Tiny Bites - a Vancouver food blog

A taste of Victoria with Coast Hotels & Resorts

3 Comments Karen HamiltonJuly 15, 2009

This article contains the first of several Early Bird Blogathon 2009 prize giveaways.

Valued at $200, you don’t want to miss your chance to win this Victoria loot bag nor miss an opportunity to support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. Read on or skip to the contest details.

Last month, Coast Hotels & Resorts invited me to a weekend media tour of one of my favourite BC destinations: Victoria. It had been ages since I was last there, with international travel and family holidays to Winnipeg getting priority, but Victoria will always hold a special place in my heart for being an affordable romantic getaway while my husband and I dated in university.

I’m admittedly unfamiliar with the food to be found in the city despite frequent discussions on the subject with work-week Victoria resident, Bruce Nguyen. This seemed like a great opportunity to take in long-forgotten sights and sample our host’’s recommended eateries. So with my CA husband in the throes of the corporate tax crunch, I grabbed design partner Jason Lau and joined other Vancouver new media invitees for a 2-day spin of BC’s capital.

There are already so many retellings of this jaunt to the Island. Check out the accounts of the other bloggers on this tour:

• Arieanna & Ianiv
• John Bollwitt
• Rebecca Bollwitt
• Anny Chih
• April Smith
• Duane Storey

Because of this, I’ll focus on the eating adventures that Jason and I had along the way.

Coffee stop at Tsawwassen Quay Market

Our travel set of 14 met groggily one Friday morning at the steps of the Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites by Denman and Comox. After being greeted by our hosts, Sherry and Danny, we boarded our chartered bus towards the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal.

Our arrival was deliberately early, giving us enough time to have our first communal caffeine intake at the Salt Spring Island Coffee booth in Tsawwassen Quay Market. I was personally excited to be at the Quay again. During last year’s excursion to Victoria, I had discovered its stretch of boutiques and eateries, becoming particularly enamored with the aesthetics of the Oh Gelato counter.

I was looking forward to a gelato treat before boarding our ferry, but with everyone else going for coffee and me still keen on hiding my pregnancy, the strange looks I was getting for wanting gelato this early made me nervous about indulging my cravings. Oh well – next time!

Pacific Buffet brunch with BC Ferries

We made a beeline for the stern once we boarded our ferry, where we had a brunch date with Pacific Buffet.

It was happy to see an endless flow of har gow and siu mai – two dim sum favourites that I didn’t expect to find in a West Coast buffet service. I happily took my fill of those, along with sides of spinach salad and fresh fruit to balance the meaty with the healthy. Despite the occasional trip-ups forced upon us by the boat’s rollicks, we all managed to eat several helpings before going deck-side for a photowalk.

Tipsy trials at Sea Cider

It was a good thing that we did stuff ourselves on the ferry, as our first Island-side stop consisted of a comprehensive tour and tasting of Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse. Arieanna and I, unable to partake in the cider tastings, sipped on our sparkling lavender water and green pear tea while witnessing the sure inebriation of the rest of our group. By all accounts, the ciders indeed impressed:  9 varieties ranging from dry to dessert, $12 – $25. Our table were big fans of the $17 Rumrunner and the best-selling $15 Pippins.

We toured the rest of the facility and observed cider-making in action with co-owner Kristen Jordan before returning to Victoria and checking into our hotel. Happily surprised that our in-room welcome package contained a bottle of Sea Cider’s Kings & Spies: an off-dry, Brittany-style cider made from heritage apples care of the Life Cycles fruit tree project.

Room service fun at Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel

Checking into our room on the 9th floor of Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel called for an immediate investigation of their room service menu. While Jason admired the view of the harbour from our balcony, I rang up for fries with double helpings of ketchup (yet another inexplicable craving I experienced throughout this trip).

Our room was well stocked with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, but our mini-fridge was empty and the ice rooms were only on even floors. When room service arrived with my fries, I mentioned my reticence to travel a floor for ice for my tap water, and returned to the room later to find that turn-down service sent us bottles of water for our bedsides and a tin of Jelly Bellies to boot. I’d never turn down a chocolate on my pillow, but I must say that a tin of jellybeans that we could tote with us was an even nicer treat.

Scouring the booths of the BC Wine and Oyster Fest

We only had enough time to unpack and down said fries before heading out to the lobby floor for the 15th annual BC Wine and Oyster Fest – dubbed “Star Shuck” if you were to believe the accompanying tasting booklet.

