Vancouver Magazine, October2017

Did Leonard Nimoy Actually Live in That Tree-Topped West End Penthouse?

LIFE ON THE OUTSIDE: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER 30 YEARS IN PRISON

50* Years!

YOU R T ORON T O T R AV E L G U I DE // R E D HO T FA S H ION PIC K S // T H E R E V I E W: B AU H AU S , R E V I S I T E D // & M OR E

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Eat City

Your A to Z guide to the best bites in town.

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Pies, sandwiches, bao buns, sushi and more dishes we love.

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VA N M AG . C O M

COVER PHOTO, CAKE AND EGG: CLINTON HUSSE Y; FOOD ST YLING BY L AWREN MONETA . AT ISSUE: JEFF TOPHAM. CIT Y INFORMER: BYRON EGGENSCHWILER . GRE Y GARDENS: JENNA MARIE WAK ANI. .PERSONAL SPACE: CARLO RICCI.

O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7 // VO LU M E 5 0 // N U M B E R 8

FE ATURE

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Eat the City We’ve got your A to Z guide to the best dishes, restaurants, chefs and hidden gems right here.

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Play

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City 13 At Issue How ex-prisoners are helping ex-prisoners.

16 City Informer The truth about the West End’s treetopped Eugenia Place.

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18 Future of the City Can infrastructure and architecture affect citizen happiness?

Taste 23 The Dish The triumphant return of devilled eggs.

24 Reviews Bauhaus celebrates its second birthday, and a new taco spot finds a home in the West End.

49 The Destination Where to eat, play and eat some more on your next Toronto trip.

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54 Personal Space Inside the West Coast home of an Oscar nominee.

56 Hot Take These fashion picks have us seeing red.

58 Throwback Our favourite October covers from the archives.

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General Manager | Publisher Dee Dhaliwal Editorial Director Anicka Quin Art Director Paul Roelofs Executive Editor Stacey McLachlan Senior Editor Jessica Barrett Food Editor Neal McLennan Associate Art Director Natalie Gagnon Associate Editor Julia Dilworth Assistant Art Director Jenny Reed Staff Writer Kaitlyn Gendemann Videographer Mark Philps Contributing Editor Amanda Ross Editorial Interns Christine Beyleveldt, Lexy Dien, Alec Regino, Aryn Strickland Art Intern Lydhia-Marie Bolduc-Gosselin Editorial Email mail@vanmag.com Account Managers Judy Johnson, Jenny Miller, Manon Paradis Sales Coordinator Theresa Tran Production Manager Lee Tidsbury Advertising Designer Swin Nung Chai Marketing & Events Manager Dale McCarthy Event Coordinator Kaitlyn Lush Marketing Intern Rachel Cheng Online Coordinator Leah Webb Sales Email t.tran@vanmag.com Vancouver Office Suite 560, 2608 Granville St. Vancouver, B.C., V6H 3V3 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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EX CEPTIONA L IND OOR & OUTD OOR FUR NIS H INGS

ED NOTE

Is there a better way to explore this city?

I WAS OUT FOR DRINKS with friends last night at an old haunt, the Bayside Lounge, where the excellent happy-hour Caesars play a cool second fiddle to the view over English Bay. (The cracked leather seats are just part of the bar’s charm.) Conversation ran from weekend plans to the Vancouver usual: real estate and all its facets. One particular point of discussion was a new high-rise development that’s about to replace an old block of stores in the area, and one of our friends—who just that day had finished relocating from Gastown to the West End—confused the location, thinking the block was on Denman Street instead of Davie. In response to our teasing, he justified his mistake: “Give me a break,” he said. “I just moved to this neighbourhood.”

We’re a city of neighbourhoods, and it’s fair to say that while most of us get to know all the great spots around the corner, our mental maps get a bit fuzzier once we step outside our home borders. When we do, though, it’s always worth the trip, because there’s nothing quite like the delight of discovering a new-toyou spot in some far corner of the city.

For our annual food issue, food editor Neal McLennan is here to help you do just that. With this issue’s A to Z guide (“Eat the City,” page 27), he’s gathered up a checklist that you can use to get out beyond your own backyard and expand your taste map of Vancouver. You’ll find those hot spots that are creating new classics in this city (St. Lawrence’s rice pudding, for one, manages to renew this most vintage of desserts), as well as the old-time stalwarts around town that you need to know about (including one of my beloved haunts, the European Deli on Davie, where the hummus is so incredibly rich and creamy it takes all my willpower not to stand by the counter and eat it with a spoon).

Because whether you’re new to your ’hood or have an itch to set out and explore someone else’s, isn’t food truly the greatest way to venture outside of what you already know? And it’s even better when you can be surprised by something amazing that’s been there all along, right under your nose—even in your very own neighbourhood.

Coming Up Next Issue Reasons to Love Vancouver There are a million reasons to love this city (hello, mountain views and nonstop sushi!), but we’re zeroing in on this unique moment in time to celebrate what’s been surprising, endearing, delightful and inspiring about this place we call home in 2017.

Let It Snow Is it already holiday season?

We head to Grouse to play in the snow, plus, our annual gift guide is filled with fashion picks and style splurges—our wish list to make shopping a breeze this winter.

On the Web Wedding Bells Wedding season may be months away, but the planning starts now... and VanMag.com is packed with insider tips spotlighting the best local venues, florals, bridal trends and more.

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VA N M AG .C O M/C I T Y

City Larry Howett emerged from prison nearly 20 years ago to find an unrecognizable world. Now he offers his insight to support other ex-inmates coping with the stress of adjusting to freedom.

AT ISSUE

Life on the Outside

JEFF TOPHAM

For newly released inmates, the free world can be a confounding and isolating place. A new UBC study is attempting to change that by connecting them with peers who’ve managed to find their way.

BY

Amy O’Brian

ON THE DAY Larry Howett got out of prison, he was faced with something he had never seen before: an automated ticket dispenser at a SkyTrain station. As he quietly watched a couple push some buttons and buy their tickets, a pair of young men tried to pick a fight with him over a cigarette.

“I said to them, ‘I’ve done more time than you’ve been alive. Don’t make me go back in for smacking you.’” Instead of unleashing his fists, Howett walked away. The choice was a new one for him.

If he’d still been in prison—where he spent 31 years, 10 months and 28 days—he would have hit someone, he says. But upon walking out the doors, he decided to leave the jailhouse attitude behind and tackle obstacles with a cool head.

Howett tells his story while standing among tidy rows of lettuce and chard in a greenhouse in Mission. Around him, men work the soil, carry tools with purpose, tend to the plants. “That guy was in for murder,” he says as someone walks by. “Your attitudes, beliefs and values j

VA N M A G . C O M O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7

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City

LOCAL C U LT U R E

AT I S S U E

are all things you need to change.

They get warped in prison.”

Howett stayed the course and has made a good life for himself in the 18 years since his release. Having spent nearly half his life in jail for drug-related offences and armed robbery, he now works as a mentor with long-time inmates transitioning to life outside. Howett meets them for coffee or lunch, joins them for meetings, and occasionally explores new activities with them, such as beekeeping at the Mission farm. He’s not there to judge or reprimand them if they make a mistake. He’s there to encourage them when they struggle, to offer hope.

His work is part of a research project based at the Collaborating Centre for Prison Health and Education (CCPHE), located within UBC’s School of Population and Public Health. The John Howard Society is a partner in the project, which aims to figure out how to support men as they transition from prison back into the community, and to determine whether peer mentorship is beneficial to their health. Evaluation of the men’s progress involves monthly follow-ups, surveys and discussion of their health goals. Results are set to be released this month, and the study’s

project of its kind in Canada. Preliminary findings of a similar study involving women indicate that those with mentors have fewer criminal charges in the first three months after their release compared to those with no mentor. Other research cited by the CCPHE shows high mortality rates following release from prison, particularly during the first few weeks of transition. Alienation, stigma, anxiety and depression are common.

