VanMag July/August 2026

A city this delicious deserves to be celebrated. The 2026 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards were a testament to what makes this city’s food scene truly worldclass—the passion, the craft, the people behind every unforgettable meal. Our 37th annual celebration of Vancouver’s restaurant scene honoured more than 50 different categories, from Best Japanese and Best Italian to Best New and Best Upscale. The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver was packed with the city’s finest chefs, restaurateurs, front-of-house teams and food lovers, ready to cheer each other on as co-hosts Sophie Lui (anchor, Global News) and Stacey McLachlan (editor-in-chief, Vancouver magazine) handed out the top honours on stage.

Congratulations once again to all of our 2026 finalists, and thank you to our generous sponsors. As always, it was an afternoon to remember.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

DESTINATION PARTNER

PERSONAL SPACE

At home with The Acorn founders Shira Blustein and Scott Lewis and their kids.

SHOP HOP

Where to source a splashy swimsuit for beach season.

SO FUN CITY

The best arts and culture events for making the most of your summer.

MADE IN VANCOUVER

Conifer’s 3D-printed planters are low waste but high design.

THE HAUL

Family folk star Oh Clementine shares a few of her fave buys.

AT ISSUE

Why is it that hospital food is so notoriously terrible?

KNOW-IT-ALL

If you’ve ever longed to live in a Dunbar Castle, this one’s for you.

(BCBusiness), Anicka Quin (Western Living)

senior editor Mihika Agarwal (BCBusiness)

managing editor , food and culture Kristi Alexandra

managing editor Dani Wright (on leave)

assistant editor Kerri Donaldson (Vancouver, Western Living) wine and spirits editor Neal McLennan

contributing editors

Hirose, Matt O’Grady

Juan Pablo Diaz Lopez, Logan Driedger,

Zuzana Krejcikova, Keoni Meaux

61 62 64 66 c

Come On, Get Happy Need a little pickme-up? Look no further than our “How to Find Happy” feature on page 31.

REVIEWS

Chef Chanthy Yen’s Touk inspires cozy comfort and happy tears.

IN SEARCH OF

These cold foam drinks will keep you cool this summer.

BEST THING I ATE

This pancake from Nabi House tastes an awful lot like home.

EATERS GOTTA EAT

Where chefs and restaurateurs love to grab a bite.

THE WINE LIST

Bottles that are sure to inspire a hit of happiness.

MEET CUTE

Dating columnist Kerri Donaldson goes in blind.

HOW TO FIND HAPPY

Money can’t by happiness, but maybe this story can. We’re seeking out joy this summer, with a breakdown of (scientifically backed) ways to fight the metaphorical rain clouds. Here’s how to find community, embrace nature, track down serotonin-boosting eats and other soul-satisfying activities.

52

HOME BASE

The legendary Nat Bailey Stadium turns 75 this year, and it remains much more than a place to play ball: for many, it’s a home away from home.

digital marketing manager Rebekah Ho

brand partnerships/digital copywriter Sandrine Jacquot

social media and content creator Xiao Qing Wan

design

creative director Jenny Reed art director Stesha Ho ( Vancouver , BCBusiness )

advisory council

Angus An, Maenam; Patrick Barron, Telus; Victoria Emslie, Nicola Wealth; Peter Jackman, Terminal City Club; Carol Lee, Vancouver Chinatown Foundation; Carol Liao, UBC Peter Allard School of Law; Matt McClenaghan, Edgar Developments; Jennifer Murtagh, Maturn; Gary Pooni, Pooni Group; Greg Zayadi, Rennie Group

sales representation

vice - president , sales Anna Lee

senior media specialists Brianne Harper, Mira Hershcovitch, Cathy Huynh mail sales@canadawide.com

production / administration

group vp , education and administration Jane Griffiths

operations manager Emily Heffring

director of circulation Tracy McRitchie

executive assistant and event producer Julie Fisher events and office manager Julia Jarman

procurement manager and business support specialist Natasha Jayawardena

production support technician Ina Bowerbank customer service Kelly Kalirai

finance

group vp , finance Conroy Ing, CPA, CMA vp of finance Sonia Roxburgh, CPA, CGA accounting Terri Mason, Eileen Gajowski

address Suite 130, 4321 Still Creek Drive, Burnaby, B.C. V5C 6S7 tel 604-299-7311 fax 604-299-9188 web

HAPPY DAYS

How do you cultivate happiness? I recognize that this is sort of a big question for a city magazine to tackle... but, over the course of preparing this issue, it also became clear that the answers are actually pretty simple. Slow down. Move your body. Get outside. Cultivate friendship. Eat delicious things. Be generous. These are things we can all start doing today—in fact, I managed to do all of them on a walk to get an iced coffee with my husband while taking a break from writing this very editor’s note. (Okay, maybe “be generous” is a bit of a stretch, given that I paid for the coffees with our joint bank card.)

At a time in history when anxiety, grief and anger are so easily stoked by the headlines or rage-bait content, I believe it’s a little bit radical to intentionally carve out some joy for yourself and your community. To paraphrase something author Catherine Roscoe Barr told me in her interview for our “How to Be Happy” feature (page 31), “When we suffer, we inflict that suffering on the people around us.” In other words, the world is in bad shape because people aren’t well, and if we could change that, says Barr, “maybe that’s the secret to world peace.”

Well, then: get the Nobel Peace Prize judges on standby, because we’re giving it a shot.

We grilled psychologists and meditation enthusiasts, went shopping for psychedelic homewares, trekked to Richmond like a tourist, dove into the frigid sea, tried every ice cream cone we could get our sticky paws on and even rolled out our yoga mats near a field of Highland cows. We’ve emerged with pages and pages of suggestions for cheering yourself up, embracing optimism and designing a life packed with moments of joy—a feeling we’re hoping will spread to the people and communities around you, too.

The good times don’t end with that special feature, to be clear. There’s plenty of bliss to be found in other pages of the magazine, too: opportunities to discover new bands (page 21), plan a fun-filled summer (page 20), find a swimsuit you don’t hate (page 16), catch a game at the ballpark (page 52), eat a meal that inspires happy-tears (page 58) or flirt a little with a reader (page 66).

Whatever story speaks to you in this issue, I hope it brings you happiness. Really.

STACEY McLACHLAN editor - in - chief

Coming Up Next Issue

Steal Their Style

We tapped Vancouver’s most fashionable people to share their styling secrets, favourite local brands and must-visit boutiques. If you think Vancouverites have no style, consider this proof that you’re dead wrong.

Local interior designers dive into their go-to space-saving design tricks—from smart storage solutions to brilliant built-in furniture—and the real Vancouver projects that are making every square inch work.

SCAN HERE

to watch video interviews with Vancouver’s top chefs, rising restaurateurs and all-star bartenders from the red carpet at our 2026 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards.

From downtown rooftop cocktails at The Roof and ocean views at Riley's Fish & Steak, to the bold energy of Glowbal, the foliage-covered pergola at Italian Kitchen, and the cozy-chic Italian escape at Trattoria in Burnaby, there’s a patio for every mood.

All of our patios are designed for all-weather comfort, so rain or shine, your table is waiting outdoors.

CULTURE

Main Characters

The Acorn co-owners Shira Blustein and Scott Lewis put down roots on Main Street two decades ago. They’re still (happily) there.

by

Shira Blustein might know the stretch of Main Street around her Michelinrecommended restaurant The Acorn better than anyone. Not only has she been running her beloved plant-based room with husband Scott Lewis since 2012, she says, “We’ve been living within four blocks for 20 years now.” (Recently, she and Lewis have dug their roots in even deeper, opening Indian restaurant Lila a few doors down with fellow acclaimed restaurateur Meeru Dhalwala.)

Their most recent move was a decade ago, into a circa-1910 building in the neighbourhood. Some serious renovations were in order—the unit was getting power through an electrical cord that snaked through the stairwell. But once things were fixed up behind the scenes, the couple could turn their attention to the aesthetics of their home sweet home. Original sketches for the space were drawn up by the Acorn’s bar manager, who was in her early days of architecture school: the first rendition included a floating fireplace, a hidden bar and a loft all the way to the stairs. “Unfortunately, she hadn’t got to the part of the program where you deal with structure,” jokes Lewis. “Our actual architect who came in to do the project with us was like, ‘Well, where’s your laundry going to go?’ And we’re like, ‘What? Laundry? And the ceiling’s going to collapse? Interesting.’” The plans for the jam space and the kiln got scrapped—in retrospect, for the better. “Priorities have changed a little bit since then,” says Lewis; he and Blustein are now raising their two young daughters here (Vee, now age eight, and Alita, five).

With the help of interior design firm Studio Roslyn, a space emerged that found the sweet spot between practicality and rock-and-roll cool. (“In case it’s not obvious, I’m really into black,” says Blustein.) It’s a home designed with monochrome drama and space for grand works of art, but

also toy-storage galore. You’ll usually find the family gathered in the highceilinged great room, cooking in the Nero-Marquina marble-clad kitchen or listening to records by the fireplace. “We built a playroom, but the kids just want to do everything here together,” says Blustein. Also here to hang? Two cats, one of whom is a grey-calico who did not get the memo about Blustein’s preferred colour palette. “She should have black fur, honestly,” she deadpans.

Clay Time Blustein is an avid ceramics collector (“I have a terrible practice of my own,” she laughs). One piece is a wedding present from L.A.-based artist David Korty; some were created by Janaki Larsen for The Acorn’s cookbook launch party; some are rare finds, like a small bowl from British ceramicist Florian Gadsby. “His ceramics sell out like a Taylor Swift concert. I was so lucky to get a piece—I had no idea what size it even was when I bought it,” she says.

1 Checkmate The gas fireplace looks just like a wood-burning unit, bringing a cozy, vintage vibe to the living area. The girls made the most of the chess set during the photo shoot. “They’re not usually like that,” laughs Blustein.

2 Coffee Date The in-wall JennAir coffee maker was high on the wish list. “We did a farm dinner at Klippers around 10 years ago, and they had an in-wall coffee maker and it became a long-running dream of ours to have coffee at the push of a button,” says Blustein. NeroMarquina marble lines the oversized island in the kitchen, and the material is echoed elsewhere in the home—like a custom cabinet under the record player and in the ensuite bathroom.

3 Music Makers Blustein bought her autoharp after falling in love with the PJ Harvey album Let England Shake. “I brought it to a guitar tech in town and he re-tuned it for me to give it minor chords. Otherwise, it was kind of too happy-sounding for me.” Next to the record player, a cast-plaster speaker is on display from artist Laura Piasta.

4 Canvas Crush Inside the home, there’s plenty more local art to be admired, including pieces by Niall McClelland (right) and an oversized, untitled painting by Lewis (opposite page). Lewis is also the artist responsible for the captivating mural on the wall at Lila.

Everything in Its Place The couple designed the storage specifically around the things they needed tucked away: for example, a built-in shelving unit sized perfectly for music albums, and a custom bar cabinet with the exact-right dimensions for bottles and glassware. “Our former place was an old house, with no storage, so we had to have all this furniture, cabinets and sideboards. When we moved in here, I wanted everything to be able to just be put away,” says Blustein. “Of course, then I had kids and they don’t actually put anything away. But they could.”

Swim Fan

Find a suit that suits from one of these swimwear havens or local brands.

by Caroline Mitchell

Gatley 1136 Commercial Dr., gatley.ca

jA huge selection of Left on Friday, the mix-and-match swim brand from former Lululemon execs.

Pair the scoop-neck Sunday top ($120) with the high-waisted HiTide bottom ($120) in your favourite high-contrast hues.

What’s Her Face Online, whatsherface.ca

Made-to-measure reversible swimsuits, customized with your choice of fabrics (ranging from pink gingham to a chicken-andwaffles print).

The Billie top ($70) features an adjustable tie; the extremely cheeky Jett bottoms ($65) bare all.

Nettles Tale

306 W Cordova St., nettlestale.com

jSize-inclusive swimwear (from XS to 4X!), made ethically right here in Vancouver.

