ($85), simons.ca. 6. Ted Baker London Theasa straw hat ($112), tedbaker.com. 7. Claudia Schulz Kadi wide-brimmed bolero straw hat made with natural knotted sisal ($229), claudiaschulz.com. 8. Geo Straw baseball cap ($34), nordstrom.com.
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SHAKESPEARE HOMES & RENOVATIONS INC.
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Tour Award-Winning Homes Across Metro Vancouver For One Day Only SUNDAY, JUNE 10 | 10:00AM - 4:00PM REGISTER AT WWW.GVHBA.ORG/PARADE BONUS: INCLUDING VIRTUAL HOME TOURS TICKETS: $20
PROMOTION
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ON APRIL 16TH, the city’s top chefs
and restaurateurs gathered in the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre for the de facto Oscars of Vancouver’s restaurant industry: the 2018 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. Here’s a peek behind the curtain.
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1. A packed room of excited guests before our awards 2. Guest getting the perfect shot of Trimpac’s Slow Cooked Cabecero of Iberico Pork 3. Avenue PR’s Tiffany Soper and Gemma Bishop with Savio Volpe’s Mark Perrier 4. Sheraton Wall Centre replenishing their delicious canapes 5. Russian Standard mixing up their refreshing cocktail 6. Steel & Oak serving up perfectly chilled beer at our Post Reception
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7. Poplar Grove pours a glass for Joey’s Sommelier Jason Yamasaki 8. Lisa Martella from A Loving Spoonful and Dining Out For Life gives her remarks 9. Restaurant Awards Judge and Follow Me Foodie Mijune Pak 10. Our Bartender of the Year Satoshi Yonemori ecstatically poses for a photo 11. Sushi station in full swing at our Joey After Party 12. Packed room at our Joey After Party as guests mix and mingle 13. A Joey bartender putting the final touch on their Leading Lady cocktail of the evening 14. CBC’s Stephen Quin and Gloria Macarenko strike a pose with Chef JC Poirier from Restaurant of the Year Winner St. Lawrence
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15. Neal McLennan Food Editor of Vancouver Magazine making his opening regards 16. Katie Ingram, Nick Bertoia, Kristie Linneboe, and Mark McNeil 17. Chef of the Year Alex Chen from Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar with Vancouver magazine’s Editorial Director Anicka Quin
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HOST SPONSOR
ACCOUNTING SPONSOR
A/V SPONSOR
MEDIA SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSOR
CHARITY PARTNER
SILVER SPONSORS
Backyard Vineyards | Gordon Food Service | Poplar Grove Russell Hendrix | Stanley Park Brewery | Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
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17. BRONZE SPONSORS
Arc Imberico Imports | Authentic Wine & Spirits | Caffè Umbria | Culmina Family Estate Winery | Grateful Wines | Laurence and Chico Okanagan Crush Pad | Ponderosa Mushroom | Richard Massey Wine and Spirits | Russian Standard Vodka | Trimpac/Sysco | Unsworth Vineyards POST RECEPTION SPONSORS
Andina Brewery | McClelland Premium Imports | Edrington | Powell Brewery | Shelter Point Distillery | Steel & Oak Brewing Co.
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ABOUT L AST NIGHT
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All Aboard
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Looking Glass and Centre A patrons get on the philanthropy train.
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Looking Glass Foundation’s All You Need Is Love Gala
Centre A Fundraising Gala Centre A, Canada’s only nonprofit public gallery devoted to contemporary Asian art, attracted more than 200 patrons, benefactors and tastemakers to its 19th annual art auction and gala dinner. They convened at the Westin Bayshore Hotel to celebrate Asian art and raise funds for the outfit’s expansion in the historic Chinatown district.
Some 350 guests boarded the philanthropy train for the All You Need Is Love Gala, a fundraiser for The Looking Glass Foundation. The B.C. charity was created in 2002 to put a spotlight on eating disorders and ensure those who are suffering have access to the support and recovery they need— including access to Canada’s first publicly funded residential treatment facility. Guests contributed to a buzzworthy $380,000 night.
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1 Looking Glass Foundation founders Deborah Grimm and Dolores Elliott with party emcee Tamara Stanners. 2 Patty Yoon, Lauren Jennings and Hannah Robinson from St. Paul’s Hospital’s adult eating disorders unit. 3 Former client and keynote speaker Tyson Busby and Looking Glass Foundation chair Malcolm Leitch. 4 Jeremy Nickel and his wife Carrie of Stanley Park Brewing were among the many sponsors supporting the cause. 5 Looking Glass executive director Stacey Huge and board member Debbie Slattery.
