I was recently invited to participate in a new North Shore foodie offering, a Lower Lonsdale culinary walking tour guided by Taste Vancouver Food Tours. I’ll be honest, I was initially sceptical about it.
I have always been averse to tours. The act of walking in a group, being directed, having my experiences curated and my photo opportunities scripted: it just doesn’t jibe with my personal definition of adventure. When I visit somewhere new, I like to get lost and to have minimal structure to my schedule, clearing the way for whatever might arise organically.
By and large my approach has paid massive dividends, resulting in spontaneous moments of gloriously eye-opening, transformational discovery that have helped define me as a person. Like the time I trusted a stranger in Kolkata who promised to show me parts of his city I wouldn’t likely stumble upon on my own; the colours, scents and images I saw that day are firmly deposited into my bank of core memories.
Or when I gave into an impulse in Tokyo and dined at a Roppongi-district izakaya populated by hard-looking dudes covered in traditional irezumi tattoos; by the end of the night I was shouting “kanpai” and sharing shochu with a crowd that may or may not have been yakuza.
But a couple of summers ago, on a trip to Scotland, I did join a tour. My wife DJ signed me up, giving me a day off from parenting. Reluctantly, I hopped a bus and was soon underway. I’m so glad DJ prodded me to go.
Here’s what I found: while I may not have had my usual moment of spontaneous, euphoric discovery, I nevertheless ended up with a much deeper sense of historical context for the sites I visited. Short of going home to research every street, building, beach, pier and hamlet afterwards, there is simply no way I could have unearthed the rich and compelling stories that lay beneath the surface of each spot on the tour.
With this insight in mind, I agreed to attend Taste Vancouver Food Tours, Lower Lonsdale edition, and joined a group of about a dozen other foodies to explore what the bustling neighbourhood had to offer.
Now, it should be said that I am uniquely poised to already be very familiar with the eateries of Lower Lonsdale, so my experience of the tour is going to be much different than most. I had, in fact, already been to each of the venues on the itinerary and, in all but one case, have written about them for this column. For me, then, the most fascinating aspect of this event was the trivia and history surrounding the venues and their respective locations.
There were indeed a few kernels of wisdom about the neighbourhood with which I was previously unfamiliar, including a few compelling stories about characters who once walked The Shipyards and left their indelible mark on our collective heritage.
Most of the stops on the tour took place within Lonsdale Quay. I suspect that’s because the tour is in its infancy and has launched in autumn; this is a strategic move on the part of operators to keep participants warm and dry in our notoriously torrential neck of the woods. Additionally, there are a lot of great stories in the Quay.
Of particular interest to me was the opportunity to hear from the ownership and management of the various venues speak about their businesses, about the origins and motivators that got things started. So often I am not afforded this chance as I visit venues anonymously for my reviews.
A slice of signature Pear and Brie pizza at Bowen Island Pizza Company, for example, was accompanied by an anecdote from owner Melanie McCready that made the experience so much more intimate and personal. For a moment, I felt invested in her success.
The Salmon Shop’s owner Costa Zogaris offered our group some insight into the nuanced technique that informs his smoked fish products, including the revelation that there is professional certification for the skill.
We heard from the passionate staffers at the Artisan Wine Shop who were exceptionally well-informed about their VQA-only products, and then enjoyed a top-notch Sunday lunch-style spread at Sharkey’s Chophouse, which has made a name for itself not just for its butchery, but also for its hearty, ready-to-eat meals featuring roasts and all the trimmings for an exceptionally good price relative to the size and quality of the meal.
Other Quay stops included The Soup Meister, and Cilantro and Jalapeno, the fresh-made wares of which have also been featured in these pages.
Beyond the Quay, we sampled deep-fried pickles and craft beer at nearby Tap & Barrel, succulent squid and light prosecco at Pier 7, gluten-free, vegan patisserie at Two Daughters Bakeshop and then concluded with tasty bites from El Dorado Pie & Treats back in the Quay.
I would suggest this tour is a good way to introduce out-of-towners to a little taste of what is happening here across the inlet, giving them a high-level sampling of fare that would likely be cost prohibitive to try at full à la cart prices.
My hope is that as the tour gains traction, organizers will be able to get on-board a few more of Lower Lonsdale’s great independent spots.
Taste Vancouver Food Tours are $59 per person, last about two hours, and can be booked at tastevancouverfoodtours.com.
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. He earned his sommelier diploma in 2001.He can be reached via email at hungryontheshore@gmail.com. North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously and all meals are paid for by the newspaper.