The Cheeky No Gather Magic bottoms ($69) and sports-bra style Bonnie top ($95) look particularly lovely in leopard.

2146 W 4th Ave. and 1150 Robson St., knix.ca

jBody-sculpting women’s swimsuits that are also designed to be period-proof.

We’re digging the sporty vibe of the black-and-white Cap-Sleeve one-piece ($125) with a zip front.

Londre Online, londrebodywear.com

jThese Vancouverdesigned suits are made from recycled water bottles—the fact that they’re extremely bum-flattering is just a bonus.

A super low scoop front and open back make the Minimalist suit ($176) a one-piece with serious sex appeal.

THE DEETS

Hustle Culture

At Hustle at RS, strangers become dance partners, Robson Square becomes a disco and anybody can take the lead.

by Kerri Donaldson

The work it took to track down Victor Vân Tran for a phone interview felt appropriate given the name of his organization: Hustle at RS. The dancer, known in the underground scene as B.Boy Savage Rock, had just returned from a dance festival in Tokyo and was preparing to fly back home to Montreal, where he’s now based between trips to teach, adjudicate and perform internationally. By the time I get him on the line, I’ve begun to assume that the “hustle” referred to his schedule.

Instead, over the course of our call, I learn it’s the name of the partner dance style that has transformed Tuesday nights into one of Vancouver’s warmest social scenes.

Which, admittedly, surprises me. As someone whose natural instinct in public spaces is to pretend I’m looking for a friend while actually scouting the nearest tall plant to stand beside, the idea of outdoor partner dancing with strangers at Robson Square struck fear directly into my nervous system when I first heard about it. But Tran makes a compelling case.

“It’s scary showing up to a new social setting,” he says. (Tran himself admits he had to be convinced by a friend to try partner dance after years

focused mostly on breaking and solo styles.) “But the good thing about Hustle is that someone’s going to want to dance with you.”

Founded in 2013 by a small group of dancers “sessioning” at Robson Square, Hustle at RS grew organically out of Vancouver’s long-running street dance scene. Tran describes the square as a “melting pot” for Vancouver dance communities that dates back to the 1980s, when dancers began gathering outdoors to practice, share styles and, in Hustle’s early days, “reverse engineer” moves from videos together.

Thirteen years later, the Hustle community still gathers weekly for an open-level class followed by a social dance party. During the summer months, dancers spill across Robson Square out to streets lit by the downtown lights; in fall, the party moves indoors to Victoria Drive Community Hall.

What can you expect besides a good time and a

slightly elevated heart rate?

“Good music,” says Tran: R&B, disco, funk and house. Sometimes it’s a curated playlist, once delivered by “DJ iPod” and now, naturally, by “DJ Spotify.” Once or twice a month, actual DJs step in, too, from community members practicing their craft to out-of-town guests playing for the love of it. And, depending on who’s in charge of the aux on a given night, Tran admits, “you might get one Sabrina Carpenter track.”

The classes are “very, very intro-friendly,” says Tran.

The goal is that “by your first class, you should be able to have a dance.” There’s no expectation that dancers stick to traditional gender roles either: people can choose whether they want to lead or follow and switch roles whenever they want. “Everyone was dancing with each other in multiple roles,” he says.

Wear casual shoes and loose clothes, or dress up “and be fly.” Then, after class, you can stay for the social, practice your moves and maybe trick yourself into making a friend or two.

Summer Jams

Summer’s finally here! Now SPF is a verb, swimsuits are underwear and your calendar is jam-packed. by Kerri Donaldson

THAT’S AMOR, EH?: CA7RIEL AND PACO AMOROSO

WHEN July 8

WHERE Queen Elizabeth Theatre

COST From $145

The Argentinian duo brings their signature blend of Latin trap, funk, pop and pure theatrical nonsense to town, for those who like their concerts loud, weird and a little sexually confusing.

GULLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN: VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL

WHEN July 17 to 19

WHERE ?ə yalməxw/I yálmexw

Jericho Beach Park

COST From $150

Three days of oceanfront folk bliss served blanketside. Finally, a concert I can lie down at without security “checking up on me.”

SAX

MAN: VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL PRESENTS ISAIAH COLLIER

WHEN July 1

WHERE Vancouver Playhouse

COST From $55

The buzzy sax phenom—as in saxophone, don’t be weird—is bringing the cool sounds of Coltrane to the Vancouver Playhouse.

6

CLEVER GIRL SUMMER: VSO PRESENTS JURASSIC PARK IN CONCERT

WHEN July 9 to 10

WHERE Orpheum Theatre

COST From $32

Catch the ’90s dino blockbuster on the big screen, with the VSO playing John Williams’s iconic score live while that kid on the electric fence still stresses you out more than the dinosaurs.

PEEP SHOW: VIFF CENTRE PANTHEON SERIES PRESENTS REAR WINDOW

WHEN July 19 and 21

WHERE VIFF Centre

COST $23

Hitchcock’s classic tale of neighbourly nosiness, suspicious non-birding binocular use and why minding your own business is a life skill.

WILE AWAY: KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS

WHEN July 1

WHERE Commodore Ballroom COST From $136

A hazy night of shaggy, slacker-cool rock for swaying gently and lightly dissociating in denim.

GET YOUR KICKS: FIFA FAN FESTIVAL VANCOUVER PRESENTS ARKELLS

WHEN July 7

WHERE PNE Amphitheatre

COST From $44

The PNE is about to become soccer central (June 11 to July 19) and for everyone not actually at the game, Arkells are here to keep the crowd kicking and screaming.

FISH BOWL: THEATRE UNDER THE STARS PRESENTS THE LITTLE MERMAID

WHEN July 5 to August 22

WHERE Malkin Bowl COST From $35

Alongside Sister Act, TUTS is bringing everyone’s fave boycrazy half-fish teen to the Bowl. Expect big songs, daddy issues, some light cave hoarding and the silent treatment as flirting.

THE KHAT’S MEOW: KHATSAHLANO STREET PARTY

WHEN July 11

WHERE West 4th Avenue (from Macdonald to Burrard)

COST Free West 4th’s annual 10-block blowout is back with eight stages, live music, food trucks, shopping and beer gardens. Wander, snack and let your Fitbit tally the steps while you lose count of the beers.

NOT FOR THE SHEEPISH: GOAT

WHEN July 12 to 13

WHERE The Pearl

COST From $69

The mysterious Swedish psych-rock collective is doing two nights at The Pearl, which means masks, maximalism and the kind of groove-heavy weirdness that makes you feel cooler by proxy.

DRY CLEAN: NATE BARGATZE

WHEN July 23

WHERE Rogers Arena COST From $83

The king of clean-cut deadpan, proving once again that comedy does not equal yelling.

ARTS AND CRAFT BEER: EASTSIDE ARTS FESTIVAL’S FREE OUTDOOR CONCERT

WHEN July 26

WHERE MacLean Park COST Free

As part of the 10-day Eastside Arts Festival (art, performance, workshops), MacLean Park plays host to a free outdoor concert with food trucks and a beer garden— because culture is thirsty work.

NO

STRINGS ATTACHED: THE MUPPET DRAG SHOW: AN ADULT PRIDE BRUNCH

WHEN August 1

WHERE Hotel at The Waldorf COST $20

An adult Pride drag show and brunch with a side of some serious nostalgia. Let’s be honest, Miss Piggy is drag. Period.

HALF-CENTURY YOUNG: POWELL STREET FESTIVAL

WHEN August 1 to 2

WHERE Oppenheimer Park COST Free

Hitting the big 5-0 this year, the beloved fest brings Japanese Canadian art, culture, food and community to Oppenheimer Park for one very well-earned anniversary party.

IT’S ELECTRIC: AC/DC

WHEN August 13

WHERE BC Place

COST From $106

Alert the dads: AC/DC is coming to BC Place. Expect decibels, denim and enough air guitar to throw out a shoulder. For one night only, your pop’s garage “tinkering” playlist comes roaring to life.

DANCE APPEAL: PUBLIC DISCO PRIDE BLOCK PARTY

WHEN August 1

WHERE E 3rd Ave. and Ontario St. COST From $24

Hit the all-day open-air Mount Pleasant dance party: two stages, food trucks, live art and more—you’ll forget you actually left your house to pick up groceries.

BODY BREAK: KITSFEST 2026

WHEN August 6 to 9

WHERE Kitsilano Beach COST Free

For four fitness-packed days, we’re going full Kits with active-people fun: Spikeball, tennis, basketball, volleyball and chess (because yes, the brain is a muscle too), plus DJs, sunset yoga and other beachy programming.

BETWEEN SEVERAL FERNS: GREAT OUTDOORS COMEDY FESTIVAL PRESENTS BILL BURR

WHEN August 28

WHERE Brockton Fields

COST From $89

Stanley Park becomes a 19-plus open-air comedy club for one weekend only, with a new lineup each night. Bill Burr opens the fest on August 28.

KIM POSSIBLE: KIM GORDON

WHEN July 27

WHERE Hollywood Theatre COST From $64

The alt icon is coming to make your Monday night significantly cooler while reigniting your quest for the perfect leather jacket: your indie white whale.

THE RUNNING MAN: SEAWHEEZE HALF MARATHON AND SUNSET FESTIVAL

WHEN August 8

WHERE Hastings and Hornby COST Sunset Festival, $125; half marathon, $325 Technically, you can head straight to the post-run yoga-and-dance afterparty at Brockton Field. Did you run? That’s between you and your Apple Watch.

THE PLAYLIST

Concrete Vehicles was known, until very recently, as Computer—but one listen to the six-person band’s debut album, Station on the Hill, and it’s clear that humans, not machines, are behind the restless experimental rock: think noisy guitars, moody synths and songs that sound like they’re trying to fight their way out of an office job. Here are the other Vancouver artists they think you should listen to next.

1 Worrywart

Vocalist-guitarist Ben Lock first saw Worrywart at Red Gate four years ago and was “blown away by the eccentric live performance.”

LISTEN IF YOU’RE A FAN OF: Maximal noise-rock, art-punk feelings, and songs that sound like they’re grinning with all their teeth.

SIMILAR TO: Deerhoof, Wednesday, Mannequin Pussy.

BEST SOUNDTRACK FOR: Nervously pumping yourself up to walk into a party and then leaving 40 minutes later with three new best friends and a vague commitment to join a band.

ESSENTIAL TRACK: “Ala.”

2 Still Depths

Lock met Justin Perdomo from Still Depths years ago at a vintage store where they worked, while they were playing their music “hella out loud” in the shop. “I was immediately hooked,” says Lock.

LISTEN IF YOU LIKE: Noisy, lo-fi rock, mathy turns and songs with sharp-edged guitars.

SIMILAR TO: Daughters (if they smiled more), early Liars, Death From Above 1979.

BEST SOUNDTRACK FOR: An aggressive run to “solve all your life’s problems” only to realize you’re just dehydrated and the problem is capitalism, again.

ESSENTIAL TRACK: “Basshead.”

3 06 Automatic (Cameron Blake D’Eith)

“I’ve been friends with Cam for a while but his most recent record, which is coming out later this year, has been inspiring me recently.”

LISTEN IF YOU LIKE: Immersive alt-rock, folk-rock tendencies, synthy textures and big feelings.

SIMILAR TO: Alex G, Big Thief, The War on Drugs (but more caffeinated).

BEST SOUNDTRACK FOR: Staring out the bus window like you’re in a sad A24 breakup movie while on your way to buy oat milk.

ESSENTIAL TRACK: “Start from Scratch.”

WE LOVE LOCAL

Planting a Seed

From late-night lockdown project to MoMA shelves, Conifer Homewares proves that sustainable design can scale. by Stacey McLachlan

“Growing up, seeing Tiko’s art career unfold in Vancouver made the idea of building a life as a creative feel real and attainable. His path is a quiet but powerful example that you can commit to your practice, stay rooted in this city and make meaningful work over decades.”

ANIAN

2149 W 4th Ave. anianmfg.com

“Anian feels like Vancouver in clothing form. Their pieces are made for Vancouver’s damp, grey days and keep you warm through long rainy winters. I love their commitment to circular design because it proves that sustainability can still feel beautiful, durable and timeless.”