Many of the men in the mentorship study have been in prison for decades. They come out not knowing how to use a touch screen or cellphone. Motion-sensor toilets and taps in public washrooms confuse them, Martin says. Filing taxes, getting a driver’s license and finding a doctor can be utterly overwhelming.

Some will commit crimes hoping to be sent back to prison, where they can find comfort in the familiar, adds Howett. “A lot of guys try to go back because it’s what they know. Nothing frustrates me more.”

But with the help of a mentor— someone who has been out of prison for at least two years and doesn’t use drugs or alcohol—the transition can be less daunting.

The mentoring project hosts regular forums on topics such as smart

Your attitudes, beliefs and values are all things you need to change.

They get warped in prison.”

— L A R RY

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Paul Weller The tireless 59-year-old “Modfather” is a living rock ’n’ roll legend in his native U.K., having logged more than 100 Top 40 entries as a solo artist and with his previous eradefining bands, the Jam and the Style Council. This year’s politically charged album, A Kind Revolution, brings him back to Vancouver for a two-night stand.

Commodore Ballroom, October 16 and 17 L AUGH

Nick Offerman Best known for his role as Parks and Recreation’s misanthropic libertarian, Ron Swanson, Offerman has a career in comedy dating back to 1990s Chicago, where he first made the acquaintance of a then equally unknown Amy Poehler. His Full Bush stand-up tour (fear not— the name is a reference to his beard) should be characteristically blunt, profane and hilarious.

The Orpheum, October 5

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Fighting for Space

HOW E T T

lead researcher, Dr. Ruth Elwood Martin, says one thing was clear from the beginning of the three-year project.

“When they come out [of prison], they are isolated, lonely. They want to connect with men who are doing well.

They want to be inspired,” she says.

While it may seem obvious that support and community are key to a healthy life, this is the first research

HE AR

phones, apps, naloxone kits and cooking. A workshop on juicing was a particularly big hit with the men.

“The men really, really want to be healthy,” Martin says. “If you’ve got a healthy mentor, it’s kind of like having a coach, or a big brother or sister.”

They want to see a bit of themselves in someone who’s made it, she adds.

“It all boils down to hope.”

The solution of Downtown Eastside activists to their community’s drug epidemic— treat addiction like a mentalhealth issue, not a crime—was once considered radical but is now being adopted worldwide. Long-time Georgia Straight staffer Travis Lupick traces the movement’s history and examines what it might help achieve at a time when fentanyl- and opioid-overdose deaths are sweeping the continent. Available October 1

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City

INFORMER

Did Leonard Nimoy Actually Live in That Tree-Topped Building? by

Stacey McLachlan Byron Eggenschwiler

illustration by

If you’ve been to English Bay, you’ve probably noticed the tower to the west that has a tree growing on top of it. Perhaps you have wondered, like thousands of other Vancouverites who forgot to bring a book to the beach, if Spock lived there. It’s only natural to be curious!

It’s unclear how the pervasive rumour that triple-threat actor, author and singer Leonard Nimoy lived at Eugenia Place (1919 Beach Avenue if we’re going to be formal about it) got started, but when you build a tower and plant an 11-meter pin oak on top of it, you’re going to attract some attention—like when you wear a statement hat on the bus. Nimoy passed away in 2015, so he obviously could not be reached for comment. His son, Adam, however, told me that to his knowledge his father never owned or lived in an apartment in the iconic tower.

Henriquez and Partners

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It’s unclear how the pervasive rumour about the actor got started. won a Governor General’s Award for Architecture for Eugenia, which was completed in 1987, but beyond generating celebrity scuttlebutt, it’s most notable for sparking intense discussions about tree maintenance. The giant oak was first plopped (that’s the technical architecture term) on top of the tower to represent the height of the cedars and firs that once stood on the site. Though this variety of oak can grow up to 30

meters, the size of the pot of soil (a measly 45,360 kilograms) keeps this particular plant stunted.

In the process of installing a tree in the sky, though, they really cursed the owner of the suite below it (who, just to be clear, is not the late, great Leonard Nimoy) forever. The only way to access the plant is via the penthouse, so arborists must pass through this presumably pricey suite each time they’re tending

to caterpillar infestations or whatever oak trees are into these days. But when it came time to remove the tree earlier this year after it was weakened by drought in 2015 (the same year Nimoy passed away . . . coincidence?!), they used a crane instead; the bill came to over $500,000 for the labour and materials alone. Looks like money trees do exist after all.

Got a question for City Informer? stacey.mclachlan@vanmag.com

1706 WEST 1ST AVE ARMOURY DISTRICT VANCOUVER 604 683 1116 LIVINGSPACE.COM

FUTURE OF THE CIT Y

How Do You Build Happy?

Charles Montgomery’s quest to understand happiness began with other emotions. The Vancouver author was angry when stuck in traffic on Kingsway; he felt alone surrounded by millions of people in Hong Kong; when he moved from Lillooet to Vancouver, he felt trapped. His inquiry into the connection between place and emotion led to the book Happy City, published in 2013—and ultimately to a successful consulting career that has taken him everywhere from the U.K. to Mexico City. So what’s the secret to a happy city? Start with keeping life local. by

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Petti Fong

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Q: A:

You went from being a skeptic to believing that cities have a role to play in people’s happiness. How have you changed in the four years since the book was published?

I was pessimistic. But I think we’re now seeing a movement of people who see the connection between land and capital and resilience and social justice. I see governments taking baby steps. Vancouver, like desirable cities around the world, is just waking up to this potential, as are places like London, New York, Mexico City, Hong Kong. They’re all searching for ways to keep the local strong. Cities flourish when they serve the people who live and work there.

Q: How is keeping “the local strong” building happier cities?

A: People who are able to remain in their communities form more supportive, trusting local relationships. Residents who enjoy robust security of tenure aren’t worried about being displaced during economic or other crises. This was something I wasn’t certain about at first, but as I pulled together evidence from environmental psychology I started to see a connection between the way things are built and the systems we create, and the evidence on human well-being.

ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION: LIGHT WISE; PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: JENNY REED

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City

FUTURE OF THE CIT Y

We have two crises in this city and they’re synergistic: the crisis of affordability and the crisis of social disconnections.”

The evidence is there; we see it in health outcomes, we see it in life expectancy and the shape of our bodies, but we also see it in our brains and our nervous system.

Q: There’s a certain feeling people get, or at least I know I do, when they see their city as they’re arriving from the air. What’s the feeling you get when you fly into Vancouver?

A: On the one hand I feel a deep love, and on the other hand, increasingly, I feel affectionate concern. That this place is changing—everyone I know feels it. It’s an undercurrent of anxiety about the future.

Not some kind of existential or philosophical concern, but concerns about their own lives, and the question many people I know face is, it’s my home now, but for how long? I work on a team of seven people and some of them refuse to move here because they can’t afford it, and others are worried that they’ll have to leave soon.

Q: Why do they feel like they have to leave?

A: With every passing day, they’re less able to afford to live here. Which means they feel the running sense of anxiety and know they have to work hard to stay, so that ends up meaning they have less time for family, friends, fun and creativity. All the things that make life worthwhile.

Q: Recently there was a study that says Vancouver is the most unhappy city in Canada. What do you think is causing that?

