I have grown so accustomed to excellent cocktails in Gastown and the impeccable bar service at the Diamond, L’Abbatoir, Boneta, the Pourhouse and others that I was literally shocked at Glowbal in Yaletown. I expect douchbaggery at such places, but with such inflated prices and attitude, I was offended when the bartender was too busy flirting with the wait staff to notice his customers and when white wine was poured with such contempt that it had head. Indelicate cocktails were being thrown together and poured over huge quantities of horrible ice and served with straws and I shuddered at seeing whip cream being used to obscure shot glass monstrosities. Glowbal bills their restaurant the essential Yaletown experience and I am not one to disagree. See you guys in Gastown.

Last week I took the inaugural modern Chinatown tour with Vancouver Food Tour. Ranked the #1 thing to do in Vancouver on Trip Advisor, Vancouver Food Tours is run by Melody Fury, who I have to disclose is a close friend. Melody runs all kinds of food and drink tours and is an insider’s insider in the food scene. She is also a judge at this year’s Chinese Restaurant Awards and an excellent cook. You can read her blog at gourmetfury.com.

Food and drink tours are a growing trend in many cities. Melody’s tours make the best and most interesting restaurants and bars available to everyone, providing tourists and locals with a unique opportunity to visit a number of establishments in one go, tasting delicious drinks and food along the way and never having to worry about getting lost or paying the bill. And at every place we stopped we were given personal attention from the restaurant staff.

The rest of the details are secret, so if this sounds like fun or if you have visitors in town, you should definitely consider booking one of the tours from Vancouverfoodtour.com. And don’t forget to tip well!

(Mel’s Abbey Road Shot)

I love Korean food and often complain that I can’t find much in Vancouver. Cho Sun proves that sometimes you just have to leave gastown. On Kingsway, the dining room is charmingly down market and the prices match. The food is delicious and plentiful with excellent BBQ, Bibimbap and Pa-jeon (korean pancake). I want to go here again soon!

Cho Sun B.B.Q. Korean Restaurant

(604) 434-1222
3486 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC V5R

I am cheating on my new healthy lunch regime and going for the deluxe chirashi don at @sushizeroone! My favorite!

I was impressed on my first trip to Seasons in the Park (@SeasonsInQEPark) and it was easy to imagine Clinton and Yelstin using it for private meetings in 1993. The view was impressive but we were there to enjoy some Blue Mountain wines. (@BlueMtnWinery)

My quick notes were that the Brut was crisp, the Pinot Blanc complex and punchy and the Pinot had a surpising depth to it. I am loving Blue Mountain wines and look forward to undertaking more “research”! Currently you can buy Blue Mountain Wines directly from the winery, in some private wine stores, and in select restaurants.

I forgot to bring a camera but got some photos on my blackberry of the food. We were served a Foi Gras with apricot chutney and Vanilla Poached Pear, Smoked Alaskan Sablefish, Lamb Chop, Ahi Tuna and a Kushi Oyster with Salmon Mouse to finish.

A few weeks ago I was excited to attend a BBQ competition put on by the Swallow Tail Supper Club. Set up in the expansive back garden were 5 stations of great BBQ and booze pairings. Stations were run by a mix of pro and amateur chefs, all throwing in to benefit Growing Chefs, a non-profit that brings chefs into elementary schools.

A Serbian roast pig was the most visually impressive, but what had people talking was the Tur-duck-cor-quail-con-in. The product of an all-nighter, this turkey contained a duck around a Cornish game hen, around a quail filled with bacon and pork belly. If that wasn’t enough, we had delicious ribs, dreamy steak tacos, a seafood bite, chocolate fondants and cookies. The Tur-duck-cor-quail-con-in took top prize and a $250 gift certificate that they auctioned off for charity.

Six Acres
203 Carrall Street
Vancouver, BC V6B2J2, Canada
(604) 488-0110
sixacres.ca