Conifer Homewares began as a small COVID-era side project for industrial designer Evan McDougall—a way to create and give form more intentionally as he wrestled with the environmental impact of the consumer-electronics work he was doing for his day job. Sustainability is “at the core of everything Conifer does,” explains McDougall; not only are his self-draining, 3D-printed planters made from plant-based materials, scraps and misprints are also collected and shipped to Alberni Valley Makerspace (a nonprofit 3D printing and maker community hub on Vancouver Island), where they are melted down into sheet material and turned into new products that help fund programs at the space. Similarly, empty material spools are sent to Matter3D in Victoria for reuse.

Much like the plants that grow in Conifer’s thoughtfully designed pots, McDougall’s venture quickly blossomed. Today, it’s his full-time gig and his team runs 50 printers around the clock from their East Vancouver studio. The planters can be found on shelves at local design shops like Vancouver Special amd Walrus (see sidebar, right), and abroad at the MoMA Design Store in New York. “Seeing my small Vancouver brand alongside ones I have admired my whole career in Manhattan was something special,” he says. “It was one of those moments that made all the risk and iteration feel worth it.” coniferhomewares.com

INFORM INTERIORS

50 Water St. inform.ca

“Inform feels like a design museum you can actually move through. This is where I bring my industrial design friends who come to visit.”

WALRUS

3408 Cambie St. walrushome.com

“Walrus is one of my favourite places to send people for gifts. Caroline and Daniel have built a space that feels warm, personal and beautifully edited. It is small, but every object has intention.”

Melody Maker

Among the preschool set and their parents, Jessie Schellenberg is a music icon—a Raffi for the modern age. For 10 years, she’s been performing and recording with her family folk act Oh Clementine to sold-out crowds who groove to her chill acoustic melodies. Offstage, she runs early learning studio Chorus and Clouds, bringing music, art and stories to the lucky kids of Mount Pleasant. Here’s what the musician and small business owner stocks up on to keep her grounded and inspired when the workday’s done.

1. One Thousand Mornings on Vinyl

It should come as no surprise that I want people to listen to my music. I usually stash a few vinyl copies of One Thousand Mornings in my tote since as a family we’re always out. I am really proud of this folk album: it’s an album of songs that parents and children alike can enjoy front to back. $37, clementinemusic.ca

2. Adidas Gazelles Bold Shoes

And the winner of coziest, comfiest stageready shoes goes to: Adidas Gazelles! I wear

these with a jumpsuit, jeans or any dress, any day—they colour-boost any outfit. Generally speaking, I love weird and wonderful pairings of colours and patterns. $112, adidas.ca

3. Make New Friends Craft Kit

I love gift giving. One thing I keep in mind when buying kids gifts is whether it’s open-ended. That just means more lasting potential in how it is used and created. Art-making supplies are staple items in my tiny shop in Mount Pleasant at Chorus and Clouds, and one of our top

sellers is this Make New Friends bunting. Ages three and up can engage with this one, but teens love it, too. $29, chorus andclouds.ca

4. Porchlight Press Monochromatic Birds Pocket Notebooks

I’m always jotting song ideas down, or I’ll need paper handy so my son and I can draw together. Porchlight Press makes the most beautiful notebooks that are locally designed. I like these recent ones, printed with illustrations of birds— they come in a set of three. $21, porchlight press.com

5. White Squirrel Clayworks Blue Heron Mug Coffee is how I love to start my day and tea is usually reserved for a midday moment to slow down. For either one, I’m usually enjoying it this mug, gifted to me by a friend years ago. White Squirrel Clayworks makes such sturdy mugs. The heron is my favourite. $63, white squirrelclayworks.com

6. Skwálwen Botanicals Kalkay Nourishing Face Oil

When our household kicks off our day at 6:45 a.m., the first order of business is waking up:

first, a morning giggle with my son, who is generally my alarm clock, then a splash of water followed by a drop of Skwálwen Botanicals wild rose oil to help get a glow happening that will last all day. The scent is light and calming. $72, skwalwen.com

7. Salomon ADV Skin 5 Set Running Vest

With mountains and forest at our fingertips, you can bet you’ll find me running on any local trails. My husband and I host a friendly run club called Fraser Street Run Club. When I get out to run, whether it’s raining,

cold or sunny, you’ll always find me wearing a hydration vest to keep things organized: I fill up the hydration pack and stuff it with snacks, my phone and a compact jacket in case things get cold or rainy. Salomon makes my favourite one. $180, vanrunco.com

8. Le Bonnet Beanie No matter the season, a toque is nearly always on my head. Eugene Choo is my favourite stockist for Le Bonnet in the city. These beanies are made of the softest wool ever. Get one! You won’t be sad, I promise. $110, eugenechoo.com

Why Is It So Hard to Make Hospital Food That People Actually Like?

After decades of sustained complaints, it’s worth asking just how hard it would be to provide patients with the food they want.

by Graham Templeton

Stepping into a modern Canadian hospital, there is the distinct impression of crossing over into a world meticulously engineered for a different purpose from our own. Hospitals have their own dress code and style of decor, their own unique logic in physical layout and even their own symbolic language to broadcast over the PA system.

From the first brush, hospitals create and maintain the impression that health is the guiding principle behind every facet of this parallel world. If the processes can be laborious or brusque, well, at least that implies a no-nonsense focus on healing. There is a clear invitation to trust that all the stages of a hospital visit, even the unpleasant ones, are designed for the maximum positive impact on health.

And then, the food arrives.

“When I first saw some of the options, I remember that

I really just couldn’t believe it,” says Shiva Reddy, a CBC food columnist whose mother has spent much of her life in and out of B.C. health-care facilities. Reddy recalls small and dispiriting offerings on her mother’s tray tables, like plates bearing nothing more than a serving of mashed potatoes and some depressing steamed carrots.

“Very often, there would be at least one processed cheese sandwich as a meal, sometimes for two meals,” she says. “How is that healthy? How is a person actually supposed to heal with that?”

Part of the problem is that Reddy’s mother is a vegetarian and a diabetic, placing her among the many Canadians who have dietary restrictions that make it more complex to provide them with food. In many cases a hospital can provide viable options for these patients, but in others the patients’ needs fall outside of the meal plans on offer. When vegetarian food was available for Reddy’s mom, it was often in the realm of a processed vegetable patty with a cup of gravy on the side. When it

wasn’t, meals would arrive simply missing a core component, with no replacement.

Over and above a lack of comfort in the meals, this can often lead to a patient simply refusing to eat. For people in extremely weakened conditions, that can be the threshold between staying strong and fading away. For Reddy, the answer has been to commit an enormous part of own her time to cooking and delivering food for her mother, which has solved one problem while creating more.

“It’s been hard to see that there hasn’t been any change in the food,” she says. “If anything, it feels like it’s getting a little worse.”

Looking for causes, though, quickly reveals that the situation is a bit more complicated than it initially appears.

Food, like many aspects of care in British Columbia health-care facilities, is highly specific to the facility in question. Each one is tasked with figuring out its own meal plans and its own approach to prep; with recruiting its own staff and with sourcing its own

ingredients. There is almost nothing in terms of top-down standardization, meaning that no one hospital is representative of the system as a whole.

While most of Reddy’s experience came from Vancouver General Hospital and Little Mountain Place, there is also the example of Mount Saint Joseph Hospital in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant area. There, patients almost always have access to Asian menus, as the hospital has geared its menus to the tastes of a large part of the neighbourhood’s demographics. Even there, though, options are more limited than providers would like.

“It’s really hard,” says Sisi Tian, the food service manager at Mount Saint Joseph. “There are a lot of things that get in the way of what you want to do.”

She recounts problems in staffing—having no option but to hire employees with little experience in food prep— and problems with sourcing ingredients from accepted suppliers. Through its Feed BC program, the province directs that some ingredients be sourced from local suppliers, and only those that have pledged to comply with the Supplier Code of Conduct and other requirements.

“We’ll have shortages of things, and my patients or their families will ask why we don’t just go to the store and buy some,” Tian says. When she tells them that the hospital has to wait for shipments from very specific companies,

I feel like the food is just not a priority here in B.C... There was nobody to call. They’re stretched so thin in all ways. They’re just trying to get beds, equipment—life-saving things.”

-— Anoop Virk, restaurateur, Basmati and Spice

they are rarely satisfied with that answer.

“Hospital food is a very, very complex animal,” says Eileen Wong, a physician lead with Providence Health Care. She’s become passionate about food service over the course of her career in long-term care after seeing the healing impact it can have when people have three enjoyable, nutritious meals to look forward to each day.

The difficulty arises not just from the need to navigate myriad diet restrictions, but also the simple reality that people in hospitals are less

able to endure small lapses in food safety. “You have to mass produce food for a vulnerable population with high levels of food safety,” Wong says. “The methods that are used to produce hospital food are safe, but they’re not necessarily tasty.”

And while Mount Saint Joseph may have a high-enough density of eaters with similar preferences that it is able to cater to them, many patients will end up in facilities that simply cannot produce the options they know and love. “It’s exceedingly difficult to change people’s food and eating habits,” Wong adds. “What

some people like, others might disdain.”

Asked if she prefers the freedom of the non-standardized B.C. model, Tian says she’s happy that Mount Saint Joseph is able to deliver food catered to her particular average patient—but she concedes that there are upsides to more large-scale structure in a system, as well.

Anoop Virk is a Vancouverite and restaurateur at Basmati and Spice, which aims to provide affordable, patient-friendly vegetarian food options in hospitals. By leaning into mass production of plant-forward Indian recipes that are easily made for restricted diets, her team has made deals to provide food stations to help feed frontline workers, doctors, nurses, patients and families in over 900 hospitals.

The only problem is that every one of those hospitals is in the United States, where Basmati and Spice was able to make blanket deals that would apply to dozens of co-owned hospitals at once.

“I feel like the food is just not a priority here in B.C.,” says Virk. When they long ago reached out to expand their business in their home province and city, “there was nobody to call,” she remembers. “They’re stretched so thin in all ways. They’re just trying to get beds, equipment—life-saving things.”

In her estimation, that leaves the food component with limited leftover attention, or leftover budget, while making access to quality food highly variable between different institutions.

“It needs some sort of centralized authority,” Virk says. “There needs to be a body that all of these systems can plug into.”

In the end, though, Basmati and Spice is a supplementary service in the health-care setting, and one that can budget more for ingredients per plate. It’s also subject to many but not all of the restrictions borne by the sort of classic, in-house hospital food that nurses deliver on trays.

“People will compare their food experience in the hospital to what they experience in the restaurant, and it’s an unfair comparison,” Wong notes, though she does say that B.C. hospital food can be, and will be, better in the future.

“If we could use the budget we have in a more effective manner,” she admits, “we could do a lot.”

That seems to be a common theme among providers: while everyone agrees that more money would help the issue, most also agree that the current level of funding could be doing more, if it came with fewer restrictions and received more focused administrative attention from hospitals themselves.

For now, though, Reddy still prepares all of her mother’s meals herself. It’s a reminder that while B.C. health-care facilities are full of caring professionals working hard to raise the bar for hospital food, there remain thousands of patients less fortunate than Reddy’s mother lying in hospitals with little but a cheese sandwich for comfort.

Or, on some days, even two.

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Who Built Those Castles in Dunbar?

Peppered across Vancouver’s west side, you’ll find whimsical homes designed to look like mini castles—but where did they come from?

Despite what my Halloween costumes from 1992 to 1995 would suggest, I was never really a princess girl. I saw myself more as a tween intellectual: when my mom gave me free rein to make over my bedroom at age 10, I chose “the library” as my design theme.