A: In all caps I want to say: we’re not an unhappy city compared to all cities globally. Are we less happy than other major Canadian cities?

Yes. But compared to American cities, we’re doing well. Despite all that, this is a concern. People’s level of anxiety, their subjective Cirque du Soleil and Sun Logo are trademarks owned by Cirque du Soleil and used under license. PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY. RUSSIAN STANDARD® VODKA. PRODUCT OF RUSSIA. 100% GRAIN. 40% ALC/VOL. ©2017 IMPORTED BY ROUST CANADA.

well-being, points to a problem.

Q: Is affordability the reason we are less happy than other Canadian cities?

A: It’s been identified that happier cities are the ones where people trust their neighbours. What’s driving low happiness in Vancouver? Yes, it’s affordability, because that causes us to work hard and leads to a hyper-mobility where people don’t stay long, and that results in a sense of disconnection.

Q: Is unhappiness a crisis?

A: We have two crises in this city and they’re synergistic: the crisis of affordability and the crisis of social disconnections. They share some of the same causes, but the good news is that the solutions for one can be applied to the other. We can tackle both of these challenges at exactly the same time.

Q: Who should be in charge of making us a happy city?

Politicians? Developers?

A: We’re all in charge of making the change. When I say “all,” I’m talking about politicians, residents, activists and developers as crucial partners. Some people may not believe this, but many leaders in the property development world really do give a damn about building healthier, happier places.

Q: Do you think we’ll actually be happy in 25 years? Or will we settle for just being able to afford to live here?

A: Honestly, I think it depends on the choices we make right now.

We’re either going to be a capital bank for vacationers and the world’s wealthy, or we’re going to be a city that offers opportunities, homes and jobs, and social richness for people who want to invest not just their capital but their lives here.

Conor Russomanno showcases the world’s first open-source brain computer interface, a device that will dramatically shape our brain health.

A Cambridge scientist argues the first human to live forever has already been born. Elon Musk plans to seamlessly connect our brains to computers before the next generation hits adulthood. The cost of sequencing your entire genome has fallen from $2.7 billion dollars to just under $1,000 in less than 15 years. Radical changes in healthcare will quantify your problems, personalize your solutions and make you the odds-on favourite to outlive your wildest limitations.

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U N B I A S E D R E V I E WS / E AT VA N C O U V E R A TO Z / TA S T E T E S T

VA N M AG .C O M/ TA S T E

Taste THE DISH

DEVIL’S ADVOCATE

PHOTOGRAPH BY CLINTON HUSSE Y. FOOD ST YLING BY L AWREN MONETA .

THE SAVVY DINER knows that the classic steakhouse is ground zero for the loss-leader happy hour. Back in the day, the dearly departed Morton’s used to offer up tenderloinend sandwiches for free (and that spirit lives on with Gotham’s $4.50 prime-rib sliders). But it’s C Prime’s $7 update of a classic that has us seeing red (velvet curtains) these days: devilled eggs, elevated with some fried pancetta and topped with Parmesan crisps and local greenery. A little updated handful of old-school goodness. 1015 Burrard St., cprime.ca

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Taste

REVIEWS

HAUS RULES

Is Uwe Boll’s Bauhaus on the verge of greatness or obsolescence? by

Alexandra Gill Luis Valdizon

photographs by

Beef short rib

Happy BirtHday, Bauhaus. You just turned two and, coincidentally, are nearing the climax of your formative second act. In screenplay parlance, these should be times of escalating conflict.

Yet, to the shock of many, you have not imploded under the volatile antics of your daredevil owner, filmmaker Uwe Boll. In fact, you are busier than ever and steadily improving thanks to suave service, a growing wine cellar (filled with intriguing German and Austrian varietals) and two new talented executive co-chefs—an unconventional arrangement, granted, but we wouldn’t expect anything less from the man who brought us both Blubberella and BloodRayne.

A short synopsis of the restaurant’s dramatic backstory: the “world’s worst director,” according to the Golden Raspberry Awards, finds himself adrift in Vancouver. He loves the tax-credit incentives that finance his low-budget productions but is unmoved by the dining scene. Pining for the tweezer-plated haute gastronomy of his native Germany, he launches a restaurant-reviewing rampage via YouTube, likening the deconstructed desserts of one establishment to “dog diarrhea.” After fading to black, he

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returns with a seemingly preposterous plan: to open his own restaurant and make it the city’s best. Okay, but who the hell would want to work there?

Enter Stefan Hartmann, former owner of the one-Michelin-starred Hartmanns in Berlin. Boll pays off the chef’s substantial debts and brings him to Canada. Against all odds, Hartmann makes nice, impresses critics and deftly steers Bauhaus upstream. Then, just when everything appears to be going hunky-dory, Hartmann jumps ship to Tacofino, the Mexican-food chain for gringos. Boll, who is known for feeding actors lines pulled out of the air in the absence of a script, could not have dreamed up a more bizarre plot twist.

Undaunted, Boll promotes David Mueller, the unsung hero who had been quietly punching up Hartmann’s understated precision cooking behind the scenes, while simultaneously hiring Tim Schulte, the star-spangled German souschef who did a short stint at Bauhaus but declined to return from Australia without an exalted title. Together, they create a summer tasting menu that is technically flawless (tissue-thin agnolotti bursting with sun-soaked zucchini and squash;

Three-way duck

THE DEETS

Bauhaus Restaurant

1 W Cordova St. 604-974-1147 bauhaus-restaurant.com Hours: Lunch Weekdays 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Dinner Sun.-Thurs. 5 – 10:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday 5 – 11 p.m.

AMUSE-BOUCHE

Lucha Verde 1326 Davie St. luchaverde.com

Lolita’s was one of those treasured West End institutions that, thanks to a few ownership and management changes, became a little less treasured over time. So to put another Mexican restaurant into the same bustling narrow space is as risky as a luchador entering the ring without being properly oiled up. But there’s a twist: the “verde” in its name hints at its all-veg (and bonus: gluten-free) fare. It’s a tight menu—about a dozen options, from excellent, crispy chickpea fritters dotted with house-made queso fresco and lime crema to salty, spicy achiote cauliflower tacos topped with orange salsa and toasted pumpkin seed purée.

It’s a locals vibe—which isn’t a bad thing—and cocktails (decently priced at around $10) are perfect for warming up after a seawall stroll.—Anicka Quin

Agnolotti with zucchini and squash

exquisite three-way duck—seared breast, confit leg and creamed foie gras). Their food is also immensely Instagrammable (fork-flake salmon in vibrant leek-green vichyssoise, harlequin-dotted with diamondsculpted veggies; a dig-worthy carrot cake buried under chocolate soil, fresh greens and foam).

Sure, the menu is a tad schizophrenic. It’s pretty obvious which chef is responsible for what dish. And some courses stretch the definition of “local.” Can an unfurled sashimi roll garnished with mango and avocado be considered a B.C. dish merely because it’s anchored with albacore

tuna? And what’s with the beef short rib glazed in sweet barbecue sauce, set on corn purée and bedecked with caramelized popcorn? Quirky? Yes. West Coast? Hmm. German? Nein.

Bauhaus, in the words of another critic, has always been “more Michelin than Munich.” And there is really no need for the restaurant to expose its lederhosen. Customers craving traditional oom-pah-pah will find comfort à la carte in the excellent veal schnitzel (which no longer overlaps the plate but is even more tender, perhaps because it’s pounded with less anger) and a wintry, wild-mushroomy, voluptuously

creamy geschnetzeltes (try saying that three times after half a bottle of Burgenland blaufränkisch).