The $50 admission was comped by Coast Hotels & Resorts – a good thing for me, as I was unable to eat or drink most of the offerings at hand. Jason, on the other hand, agreed to taste a selection of whites and rosés for me. With nearly 60 BC wineries represented, there was much to choose from. I suggested visits to some of my favourites: Road 13, Township 7, Thornhaven, Dirty Laundry, and Joie. Jason introduced me conceptually to the fruit wines of Elephant Island. We both discovered Vancouver Island wineries such as Dragonfly Hill and Averill Creek. No representation from my favourite Island vintner, Venturi-Schulze, but Saturday at Spinnakers made up for that.

Still, I cheated on my diet with as many oysters as my morning sickness could handle. A particularly disagreeable one of the BBQed variety also gave me an excuse to sip the funk away with a heavenly rinse of Joie’s Noble Blend. Beyond these indiscretions, I picked at the veggie platters and haunted the chocolate fountain until it was time to head out for a proper meal. (I heard that others were less excited about and/or capable of gallivanting outside the hotel after our cider afternoon and this wine fest – room service may have been pleased with our group’s patronage that evening!)

Asian fare at The Noodle Box

Some of our number made use of the hotel shuttle to head to The Noodle Box on Douglas Street, since the one in the more picturesque neighbourhood of Chinatown was jam packed. Even at the Douglas location, we were lucky to scoop up a table large enough for the 7 of us. The view was hard to beat: I snapped photos of the flames that shot out of the open kitchen’s woks as the rest ordered various stir-frys of the Asian persuasion.

Sorry – not many photos of the food were taken. I was too busy wolfing down my shanghai beef noodles and enjoying the dinner conversation. I do recall Elisa enjoying her enormous serving of Tom Kah Gai while Angela and Anny were underwhelmed by their choice of roti. Overall, it was serviceable enough for me to ponder a visit of  The Noodle Box in Kitsilano.

Adventures at Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub

Day 2 started with a fruit-filled breakfast at the hotel and an amiable walk over to the Royal BC Museum. All that walking around got everyone hungry, so we jumped on the Victoria Harbour Ferry – the city’s Aquabus counterpart – to the local institution that is Spinnakers.

It was at Spinnakers that we got to know Tourism Victoria ambassador Kelsey Ewart, who treated us to a multi-course meal as we tasted Vancouver Island wines and Spinnakers’ homebrews. Arieanna and I were provided with pregnancy-friendly menu alternatives while the others ate through platters of mussels and clams, local raw cheeses, pork and mushroom risotto, and more.  My envy peaked as the table downed several offerings from Venturi-Schulze; happily, we were given license to sample the house chocolates that came paired with the Spinnakers beer trio.

After a tour of the properties that Spinnakers had amassed over the years, I picked up one of each chocolate that Spinnakers made in-house for the Victoria loot bag that I’m giving away to one of you, plus extras for my husband that I thought he might enjoy: truffles infused with scotch, tequila, chili, lavender, and more.

Tea at the Empress

Afternoon tea at the Empress was the culinary highlight of my trip – worth every penny of the $65 plus tax and tip that I was originally reluctant to spare. I shall reserve further comment for a separate post as part of my High Tea Series. Watch out for that article at 4pm during Blogathon 2009 by next week, as I have a separate giveaway planned for it.

If you want to feel like a princess, this is one of the best ways to do it in Victoria.

Victoria Tweetup at Ogden Point Cafe

After sleeping off the coma induced by our food-filled afternoon, the visiting Vancouver Twitter folk went to Ogden Point Cafe to introduce ourselves to the Victoria Twitter scene. I mostly got to chat with @howlabit and @lacouvee as we took in the view of the harbouring cruise ships and shared a pint or coffee mug with our Island cronies.

A dark dinner at Sauce

On the recommendation of those that gathered at the Victoria Tweetup, 2 camps of diners headed over to Government to dine at Sauce. Think Milestones mediocrity in a space lit like a dungeon.

Well, that was what my table thought, at least. The other table, situated across the restaurant from us, seemed to enjoy their meal just fine. Personally, I regretted the decision to go with the crowd instead of eating at Red Fish, Blue Fish, a place that Vancouver Island correspondent Bruce so ardently admires.

Breakfast highlights at Blue Crab Bar & Grill

Sunday morning in Victoria was sad and brief, with just enough time to eat a hot breakfast at the hotel’s Blue Crab Bar & Grill.

The more adventurous of us took up Anny’s pre-breakfast amuse bouche: bacon and cheese crickets that she picked up as a souvenir from the Victoria Bug Zoo. My tasting notes? Like bacon bits, with legs.