And yet, I would gladly trade in any of my prized childhood decor—my lamp that looked like a stack of books; my hardcover-themed bedspread (a limited edition from Sears’s Insufferable Girls collection)— for the chance to live in one of Vancouver’s adorable little castles.

by Stacey McLachlan

illustration by Kasimir Chupik-Hall

Got a question for Know-It-All?

stacey.mclachlan@ vanmag.com

You know the ones, right? The asymmetrical hipped-roof stucco-and-brick homes with turrets? Commonly found on the west side? Wouldn’t look out of place being attacked by a dragon? An ideal floorplan for raising a stepdaughter you hate? These “Dunbar Castles,” as they’re known, would obviously not impress anyone from Europe, a country as rich in castles as we are in Cactus Clubs. Nor are they likely to inspire a Disney animator, unless they were working on a film called The Princess and the Vacancy Tax. But for those of us who are accustomed to living in a kingdom where glass towers rule the skyline, moments of architectural whimsy like this are more than good enough. These charming single-family homes are built in a style called French Storybook, which emerged in North America after World War I. Soldiers came home from Europe with an appreciation—une appréciation—for arch-topped windows and quoined openings. As the saying goes, “Once you fall in love with defensive battlements, you never go back.”

At the same time, a burgeoning Hollywood was fostering a fascination with fantasy worlds and historical dramas, and stars in L.A. were commissioning set designers to make fairytale-chic homes that wound up being celebrated in international (ahem) print media. The trend kicked off, and castlemania gripped the West Coast; manufacturers of tiny flags that go on top of turrets were in for a real treat.

A few 1930s developers gained a reputation for producing fantastical homes (Jack Wood is a legendary Dunbar builder, while CBK Van Norman ruled Kerrisdale and the far-off lands of West Vancouver), but French Storybook plans were available in house-pattern books as well, making this royal style accessible to Vancouver peasants and lords alike. Though there’s no formal count of how many castles peppered the city at the style’s peak, there’s also, according to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, no formal count of how many remain today. What we do know for sure: some have been knocked down in between. If only the plans for French Storybook homes had included a moat, maybe all of our city’s petite palaces would still be safely standing in 2026. And maybe there would be a room in one of those little turrets for a royal know-it-all and her bookshelf-themed bookshelf.

HOW TO FIND HAPPY

It seems a little silly to continue exploring what it means to be happy because, really, we all know the ingredients for a happy life, right? Human connection. Meaningful work. A safe and comfortable place to call home. Giving back. Spending time in nature. A meal shared with friends. How many movies (or Britney Spears music videos) do we have to see in which the protagonist achieves fame and fortune only to find themselves lonely and dissatisfied? Still, there’s so much going on that can distract us from cultivating happiness: the pressures of making a living, the siren song of screentime, the weight of the world’s woes. It’s... a lot. We’re here to help you shake that all off and get back to the things that really matter. In the following pages, you’ll find opportunities aplenty to touch grass, find purpose, make friends and eat well. Because even if you already know exactly where to find your joy, a little nudge in the right direction never hurts, right? No need to thank us: we’re so happy to help.

BY THE EDITORS

HOW TO FIND

TAKE A BOAT RIDE

MAY I RECOMMEND

Here’s a happiness hack: hop on an Aquabus or False Creek Ferry and explore the city from the water. Whether or not you have a destination in mind (the ferries hit various waterfront stops between the Maritime Museum and Yaletown), it’s an idyllic ride from as little as four bucks. granvilleislandferries.bc.ca; theaquabus.com

JUMPING IN THE OCEAN?

Several years ago, I was flipping through Instagram (an activity that should not be anywhere near a list of tips for happiness, incidentally) when I stumbled across a probably-repurposed-from-Pinterest quote in a former high-school soccer teammate’s Stories (always cite your sources!) that rocked me to my core. It was something along the lines of “The cure is always salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.” Sure, it was written in a HomeSense-chic script font atop a Valencia-filtered stock photo of Hawaii, but it rang so true that I still think about it today. I’ve learned that they’re the words of author Karen Blixen, which gives them a little more depth, but no matter their origin, I know them to be correct, because nothing resets my brain and grounds me more than jumping into the ocean. Whether I run screaming into the shocking, sharp sea alongside friends, slightly hungover, on New Year’s Day; whether it’s a cool relief after sizzling and sweating on a July beach day; whether it’s straight from the sand or off the dock of a boat—the sea sorts it all out. It’s a primal reset. Some people say the ocean is dirty; I say they’re cowards, afraid not just of the flotsam but also the euphoria that awaits, just beneath the surface. —Stacey McLachlan, editor-in-chief

DO YOGA WITH SOME FURRY FRIENDS

We don’t need to fact-check this: yoga with animals is good for your mental health. (Though it’s maybe not the most focused situation for perfecting your handstand.) Pick your favourite four-legged companion and book a class to match.

All the cats at Catfé are up for adoption, so it’s tough not to focus on tracking whichever one you desperately want to take home while you downward dog. Expect plenty of theatrics from the felines as they roam around you: we witnessed one chonker lying on his back, legs in the air, in the centre of class for most of the hour. catfe.ca

Pupsyoga works with ethical breeders to help socialize their puppies before they’re out in the real world, so you can expect littermates to express the full range of emotion, from sprinting wildly around the room to napping on your legs. Also: puppies are peeing machines—but staff are quick to mop up any accidents. pupsyogavancouver.com

Maan Farms’ renovated barn in Abbotsford is host to many an animal-adjacent activity (you can also do Pilates with Highland cows), but goats are the move here. They love to climb, and your back is a good perch when you’re in cat-cow. The instructor alternates between coaching a good crow position and passing baby goats over to guests: they’re both stinky and adorable and seem to love a good hug. maanfarms.com

Surprise: there’s a lot of hopping during a yoga session at the Bunny Cafe. The lights are turned low for your session, and you might get a nibble on your pants from one of the rescue buns jumping around. Even better: post session, you’ll get a cup of vegetables to make friends with a few of them. bunnycafe.ca

DABBLE IN DOPAMINE DECORATING

Sure, money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy you a throw pillow that will make you smile. The “dopamine decor” trend embraces a cheery maximalism. If vibrant colours and playful accessories spark joy for you, then we say lean in. Here are a few pieces designed to brighten up your space—and day.

These oversized candles from Copenhagen’s family-run Alterlyset ($80) are produced by hand by fourth-generation craftsmen. cocomain.ca

This dynamic, punchy Otto (from $75 a roll) might make seasonal affective disorder a

—as seen on this cushion cover ($67)—is an icon for a reason. designhousevancouver.com

These Dusen Dusen towels ($80) are

plates ($56) from Studio Arhoj make even snacking on morning toast an occasion. walrushome.com

Living Vuelta table lamp ($306) is like a glowing, monochromatic rainbow, ready to light up your life. oldfaithfulshop.com

This risograph print ($58) from Duplikat Press will bring a bit of cheeky humour to your space. thecoastgoods.ca

WORK UP A SWEAT

Getting out of bed at 6 a.m. to make your HIIT class? Not a happy moment, we know—but once you actually get moving, those exercise-initiated endorphins will be with you all day, especially if you do your workout at one of these fun fitness studios.

SPIN SOCIETY

Fans describe it as “super welcoming for first-timers,” so if you’ve never clipped into a bike before, this is the place to go. Fun music themes like “Millennial Cringe” and “Coachella Recap” make the rides

ARC STUDIO SPACE

Don’t be intimidated by the crazy contraptions in this East Van gyrotonic Pilates studio: they’re there to help you, not hurt you. Expect lots of breathing and stretching of mus

PRESCRIPTION FOR ART

BARRY’S

This circuit-training gym comes direct from West Hollywood and whips you through an intense 50-minute full-body workout under red lights. (While research is still out on the health benefits, evidence shows you do look way cooler on the treadmill.)

1035 W Pender St., barrys.com

TURF

Get your heart rate up in one of the Kitsilano studio’s signature Meta classes—there’s always a lot of spirited jumping and dancing in between turn-your-legs-into-jelly work on the mat. Grab an oat-milk matcha latte in the attached café afterward: you’ve earned it. 2041 W 4th Ave., ourturf.com

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING ATHLETIC CLUB

The coach-run fitness club has managed to take something that feels traditionally intimidating (CrossFit and powerlifting) into an incredibly accepting, warm-hearted and community-centred space. 427 Granville St., thundernlightning.ca

GIVE A LITTLE BIT

There are plenty of ways to access the Vancouver Art Gallery: buy yourself a ticket for the day, get a membership, save a few bucks by dropping in on a Free First Friday night. Or, you can chat with your doctor. As part of BC Parks Foundation’s PaRx program, launched in 2020, health-care providers can prescribe visits to the VAG. “Museums and galleries have a wealth of potential to become healing places where people can simultaneously experience the health benefits of nature and art through social prescribing,” explains family physician and PaRx director Melissa Lem. It’s not just that Emily Carr’s paintings might bring you serenity: research from King’s College London and other sources suggests that a visit to a museum or gallery can relieve stress and drop cortisol levels. Want to see West Coast landscapes in person? The PaRx prescription program can also give you access to VanDusen, Bloedel, UBC Botanical Gardens or free subscriptions to the AllTrails hiking guide. vanartgallery.bc.ca/parx

We’ve all felt the pull of treating ourselves—the justification of a little something for yourself after a long week. But SFU happiness researcher Lara Aknin has some compelling evidence that your money might actually buy you more joy when it’s pointed at someone else. In a series of experiments spanning cultures and income levels—from UBC undergrads to students in Uganda and South Africa—Aknin and her colleagues uncovered the same finding every time: generosity feels better than self-spending. But before you start firing off e-transfers and calling it self-care, Aknin is quick to point out that how you give matters. The emotional payoff is highest, she says, when giving feels like your choice, when it brings you into actual contact with the people you’re helping and when you can see the difference you’ve made. “I could email a friend a $40 gift certificate to a place,” she explains, “or I could take her for dinner there. Both might be equal exchanges of money—but the latter I’m way more likely to enjoy because I actually get to spend time with this person.” The good news? It doesn’t have to be extravagant. Aknin’s research shows that even small acts—a coffee for a colleague, a pizza brought home for the family—are enough to trigger that warm glow. “You can feel connected to the recipient or other givers—the key idea is that giving is more rewarding when it is done with others than alone.”

MAKE TIME TO MEDITATE

Juno Kim first became fascinated by mindfulness and meditation in his psychology courses at university; then, as his career as a chef was taking off with alarming speed in the early 2010s, he turned to it as a tool for managing severe burnout. Since then, he’s left the kitchen (he’s now a photographer) and continued to research and practice daily, even if just for 10 minutes or informally. “My mindfulness practice is to be very in tune and aware of my body, the context I’m in—it’s an active meditation of sorts,” says Kim. “But it’s a throughline during my day, and it’s been life-changing.”

Meditation, for Kim, isn’t necessarily about avoiding or escaping stress. “At the end of the day, we live in a very complex world. And challenges and difficulties are what create the conditions for joy. So well-being, I feel, isn’t a lack of stress. It’s the ability to return to a state of safety or baseline after the inevitable stress that we all feel through life,” he explains. “So that’s where nervous system regulation, somatic practices, embodiment, all of that, is so important. And I think that’s what truly leads to emotional intelligence.”

Here are Kim’s tips for embracing a mindfulness practice that will stick.

MAY I RECOMMEND

c1 Start when you’re feeling good. Don’t try your first day of meditation if you’re not feeling your best. “It’s hard to find peace in a moment where you’re struggling or triggered,” says Kim. Taking moments on good days to notice peace and tranquility is a good baby step to warm you up for a new habit. “A good time to try is when you had a really long day at work, and you’ve had a good day, but you’re exhausted and you get home and you sit down on the couch and you just kind of have a moment of like a deep breath and feeling how good it feels to just be in that moment,” says Kim.

2 Don’t bother with a timer. “Time ends up becoming your boss in that moment,” notes Kim. Instead, make it your intention to just sit and

notice. “Notice your breathing, your body, notice your sensations, the sounds around you, all of that. And set an intention that you’re going to sit there and when you get a feeling in your body like, ‘Oh, we need to get up, we need to change what we’re doing right now,’ sit through it.” Kim suggests waiting until that wave of discomfort has hit three times before you stop—a practice he learn from Rev. Angel Kyodo Williams. “You won’t be oppressed by this clock, this timer that you have to endure. But you can start building the blocks of practicing: sitting and noticing and breathing.”