But who are you, Bauhaus?

Are you simply a brash European arriviste with silky sous-vide proteins, or do you have something special to say? At the moment, your identity, while delicious, is not defined. If you still want to be the best, you are going to have to resolve that tension and roar a little louder into your revealing third act.

Co-chefs David Mueller and Tim Schulte

Together, they create a tasting menu that is technically flawless.

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STEAK FRITES chargrilled sirloin, kale salad, horseradish cream, sea salted fries

Eat

City PHOTOGRAPH BY CLINTON HUSSE Y. FOOD ST YLING BY L AWREN MONETA .

the

Your A to Z guide to the essential dishes, chefs and hidden gems that make Vancouver an eater’s dream.

A

is for affogato, the most basic and awesome of Italian desserts, perfectly updated with Rain or Shine ice cream and Herkimer espresso at Kafka’s on Main Street. kafkascoffee.ca

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IS FOR

BURGERS These are the three best in town right now:

1

The classic cheese at Monarch Burger ($12)

C 28

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2

The bison burger with the house-made works at Timber ($18)

3

The elegant cheddar, bacon and aioli with crispy onions at the Holt Renfrew cafĂŠ ($19)

is for COLLECTIVES, the way the thinking YVR carnivore buys meat. Meatme.ca, backed by Trevor Bird (Fable), works with farmers who raise their livestock (beef, pork, lamb, chicken) ethically without the use of antibiotics and hormones, then delivers direct to the consumer. You buy a portion of an animal and it comes only when enough like-minded sorts have done the same, for a zero-waste process. meatme.ca

D

A TO Z

Taste

is for the diplomat cake, a stalwart multi-layer batch of buttercream and puff pastry from Notte’s Bon Ton, the city’s oldest bakery. nottesbonton pastry.com

CAKE: PHOTO BY CLINTON HUSSE Y, FOOD ST YLING BY L AWREN MONETA . FILIPINO: HANS GEEL .

“The perfect intersection of buttercream and history.”

E

is for experimental, the key word for David Wolowidnyk’s cocktail lab at the new Botanist in the Fairmont Pacific Rim. Island gin, sea buckthorn, blue algae, driftwood —holy heck, the master is back in a big way. botanistrest aurant.com

F

is for FILIPINO, a delicious confluence of Spanish, Chinese, Malay, Western and Indigenous influences that’s Vancouver’s next hot culinary ticket. Bao Down is your easy-access gateway, featuring steamed buns and tacos laden with

You know what has changed since 1926?

The price.

The diplomat is now a very modern $38.

Filipino ingredients; Pinpin and Kumare both bring the feasting in traditional family style. Choice eats: crispy papa and sizzling sisig for pork lovers, bistek Tagalog with a calamansi for beef lovers, and chicken inasal.

Little Ongpin serves, arguably, the Lower Mainland’s best halo halo (shaved ice and condensed milk), and newcomer Flipside Desserts ups the sweet quotient with uniquely Filipino flavours. Pro tip: hit up Aling Mary for pandesal. If you time it just right, these Filipino rolls will be fresh out of the oven, warm and fluff y with just a hint of sweetness.—Joie Alvaro Kent

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G Taste

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IS FOR

Grilled Cheese

You’ve probably been eating it since before you could say “provolone”—but these days, melted cheddar on multigrain bread just doesn’t cut it. Here’s what happened when we asked three expert judges to find the best grilled cheese sandwich in the city. by

BEST IN SHOW

Mom’s Grilled Cheese Truck

Mom’s cheddar, pepperjack and bacon grilled cheese is “a bit greasy” (a compliment, in our judges’ books). They also enjoyed the sourdoughto-cheese ratio, as well as the potato chips and pickle spears that were served along with it. “It’s the full package,” said Jordan. $10.25, twitter.com/ momsgrilledchz

Kaitlyn Gendemann Ariana Gillrie

photo aND styLINg by

HONOUR ABLE MENTION

Meat and Bread

The aged white cheddar in this sandwich was a little too bland: “It could use either a bit more cheese or an older cheese,” said Spurrell. But the “rustic” bread and thinly sliced red onions gave it a slight advantage over our other competitors. $7, 370 Cambie St., meatandbread.ca

Burgoo

Burgoo’s medley of mozzarella, Gruyère, Emmenthal and white cheddar was “a bit mild.” But the judges did enjoy what they thought was a crisp Parmesan crust on the sandwich’s toothick exterior (“So much bread, so little cheese,” said one). $15.50, multiple locations, burgoo.ca

Save On Meats

While Buss liked the combination of processed slices and marble cheese (“I want to eat this one for a midnight snack”), the others couldn’t get past the only partially melted texture. They all agreed, however, that it’s perfectly “suited to the diner.” $8.95, 43 W Hastings St., saveonmeats.ca The lunch counter inside Army and Navy is far from serving a gourmet sandwich—it’s just plain white bread and good ol’ fashioned cheese slices here—but their grilled cheese is fresh and melty. And the two-dollar price tag is hard to dismiss: “This is definitely value-driven,” said one judge. $2, 36 W Cordova St.

Meet the Judges Follow @vanmag_com and look for the #VMTasteTest hashtag for your chance to be a judge.

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Laurel Buss is a communications professional—and our Twitter contest winner! She’s also a self-proclaimed carb addict: “Anything with two pieces of bread is my kind of meal.”

Tret Jordan is executive chef at Homer St. Cafe and Tableau Bar Bistro, where he spends his time reinventing comfort food classics and working with bread and melted fromage (the foundations of grilled cheese).

Allison Spurrell is cofounder of Les Amis du Fromage; ironically, this cheese connoisseur’s evaluations were based primarily on the quality of the bread.

IMAGE CREDIT

Jack’s Place

Always in season nomad-vancouver.ca 3950 Main Street | 604-708-8525 @nomad_vancouver

Taste

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like the madein-Vancouver Sriracha Revolver (cilantro lime) and the Hot Beet from rocker Jonny Hetherington (of The Art of Dying). sriracharevolver .com; jonny .com hetherington essentials.com

IS FOR

HOT SAUCE

“Each dinner sold out in minutes.”

J I is for the JOINT EFFORT between Long Table Distillery and Deep Cove Brewers, whereby the latter would lose their licence if they sold a spirit that used non-B.C. pears (these were from Oregon) and the former said, “Um, I’ll take it.” The result is a splendid pear brandy (that’s killer in a Sidecar) that went on to win Best of the Northwest at BC Distilled. longtabledistillery.com

IS FOR

As in you and the seven other diners who will be joining you at No. 1 Gaoler’s Mews, Vancouver’s entry into the dinner-as-theatre concept.

L’Abattoir’s chef Lee Cooper, sous-chef Alex Chen and sommelier Lisa Haley wind you through an interactive multi-course meal and wine pairings that at $275 seem ambitious for our low-key town— save for the fact that each of the monthly dinners has sold out within minutes of being announced.

Fine dining is back, baby. gaolersmews.com

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HOT SAUCE: BEN DIDIER; BRANDY: DAVID ARIAS

Intimate

The only BC restaurant recognized by The Diners Club® World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy _______________ CHEFS Tim Schulte David Mueller MENU

_______________ 1 West Cordova www.bauhaus-restaurant.com 604 974 1147

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Modern French Cuisine | Great Wine Selections

Downtown Vancouver - Leading Luxury, |Boutique Hotel Downtown Vancouver | 604.608.5319 wedgewoodhotel.com 604.689.7777 www.wedgewoodhotel.com

Taste

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“The closest you’ll get to an Osaka sports bar.”