Cravings and solace in Seawest Lounge

Our return to Vancouver didn’t include another Pacific Buffet brunch, but we did get to camp in the quiet of Seawest Lounge and select from its complimentary dailies and snacks. That wasn’t enough for my appetite, so I snuck over to the cafeteria and smuggled in a White Spot Legendary burger, a large helping of root beer, and a massive side of pickles (surprisingly, a dozen of these babies only cost me 99 cents).

Photo courtesy of Danny Dang

The allure of my fast food got to a few of the people around me, causing a mini-exodus to the same cafeteria for burgers of their own. I chuckled at the way we ended our gastronomic weekend with a burger and fries, and held a bigger smile still for the moments we all shared as Mainlanders in Victoria.

Let me give you a taste of Victoria!

Would you like a Victoria goodie bag to enjoy for your next journey to the Island? Take a look at this first of several Early Bird Blogathon giveaways:

• Swag and $50 gift card from our weekend host, Coast Hotels & Resorts
• 1 pass for the Royal BC Museum and the Imax Theatre
• Road, trail, and walking maps of Victoria and beyond
• Complete gamut of Spinnakers’ housemade chocolate truffles (12 varieties)
• Package of 10 two-cup tea bags of Empress Quality Tea Blend
• 1 bottle of Sea Cider’s Kings & Spies cider*
• Tin of Jelly Belly jellybeans

This prize is valued at approximately $200 and should give you another reason to head out to Victoria this summer to take in the sights.

How you can win

Anyone* that helps us give to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society for Blogathon 2009 has the opportunity to win this Victoria goodie bag. See full rules and eligibility below.

1. By day’s end on July 24, 2009, every $10 that you donate towards Tiny Bites’ Blogathon drive for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society grants you 1 entry to the draw. If you donate $50, that equals 5 entries for you and $50 x 3 = $150 worth of food for the people that the Food Bank helps. Doesn’t that just give you the warm fuzzies?
2. After you donate, book a stay with Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel in Victoria’s Inner Harbour to earn 10 bonus entries to this draw. Try this special package for Tiny Bites readers or design a stay of your choosing – it’s up to you!
3. Please contact us about your donation and/or bookings before July 25th so that we can make sure you get all the entries that you deserve.
4. The winner will be announced at 1:30pm on July 25, 2009, while Bruce is on shift for Blogathon 2009.

* While we would be happy to ship this prize to anyone that is eligible (above), only those that can pick up their prize can be given the bottle of Sea Cider Kings & Spies. Canada Post is pretty stuffy about mailing alcohol about – sorry.

Categories: Beyond Vancouver, Canada, Events, Food, Food Purveyors, Restaurants, Travel, Vancouver Island, Victoria, Wine

Langley goodie giveaway results

1 Comment Karen HamiltonJune 22, 2009

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the Langley Circle Farm Tour. Everyone that posted an eligible comment was put into random.org for a chance to win the Langley goodie bag you see below:

 

• Mini-bottle of Domaine de Chaberton’s Chaberton Cuvée Blanc
• 200ml jar of Vista D’oro rhubarb and vanilla artisanal preserve
• Keychain from Erikson’s Daylily Gardens
• Lavender lip balm and body/environment spray from Tuscan Farm Gardens
• Tour and personal wine & cheese party for 4 care of Fort Wine Company
• Tourism Langley tote bag and trinkets
• Info on the Langley participants plus all of the Circle Farm Tours available in the rest of BC

And the winner is…

Congratulations, Jemmen! I will be contacting you by email to arrange drop-off or shipment of your goodie bag.

There will be more giveaways this year as I explore the other Circle Farm Tours and culinary destinations in British Columbia. If you didn’t win this time, stay tuned for the next one.

Categories: Canada, Food, Food Purveyors, Travel

Tiny Bites does the Langley Circle Farm Tour circuit

25 Comments Karen HamiltonJune 15, 2009

I love being a tourist in my own province. Our region’s agricultural plenty makes me feel so lucky to live in BC, and meeting the people behind our farms, gardens, and local businesses makes it even easier to support them with my dollars. However, my wanderlust had a more international focus up till recent years, and despite eyeing the 6 self-guided Circle Farm Tours every summer, I had never made it a priority to do one.

Thanks to Tourism Langley, I finally got the chance to try one out this year (and I promise that this tour won’t be the last). Take a look at our day-long sojourn into the growers’ heart of Langley, British Columbia.