3 Try a mindfulness app.

“I really like the Waking Up app,” says Kim. “I find a lot of mindfulness apps are designed as escape tools for tuning out of

PLUGGING INTO A NEUROFEEDBACK MACHINE?

stress or disconnecting from your experience. This one, though, has a little more curiosity cues and things to notice.”

For Kim, meditation shouldn’t be a productivity tool; it should be a way of truly connecting to your being from moment to moment.

4 Be kind to yourself.

For many of us, meditation is an experience that breaks a lot of lifelong habits of reaction, thinking and controlling our experience. “Meditation is so counter to those habits that it can bring up a lot of frustration or a feeling of: ‘This isn’t for me.’ And that’s normal,” says Kim. “Mindfulness is a way to get under that. Being compassionate to yourself and soft when you sense any frustration or feeling that this is a silly practice is key in the journey.”

When I heard about Two Minds Training (205–1118 Homer St., twomindstraining.com), a neurotraining brain clinic offering neurofeedback sessions that claimed to improve mental focus, memory, productivity and, well, inner peace, I was all ears. Or, rather, I was ready to face that giant organ in between my ears. At the clinic, “non-invasive” sensors were placed around my head that seemed to be monitoring my brainwaves; that data was then fed through software that creates a visual map of information. I started to feel a little like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall just before he was about to have memories of a wonderful vacation implanted into his brain (and though the sci-fi film is meant to be a cautionary tale, I thought, That might not be so bad). Strapping on a set of headphones playing calming nature sounds, I closed my eyes and settled into the chair for a 45-minute session with the NeurOptimal machine. The thing is—the music kept skipping. But, according to co-owner Heather Wheaton, that’s exactly how you know the modality is working: the NeurOptimal software translates data from your brain activity into sound, so when blips and skips occur in the soundtrack, it’s telling your mind that it’s gone off on another tangent, essentially steering you back to balance. By “training” your brain to recognize the activity that “undermines optimal brain function,” the experience aims to calm the central nervous system. While I’m not sure that my anxiety was entirely healed by listening to a skipping nature soundtrack, I left the office having learned something new—and that itself is in the pursuit of happiness, is it not? —Kristi Alexandra, managing editor

CHOW DOWN ON COMFORT FOOD

Whether you’re dealing with car trouble, strata woes, drama in your smutty book club or just the general state of the world, a good meal can be the best medicine: these local restaurants have what you need, stat.

TECHNICALLY

JUST ONE PIECE OF PASTA

June’s Pasta for Rachel, doused in indulgent beurre d’Isigny and stuffed with cheese and potato, is ravioli served French-style (in a single sheet). Rachel clearly has her priorities straight—this dish is all butter, carbs and dreams—and for $40, we can all be her. 3305 Cambie St., juneoncambie.com

A CLASSIC KID’S MEAL

In tough times we yearn for the good old days, and Burgoo’s After School Special ($25) was designed for warm nostalgia. It’s grilled cheese on a toasty baguette and a side of tomato soup for dipping—the joy of childhood on a plate. Multiple locations, burgoo.ca

SOUP FOR A CRABBY MOOD

The signature dish at Restaurant Award-winner Crab Hot Lau, bánh đa cua đồng (rice field crab noodle soup, $20), is a brothy mountain of flavour: red rice noodles, fried fish cakes, lolot leaf-wrapped pork, crispy pork fat and golden crab roe bathe in a rich soup made from the freshwater rice field crab. Multiple locations, crabhotlau.ca

SECRET FRIED CHICKEN

Tucked inside Chinatown Plaza mall is Coqoudak, a Korean fried-chicken spot that offers crunchy, delicious boneless bites for excellent prices (chicken orders from $10). The Sweet and Spicy is the best pick if you’re looking for a little heat and a lot of serotonin. 110–180 Keefer St., coqoudak.com

A TWO-HANDER BEAST OF A BURGER

Gracefully biting into the colossal Bacon Cheeser ($16) from Between 2 Buns might be your greatest accomplishment of the day. And you know what? Masterfully taking in all the onions, pickles, juicy beef, crispy bacon and gooey cheese is something to be proud of. 105 E Pender St. and 4245 Fraser St., between2bunsburgers.ca

A SNACK FOR THE STEAMED

Instead of raging out on your co-worker or aunt or windchime-obsessed neighbour, try indulging in soup dumplings the next time you’re mad. Something about slurping the broth out of a delicate xiao long bao ($14) from Jingle Bao is extraordinarily calming. 774 Denman St., jinglebao.com

BREAKFAST FOR DINNER

Despite its no-nonsense name, Just Pizza crafts pies that are wild and experimental; it’s food fusion in the best possible way. The Filipino breakfast pizza ($23), for example, is topped with longganisa sausage, jalapenos, pickled red onions and a perfect runny egg. 1629 Kingsway, justpizzaplease.ca

NO-WORRIES CURRY

Are the events of the day keeping you up at night? Start your sheep-counting with the lamb Madras ($23) from Karma Indian Bistro: the south Indian roasted coconut curry is bold and tangy, chock full of boneless lamb and fret-free. 2741 W 4th Ave., karmaindianbistro.ca

THE PICK-ME UP PLAN with CHRISTIE BUONO Director

Canada

of philanthropy, Make-A-Wish

What experience always improves your mood?

Reaching out to people I love to talk it through with, getting outside to walk the beach or Pacific Spirit Park with a good playlist—Kygo or ’90s/’00s hip hop and R&B. Or Netflix on the couch with some takeout: our go-tos are Thai Ni Yom, Ramen Danbo or Jinya, Tozen Sushi, Via Tevere Pizzeria, Anh and Chi and Pho Goodness.

How do you cheer up a friend?

I believe in the power of the written word and love to encourage the people I care about whenever I can. I would send a heartfelt note, along with a homemade treat and tulips or a gift card so they can treat themselves to a little date. I also find that a genuine phone call, something we do far less of these days, can mean so much.

How do you combat the grey-day blues?

Invest in good rain gear and get outside whenever you can. I bought the most amazing Stutterheim Sandviken long-zip raincoat from West of Woodward; I get compliments every time I wear it and it absolutely keeps me dry. I also love the Asics Gore-Tex (GT-1000 14 GTX) for walking shoes that are waterproof.

Volunteer With Us

Become a volunteer with The Salvation ArmyIt's a great way to give back to your community.

-Serving meals -Packing hampers - Kettle campaign roles - �omm�nity �o�ncils

For more information contact BCinfo@salvationarmy.ca Or apply online at salvationarmy.ca/volunteer

Sending Love from Abruzzo

SEEK OUT SOLACE AT THE SPA

If you’re on the hunt for a moment of zen, here are a trio of places to find it.

THE UNDERGROUND OASIS

Spa Soleá

900 W Georgia St. “Hidden” and “underground” are usually words to describe an after-hours club, but in this case, it’s a luxurious, newly renovated spa. Underneath the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is Spa Soleá, an escape in the middle of the city that has everything from massages and facials to hair and nail care. There’s even a meditation room where you lie down on a heated chair with a sound and sensory experience. Your treatments also grant you access to their infrared sauna, eucalyptus steam room and relaxation lounge with snacks and tea—talk about a peaceful retreat. spasolea.com

THE ROOT RESET

Heaven Head Spa

4345 Dunbar St.

If your favourite part of getting a haircut is the wash and quick complimentary head massage, then you’ll love a 60-minute classic head spa and hair washing session at Heaven Head Spa. Lie under layers of warm, weighted blankets and let soft hands do the rest. The neck and shoulder massages, hot stones and essential oils are

a precursor to the mane event—scalp exfoliation, head massages (by hand and with the waterfall ring) and double hair washing. When it’s time to open your eyes, sit back with a cup of tea and a foot massage while they blow-dry your hair. Expect to have an amazing hair day and a still-clean scalp the next day. heavenheadspa.ca

THE HOT HOUSE

AetherHaus

1768 Davie St.

While many of the most-hyped circuit spas of today are based off of Nordic practices, AetherHaus more specifically has roots in the German concept of “aufguss”—a ritual where aromatic steam is circulated through the sauna—and Russian banya, a

communal bathhouse tradition known for heat, steam and social connection. Expect more wafting than at Scandinave (here, staff are armed with big, swooping fans to whip the hot air around), and more chatter, too. The sauna is made from Himalayan salt bricks instead of cedar, though warm wood benches wrap around the room to seat dozens of heat seekers at a time. But like with any of the other hot spots in town, you’ll find an experience designed to truly relax you, starting with a good shvitz surrounded by eucalyptus-scented steam as AetherHaus’s staff ladle hot water onto the sizzling rocks. Pools are, as expected, icy cold and offer you a pleasant shock to the system post-sweat, surrounded by candles. aetherhaus.ca

cMAKE SOME MUSIC

Music doesn’t just soundtrack the movie of your life: it can change the genre altogether. The right song can turn a grey Vancouver errand run into a rom-com montage. The wrong one can have you staring moodily out the SkyTrain window like you’re solving a Scandinavian murder.

There’s science behind that. Vancouver-based health journalist and Wired for Music: A Search for Health and Joy Through the Science of Sound author Adriana Barton says music “really does stimulate the pleasure and reward centres in the brain,” which helps explain why it can lift your mood, make you smile and sand down the edges of a bad day. Barton explains that music set to about 60 beats per minute, roughly the pace of a resting heartbeat, can even help calm stress in as little as 10 to 15 minutes. Consider The Marías’ “No One Noticed” if you need to stop vibrating at your desk. At the other end, around 120 beats per minute is the tempo most likely to get people moving. Cue Benson Boone’s “Mystical Magical,” or, better yet, your next dance floor, line-dancing class or chaotic wedding reception.

But music’s real superpower may be connection. Barton points to research showing that listening with other people can synchronize brainwaves, while singing in a choir (see below!) can increase oxytocin, the hormone linked to bonding. Add in dancing, drumming or singing in sync and it starts to make sense why concerts and karaoke nights hit so hard. And, scientifically speaking, you don’t even need to have any talent to reap the benefits, says Barton: “Luckily, you don’t have to be, quote, good at music.”

No Instrument? No Problem

There are dozens of non-auditioned community choirs in town, open to anyone who self-diagnoses as being able to carry a tune. To name just a few: East Van’s Rain Coast Choir focuses on rock and pop; Outside Voices is led by Hey Ocean’s David Beckingham and includes summertime rehearsals in the park; Chorus Studio combines vocal training and performance coaching (and community). raincoastchoir.com; @outside_voices_choir; thechorusstudio.com

BOP AROUND ON A BIKE

THE PICK-ME UP PLAN with MIRIAM ALDEN

What turns a bad day around?

Being around my animals or going for a walk near water makes me feel better. I live in East Van, so I usually walk down to New Brighton, which I feel is a bit of a secret gem. I also love walking around the Italian Garden and lagoon at the PNE duck pond; it’s such a beautiful piece of nature right in the city.

What restaurants make you happy?

I love certain places that make me feel cozy. For us as a family, it’s a dinner at Pepino’s or Hy’s (which I know is funny for someone who doesn’t eat meat, but hello, cheese toast!).

What unique Vancouver experience brings you joy?

I love to wander around downtown on a Sunday with my husband and son. We’ll go for brunch at Tableau, visit local independent stores like One of a Few or Siista and stop by one of my favourite hotel lobby bars for a cocktail—the Rosewood Hotel Georgia is the best for happy hour. My favourite block in the city is where Georgia Street meets Howe and Hornby. With the art gallery nearby, it just feels like you could be in any big city in the world.

HOW TO FIND HAPPY SWEET TREATS

EAT SOME ICE CREAM

The scoop on the city’s best scoops.