K IS FOR

Kushikatsu

PHOTOGRAPH BY CLINTON HUSSE Y. FOOD ST YLING BY L AWREN MONETA .

Kushikatsu is the battered-and-fried Osaka drinking snack that somehow made its way to 10th Avenue. Order up your skewers of choice (octopus, lotus root, et al.) at the hopping Rajio and pair liberally with beer. rajiopublichouse.com

THIS IS WHERE YOU WANT TO BE IN YALETOWN. Happy Hour 2-5pm daily | 1039 Mainland St Vancouver BC | banterroom.com |

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牛肉麵

(niu rou mian), also known as the beef noodle, is a popular Chinese and Taiwanese dish made of braised beef, beef broth, vegetables, and noodles

550 Main Street, Vancouver 604.428.3389 | rhinofishnoodlebar.com | Hours: 11:00am - 03:00pm / 06:00pm - 10:00pm | Closed on Tuesday

A TO Z

L

is for LA CROIX—the weirdly addictive Wisconsin-produced sparkling water that’s pronounced La-Croy and is finally on shelves at London Drugs and Whole Foods.

M

is for Molli Café, the tiny modern Mexican marvel at Burrard and Davie that every Saturday serves up a $5.75 bowl of lamb consommé that is the very definition of goodness. mollicafe.com

O

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is for Orto, the North Van fresh pasta spot Brigitte Raye and son Steeve have just opened after leaving West Van’s acclaimed Café Ça Va. The North Shore’s Ask for Luigi? ortoartisanpasta.com

N

is for NATURAL WINE, the love-it-or-hate-it trend that nonetheless influences every wine list in town. To dive right in, hit Grapes and Soda or Burdock and Co., or, if you want a bottle for home, go for the Haywire Free Form from Okanagan Crush Pad. okanagancrushpad.com

P

is for the $1 pepperoni stick (get the hot) at Pete’s Meat: the city’s best deal at the city’s best butcher. petes-meats.com

Q

is for the crustless Persian quiche—or kou kou sabzi—from Davie Street’s tiny European Delicatessan. It’s green with fresh produce—cilantro, parsley, green onion, spinach—and filled with feta. And if you leave the deli without a container of the world’s best hummus—rich with olive oil, oh so creamy and just salty enough —well, you’re lesser for it. 1220 Davie St.

PEPPERONI: DMITRI STALNUHHIN

Taste

YOUR BMW ADVENTURE STARTS HERE. Begin a new chapter with Brian Jessel BMW.

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E 1st Ave.

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NEW CAR 2311 Boundary Road, Vancouver, BC V5M 4W5 (604) 222-7788

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Raj Desor New Vehicles Senior Sales Manager 604.657.8773

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PRE-OWNED 1515 Boundary Road Vancouver, BC V5K 5C4 (604) 222-8820

A TO Z

R

IS FOR

It’s the old-school “treat” that’s been reinvigorated by JC Poirier’s simultaneously modern and classic take on the closing dish at St. Lawrence. stlawrence restaurant.com

RICE PUDDING

LUIS VALDIZON

Taste

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 open 11am-5pm daily

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S

T

IS FOR

TAKEOUT which, in Vancouver, means sushi, and our current fave is Goma, the minuscule dinner-only, no-seating and closedon-Saturday-and-Sunday spot on a sorry stretch of Oak Street that’s killing it with such oddities as the olive tuna roll with balsamic for a paltry $4.80. facebook.com/gomasushitakeout

PHOTOGRAPH BY CLINTON HUSSE Y. FOOD ST YLING BY L AWREN MONETA .

is for STAYING POWER, because in a city that falls over itself to get into the newest rooms, you can still tuck into a stack of the most amazing garlic cheese toast at Hy’s (founded in 1960), a $4.95 bowl of soy chicken on rice at Hon’s Wun Tun House (1972) or an elegant lobster salad from Bishop’s (1985).

U IS FOR

Underground Chinese Food Frances Bula and Si Chen

I DRIVE DOWN the main street of Simon Fraser University’s UniverCity village, scanning the sidewalk, looking for my suppliers. At first, nothing. And then, there they are.

Min, in one of the lovely Doris Daystyle housedresses that she seems to favour, and her daughter, Sherry, holding white plastic bags. I hand over the cash, $37, as we’d agreed earlier in the day, and then my husband and I race off to a nearby park to consume our goods. We open the bags and then the Styrofoam containers, unsure of exactly what we’ll get.

It’s even better than what I expected. Chunks of terracottacoloured chicken pieces, spicy with cayenne. One container of vermicelli noodles, the clear glass kind, darkened with soy sauce and sprinkled with bits of minced pork and green onions. Steamed buns with meat filling, their bottoms browned with a lacy fringe from the frying pan.

A hefty box of spareribs, rich with fat and black-bean sauce, and another one of cabbage with bacon.

Our secret meal is from a sichu, one of several dozen that have proliferated in Vancouver over the past several years. A sichu (literal translation: “private chef”) is the

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I race off to a nearby park to consume our goods.

the Fraser Valley professor and author of Speaking in Cod Tongues: A Canadian Culinary Journey, Newman notes there was a thriving Vancouver term for an underground underground moonshine industry in East Vancouver for several years beChinese restaurant. It’s a growfore laws changed to encourage legal ing phenomenon in some parts of producers of gin, vodka and beer.

China via an Airbnb-style platform.

But the Chinese sichus don’t run The concept, in a more primitive sit-down restaurants. They’re not form, has trickled into cities like about the experience, as some of Vancouver and Los Angeles, thanks the non-Chinese underground Vanto the new tide of mainland Chinese immigrants, one contingent of which couver restaurants were with their multiple courses, sometimes themeis homesick for cheap, homemade food and another whose members are based. It’s strictly takeout.

One comprehensive list of sichus, bored and looking for something to on Cloudlifedaily, a Vancouver-based keep themselves busy.

WeChat account, showed 65 listings Underground food and alcohol purveyors are not new to Vancouver. early this year. There’s a wild variety.

CreamyCreationBaker makes only Amateur chefs have run various mango cakes. Van_canzui specialsecret dinner clubs over the years in city houses and apartments, coming izes in Chaozhou cuisine, while Canadachris offers Shandong dishes. and going in waves, though they There are a couple of hot-pot operahave become somewhat less popular tions, one chicken wings and feet, recently. “It’s faded a bit because one barbecue, one handmade wonthere’s just no money in it,” says ton, several that make only desserts, pre-eminent Canadian food scholar and one that is specifically for a “fitLenore Newman. A University of

FENG YU

by

Client: C|Prime / Size: 4.6” X 4.9” / CMYK / Vancouver Magazine

Taste

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ness diet plan.” They are especially popular at the region’s two main universities, UBC and SFU, which have large populations of mainland Chinese students, and in Richmond.

Min, (internet restaurant handle: A Min Mama, with no last names, please, in this business) was one of the restless types looking for something to do. The 49-year-old from the Shanghai region arrived in Vancouver three years ago to join her daughter, Sherry, who had been studying in Canada as an international student since she was 17.

(Mr. Min is back in China, still working at his office job.) At first, Min, who had worked as a baker before becoming a full-time mother and housewife, cooked just for Sherry in their Burnaby Untitled-3 Mountain apartment. (“I gained 10 pounds in two weeks!” Sherry moans with a grin.) Then she started cooking for Sherry’s friends. Then Sherry’s friends liked her food so much and asked for it so often that Min decided to start a little takeout operation.

Now it’s turned into an everyday business that keeps the two of them hustling.

