“Indish” offers three menus:
- The Chef and Serve menu does all the prep work for you. All the veggies are chopped, meat marinated, your mise en place together. Indish acts as your sous chef and you get to finish cooking the meal at home with their detailed instructions. The menu changes regulalry, but it’s always mouth watering. We tried a delicious chicken and chorizo jambalaya. There’s a nice variety including duck breast, seared tuna, and coq au vin. My only issue is that I still think you need some reasonable cooking skills to finish the dishes off well – they are not fool proof even with the prep work done.

- The Heat and Serve menu offers fully cooked, frozen meals that you reheat in the oven. So cottage pie, chicken pot pie, mac and cheese – freezer friendly items. The Boeuf Bourguignon is also in this category (although it’s easier to reheat it on the stove for 20 min. than in the oven for an hour) and it’s excellent. Better than mine. Shhh!

- The Microwave and Serve menu is what I used the most. Fully cooked meals frozen in individual portions for easy heating. We’ve had many portions of the delicious butter chicken and lamb tagine. The spaghetti bolognese is good but the sauce is sweeter than I like. The only “meh” one is the thai green curry – it’s good, but nothing special.

While the food is delicious, having a sous chef in the kitchen is not cheap. The Chef ‘n Serve menu items are $24-43 for 2 servings. You can definitely make the same thing for cheaper on your own, so you are paying the big bucks for convenience. The microwavable items are a tad more reasonable at $8.50-$14 for one serving. I plan to keep a couple microwaveable items in the freezer for those nights I can’t cook but want some real food.

Overall, it’s nice to see Indish doing well. They have a nice concept, use quality local ingredients, and are filling a niche for time-crunched people that don’t want bad take-out for dinner.

Indishpensible
2777 Arbutus St (@12th ave)
604-731-3474

I recently collaborated with Holly Wong, owner of the boutique, on a shopping event for the Downtown Networking Association. Along with local luxe brands Sienna Ray Bags and Lisbeth Jewelry, we put on a great evening of shopping while networking – my kind of night.

Some interesting notes on Holly Boutique:

• They owner and her buyers seek out those hard to find brands in Vancouver, giving you lots of new options and looks to try. Brands include La Rok, House of Harlow, Maggie Ward, James Perse, gorgeous Rebecca Minkoff bags, and more.
• I hear owner Holly Wong has a weakness for dresses, so expect lots of beautiful dresses in the store in an array of colours. If you’re looking for a great dress for a summer wedding, go here and get inspiration.
• Lots of inspiration comes from the lines featured on Shop Bop – so if you like what you see there, you’ll love Holly Boutique
• The store takes pricing seriously. They don’t want you to try on their clothes and then buy them online for cheaper. They price things competitively so you’re not going to be charged way more money for the same piece elsewhere.
• And the most important thing – Holly and her staff are great. Friendly, hard working, and creating a truly beautiful store. Worthy of my support any day.

I posted a couple pictures of the store on the Downtown Networking Association blog, here.

Holly Boutique
215 – 332 Water Street – entrance also at Cordova & Homer St.
Vancouver
604.681.8883

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I attended a fabulous wine tasting event last week (hosted by the Downtown Networking Association) at Eclektica Art Gallery.

It’s a lovely gallery featuring original paintings, ceramics, jewelery, prints, and gift items.

What I enjoyed:

• The gallery’s slogan is “Art for Everyone” and they stay true to this. The owners focus on having a wide range of price points and styles for all people. For example, they had a lovely mother of pearl platter for $15 versus a framed Koren print for $500.00.
• My favourite – beautiful wood bowls made by a local artist. Several different sizes and several different woods. Prices range from about $40-$150, depending on size and wood.
• Excellent selection of jewelry and accessories for all styles
• The gallery looks small when you walk in…until you see the soaring ceiling and multiple floors. They’ve done a nice job with the space, considering the location.

A great stop if you’re decorating or looking for a unique gift.

Eclektica Art Gallery
1118 Homer St, Vancouver in Yaletown
604-568 1491

When I do cook Italian, one of my go-to places is La Grotta Del Formaggio on Commercial Drive.

La Grotta is a small shop full of good things: extra virgin olive oil, San Marzano tomatos, vincotto and balsamic vinegar, pastas, coffee, anchovies, olives, Italian meats, and more…all at fair prices. I’ve seen olive oils at La Grotta for $10-15 less than what the gourmet supermarkets charge.