PLAIN JANE

STRAWBERRY BLUEBERRY SWIRL

This New Zealand-style creamery run by the folks at Dachi (it’s connected to the building) serves up soft serve made with vanilla ice cream and real fruit blended together in front of your eyes! There are only three flavours (strawberry, blueberry and raspberry), but you can make your own swirl combo by marrying any two of the three. $8, 1829 Quebec St., nottoosweet.ca

LA CASA GELATO

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Call it basic, but once the sun comes out, the masses are flocking to take Instagram pictures of themselves—chocolate-dipped waffle cone in hand—against the giant pink wall that hugs La Casa Gelato. The spot’s claim to fame is the 238 flavours they serve at any given time, and it must be said that the cabernet sauvignon is a sweet (no pun intended) departure from what you’d expect in any gelato. $6.50 per single scoop, 1033 Venables St., lacasagelato.com

INNOCENT ICE CREAM

CHERRY BOMB

This East Van ice cream shop once operated as a tricycle, whereon owner Asacia Biln used to sell handmade ice cream sandwiches by the beach. It’s almost the stuff of nursery rhymes. Though you can pop into the Hastings-Sunrise shop to order a custom ice cream sandwich (that’s any scoop between two of their housemade cookies), their signature lineup is pretty dialled in, and that includes the cherry bomb: a scoop of vibrant pink cherry ice cream between two chewy double chocolate cookies (that just happen to be gluten-free!). $9, 2103 E Hastings St., innocenticecream.com

LA GLACE

FIG, MASCARPONE AND BURNT HONEY

The Grace Kelly of ice cream shops, La Glace is where you treat yourself to elegant decadence (you’ll find no one shaking Froot Loops on your ice cream here). In this pick from their core menu, creamy mascarpone is flecked with candied dried figs and striped with ribbons of burnt honey. This is a scoop for royalty, if not for the gods themselves. $6.75 per scoop, 2785 W 16th Ave., laglace.ca

EARNEST ICE CREAM

WHISKEY HAZELNUT

Oreo “stars.”

Vancouverites know it’s summer not by the sun but by the lineup around the block at Earnest Ice Cream’s spot near Olympic Village (and a few other locations in the city, too). You can always get a scoop of their top-selling whisky hazelnut ice cream, which has been in rotation since the day they opened, featuring a boozy, icy take on Frank Sinatra’s favourite refreshment—both buttery and crunchy. $6 per scoop, multiple locations, earnesticecream.com

LITTLE SPOON STARRY NIGHT

With dreamy ice cream flavour names like Higgeldy Piggeldy (yes, we’re serious) and Starry Night, how could this kitschy ice cream spot (originally hailing from Gibsons and recently opened in Kitsilano) not make you happy? The Starry Night is a scoop of chocolate ice cream dotted with housemade frosted

$6.75 per scoop, 2967 W Broadway, littlespoonice cream.com

RAIN OR SHINE

BLUEBERRY BALSAMIC

The folks at Rain or Shine are no fair-weather friends, just as their name suggests, and considering they’ve been serving up ice cream all year round for more than a decade, we’re inclined to believe them. A unique scoop from their permanent lineup is the Blueberry Balsamic: tangy, tart drizzles of balsamic reduction hide inside a bright, fruity blueberry ice cream—and, what’s more, both the blueberries and the balsamic are sourced from here in B.C. On Tuesdays, you can get your scoops in a taco (made from waffle cones). $6 for a Tuesday taco, multiple locations, rainorshineicecream.com

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We believe that doing well in business goes hand in hand with doing good in our communities. Since 2000, we’ve contributed $1.85 billion and 2.5 million volunteer days globally to support the communities where we live, work and serve. Let’s make the future friendly, together. Get involved at telus.com/community

FIND THE JOY OF TRAVEL, CLOSE TO HOME

A getaway doesn’t always require a flight or a ferry: a quick jaunt across the bridge to, say, Richmond, will do just fine. UBC happiness researcher Elizabeth Dunn says the science is clear: “Treating a weekend like a vacation, even in your own backyard, genuinely makes people happier.” The point, Dunn’s research suggests, isn’t how far you go—it’s how present you are when you get there. A tank of gas or 20 minutes on the Canada Line is all it takes to turn an ordinary Satur day into something that actually feels like time off. To get you started, here’s an itinerary for a stellar Richmond staycation.

RAISE A GLASS

Fun fact: Richmond is technically made up of a bunch of islands (take that, Hawaii). Lulu Island Winery (16880 Westminster Hwy., luluislandwinery.com) is named for the land mass that most of the city is located on, and it’s just as whimsical and dreamy as its name suggests—stop in for a wine tasting or estate tour. The much rougher-sounding Fuggles (11220 Horseshoe Way, fugglesbeer.com) is Richmond’s home craft brewery, offering beer flights, bar bites and events like trivia and puppy adoptions.

FEAST THE EAST

For the best Chinese, Japanese, Korean and beyond, even diehard Vancouverites often look southward. That’s because Richmond has earned its status as the city worth commuting to for extraordinary Asian food. Make sure you order your barbecue pork ahead of time at HK BBQ Master (4651 No. 3 Rd., hk-bbq-master.site) because it’s insanely busy. Prepare to be shocked at how Gami Sushi (126–10111 No. 3 Rd., gamisushi.ca) has your order ready in 15 minutes no matter how many special rolls you get. And don’t skip the glorious hot tofu soup at Elysium Korean Bistro (8400 Alexandra Rd., @elysiumkoreanbistro).

BELT IT OUT

In Vancouver, a private karaoke room rental (plus however many drinks it takes you to confidently tackle all 7.5 minutes of Celine’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”) can easily set you back a few hundred bucks. That’s not the case in Richmond, the karaoke capital of the Lower Mainland. Rooms at Millennium Karaoke (201–4451 No. 3 Rd., mkaraoke.ca) start at $43 per hour; Zodiac Karaoke (8191 Alexandra Rd., zodiacrichmond.ca) starts at $58 per hour; family-friendly (and alcohol-free) K-Fever (8300 Capstan Way, kfeverkaraoke.com) has rooms starting at $28 per hour. All are stocked with English-language hits as well as Chinese and K-pop favourites.

GET CULTURED

for new Canadian plays, while the Richmond Art Gallery and Richmond Museum (180–7700 Minoru Gate, richmondartgallery .org; richmondmuseum.ca) host small but mighty exhibitions that uncover the city’s past, present and future. The nearby Richmond Cultural Centre Annex (7660 Minoru Gate, richmond.ca) has regular events, artisan markets and pottery sales offering goods by local makers.

GO BACK IN TIME

The arts scene is thriving in Richmond, with many venues just a 15-or-so minute walk from the last stop on the Canada Line. Gateway Theatre (6500 Gilbert Rd., gatewaytheatre.com) is a community hub

This suburb is teeming with playful, date-worthy activities—just be careful not to get too competitive. There’s $19 glow-in-thedark miniature golf at West Coast Mini Putt (7391 Elmbridge Way, westcoastminiputt .com), and a high-speed race on TBC’s indoor go-kart track (2100 Viceroy Place, tbcir.ca) is $34. There’s laser tag and a

trampoline park in the same building: Planet Lazer and Extreme Air Park are neighbours (14380 Triangle Rd., planetlazer.net; extremeairpark.com). Yes, all of these activities require every participant to sign a scary waiver. It’s part of the childlike fun.

STRIDE ALONG THE SEASIDE

Steveston Village is an essential part of any Richmond trip. If you’re a shopper, you can browse adorable shops like Nikaido (150–3580 Moncton St., nikaidotea.com) for stationery and tea and Prickly Pear (12311 No. 1 Rd., pricklypear.ca) for gifts and gardening essentials. Or, simply grab a fresh frozen yogurt from Timothy’s (3800 Bayview St.) and walk along the wharf, taking in the sights and smells of the ocean and maintaining a respectable distance from the sea lions.

CURATE A CONFIDENT CLOSET

Vancouverites have a habit of dressing like they might need to pivot into a hike at any moment. Stylist Kristin Morawski thinks we can push past that. Confidence, she says, starts with clothes that feel like your “chosen skin” and reflect who you actually are, not some trend-fuelled fantasy version of yourself. When an outfit feels right, “it really can change your whole approach to everything.”

DECODE THE OUTFIT YOU ALREADY LOVE

Start with one outfit you already love and work backward. Why does it feel so right? Morawski suggests studying it like evidence: What does it reveal about your style? How does it fit your real life and what details make you feel especially good in it? Maybe it’s the colour, the neckline or the silhouette. The point is not to wear the same thing forever. It’s to crack the code behind it.

USE THE THREE-FILTER

TEST

Morawski says the strongest wardrobes come from three filters: your style, your lifestyle and your physical features. Style is what genuinely feels like you, not your aspirational alter ego. Lifestyle is how you actually spend your days, whether that means meetings, errands or kids. Physical features are less about rigid body-type rules and more about noticing what cuts, colours and shapes make you feel your best. When those three things line up, shopping gets much clearer and, dare we say, more joyful.

TRY IT ON BEFORE YOU COMMIT

Morawski is direct about this: trying things on “is critical.” It’s how you figure out fit, size and proportion and whether something actually works on your body instead of merely looking promising online. She cautions, however, that ordering multiple sizes and returning most of them can be wasteful, especially in fast fashion, where retailers often dispose of products instead of cleaning and repackaging. Doing the legwork of old-fashioned bricks-and-mortar shopping can help you keep a smaller footprint.

TAILORING IS YOUR SECRET WEAPON

Morawski is an emphatic “100 percent” on tailoring. Sometimes the fix is small, like hemming jeans by an inch. Sometimes it’s bringing in the waist so something fits properly through the hips. Either way, her point is that very few things fit perfectly right off the rack. Tailoring is often what turns “almost there” into “meant for you.”

UPGRADE BY ONE NOTCH

Morawski’s point is not that you need to become uncomfortable or overdressed (the opposite of happiness, in our opinion). It’s to push a little past your default: swap leggings for jeans, add a belt or reach for the better coat. One small change can make you feel more put together without giving you the sense that you’re dressed for somebody else’s life.

WEAR THE GOOD STUFF NOW

Don’t “wait and hold on” to the pieces you love, says Morawski. Instead, “integrate them, start wearing them.” Pull out the great bag. Wear the fabulous coat. It’s all about rocking that colourful cashmere top in your back-to-back Zoom meetings. Your best clothes do not need to be trapped in witness protection until a better occasion comes along. Be the occasion you wish to see in the world (and dress accordingly).

GET A HOBBY

Put the phone down. Pick up clay, thread, ink or a glue stick.