Our Circuit

Aldor Acres Dairy Centre

After breakfast at the nearby Holiday Inn Express and a warm welcome from Tourism Vancouver, our group hopped on a West Coast Sightseeing bus towards Aldor Acres Dairy Centre. We were promptly steered to the stables behind the Visitor’s Centre to feed the cows and snap photos of a few of the newer members of the herd.

Inside, we learned how to milk Claire (above) and had a sampling of finished product in the form of chocolate milk. As we sipped at our drinks, we were entertained by the bottle feeding of Claire’s calf, Rusty, who in his eagerness attempted to board the bus as we made ready for our next stop.

More on Aldor Acres Dairy Centre:

• Daily tours at 4pm – pre-booking of your visit is required
• $9 general admission with discounts for large groups and schools

Driediger Farms

Meet Rhonda Driediger, whose family has been running Driediger Farms and its U-Pick operation since the 1960s. As the farm hadn’t opened its doors to U-Pick visitors in time for our visit, Rhonda hopped onto our bus for a quick hello and a passing out of an entire blueberry pie for each guest. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the natural sweetness of the blueberry and its flaky crust for days after my return from the tour. 

More on Driediger Farms:

• U-Pick season open this year on June 15, 2009 (read what to bring with you to the farm)
• Berries available for the picking: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, red and black currants, gooseberries
• Recommended berry handling and recipes

Krause Berry Farms

Next was neighbour Krause Berry Farms, another U-Pick destination in the Circle Farm Tour family. Many on the bus were already familiar with this destination; hopes were high that the famously towering Krause berry pies were already on sale.

Pies were indeed in the freezer as we scurried inside for a seat, with Alf and Sandee Krause warning us to pre-order for Father’s Day. In front of each place setting was a shortcake bursting with strawberries and cupfuls of coffee to go with. I downed half of mine before exploring the rest of the Porch and the U-Pick fields beyond. I cannot wait to return once the farm opens on June 18th.

More on Krause Berry Farms:

• This year’s U-Pick season officially opens on Thursday, June 18, 2009
• Come by on Canada Day and enjoy a free pancake breakfast and meet farm animals Jake, Jerry, Laddy, and Squeaky
• Come by on July 19, 2009 for the annual Farmer’s Feast, featuring many of Langley’s local farmers 

Erikson’s Daylily Gardens

Another whistle stop visit, this time from Pam Erikson of Erikson’s Daylily Gardens. Since she was still getting the place ready for summertime showings, she told us how she achieved notoriety for bestowing the name of Crotchless Panties to one of her top-selling hybrids.

More on Erikson’s Daylily Gardens:

• Drop by their 8th annual Open House on July 4-5, 2009

JD Farms Specialty Turkey Store

Our bellies were still digesting the strawberry shortcake from Krause Berry Farms when we pulled into JD Farms for a lunch of turkey sandwiches and curried turkey & vegetable soup served with refreshing lavender lemonade.

For those that preferred to graze or mingle, booths ringed the patio, representing Circle Farm participants Vista D’oro, Full Bloom Farm, Fort Wine Company, and Tuscan Farm Gardens as well as the Langley Community Farmers Market, which opens on July 8th.

More on JD Farms:

• JD Farms’ turkey-rearing standards and certifications
• Comprehensive collection of community-rated turkey recipes with online roasting guide
• Find a JD Farms retailer near you

Full Bloom Farm

A quick pass of the beautiful property of Full Bloom Farm as owner and Registered Aromatherapist Robyn Wyman spoke to us about her lavender products, massage services, garden yoga, and more. 

More on Full Bloom Farm:

• See the lavender in bloom between June 15 – August 15, 2009
• Drop by for the Lavender Festival on July 4 & 5, 2009
• Sign up for Saturday yoga in Full Bloom Farm’s lovely garden (June 20 & 27, 2009)

If you haven’t tried it before, infuse some lavender into your lemonade next time. It was divine!

Domaine de Chaberton

My husband and I tasted Domaine de Chaberton last year in our day trip to see some of Langley’s wine producers. The visit this time around included a short tour of the vineyard and peeks into the processing facility and cellar. 

If you’d like to read more about the Langley Circle Farm Tour before planning your day trip, take a gander at others’ adventures in Langley and the full list of Langley participants:

• Langley Circle Farm Tour – My Urban Suburban
• Langley Circle Farm Tour – Fraser Valley Pulse
• The Langley tour – Circle Farm Tour website

Categories: Canada, Events, Food, Food Purveyors, Travel

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