I recently visited and wrote about La Grotta Del Formaggio for Granville Online magazine. Read the full article here.

It was a beautiful day and I had a friend visiting from Ottawa, so we decided to drive into Deep Cove for a change of scenery. Deep Cove is a sleepy community surrounded with beautiful water and mountain views. We rolled into the village and took a lazy walk by the water and surrounding neighbourhood, eventually heading to Gallant Street, the main strip of Deep Cove where we found some amazing shops and sweets:

Room 6 - I have to say, it’s rare these days that I come across a store packed with so many amazing things! Room 6′s tagline is “special things for nice people” and do they deliver. I think we spent over 30 minutes in the small shop, which is full of housewares, toys, jewelry, clothes, accessories, and more. Here’s my list of lovely things spotted:

• Stationary from Main Street’s Regional Assembly of Text and beautiful wood cut cards from Night Owl Paper Goods
• The most beautiful wood mirrors and hand mirrors from local artist Alex Henderson of Henderson Dry Goods
• An addictive-smelling maple syrup candle in a maple syrup tin
• Identity brand t-shirts, which are excellent printed tees of Canadian symbols. For example this awesome zamboni tee. I bought my husband a Canadian Geese Identity tee years ago and haven’t seen the brand since, so I was very excited to see the tees here.
• Gorgeous wood jewelry from local artist Billy Would Designs
• Cute & crafty soft animals made by hand from Tiny Warbler Designs
• For the kids: the awesome “sockodile” kit and the crazy Monster Factory toys
• Decadent chocolates from local chocolate shop CocoaNymph

Yes, I know this is a long list. It could have been longer. If you haven’t finished your holiday shopping, this would be a good one-stop place. It’s a great mix of unique and local items that are thoughtfully chosen. I’ll be back!

La La’s Home Decor: A couple doors down from Room 6 is La La’s, another store carrying nice gifts, housewares, and accessories. I was particularly drawn to their selection of headpieces. I slipped a few fun ones on and was tempted to buy one for my next afternoon tea event.

Honey’s Doughnuts and Goodies: My dad raves about this place and it’s quite famous for having some of the best doughnuts in Vancouver. They make a cake style doughnut, and they came in honey, maple, and chocolate the morning I visited. We split a maple and a honey doughnut and they were…okay. I found them quite dense, more cake-like than a doughnut, and a tad too heavy. The honey dip at Lee’s on Granville Island is still the best in town.

Our Deep Cove morning complete, we headed back to Vancouver and to Main Street’s Regional Assembly of Text shop after being inspired by their wares at Room 6. But that’s another post.

My friend suggested we brunch and walk the village last weekend, and we had a great time. West Point Grey Village features a mix of excellent stores, restaurants, and great food shops. Here are some highlights from our  afternoon:

Brunch was at Provence Mediterranean Grill (4473 W. 10th Ave), a nice spot for a quiet weekend brunch. We dug into lamb panini, French inspired vegetarian eggs benedict, and a fluffy omelettes. The egg dishes come with the awesome breakfast potatoes, which are deliciously bad for you…fried until crisp and then sauteed in butter.

After brunch, we headed across the street to Mix the Bakery (4430 W. 10th Ave.) and picked up a couple loaves of their famous Super Grain bread. The bakery sells out of certain breads fast, so call ahead and reserve a loaf if you can’t get there in the morning.

With the Super Grain bread safely tucked away, we leisurely walked the ‘hood. Some of our favourite places:

The Natural Gardener (4376 W. 10th Ave.) – I’ve taken a few gardening courses here and always like browsing the plants and gardening supplies here. For a complete novice like me, this store is very helpful.

Tenth & Proper (4483 W. 10th Ave) – a store filled with beautiful, feminine clothing and dresses.

T-Room (4445 W. 10th Ave). – part tea and baked goods cafe, part  kitchenware store, there’s something for any foodie here.

Urban Yarns (4421 W. 10th Ave) – I’m no knitter, but I’ve met an inordinate amount of friends at this store – all of them looking for good yarn. The store also teaches knitting classes.

Moricotta (4429 W. 10th Ave) – Expensive but beautiful Italian and European housewares.