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1 Gala emcee Conor Wylie and Centre A executive director and curator Tyler Russell. 2 Centre A’s founding director Hank Bull and deputy director and event organizer Natalie Tan. 3 Artist Tetsuro Shigematsu and Vancouver Art Gallery’s Debra Zhou. 4 Multimedia artist Paul Wong and art philanthropist Bruce Munro Wright. 5 Gu Xiong and Byron Peters have both exhibited at Centre A. 6 Adad Hannah’s polka dot print was among a dozen on the auction block. 7 Contributing artists Janice Wu and Gabi Dao.
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ILLUSTRATION: NIMA GHOL AMI
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REFLECTING VANCOUVER
A SHERATON CLUB STAY IS MORE THAN A ROOM. The Wall Centre’s Club rooms are more than just an upgrade. Each Club Level Room comes with tailored VIP services and exclusive access to our panoramic Sheraton Club Lounge which offers stunning ocean views, an outside patio and food service. A Club Level room is the ideal upgrade to truly enjoy our city.
www.wallcentre.com
1088 BURRARD STREET VANCOUVER, BC V6Z 2R9 | (604) 331-1000
2018 Van Mag.indd 2
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CIT Y INFORMER
What’s Inside the Towers on the Burrard Street Bridge? BY
Stacey McLachlan Byron Eggenschwiler
ILLUSTRATION BY
WITH THE VACANCY RATE at an alltime low, it’s only natural that one would start to look around for more creative housing opportunities. Or at least that’s why I first began taking a closer look at the towers on the Burrard Street Bridge. I mean, you can’t beat the location, and the Art Deco look is very hot right now. (Like The Great Gatsby! But just imagine if Gatsby lived inside a bridge! Wait, did he live in a bridge? I have not read the book.) The now-four-lane bridge is as spectacular today as when it officially opened for business on Canada Day, 1932. To celebrate, a seaplane flew underneath it, and guests at a Hotel Vancouver reception admired a sugar replica of the structure: in my opinion, the ideal ways to celebrate any momentous occasion, from birthdays to brises. The only downside to living in these towers is that they don’t have room for a queen-sized bed or humansized people, because they are, if you want to get technical about it, full of cables. Yes, it turns out that the steel truss bridge towers were not designed as affordable waterfront bachelor suites just steps from the downtown core, but rather as a disguise for the things that—excuse me while I get
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They were not designed as affordable waterfront bachelor suites. scientific for a moment—stop the bridge-bridge from fally-downy. I have lived with roommates whom I would’ve gladly traded for a steel truss (because at least a steel truss wouldn’t drink all my beer), so I am still not discounting these “masonry chic” units as viable options. But this bridge did appear on a Canada Post stamp in 2011, so the landlord would probably feel entitled to charge a little more even though there’s no in-suite laundry, and also the general public are not legally “allowed inside the towers,” which makes it challenging to even submit a tenancy application. Hope may not be entirely lost, though, for an enterprising apartment-
hunter or modern troll. There’s a hidden stairwell on the south end of the bridge that provides access to Kits Point, but it was only open for two months before people started causing trouble in the secluded space and the city’s Department of This-Is-WhyWe-Can’t-Have-Nice-Things had to close it for safety. But if you like living on the edge—and by “living on the edge” I mean “trespassing and squatting”—this zero-bed, zero-bath walkup has high ceilings and chic concrete finishes that would cost you $2,500 a month if it were in Yaletown. Got a question for City Informer? stacey.mclachlan@vanmag.com
YOUR MONEY GOES FURTHER
We may be your point of departure, but all profits stay right here in Vancouver. In fact, with your help, we’ve floated over $1 million per year to local community partners including the Pacific Salmon Foundation to help protect one of our most important resources. Learn more about what we do at yvr.ca/en/about-yvr
WITH YOU IN MIND
WELL- EQUIPPED FROM
$24,995*
IT’S AN SUV. BUT WITH A TRUNK. The 2018 Subaru Legacy. The Sport Utility Sedan. The versatility of All-Wheel Drive, impressive cargo space, but built lower to the ground for improved handling. Some would call it impossible. We call it the Sport Utility Sedan. Learn more at subaru.ca/sus
*MSRP of $24,995 on 2018 Legacy 4dr Sdn 2.5i CVT (JA2 25). MSRP excludes Freight & PDI of $1,650. Taxes, license, registration and insurance are extra. $0 security deposit. Model shown is 2018 Legacy 4dr Sdn 2.5i Limited w/ Eyesight CVT (JA2 LPE) with an MSRP of $33,795. Dealers may sell for less or may have to order or trade. Prices may vary in Quebec. Vehicle shown solely for purposes of illustration, and may not be equipped exactly as shown. See Owner’s Manual for complete details on system operation and limitations. See your local Subaru dealer for details. Legacy and Subaru are registered trademarks.