1 CRAFT WORK

Which Craft Club is a free, adults-only craft meetup built around the appealing idea that nightlife does not have to involve shouting. Expect a low-pressure social vibe, simple hands-on projects and a crowd of people who would also rather make something than just stand around holding a drink. @whichcraftclub

2 ROLL CAMERA

Filmable is for anyone who wants to stop saying “I should make a short” and start doing something about it. The B.C. collective hosts Vancouver workshops, panels and screenings for what it calls “awkward, friendly filmmakers,” with 2026 events on pitching, editing, documentary, leadership and the business side of film. filmable.ca

3 PAINT IT, DON’T POST IT

MSEG Studios runs beginner-friendly Paint and Sip nights in Vancouver, with recurring events at East Van Brewing (1675 Venables St.) and Howe Sound Brewing East Van (1489 E Hastings St.). Supplies are included, the instructions are step-by-step and no experience is required, which is ideal if your artistic background is mostly “Handprint Turkey Paintings.” msegstudios.com

4 SPRITZ HAPPENS

Chef Giulia Lombardo’s Aperol spritz and pasta class is built around one of the more reliable friendship hacks on earth: make carbs together, add alcohol, see what happens. Held at the Conscious Lab (200-422 Richards St.), it’s a handson evening where guests (read: future besties) learn to make fresh pasta from scratch while sipping Aperol spritzes and quietly pretending their dough looks just as good as everybody else’s. Then every-

one sits down to dinner, which is ideal for bonding and, if necessary, tactfully avoiding blame for the more experimental noodles. justgiulialombardo.com

5 WOOD YOU LOOK AT THAT MakerLabs (780 E Cordova St.) is a full-blown makerspace with classes, memberships and access to woodshop tools, laser cutters, sewing machines and more. It’s a strong pick for the woodshop and tinkering nerds who want to build stuff with their hands or who just want to remember what it was like to have a garage. makerlabs.com

6 SEW FAR, SEW GOOD

At Spool of Thread (101–649 E 15th Ave.), beginners can start with Sewing Machine 101 classes like the tote bag or throw pillow, each designed to get you comfortable with the machine and out the door with a finished object. The Vancouver sewing lounge and fabric shop also offers more advanced project classes once you’ve graduated from square dish towel. spoolofthread.com

7 WHEEL DEAL

Café au Clay (1612 W 3rd Ave.) offers beginner and intermediate wheel classes, handbuilding classes and special workshops, along with six-week adult courses capped at small class sizes. Beginners learn the basics of centring and throwing, while continuing students can build on their technique without being flung into the deep end with the kiln goblins. cafeauclay.com

8 PRINTS CHARMING

At Malaspina Printmakers on Granville Island (1555 Duranleau St.), hobbies get gloriously niche. The nonprofit artist-run

centre offers weekend and evening workshops in screen printing, intaglio, etching, relief printing, cyanotype and bookbinding, including beginner classes with materials included. malaspina printmakers.com

9

BY HAND

Kitsilano Community Centre’s By Hand (2690 Larch St.) social night is a free weekly drop-in for portable projects like knitting, embroidery, beading and quilting. It’s less formal class, more “show up with your tote bag of craft clutter and be among your people,” which can be exactly what a weeknight needs. kitscc.com

10 SHAKE THINGS CRAFTY

Craft and Cocktails at the Craft Council of BC Gallery on Granville Island (1386 Cartwright St.) happens on the last Wednesday of each month and may be the most charmingly named creative night in town. It’s a by-donation, handson evening with materials provided, plus room to glue, stitch, paint, experiment and talk to other humans while doing it. craftcouncilbc.ca

11 BE BAD AT SOMETHING

The Bad Academy has one of the more fun workshop rosters in town, with 2026 offerings including Bad Artists Club, Bike Maintenance 101 and self-defence, alongside other practical or slightly chaotic classes. It’s designed for beginners, which is nice, because the whole point of a new hobby is being a bit embarrassing at it at first. thebadacademy.com

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HOW TO FIND HAPPY

MAKE NEW FRIENDS

YES, CHEF

No Pressure Cookbook Club is a casual Vancouver gathering for home cooks of all experience levels, with quarterly events and a format that can shift depending on the theme. The name is reassuring, the premise is sound and food remains one of the more elegant ways to avoid awkward small talk— oh, and our digital manager happens to run it, and you should be friends with her. @nopressure.cookbookclub

DRAW ME MAYBE

Bad Artists Club is a monthly meetup from The Bad Academy with a short prompt, solo making time and optional guidance. Recent 2026 sessions have run at Funk Coffee Bar (1025 Dunsmuir St.) and the whole thing is pitched toward art without pretension, which is frankly the dream. thebadacademy.com

GAME FACE

VPL’s Board Games Social for Adults is held at the Renfrew Branch (2969 E 22nd Ave.) and is one of the most wholesome, low-cost social hangs in the city. Bring your own game or borrow from the library’s collection, which includes titles like Carcassonne, Catan, Sushi Go and Ticket to Ride. vpl.ca

BEST BUDS

That is both the name and the pitch. We Should Be Friends has organized nearly a hundred events over the last four years, from park hangs and beach hangs to pottery, ring making and book club groups, all with the same basic mission: help adults

in Vancouver meet each other without it feeling like a forced networking mixer in a brewery. weshouldbefriends.ca

QUIET RIOT

For the bookworms, there’s Books, Booze and Chill at the Liberty Distillery on Granville Island (1494 Old Bridge St.): a reading hang billed as “the book club for introverts.” Bring a book, order a drink and enjoy being around other people without having to perform too aggressively. thelibertydistillery.com

NATURE CALLS

Drawn Outdoors Club, led by Vancouver illustrator Becky Hill, is a beginner-friendly art club for people who want to meet others without being trapped inside a café. On any given session, you might wander into Stanley Park, pop a squat at Kits Beach or get deep into Deep Cove while you doodle with strangers (a.k.a. friends you haven’t met yet). @drawnoutdoorsclub

RUN FOR IT

If you can chit-chat while you jog, one of the city’s many, many, many run clubs could be the best place to run into your new bestie. Of course there are options for more competitive speedsters, but there’s truly a run club for every commitment and fitness level out there. Kits Social Run Club meets Mondays at Point Grey Park; the Beer Run club starts at Science World and obviously has its priorities in order; Slow Girls Run Club caters to a chiller pace in Olympic Village. Follow Beach Buoy Vancouver on Instagram for a comprehensive weekly run club lineup that can help you find your crew. @beachbuoyvancouver

THE PICK-ME UP PLAN

with CRAIG LONG

Senior communications manager at the David Suzuki Foundation*

What experience always improves your mood?

A stroll on the seawall. From our office in Yaletown, we’re steps away from David Lam Park. When we relocated from our Kitsilano office in 2024, it was important to our staff that we maintained our proximity to greenspaces. A cappuccino from one of the nearby cafés along the way—like Analog Coffee—doesn’t hurt.

How would you spend a “treat yourself” cheque?

I’d splurge on a spa date with my partner at Circle Wellness. I try to prioritize presence over presents. Focusing on experiences and life’s simple pleasures— tapping into nature’s power to restore well-being, spending time with loved ones and making a difference to others—provides more purpose, belonging and happiness. Plus, when I consume less, I lower my environmental impact.

How do you combat the grey-day blues?

If rain will ruin your plans, plan for rain. Don’t let it stop you! Prepare for the elements by dressing for the weather. Get into the mountains and above the clouds to seek out sun or snow. Or, embrace indoor activities—have a sweaty gym session at Balance in Motion, take a yoga or Pilates class at Ritual Urban Retreat, visit an art gallery (the Museum of Anthropology is a favourite) or discover a new restaurant.

Any tricks for Vancouverites who are feeling down?

Practice gratitude. When the sunset hits that perfect golden hue or I’m standing on a mountaintop overlooking a panoramic vista, I will often loudly, over-enthusiastically proclaim to anyone listening, “Wow, aren’t we so lucky to live here!?” But anyone who knows me knows I mean it earnestly. That’s what keeps me grounded in my motivation to protect the people and places in Vancouver I love.

*All opinions are Craig’s own and are not an endorsement by DSF

ASK AN EXPERT

WHY ARE WE UNHAPPY?

There are a lot of wellness coaches in the world who base their advice solely on vibes... but not Vancouver-based author Catherine Roscoe Barr. Her accessible framework for self-coaching (shared through coaching sessions, retreats and her book Feel Better Now) was built on the evidence-based foundation of her neuroscience degree and personal training career—plus a voracious appetite for both peer-approved research and self-help books. “I like a healthy dose of spirituality with my science,” she says.

What kind of common threads are you seeing in people who come to you?

My big aha moment when I started coaching over 20 years ago was one word: “unmindfulness”—a lack of awareness about how what you think, what you say and what you do makes you feel. No one wants to feel bad. We all want to feel good. Yet the vast majority of us, myself included at times, do things that make us feel bad. It’s that disconnect with what you’re doing and how it makes you feel that causes almost all of our suffering. In a way, it’s cool that it’s so simple.

Why do we get caught in these traps of doing things that are bad for us?

We’re so busy and we don’t ever just sit there and say: What do I want? What do I need? How do I feel? There’s a pause that’s missing. All I do as a coach is ask people questions. I’m like: How are you nourishing yourself? How are you resting? What do you want? And so many people say, “I don’t know, I’m too busy.” I just can’t believe the pace that we are all travelling at as a society. It’s not what our body and nervous system needs. It’s way too much.

So how do you practice a pause?

I’m such a fan of micro habits. Anybody can donate one minute of their day to

their well-being. Set a timer and go in a dark, quiet room. Sensory deprive yourself and take 60 seconds and just let stuff come up: I call it “the bubble up.” At first it’s like, you forgot the dry cleaning. And then it’s like, what about your dreams? I always have a pen and paper nearby to jot down what comes up. Your brain uses 25 percent of the energy you consume, but it’s only two percent of your body weight. It’s a massive hog. If you’re letting things simmer on the back burner, that’s energy you could use to be creative and exercise and make a good meal for yourself. So get it out.

What do you do with that information? To compound the power of those thoughts, I practice journalling. Because then you’re processing it on a different level: you think about it again, then you write it down. But also having that data is really important. I see journalling as a scientific notebook. You can see: This is not serving me. My life is not serving me. I’m not alive.

Journalling is an opportunity to document the positive things, too. We have this massive radar for negative stuff because our ancestors that survived were the most negative because they were scanning for poisonous plants and dangerous animals. But that doesn’t serve us now. There’s so much going on—we aren’t meant to know about every catastrophic thing on the planet. It’s too much for our little brain. I think this can cause unhappiness because we can feel like everything is shit. Psychologist Rick Hanson says our brains are like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones. So a gratitude practice is so key to experiencing happiness because then all day you’re scanning for good.

It’s like giving yourself an assignment. And it helps you balance. Because even when everything is shit, it’s not. There’s lots of good. And when you write it down in your journal, it’s data. So, on a bad day, I end every journal entry with five things that are good, so I can go back and read five things every day and be like, oh, things aren’t so bad.

What do you do to cheer yourself up when you’re having a bad day?

Movement, music, physical affection. You know, like I’ll hug my kid or hug my husband or myself. There’s a book I love by Julie Holland called Good Chemistry: she talks about the importance of oxytocin, and how even physical affection to yourself can spark that. Most nights before bed, I will massage myself with lavender oil. Oxytocin is the queen of hormones that can help lower cortisol and affect all of our sex hormones, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. Dancing, or physical touch, all of those things can lower cortisol, which helps you shift your nervous system into a parasympathetic state, which helps you feel happier.

How important is it to understand the physiology of “feeling good”?

A simple understanding of what’s going on inside our body can help us shift the way we feel. Your vagus nerve, for example, tells your brain that you’re safe, and it’s connected to your lungs. So when you take a deep breath, your body is saying to your brain: we are safe. And what happens when you feel safe? You shift to parasympathetic activation. All of your body systems come online. You have access to calm, creativity, clarity, kindness, just from one stinking deep breath.

What other small things could somebody start practicing today?

Action precedes motivation. How I arrived at what I do is that I was deeply struggling with crippling depression and I could not find a way to get out of it. And then I realized that action precedes motivation: that I had to move my body. As animals, every organ system in our body relies on movement to function optimally. Our brain, our gut, our lymphatic system, our digestive system, every single body system was designed to work through movement because our ancestors were constantly moving, and now we are constantly sitting. We can always do something and move our body in the direction of something positive. And that in itself will spark something in us. Move any way you want.

I’m all about micro-habits. One breath, that’s a meditation. Five squats, that’s a workout. If you can be okay with that bar, then it’s easy to do more, but you feel successful and you trust yourself to care for yourself. There’s this whole ripple effect of lowering the bar.

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Seventy-fiveyearsin, theiconicNatBailey Stadiumstillhasgame. Seventy-fiveyearsin, theiconicNatBailey Stadiumstillhasgame.

Home Home Base Base

By Sara Harowitz

For Brent Lavallee, it all started at The Nat.

These days, he’s the director of position player development for the entire Toronto Blue Jays organization, working with its players at all levels of Minor and Major League Baseball to perfect and progress their skills. But back when he was an eightyear-old kid living in North Delta, going to watch the Vancouver Canadians play at Nat Bailey Stadium gave him his first taste of the allure of professional baseball. He remembers it all: the gravel parking lot on the backside of left field signalling the commencement of a great day in the sun. The curved indoor concourse with the vintage-style concession in the centre, hawking popcorn and peanuts and hot dogs. The wooden bleachers where he sat shoulder to shoulder with his grandfather. The rocky concrete underneath his feet. The way that sound echoed beneath the barnlike bleacher roof: the satisfying snap of ball hitting glove, the undeniable clack of a home run hit.