Sasamat Seafood and Sushi Market (4515 W. 10th ave) – A small seafood shop that also makes sushi trays to order with fresh fish brought in daily from Japan.

The Butcher on 10th (4529 W. 10th) – Great butcher shop with good quality meats and good selections of sausages and pates.

Pane e Formaggio (4532 W. 10th) – This shop is near the end of the strip, across from Safeway, but don’t miss it. It’s an Italian artisan bakery, cafe, and grocer. Browse the shop and have some fresh gelato while picking up a selection of cheese, meats, and fresh bread. I also picked up a light and crunchy pine nut cookie for the walk back to the car.

My friend and I will return to West Point Grey Village again. It was a great spot to spend some calm time together while brunching, shopping, and walking.

Terra Breads is a well known source for great artisan breads and available at many grocery stores. There are three retail locations, with two locations also serving up espresso, soup, and sandwiches.

My favourites:

• I went through a serious phase with Terra’s blueberry bread with white chocolate. I think I ate it every day for a month. Crusty bread, sweet & tart blueberries, and smooth white chocolate speckled throughout. So yum.
• Terra Breads makes some of the best granola ever. Mix that with some honey vanilla yogurt and your choice of blueberry or cherry compote and you’ve got a breakfast that keeps you moving.
• There are sandwiches, and there are sandwiches. Terra Breads sandwiches are a great reminder of how important bread is for a sandwich. Good bread makes anything better. My sandwich today is vegetarian focaccia – fresh vegetables and ripe avocado on light and crispy parmesean focaccia. The sandwich menu offers lots of variety, from roasted salmon, to lamb, to turkey, to hummus and cucumber.
• Each day of the week, they make up a fresh soup, which pairs perfectly with any sandwich
• And of course…it’s a bakery. Top off your lunch with one of Terra Bread’s excellent cookies. I have chocolate macaroons today.

The location on 5th & Manitoba is by far the biggest and most relaxed. The Kitsilano location on 4th is small, but the food is still good.

Terra Breads Bakery & Cafe

2380 W. 4th Ave (@ Balsalm) in Kitsilano
Open 7 days a week until 7:30pm

and

53 W. 5th Ave (@ Manitoba) in Mount Pleasant / False Creek
Closed on Sunday. Open until 6pm on weekdays, 5pm on Saturday

It’s hard to explain why, but when you go to Main St, you feel it. It’s a locals neighbourhood with excellent eating and shopping. It used to be the non-mainstream alternative, and it still is, but it’s definitely trendy. I’ll focus primarily on the “SoMa” (South Main) district here. If you are am ambitious, you could hit all the hot shopping spots on Main on one day (walking it all is doable, but long) , but I typically pick one of the following areas each time I’m in the area.

Main Street, between 7th ave and 10th ave

Two stores I make special trips for: Lark and Jonathan & Oliva.

Both stores carry local and international brands, but focus on designers you aren’t going to find in every store. You’ll find many beautiful unique pieces here. Neither of these stores are cheap, but I love looking at the clothes, even if I can only buy something once in a while.

Newer stores in this area:
Recently opened:

• F as in Frank, the Vancouver outpost of a popular Whistler consignment store that a lot of the Vancouver fashion blogs were very excited about.
• Forsya,  a boutique with lovely clothing, bags, and accessories exclusively featuring Canadian designers.

Break time : Gene Coffee Bar on Main & 8th is a great spot for coffee and snack.

Main Street, between 20th-24th ave

Here it is, the creme de la creme of Main Street shopping. For such a small area, you can put a lot of damage on your credit card here. I know from experience You’ll see a theme with these stores – indpendent designers, Canadian designers, and things you’d never find on Robson Street.

My favourites:

(West side of street)

Narcissist Design Co. – A go to emporium of flattering, travel friendly dresses. I went though a phase with this store and have about 14 of their dresses. They are known for the “Pamela” dress, which you can wear in about 12 different ways. I find the “Frenchie” and the “Celeste” are my favourites, with the most flattering cuts. The store sells other brands as well, but I’ve noticed their mark-up is high compared to other stores, so take note of that.

Eugene Choo – One of the first fashion stores to hit Main Street, this store continues to carry lots of independent and Canadian labels and beautiful clothes and shoes for men and women. My last purchase there was actually a plaid wool house coat for my husband.

