chooing (and chewing) our way across Canada

For vacation this year, we decided to embark to Canada, specifically to see Lake Louise and Lake Moraine (the photo above). We started our tour in Vancouver for a few days, rode the train to Kamloops, spent the night, rode the train to Lake Louise, spent the night, bussed to Banff, spent three nights, bussed to Calgary, spent the night, and then flew back to Austin.

Culinary, the food in the western half of Canada is not all that different from the US (as opposed to Newfoundland, which had an array of quirky local tastes). One thing we noticed is that the coffee culture is strong, and we enjoyed many great flat whites and lattes.

Caffé Mira (Vancouver)

Turkey Lover
Turkey, Avocado, Tomato, Onion
Mozzarella, Pesto, Garlic Mayo

Thierry (Vancouver)

We stopped in here more for water and bathrooms than anything, but also ordered up a box of chocolates to nibble on during the trip. Classy place in the Mt Pleasant neighborhood we strolled in search of street art.

Cactus Club Cafe (Vancouver)

Our travel agent hooked us up at the Coal Harbor location with reservations at the best table in the joint overlooking the water. A bit of a local chain (there are several in town, and we saw one in Calgary) but a job well done. The Bride tried a local bubbly, and it was great (all the local wines were really good). The Piña Colada I ordered was the best I’ve ever had (appleton 8 rum, white rum, maui gold pineapple, toasted coconut, pineapple chip).

AVOCADO KALE SALAD
crispy chickpeas, grilled avocado, pickled red cabbage, fennel chili crumb, grana padano, lemon garlic dressing

Ravioli + Prawn Trio
chef rob feenie’s signature butternut squash and mascarpone ravioli, truffle butter, sautéed prawns, pine nuts, crispy sage

SOY DIJON SALMON
ocean wise™ steelhead, buttered mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, soy-dijon butter sauce, cilantro

key lime pie
freshly squeezed key limes, graham cracker crust, hand-whipped cream

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bar
tahitian vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, crunchy chocolate pearls

Pallet Coffee Roasters (Vancouver)

Solid. The Bride thought this was the best flat white/latte we had.

The Public Market (Vancouver)

Gotta visit the market!

The Stock Market at The Public Market (Vancouver)

Solid.

El Cafecito at The Public Market (Vancouver)

This place was amazing! Best horchata latte I’ve ever had. The Bride adored her chai latte.

Big City Bannock at the farmer’s market at The Art Gallery (Vancouver)

Bannock is the local indigenous bread, and we were excited that the farmers market had a bannock stall! This was the fried version (baked version for dinner tomorrow evening).

Lift (Vancouver)

Rando place we picked after a deathmarch to see the goslings (but the goslings were not there). Dang good! My cocktail was wonderful, and The Bride thoroughly enjoyed the local sparkling brut rose, the Unsworth Vineyards, Charme De L’Ile, Brut Rose, Mill Bay, British Columbia.

jasmine leaves:
sake, white rum, jasmine, orange flower water, lemon

truffle fries
granda padano cheese, chives

shishito peppers
blistered shishito peppers, flaked salt, sweet soy sauce

Girkha Himalayan Kitchen (Vancouver)

Decent.

Yeti’s Brain:
peach, blue caracao, baileys, grenadine

NEPALI BHOJAN:
Chicken (Tomato, ginger, garlic, onion, & spices), Yellow Lentil – Spinach – Basmati Rice – Papad -Raita – Naan – Coconut Rice Pudding

Kafkas Coffee (Vancouver)

Fantastic!

FEEL-GOOD GRANOLA:
Housemade granola with nuts and seeds, lemon yogurt and fruit confiture.

EGGTOPIA:
Free-range egg, cheddar, kale pesto and chili mayo on a fresh milk bun.

The Cabin (Capilano)

The Trading Post (Capilano)

Pokey Okey (Vancouver)

Decent.

The Green Bowl (at the top)
Tuna, salmon, capelin roe, seaweed salad, purple cabbage, soybeans, imitation crab, wasabi furikake, seaweed flakes, and wasabi mayo.

The Red Bowl (in the front)
Spicy tuna, spicy salmon, flying fish roe, seaweed salad, imitation crab, kimchi, purple cabbage, fried onion, seaweed flakes, and spicy mayo sauce.

Cedar Cafe (Vancouver)

Decent.

