THE east coast of North America has snared nearly all the publicity centred on the glories of touring during the Fall foliage season. But British Columbia is also a hot spot for watching Autumn leaves turn red, yellow or fiery orange. Vancouver makes a great base to begin a journey through one of nature’s most visually arresting spectacles, with the blaze of hues starting from mid-September.
Nicknamed Raincouver, the coastal city is encircled by mountains and is full of Insta-worthy coves and inlets. The bustling, culturally diverse port also has a major craft beer scene and is only a few hours’ drive from the vineyards and wineries of the Okanagan Valley and Vancouver Island.
Any guidebook or website will wax lyrical about Vancouver’s main attractions – Canada Place, the Seawall, English Bay and trendy Gastown and Yaletown. But for foodies Granville Island is a major magnet. Technically a peninsula, the area is full of seafood restaurants and also hosts one of the best fresh food markets in North America. Don’t be in too much of a rush, the Granville Island Public Market is a vast spread of seafood, artisanal cheeses and charcuterie and takes a good half day to explore.
Vancouver is a serious oyster town and “buck-a-shuck” happy hours are an institution in the city’s hundreds of oyster bars. For aficionados, Rodney’s Oyster House in Yaletown is a one-stop shop for more than 20 native oyster species such as kusshi, black pearl and Pacific kiss.
Vancouverites dress down in the main and the local “costume” is a puffer jacket or fleecy sweater for both sexes in the cooler months of the year. But the gourmet food scene has grown by geometric progression over the past 20 years. Published on Main was voted Canada’s Best Restaurant for 2022. The St Lawrence restaurant took out the third spot in this year’s rankings and Boulevard Kitchen came in at ninth spot to give Vancouver three out of the top 10 best restaurants in Canada.
Published on Main is helmed by Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson, a Manitoban who honed his skills at several Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany and a stint at the celebrated Noma in Copenhagen. The restaurant is split into two areas – the solarium with a more casual vibe and the wood-panelled dining room. The curated wine list centres on low intervention wines from Canada and around the world overseen by Jayton Paul, the 2022 British Columbian Sommelier of the Year, who caught the wine bug during a backpacking trip to New Zealand.
The menu is seasonal, of course, and listing descriptions are kept simple even though the finished dishes are artworks – aebleskiver (Danish pancake balls), wagyu beef carpaccio, Published fried chicken, Fraser Valley duck and jaegerschnitzel. Not to be missed and book before you leave Australia.
You will have to dress up for Hawksworth, one of Vancouver’s most glam restaurants. Modern Canadian cuisine with Asian flourishes is chef David Hawksworth’s guiding star from the constantly changing tasting menu to stalwarts like Korean glazed ling cod with orange lassi.
Laidback elegance is the prevailing mood at Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar in the iconic Sutton Place hotel in downtown Vancouver. Chef Alex Chen whips up innovative offerings such as halibut with charcoal, carrot puree and kombu butter sauce.
Hidekazu Tojo’s upmarket sushi pulls in celebs and foodies alike. His eponymously named restaurant – Tojo’s – is widely regarded as the top Japanese restaurant in Canada. It’s claimed that the famed Californian roll was invented here, using luxurious Dungeness crab. But if you want to sample French Canadian fare without travelling to the other side of the second largest country on the planet, St Lawrence dishes up a rustic Quebecois decor and top-class country-style dishes such as grilled beef with bone marrow and frites and trout almandine.
Fusion taken to the next level is the cash-in-hand at Kissa Tanto. The interior is retro Japanese jazz bar and the menu blends Japanese and Italian elements. Think gnocco fritto with kombu dashi and agnolotti with Tokyo leek, confit gizzard and tare sauce.
Vancouver was an early adopter of the craft beer craze and the city is awash with micro-breweries. Super Flux Beer Company in Clark Drive is as famous for its hot dogs as its beers. Top brews include Color & Shape, a hazy brew with hints of citrus and herbs, and Double Infinity IPA. Strathcona Beer Company is located in Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood and is a world beater. You will be keeping your phone busy recording images of the decor – neon everywhere – and for the standout brews such as Smash Bombs Double IPA.
Luppolo Brewing Co is an Italian-inspired craft brewery with a top-class pizzeria. The most-ordered brews are gose with lime, New World Sour and Vivace Saison a moreish pale ale with mandarin undertones.
The Okanagan Valley is far and away British Columbia’s most famous wine region, but it’s a five-hour drive from Vancouver. Vancouver Island is much closer – take a train from downtown and then catch a ferry for the 90-minute onward journey. Vines have been planted here since the 1920s but things really started moving about 30 years ago. Thanks to innovative young winemakers, Vancouver Island now boasts 30 wineries and is also home to the provincial capital, Victoria, so a three day tour is a worthwhile side trip.
Church & State Wines is Vancouver island’s largest winery and is surrounded with stunning scenery. The Foundation Sauvignon Blanc is a standout with bright acidity and ripe mango and passionfruit notes.
Sea Star Vineyards is one of the most unique wineries in the area – one of the growing areas is on Mount Menzies and the other slopes down to a beach. Tastings and tours are available daily and some of the award-winning varietals include riesling, pinot noir and pinot gris.
The Cowichan Valley is Canada at its most majestic. That’s where you will also find Enrico Winery, whose wines have been awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence in British Columbia. There’s a wide variety of fruit whites and big reds to sample but be sure to try the Charme de L’ Ile sparkling wine made by the Charmat method used in prosecco making – soft and fruity with hints of strawberry and grapefruit.