This particular Thursday morning, Min, in another elegant dress, and Sherry, in a Roots hoodie, have trekked down to the Crystal Mall on Kingsway in Burnaby, a kind of suburban Chinatown in a big box with a huge produce market, butchers, bakeries, specialty products and more, all geared to Chinese shoppers. They are picking up potatoes, chicken legs, pork and vegetables for the day’s cooking.

Although only two orders have

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Taste

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

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2016-06-08 4:15

BOOK A PARTY

Email us at info@backandforthbar.com to book your party (birthdays, engagement, corporate, holiday, team building, fundraisers)

Open Tuesday – Sunday: 4pm – late 303 Columbia Street, Vancouver | 604.564.7664 | backandforthbar.com

A TO Z

come in so far this morning for lunch, they know there will be more by day’s end.

The expanding business has meant increasing levels of complication. To ensure that neighbours don’t complain about smells, they’ve installed extra fans and keep the windows closed. They’ve added a lot of extra cooking equipment—big pots and multiple saucepans.

They’ve changed the menu. At first, they cooked the non-spicy food that is more typical of Shanghai, says Sherry. “But students here love spicy very much.” So the offerings, now much expanded, are now spicy. They deliver all the food to keep people away from the door and, again, to avoid neighbours’ complaints.

And the days are occasionally brutal. On the day after their WeChat listing first appeared, they got so much business that they were doing food preparation until 3 a.m. Sherry, who has done the first-level food-safety course here, also pays attention to ensuring that the food is always high quality and safe. So far, their worst problem has been an order delivered to the wrong person.

Vancouver Coastal Health officially frowns on all types of underground restaurants, warning that they aren’t inspected and don’t have food safety plans. “Basically,” says spokesperson Anna Maria d’Angelo, “we advise that people patronize them at their own risk.” But the authority hasn’t inspected or closed down an underground restaurant in at least two decades, she acknowledges. So the coast is clear on that front.

The business isn’t a pot of gold. The pair estimate they make about $3,000 a month in good months, after expenses. Besides the food and cooking equipment, that includes items like plastic bags, takeout chopsticks, Styrofoam containers and napkins. In the summer, when students are away, it’s more like $1,000.

Sherry’s just graduated with a business degree and would like to eventually run her own food stall. She’s scoped out the cost: $320,000 to get into one at Richmond Centre.

In the meantime, she feels duty bound to help at home. “My mom asked me to do this,” she says.

“I can’t say no.”

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V

is for VIPs, and judging by this year’s roster (Bono for his birthday, George Lucas and the prime minister of Italy), if you’re interested in spotting them, then buck up and head to Cioppino’s. cioppinosyaletown.com

W

is for WINNIPEG, the home of mad genius chef Mandel Hitzer, proprietor of Deer and Almond and founder of the Raw pop-up dinners that attract the country’s greatest chefs to a tent at the frozen confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers every winter. Hitzer is coming to town on November 9 as part of Eat Vancouver to cook with Raw: Almond alum Makoto Ono at Mak N Ming. For tickets, go to eat-vancouver.com.

MANDEL HITZER: JACQUELINE YOUNG

Taste

X

is for SUPERFLUX (if spelled backwards), the peripatetic brewer—they own no facilities—whose freakin’impossible-to-source IPA has become the Pappy Van Winkle of the craft beer scene in town, sending the beer nerds scurrying whenever a sighting is reported. @superfluxbeer

PIE: JOSEPH BEL ANGER

Y

OLD WORLD ELEGANCE...NEW WORLD EDGE!

91

points Signature 2013

Look for our wines at your favourite wine shop or restaurant.

Buy from our OnLine store: closdusoleil.ca Visit our tasting room: 2568 Upper Bench Rd, Keremeos, BC Open 7 days a week, Closes October 31st | 250-499-2831 @Closdusoleil

Gyoza and Ramen Bar 2120 West Broadway, Vancouver 604-288-2941 | gyopara.com |

Y is for YNJ, the call sign for the tiny Langley airport that just happens to be the new home for what was once Chilliwack’s “I Fly for Pie” coffee shop. Old. School.

Pie. airportcoffeeshop.com Photo Credit: Life Vancouver

A TO Z

Z is for Zachary Zimmerman, the former garbageman whose $10.50 meatball hoagie at his Say Hey Café on Pender may be the city’s greatest sandwich. sayheycafe.ca

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Beef Shoulder + Pork Belly + Bacon = Meatball Nirvana

Z PHOTOGRAPH BY CLINTON HUSSE Y. FOOD ST YLING BY L AWREN MONETA .

Taste

Presented by

In support of

presented by NOV. 6-11, 2017

36 chefs. 15 premium events. 1 special charity.

EVENTS ARE SELLING OUT. BUY your TICKETS TODAy.

Young Project Chefs practice their skills under the watchful eyes of chefs (L-R) Makoto Ono of Mak N Ming, Robert Belcham of Campagnolo, Andrea Carlson of Burdock and Co, Trevor Bird of Fable, Hamid Salimian of Nextjen, Angus An of Maenam and Lucais Syme of Cinara. HAMID ATTIE

visit eat-vancouver.com for tickets, event details and chef lineup

REFLECTING VANCOUVER

A SHERATON CLUB STAY IS MORE THAN A ROOM. The Wall Centre’s Club Lounge offers a relaxing atmosphere with continental breakfast and evening hor d’oeuvres.

With Stunning ocean views, our outside patio is the ideal upgrade to truly enjoy our city.

www.wallcentre.com

1088 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 2R9 | (604) 331-1000

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G U I D E TO TO R O N TO / A S E T D E C O R ATO RʼS M I N I M A L I S T H O M E

VA N M AG .C O M/G O

Play TR AVEL

TORONTO, I LOVE YOU We’re as surprised as anyone.

COURTESY BRIK A

by

Julia Dilworth

I’M NOT an Ontario expat. I’ve never worked there or lived nearby.

So when people have told me Toronto is a cultureless concrete jungle filled with investment bankers and ugly skyscrapers (and, gasp, no trees!) I believed the rumours, happy to spend my $700 on a ticket to Mexico instead of a round trip to “the Six,” as Drake has now decided it’s called. But, guys, I was dead wrong.

There are heritage buildings for days, people of all ages filling the sidewalks, communal party squares and patios (despite Vancouver supposedly winning the weather game, Toronto is, inexplicably, lousy with patios, which stay buzzing year-round), and some of the best boutique shopping and farm-to-fork dining this side of…well, Canada. Sorry, Vancouver—you’ve got some competition. j

The Strip Eat your heart out, Robson Street. Toronto’s Queen Street West is boutique shopping at its “Oh, where’d you get that?” finest.

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La Banane

Play

T H E D E S T I N AT I O N

The Food-tinerary GOOD MORNING CANNOLI

Grey Gardens

Forno Cultura 609 King St. W

DUCK FAT FRIES ARE THE W VRST

WVRST 609 King St. W This bold red German-style beer hall is aptly named a “hall of sausage and other wonders.”