Salmon n’ Bannock (Vancouver)

Super excited to have eaten here. Everything is indigenous, including the beers and wines. Very tasty to boot!

Mushrooms on Toasted Bannock:
Sautéed mushrooms with melted brie, sage-blueberries and finished with bison gravy

Housemade Elk Huckleberry Sausage:
Served with sage-blueberries on top

“Fiss n’ Rice”
Wild Sockeye (6oz) served on a bed of Ojibway Wild Rice with a brown butter sauce. Served with Daily Vegetables and our Signature Bannock.

Smoked Sablefish
Smoked with white buffalo sage and served with Haudenosaunee corn polenta and roasted beets. Served with Signature Bannock

Breka Bakery & Cafe (Vancouver)

Yes.

Rocky Mountaineer (between Vancouver and Kamloops)

The food on the train was OK to fair, akin to first-class airline quality with flavors toward bland. The meats were dry. Day 2 chow was better than Day 1.

Mittz Kitchen (Kamloops)

Good. We were desperate for salads.

Portabello Pear Salad:
mixed greens with marinated portobello mushrooms.
crisp pears, red onion, avocado, candied pepper walnuts,
creamy reia and house made maple balsamic vinaigrette

Crispy Cobb Salad:
chicken. avocado. tomatoes. crumbled blue cheese.
romaine with poppy seed dressing and topped with a
crispy tempura bacon-wrapped egg

Rocky Mountaineer (between Kamloops and Lake Louise)

Fairview Bar & Restaurant (Lake Louise)

This is the fancy-pants restaurant at the Fairmont hotel we stayed at. Really good!

Iconic Peak:
lapsang souchong, bitters, untamed signature rye whisky

Teriyaki Lion’s Mane Mushroom:
furikake, ginger rice congee, mountain pickle

Charred Arctic Char:
blue oyster mushroom, creamy hominy grits, crispy brussels sprouts

Elk Osso Buco:
slowly simmered in red wine & aromatics, summer peas, hazelnut yam, marjoram

Louiza (Lake Louise)

This was an “order from the menu but then there’s also a buffet” kinda deal. It worked!

The Guide’s Pantry (Lake Louise)

bus ride to Lake Moraine and then Banff

Carlito’s Pizzeria (Banff)

Decent pizza for The Bride (she was pleasantly surprised). And I needed to land a poutine (needed more gravy)!

Whitebark Cafe (Banff)

Good.

Mountain Folk Coffee Co. (Banff)

Really yummy.

Smashed Avo Toast:
sourdough with fresh avocado, sprouts, lemon, pickled onions and salt granules

Peanut Butter Cacao Smoothie Bowl:
A creamy blend of peanut butter, banana, almond milk, vegan protein powder, chia and hemp seeds. Topped with cacao nibs, gluten free granola, strawberry and a scoop of peanut butter

Sudden Sally (Banff)

Really good.

WHITE NEGRONI (top):
Last Best Afterglow Gin / Corsican White Vermouth / Bitter Bianco / Lemon
BANFF 75 (bottom)
Apricot du Roussillon / Brandy / Passionfruit / Yuzu / Pineapple / Sparkling Wine / Soda

HOUSE CHICKPEA BURGER:
King Oyster Mushrooms, Monterey Jack, Pickled Onion, Kimchi Mayo, Hand Cut Fries

CRISPY DUCK PASTA BOWL:
Chilled Buckwheat Pasta, Arugula, Bell Peppers, Goat Cheese, Tamari Almonds

Trailhead Cafe (Lake Louise)

Decent.

Pacini (Banff)

Decent.

Kale Salad al limone:
Asiago, lemon vinaigrette, dried blueberries, pistachios.

Chicken Pesto and Arugula:
Pesto genovese, Mozzafila, diced chicken, pizza mozzarella cheese, red onions, arugula.

Crinkle Rockies Coffee Cart (Banff Farmers Market)

Good.

Tim Hortons (Banff)

Good. That Habanero wrap surprisingly had piss-you-off levels of heat.

Habanero Chicken Loaded Wrap with Cheese

CHARCUT (Calgary)

I came for the Bison Brasato al Barolo (slow cooked brisket, red wine, pancetta, roasted king oyster mushrooms), but the plate was sadly sold out. Stayed for the chicken picata. Really good place.