Hum – Another store specializing in independent and Canadian labels. I’ve noticed they carry lots of Montreal designers as well like Valerie Dumaine and Second Denim Co. , which makes these incredibly comfortable “yoga jeans” at a very fair price (~$100).

Twig and Hottie - This store carries many Canadian designers and sustainable fashion lines as well. Great please for everyday clothes – think Fidelity denim with lots of options for unique tops and accessories.

(east side of the street)

Vancouver Special – Do you all remember our (un)remakrable architectural achievement, the Vancouver Special? Well, this store takes the name (and prints some great t-shirts) from a Vancouver Special, but the similarities end there. This is a design house, with books, furnitures, and housewares that you’ll want in your home.

Chef Claires - Chef Claires is a catering company with a store front. They make fresh and delicious meals and freeze them for people to buy and heat up at home. A gourmet (and healthier) option to the frozen dinner.

Smoking Lily – Smoking Lily originated in Victoria BC and they’re probably known in Victoria for having the smallest store ever! I can’t remember the exact size but it’s like 100 square feet, maybe. The store in Vancouver is a tad bigger, selling casual clothing and accessories. One of their more famous items is a line of t-shirts with Pierre Trudeau’s picture on them. A total conversation starter at parties when you wear this shirt.

Umeboshi Shoes – One of the few stores in town that can rival Gravity Pope for selection. Lots of lovely shoes, boots, and accessories for men and women.

Front & Co – Probably the most well-known fashion consignment store in the city. It’s big and you can get lots of finds at this store.

Regional Assembly of Text – Love stationary? Come to this lovely store, where they specialize in beautiful stationary. They even have a regular letter writing club as well! Snail mail is a celebration here.

Break time: Liberty Bakery and Cafe (3699 Main St – close to Eugene Choo) is a great spot for a light snack or coffee. The black bean soup? Awesome.

Main Street, King Edward Ave (25th) to around 30th

There are lots of good eats and antique shops around here, but one notable mention for…

Voltage – a great store specializing in crazy toys/collectables, accessories,  and funny t-shirts. Come by the store and peruse the t-shirt racks – you’ll find lots of witty prints that you’ll want to wear. People at my office have several shirts from here.

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I will continue to update this post as things open/close, but for now – enjoy Main St. There’s lots to see, eat, and shop.

AGRO Cafe and Restaurant

I love coming here to get away from the complete craziness of the public market. AGRO is a bustling cafe and roasting house specializing in fair trade, organic coffee, breakfast, and lunch. The espresso here is excellent (I was sitting next to some Italian tourists one afternoon on the patio and they gave me the thumbs up), as is the food. Menu includes hot breakfast items, pasta dishes, and gourmet paninis served with organic greens or fresh fries or yam fries.  A nice stopover for a quick, inexpensive bite to eat on the Island.

(AGRO’s second location is in Yaletown serving up excellent coffee, but with a smaler food selection.)

Hartman Leather

We dropped by the leather shop to pick up a belt for my husband Dan.  It’s great for men’s belts. Top grade leather, high quality, and well priced ($40 for a nice, locally made, leather belt). The store also sells leather bags, purses, and leather gift items. Not really my style, but they are beautifully made and I’d definitely consider these items as gifts.

Osake Artisan Sake Maker

Yes, we have sake made locally here in Vancouver! And it’s good. Drop by for a tasting (for a nominal charge) and you’ll enjoy some nice sake while learning about how sake is made, the different quality levels of sake, and why you should ONLY drink cold sake.

Osake recently came out with a line of dressings made from Sake Kasu, which, according to Osake, is the “lees” that remain after the moromi (fermented rice mash) has been pressed during the sake-making process. I bought some Kasu, smeared it on some fish and sauteed it last night. Yummy, but dont put too much on as it’s potent!

The studio is located out of the way, at Oak & 33rd ave, but it’s worth it, especially when a sale is on as they are awesome! Last year I bought a pair of Hunter boots for 40% off!

Now, the time has come for another excellent one-day sale.

Here is the FLYER – for a big sale happening this Friday, May 27, 11-7.

See? the best shopping is off the main streets!

Simply Sublime
#150-3737 Oak St, Vancouver
604-733-0440