Great sausage, yes, but the duck fat fries are the stuff of legend. A side of these locally famous frites (with 10-plus homemade dips, like maple rosemary or buttermilk ranch) pairs perfectly with your Tamworth heritage pork sausage on a buttery white roll—top the latter with sweet peppers and sautéed onions. wvrst.com

Cannoli at Forno Cultura OG CHICKEN AND WAFFLES

The Dirty Bird 79 Kensington Ave. This Brooklyn-chic chicken and waff les joint in the heart of hippie Kensington Market serves up stellar food for a decent price. Get the classic ODB ($15)—the chicken is handbreaded and cleanly crunchy, and the waff les are light and fluff y—and make sure you double dip in both the syrup and spicy “dirty sauce” for the perfect zippy bite. thedirtybird.ca

AF TER-DINNER COCK TAILS AND BITES

The Drake Hotel

1150 Queen St. W Even West Coasters will fall for the sushi: order the masterfully sauced coconut panko shrimp maki with dynamite sauce ($15) or the rich marinated butterfish ($14) to go with whatever carefully crafted tipple the bartender recommends. Sidle up to the bar if you’re solo or head up to the bumpin’ rooftop patio (Vancouver needs more of these) with friends. thedrakehotel.ca

SWEE T SNACK ING

Cosmic Treats 207 Augusta Ave. This vegan restaurant and dessert bar makes killer, decadent cashew-based vegan ice cream (think chocolate fudge, berry cheesecake) in a retro orange diner-style room with geek-chic cosmic art. cosmictreats.ca

WHERE WE WANT TO GO NE X T

Grey Gardens 199 Augusta Ave. On the surface, it’s the kind of austere wine bar where a modern-day Marie Antoinette would get her happy hour on, but it’s also the new buzzworthy spot from Jen Agg (the Black Hoof), who, to let you in on a little T.O. gossip, can be a divisive restaurateur.

(Her latest book is I Hear She’s a Real Bitch, and she’s been known to call customers douches on Twitter—power to her.) Go for the drama! The intrigue! But also the beauty, the robust wine list, cider list and semi-secret sake list. greygardens.ca

LUXE DINNER SPOT

La Banane 227 Ossington Ave. In a cheeky room kitted out with Warholesque banana prints and rich emerald walls, chef Brandon Olsen (of Bar Isabel, the Black Hoof) serves up contemporary French, like buttery, melt-in-your-mouth European bass en croûte ($34) and a massive, perfectly cooked skillet of rib-eye steak with sauce bordelaise ($80). The giant graff iti-decorated chocolate egg is the Instagram darling; have those phones ready. labanane.ca

Best of Both Beer Worlds

Le Germain

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While West Queen West (which is, yes, the west end of Queen St. West) was a lightning rod for the creative crowd, Ossington Avenue, a perpendicular off shoot that bisects WQW and spikes north, is the relatively new hot spot. And on one street you can find two great beer bars. The second-floor mezzanine of Bellwoods Brewery (124 Ossington Ave., bellwoodsbrewery.com) shows off views of the brewhouse below, while its big and popular patio offers the perfect spot to people-watch the young crowds scrambling for parking in the hot ’hood. For something a bit more “endearing dive bar,” head down the street to Sweaty Betty’s (13 Ossington Ave., facebook.com/sweatybettystoronto), essentially a long and narrow version of Vancouver’s Brickhouse, complete with vintage furniture and dim lighting. It’s peak hipster, but without the pretentious attitude.

Bellwoods Brewery

Sweaty Bettyʼs

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75 Bremner Blvd.

With Air Canada Centre (home of the Leafs) just steps away, Le Germain boutique hotel in Maple Leaf Square took cues from the sports world for its design. Smart details like bedside control panels and pop-out tables are sophisticated surprises in a luxe room that shows off large-scale photography of athletes against a backdrop of panoramic windows, honey wood, charcoal textiles and textured black feature walls. Even the staff keep it chic with suits from Canadian clothing designer Marie Saint Pierre and Bustle. legermainhotels.com

L A BANANE ROOM AND FISH: RICK OʼBRIEN; GRE Y GARDENS: JENNA MARIE WAK ANI; BELLWOODS: CELINE KIM

Walking down the stairs into this Italian bakery, youʼll find chefs busily making bread, imported olive oils on the shelves, high-top seating and front-of-house cases packed with fresh authentic treats. Brave the queue for Forno’s sugar-dusted goat milk ricotta cannoli (our vote for best in the city). fornocultura.com

FOOD + WINE + CONSERVATION

OCTOBER 20, 2017 E S T. 2 0 0 8

Raise A Glass To Support The Conservation Of Our Oceans Sip and savour your way through the galleries of the Vancouver Aquarium as you go on a culinary journey celebrating the conservation of our oceans.

TICKETS at VANAQUA.ORG/TTTC

All proceeds support Ocean Wise’s conservation, research and education initiatives.

Ocean Wise is a not-for-profit organization whose vision is a world in which oceans are healthy and flourishing. ocean.org

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T H E D E S T I N AT I O N

Your Tourist Musts

CN Tower Every city has a tall tower —yawn—but the ’70s-era CN Tower still induces spaghetti legs and a cold sweat. Pay your $36, and whip straight up in a heart-stopping hell-evator that shoots 346 metres vertical in 58 seconds. cntower.ca Second City Improv Push your comfort-zone limits with a two-hour drop-in class at the Second City Improv ($15). Expect group getto-know-you name exercises and word-by-word storytelling with an encourging instructor. Or take in a sketch show downstairs at Second City’s mainstage theatre, where the most work you have to do is put in a drink order. secondcity.com Distillery District Tour In a pocket of heritage brick buidlings, the tour starts with juicy highlights of the world’s largest distillery, Gooderham and Worts (booze, death and cholera), and ends with tasters at Mill St. Brewery. gotourscanada.com

Zane

Distillery District

4 Shops to Hit on Queen West

Boutique shops and cafés in quaint low-rise storefronts line this epic strip of Queen Street West (a 40-minuteplus walk if you’re not stopping), and no stop is a bad stop. Start at Beaconsfield Avenue and work your way east.

A cool design mecca for everything from Toronto-made leather goods to bargain eyewear—plus legitimately great sales (like $20 Brixton hats in every colour). visitzane.com

Brika Cute and cheerful boutique flush with adorable gifts, stationery, small geometric planters and avocadoshaped jewellery holders from talented local makers. brika.com

The Cure Apothecary Nitasha Goelʼs well-curated shop is all about all-natural and small-batch products from quality makers (local and abroad). Find buzzed-about face masks from Artifact Skin Co. alongside handmade lavender and herb Mabrook and Co. deodorant and new hand-picked skin-care favourites you haven’t heard about yet. thecureapothecary.ca

Neat An organizer's dream of space-editing essentials. Locals may gravitate to the bigger home stuff in the back, but my heart beats for the robust travel accessory section (packing cubes, GoToobs, fitness kits with tensor bands). I will be back. neatspace.ca

GET TING AROUND

The Cure Apothecary

What the Locals Are Wearing T.O. gets a rep for being more metropolitan in the face of our West Coast casual, but really they’re a big town that loves to rock tried-and-true basics that take you from Jays game to after-work cocktails. j The Jacket

For women it was all about the black leather moto. Cropped and belted, itʼs thrown over everything from black tights with oversized tees and black runners to LBDs. Madewell, $664, nordstrom.com

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m The Hat

This classic Toronto Blue Jays cap was the No. 1 accessory for men and women, day or night, even when hitting the town. (Jays pride goes with everything.) $43, lids.ca

p The Sweater

A cheeky staple from locally founded brand Peace Collective. The one-forone company donates a portion of its sales to kids in need and has a flagship store on Ossington Avenue. Obviously, outside of Toronto, itʼs only to be worn as jammies. $65, peace-collective.com

Fare is $3.25 for buses, streetcars and the subway. ttc.ca UP EXPRESS

Downtown to Pearson Airport takes 25 minutes and it costs $12 one way. upexpress.com UNMARK ED BL ACK AIRPOR T TA XIS

A $60 flat rate gets you from the airport to downtown (do yourself a favour and find the UP Express).

