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T HE VA N C O U V E R C O U R I E R F R I D AY, N O V E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 0
dining
Turn to the pages of our holiday guides for ideas from jewellery to fashion, spas to travel, from gift baskets to dining and beautiful stuff for the home.
You’ll find the perfect gift, right here! Guide publishes in full colour every Wed. and Fri. from Nov. 26 to Dec. 24.
To advertise in this feature, call 604-738-1412.
With its inexpensive bivalves and edgy cocktails, Jeremy Towning’s Oyster, in the old VSE building, delivers.
Marlin Travel-Downtown is proud to offer in partnership with Transat Holidays,
Tiny Oyster offers one of the best shucks in town
Yoga&Wellness Getaways
At the Aventura Palace Resort & Spa a World-Class Spa Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico! All-inclusive package with 2 Yoga sessions per day. Hosted by: Saskia Schreiber, Lifestyle and Wellness Manager & Registered Yoga Instructor
Rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit! Join us and be surrounded by awe-inspiring scenery, join Saskia for 7 days of pure yoga bliss! Open to all levels. Departures:
23 Jan11 …… $2495.00cad 27 Feb11 …… $2460.00cad 01May11 …… $2310.00cad
Prices are based on double occupancy plus all applicable taxes. Call now for more information & book!!!! Space is limited.
Marlin Travel – Downtown 604-684 3291 939 Hornby Street,Vancouver, B.C.VV6Z 1V3 Saskia developed CreaYogaFlow, a holistic health management practice, founded on three pillars: Yoga, Meditation and Expressive Arts Therapy. For more information visit www.saskiaschreiber.com
The Dance Centre presents
Discover Dance!
photo credit: Peter Eastwood
LINK Dance
Choreographer Gail Lotenberg introduces excerpts from her new work Experiments: Where Logic and Emotion Collide, which explores the rich relationship between dance and science.
Thursday, November 25 at 12 noon
Scotiabank Dance Centre 677 Davie Street (at Granville), Vancouver
Tickets $10/$8 students, seniors from Tickets Tonight 604.684.2787
www.ticketstonight.ca
photos Tim Pawsey
Information: 604.606.6400 • www.thedancecentre.ca
The Hired Belly with Tim Pawsey
The Hired Belly has long believed Vancouver deserves a quintessential dish or ingredient to call its own—and that anything oyster connected might be a worthy contender. For that reason alone, we were delighted to hear of the arrival of simply monikered Oyster (475 Howe St., ph. 604-899-0323), a Lilliputian celebration of the not-so-lowly bivalve, tucked away in the art-deco bowels of the original Vancouver Stock Exchange. “Tiny” doesn’t even say it—there’s barely enough room to swing a serious shucker in here. Never mind. On board is a devoted crew who, aside from being able to shoe-horn their way around, obviously share a common passion for everything oysterish, and more—including some edgy drinks, such as an Alaskan smoked salmon vodka and oyster shot. The brains behind this miniature mollusc emporium is Jeremy Towning, a cheerful oyster enthusiast who happily lays claim to what may be Vancouver’s smallest restaurant. Not that that should deter you from dropping in to this blackand-white-trimmed haunt with cozy
tables and glowing red bar backdrop. One more reason to come: some of the smartest bar stools in town that raise or lower automatically—to compensate for any excess intake, you understand. Replenished by regular deliveries from spot prawn fame purveyor Steve Johansen’s Organic Ocean, a glass aquarium perched barside is a temporary home to an intriguing assortment of oysters, swimming scallops and more. A prime lure is the daily “buck a shuck” (weekdays 3 to 6 p.m.), perhaps paired with a $7 glass of dry Muscadet Sevre et Maine or a bottle of Tantalus Riesling. Even if you’re not a fan of the extraordinary array of seductively saline raw oysters that B.C.’s pristine coastal waters yield, fear not. There’s plenty of wellcooked marine cuisine here to tempt.
Fine Dining Deal of the Week
More great B.C. bivalve tastes can be found at Yew in the Four Seasons. Through November you can sample an extraordinary Qualicum Bay scallop and citrus menu that includes seared jumbo scallop with heirloom pumpkin risotto and pork belly. Three courses for $35. It’s detail-driven cuisine in a spectacular setting. Reservations: 604-689-9333.
Top tastes from our first foray included a fennel and tarragon-toned potted shrimp ($5), piping hot oyster pot pie with dressed spinach side salad ($10) and Everything Steamer bowl, packed with mussels, scallops, crab claws, prawns and more in an assertive white wine, parsley and garlic broth ($17). Both smaller bar bites ($5) and regular portions are moderately sized, which make sense considering the protein richness of most of these dishes (read: filling). Another bonus: Almost everything on this menu is certified Ocean Wise, which these days should be a pre-requisite for where you choose to spend you dining dollar. Oysters are cleanly shucked to order and fairly priced at $1.50. No $3 gouging here. They arrive still full of juice, served with a trio of cocktail sauces, red wine vinaigrette and birds eye chili mignonette. Save a spot for some decent sweet endings as well, such as chocolate raspberry mousse and espresso. Even though it’s still in its early days, we’re bullish on this bivalve upstart that given a few tweaks and a few more oyster-friendly wines, Oyster may prove to be the best shell corporation ever to come out of the old VSE. Open weekdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and for private functions on weekends. info@hiredbelly.com
St. Chad's Church Christmas Fair
Make your Holiday Wine
Saturday Nov. 20th, 2010 • 1-3pm 3874 Trafalgar St. @ 23rd Ave.
• Bake Sale • Jam & Jellies • Crafts • Attic Treasures Kids: • Fun Filled Games • Cupcake Decorating
R e f r e s h m e n t s : Te a & D e s s e r t $ 5 . 0 0 Kids $2.00
Easy to do
Great Price 1680 Davie Street | 604.683.7777