UBER

Yes, our eastern cousins have Uber! uber.com

DISTILLERY DISTRICT: THANE LUCAS; BRIK A: KIMON K AKETSIS

Every local recommended I visit Toronto Island (Toronto has an island?), but outside of high summer, these staples are your best bet.

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P E R S O N A L S PAC E

One in a Million In 2005, Hamish was racing a sailboat from L.A. to Hawaii when a crew member dropped a jockey pole in the ocean. Ten years later, he found the exact same custom carbon-fibre pole among the logs while beachcombing on the Scott Islands, north of Vancouver Island. One of the few pieces of art in his home is the pole, mounted next to its original printed-to-scale specs that match the one-of-a-kind artifact exactly (above, left). “It’s amazing that it was found.

That I found it is insane,” says Hamish.

Laissez-Faire The landscaping around the family’s home was happily left to its own devices—save for a Tarzan swing 10-year-old John makes use of (above, centre) among the forest’s Douglas fir, cedars, ferns and huckleberries.

Hollywood Magic The set decorator doesn’t hold on to much from past projects, but he has kept a small box of historic replicas he had made for The Revenant. Among the keepsakes: a clay pipe (no, this one was not smoked by Leo), a trader’s journal and a turtle pouch that, in Sioux tradition, children wore for protection (above, right).

The Tree Fort Rough cedar and open-plan views to the forest amplify that in-the-woods feeling (right). A recent renovation, where the Purdys worked with the original architect, Barry Griblin, added entrance overhangs and expanded the basement while staying true to the 1972 West Coast modern design. In the dining area (opposite, left) hangs a Douglas Coupland print bought through Artists for Kids, a collective that supports art education for kids on the North Shore.

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The Simple Life “I don’t have curtains…I like to be able to see and feel the forest,” says Hamish Purdy, seen here with his wife, Jane, and twins John and Kate. “It’s just calming.”

INTO THE WOODS

A North Vancouver family’s adventures in West Coast modernism. by

Julia Dilworth Carlo Ricci

photographs by

When film set decorator Hamish Purdy bought his “tree fort in the woods,” he was 29 and in a bit over his head—“It was probably more than I could afford,” he says—but it just felt like home right away.

“It’s kind of ridiculous now that I’m married and we have three kids,” says Purdy of the splitlevel West Coast modern home that sits perched above Mission Creek in North Vancouver. “I don’t think it was ever really designed for that.”

Built in 1972 by architects Barry Griblin and Robert Hassell, the home seemed made for a time before people had a lot of stuff. With the couple’s 15-year-old son and twin 10-year-olds, it’s been a challenge finding space for the ski clothes, helmets, old art and other knickknacks that accumulate around family life.

“Through the years I’ve sort of cursed Barry and the whole West Coast modern movement because of its shortcomings,” laughs Purdy over the lack of closet space and the drafty louvred glass and single-paned windows. But in the plus column: an open plan tailored to the view. “The whole south side of the house is almost all glass, so it feels like I’m sitting in the forest,” he says. Cheaply built but beautifully designed, with its smell of rough cedar inside and out, and the constant rush of the creek just outside the home, the house scores a few more points for the West Coast modernists.

Despite his exposure to a lot of set props and decor at work (his past films include The Revenant, the latest Predator and now an “untitled Robert Zemeckis project”), Purdy has designed his home to be surprisingly spare. “The expression I like to say is, ‘The cobbler’s children have no shoes,’” jokes Purdy. Inside you’ll find a few keepsakes, a wall of the kids’ art, but not a lot of attention paid to furnishings. “I try to reduce the amount of stuff in my life, because I’m a decorator,” he says.

“Ironically, the house never looked better than when it was completely empty. Nothing looks better than looking out a plain window to the forest.”

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T H E H O T TA K E

by

Amanda Ross

o The fall launch of Giorgio Armani’s Ecstasy shine in 21 shades promises to deliver the usual cult-fave following with colour (like a cream), moisture (like a balm) and shine (like a gloss). Seen here in Rouge 400, $43, sephora.ca

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER

Move over, orange and black; this month we’re seeing red.

n Switzerland’s menswear giant Strellson channels a sophisticated urban lumberjack with its cotton Steve-W plaid shirt with Kent collar. $168, strellson.com

k This season’s fanny pack looks like the Fifteen hip pack

by Herschel—a cool, compact carrier with zippered pocket and striped fabric liner that can be sported around the waist or over the shoulder. $30, herschel.ca

l From Little Red Corvette (hot red crème) to Crimson and Clover (red glitter with a black base), the Lady in Red six-piece nail polish set by Deborah Lippmann keeps your hands firmly in the driver’s seat. $42 for 6 x 8 ml, murale.ca

l Working for more than 50 years with the same factories that produce iconic brands like Prada and Valentino, Kalena’s Shoes serves up their own in-house line that channels the same Italian sartorial savvy. Continuing the legacy, the red suede high-heeled Carmen pump is named after Kalena’s founder, Carmen D’Onofrio. $395, kalenashoes.com

NEW STORE

Uniqlo

uniqlo.ca

What: Japanese juggernaut Uniqlo opens its doors at Burnaby’s Metropolis at Metrotown in early October.

Why we’re excited: High-designed simple, quality basics in ultra-tech-forward fabric—cue the stampedes.

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o H&M’s high-end sister brand, COS, walks the red carpet in a wool-blend blazer and tailored wool-blend trousers with press-fold detail.

Jacket, $390; pants, $190, cosstores.ca

Bolshoi Part of VIFF’s M/A/D Stream

The 36th Vancouver International Film Festival September 28 to October 13 discover viff.org

Premier Partner

Premier Supporters

M/A/D

THROW B AC K

For Vancouver magazine’s 50th year, we’re taking a look back through the archives and sharing a few classic covers each month. Just like the city, we’ve changed a lot over the past few decades.

October 1989 Vancouver prides itself on being one of the greenest and most beautiful cities on earth today. So it hit a nerve when writer Sean Rossiter chastised the city’s shoddy waste management efforts all those years ago and called out the real reason Stanley Park hadn’t fallen to developers (it was created as a military reserve). We didn’t even have a recycling program yet!

October 2007 Despite what’s on the cover, there’s more to the inside pages than a stack of pastrami. From combat training for the big screen to sexual therapy, with prison education and a documentary filmmaker’s opinion of unsavoury police entrapment in between, our October 2007 issue could be summarized as actionpacked. But more important was the chronicled rise of the gig-based economy by everyday workers in the back pages. “It was as if we were off to join a cult,” wrote Timothy Taylor. Some 10 years later we’re still documenting that shift.

—Christine Beyleveldt

October 1975 Before the days of the smart phone or, heck, even the internet, there were 28 great things to do in the fall rather than two (pumpkin spice lattes and Netflix). Vancouver’s Oktoberfest, for one, with its boozy weekends, was “a much louder and wilder affair” than its Munich namesake, we’re told.

October 1997 Among the chief concerns of the day was the Lions Gate Bridge solution.

As guest editor Douglas Coupland put it then: “One of these days a Volvo full of nuns and puppies is going to fall right through what remains of the driving surface.” We got our act together and rehabilitated the bridge at the turn of the millennium, although the more radical ideas, including a double-decker bridge and a gondola crossing, were scrapped.

#vanmagturns50 For more vintage VanMag all year long, follow us on Instagram at @vanmag_com

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Monika Deol

CAN A FINANCIAL PORTRAIT C A P T U R E T H E R E A L YO U ?

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See what CIBC Private Wealth Management can achieve for you. Visit cibcprivatewealth.com.

CIBC Private Wealth Client as painted by Jen Mann