“What’s cool is that none of that’s changed,” Lavallee says. “As much as the stadium and the field have evolved—the fences are now shinier and scoreboards are bigger and brighter—those old benches and that cobblestone floor and those stairs are still the exact same. I really love the nostalgic part of it.”

Nostalgia plays heavily into the charms of the park, which nowadays is officially called Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium, but which locals know lovingly and simply as The Nat. In a 2023 article dedicated to the magic of The Nat, the New York Times called it “heaven.”

The whole experience certainly feels doused in whimsy. Its location in a quiet residential neighbourhood, bordered on one side by the evergreens of Queen Elizabeth Park, makes it feel like a secret. Sun-drenched bleachers, while perhaps not the most comfortable for one’s bottom, create just enough intimacy to spark conversation with whoever’s next to you. People wander by with Yard Dogs—The Nat’s iconic if slightly obscene threefoot-long hot dogs—hoisted high above their heads like trophies. (Fun fact: the hardest part of creating the Yard Dog was finding a bun that was strong enough to hold it.) Little kids spoon ice cream out of tiny bowls made to look like batter’s helmets. Employees, dressed up in giant sushi costumes, race around the bases (and, yes, they’re really racing). A slightly grumpy older man with a mustache slings cocktails at the Keg Caesar Bar. A 14-yearold boy sits behind the scoreboard in the outfield and watches the game through a crack in the fence, manually updating the stats every time someone makes it home. A seat usher who’s been at The Nat for close to 40 years waves hello and asks you what a glorious day it is, isn’t it? The entire crowd stands for a hearty rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventhinning stretch. A cohort of young-adult fans dubbed the Bleacher Bums bakes in the sunlight of Section 10, jovially chatting up everyone around them; they might not know the score, but that’s not really why they’re there anyway.

An experience at The Nat is ritualistic about its silliness, and religious about its reliability. It’s good, predictable, all-ages

fun. Where else in Vancouver can you get that these days?

“You still have the old-school, traditional vibes and feel of ‘This is a ballpark that’s been around for decades,’” says Lavallee, who managed the Canadians from 2022 to 2024 before moving up the Blue Jays ranks (the Canadians have been a Blue Jays affiliate team since 2011). “It’s a really special place that I shared with my grandparents on the one side, and now share with my children on the other—and, man, hopefully one day their children after that.”

Originally opened in 1951, The Nat is turning 75 this year, marking threequarters-of-a-century’s worth of Minor League Baseball in Canada. Over the years, the park has lived many lives: it opened as Capilano Stadium, home to the Vancouver Capilanos and later the Vancouver Mounties; it wasn’t until 1978 that the stadium was renamed for beloved White Spot founder Nat Bailey, who actually got his start selling peanuts at local ballparks. That same year, the

Vancouver Canadians debuted in the Triple-A league—the highest level of Minor League Baseball before heading to the Majors—but that team was shipped off to Sacramento after the 1999 season. The Canadians (also called the Cs by regular spectators) as we know them today launched in 2000 after the Southern Oregon Timberjacks were relocated here, joining what is now the High-A Northwest League.

“What’s cool is that none of that’s changed. As much as the stadium and the field have evolved— the fences are now shinier and scoreboards are bigger and brighter—those old benches and that cobblestone floor and those stairs are still the exact same. I really love the nostalgic part of it.”

“In terms of affiliated Minor League Baseball, we’re the only team in Canada— and the Blue Jays are the only Major League team,” says Allan Bailey, the current manager for the Canadians. “To be able to hold that connection across the whole country is pretty special.” Bailey has been with the team for two decades, starting as an intern back in 2007. For the Deep Cove native, part of what makes The Nat such an incredible place to watch baseball is the very real possibility that you’ll witness a young player on the cusp of greatness.

“It’s been great to see the guys who played here being in the big leagues,” he says, pointing to current Blue Jays players who once dressed up in Canadians red. “You look at some of the guys that were there this past fall in the World Series, like [pitcher] Trey Yesavage, [manager] John Schneider, and [left-fielder] Davis Schneider—all those guys were part of our team not that long ago.” Breakout star Yesavage played a few games for the Canadians just last year, before his meteoric ascent took him all the way to baseball’s biggest stage.

“For the most part, anyone who ends up playing for the Toronto Blue Jays that was drafted or signed by us will stop in Vancouver,” says Lavallee. “Fans can now connect it: ‘I saw that young man when he was an 18- or a 20-year-old in A-ball and now he’s in the big leagues.’”

Blue Jay third baseman Addison Barger sealed his icon status when, during the team’s 2025 World Series run, he hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in the history of the championship. But years before that, he spent two seasons as a Vancouver Canadian. “You can’t really beat it as far as Minor League parks go,” he said of The Nat when interviewed by a Cs staffer last year. “By far my favourite place to play in the Minor Leagues; nothing is even comparable.”

Present-day Canadians players are given team housing through their league, but back when things were a little less formal, local families hosted out-of-town players in their homes for the duration of the season. Carol Irving and her husband boarded players for 18 years, and in that time she estimates that they missed only

two home games. “The atmosphere is just great,” she says. “I don’t know how to explain it. It just feels like home.”

It also feels like home for Rob Fai, the Canadians’ director of sales, marketing and merchandise, who has been with the club for nearly three decades—including 15 seasons as the team’s play-by-play broadcaster on TSN. Throughout it all, he observes, The Nat has remained true to itself.

“In an industry that’s constantly looking to be faster, bigger, stronger, it’s amazing to me that the same meat-andpotatoes recipe that a grandfather saw when he came out to the ballpark still works for the grandson,” he says. “That, to me, is the magic of the ballpark.”

The intergenerational appeal of The Nat is one of its biggest assets. With single-game tickets typically ranging from $24 to $39, it’s a lot cheaper than other professional sporting events in the city, meaning it’s actually possible for whole families to attend together.

“They’ll actually bring in less money here at the stadium to make sure that the fans still get that experience and can have a couple of bucks to buy a beer or a hot dog later on,” Fai says. “Part of the reason that I think our fans trust us is they know when they come to the ballpark that we’re not out for their wallet. We’re out to help them create a memory.”

As Vancouver’s unaffordability crisis continues to worsen, we risk losing more and more third places: gathering spaces for people to socialize outside of their homes and offices. A 2025 survey conducted by YMCA Canada found that only 38 percent of Canadians feel a sense of belonging within their communities. And so, The Nat stands out not just for its milestone 75-year history, but also for its continued commitment to helping Lower Mainlanders build connections in the notoriously lonely city they call home.

“It feels like a gathering place,” says Fai. “It’s a reflection of our community that now spans generations.” The Nat, taken from that perspective, isn’t really a ballpark at all: rather, it’s a community centre that just so happens to have baseball going on in the background. Regardless of any game’s outcome, that’s a pretty big win.

TASTE

Up

It’s gonna be a delicious summer. Chef Chanthy Yen takes us on an emotional journey at his new upscale Cambodian-Canadian concept, Touk; we search for the city’s coolest drinks and chef-approved eats; and comfort dishes abound at an inviting new Korean restaurant. Plus, the bottles certain to make you happy during the sunniest season.

Borbor and Bliss

At Touk, Top Chef Canada winner Chanthy Yen turns Cambodian memory, French technique and one unforgettable bowl of borbor into the city’s most emotional new dining experience.

by Kristi Alexandra

There are a few pleasures in life that can elicit tears—the outstanding experiences: weddings, graduations, big life milestones. For some, those tear-inducing pleasures are tied to food, and such a moment happened when Top Chef Canada Season 11 winner Chanthy Yen served an absolutely immaculate bowl of borbor, a Cambodian style of congee, to judge Mijune Pak.

When I was treated to the same dish on a visit to the newly opened Touk on Alberni Street in January—one year after watching that particular episode—it was easy to understand why the carefully crafted dish could bring a person to (happy) tears.

Chef Yen’s famous borbor ($32) is a Cambodian rice porridge with laksa-style flavours that’s layered so perfectly, each bite is a delightful surprise: delicate spoonfuls of congee reveal unanticipated crunches of puffed rice, then tender, squeaky bites of spot prawn or squid, spiced delicately with a kampot pepper foam.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Celebratory tears could also extend to the opening of Touk itself—it’s Yen’s first solo restaurant venture in which he’s head chef, having previously cooked at vegan spot Nightshade and helmed the pack as culinary director of Kitchen Table Group. His other claim to fame, by the way, was being the personal chef of former prime minister (and, as of this writing, current boyfriend to Katy Perry) Justin Trudeau.

Where much of the country fell in love with Yen, though—his hometown of Vancouver very much included—was on the small screen during his winning season of Top Chef Canada, where we saw (but, sadly,

didn’t taste) his passionately crafted dishes from our living rooms each week.

Now, with the opening of Touk, Chef Yen’s Cambodian-Canadian concept, we no longer have to simply imagine trying one of his plates.

In the 50-seat dining room (which includes upper-level bar, Loolaa), there are lights popping out at each table, filling the room with an ambient glow. Walnut wood tones and rattan accents make up much of the decor, and the white stone bar is offset by a smoked mirror. Most prominent, though, is a triptych on the restaurant’s north wall by CambodianCanadian artist Fonki. Hidden in the panels is a representation of Yen himself with a chicken, an amusing nod to his family’s culinary lore. Once, back in Cambodia,

when Yen was hungry, his dad told him it was his responsibility to go get his own food. Yen walked into his backyard, then back into the kitchen, holding a live chicken.

“And that’s how I learned to cook,” he laughed, pointing it out to me.

But, in all seriousness, Touk is a first of its kind in Vancouver. Coming in the form of share plates, the dishes here are all made with Cambodian ingredients and executed with French-Cambodian technique.

The pommes dauphine ($18), for example, is a dish of perfectly crisped potato puffs, topped with crème fraîche and trout roe for a bite that’s all at once crunchy, tender and savoury—with a

pleasant burst of salt. Similarly, the chicken wings ($18), tossed in roasted rice salt, have an equally perfect crisp to their skin, revealing tender meat inside. Two dipping sauces—a peppery tamarind and a green mignonette—are served alongside.

Yen’s take on these elevated share starters, naturally, pairs well with Touk’s Southeast Asian-inspired drinks, developed by bar manager (and 2025 Vancouver Restaurant Awards Bartender of the Year winner) Tara Davies, including the Sora ($20)—a tequila drink with East Indian solera, pandan, lemongrass and carbonated

banana fat-washed water—and the Kha-Fey ($21), a Cambodian take on the ever-popular espresso martini. In the latter, thick, foamed condensed milk sits atop a cocktail made with St-Rémy brandy, spent coffee liqueur, toasted rice and cold brew. If there’s a heaven, they’re serving this drink there. And, speaking of piety, each of the aforementioned cocktails can double as a zero-proof option for those inclined to skip the spirits.

When I make a second visit a few months into the year, the restaurant certainly has its books filled—word has gotten out. Every table in the house is full, including a cacophonous crew of 10 celebrating a birthday. They linger over their final glasses of wine and slices of guava cake ($16) just as I begin my own evening.

Since Touk goes all-in on family-style

share plates, my second visit includes the chef’s tasting menu ($109 per person), which means my dinner date and I get to try bite-sized portions of almost everything on the menu.

Bread service is the pain au lait, which comes as four nearly sweet, fresh-fromthe-oven coconut milk buns served with a cultured butter that’s topped with shaved, cured egg yolk. The server tells us to save some of the bread to sop up the sauces that are bound to be left on the forthcoming plates, so we do.

The twa ko, a small grilled beef sausage skewered by a bamboo pick and seasoned with galangal and toasted rice, whets our palates, while the prawn nantua—two butterflied prawns grilled and tossed in a sweet red curry with the taste of charred lemon—melts in the mouth. The leftover spice dances on my tongue and, as instructed, I use my coconut milk buns to harvest every last drop of sauce before we move on to the juicy and savoury Fraser Valley tomahawk: a Frenched pork chop with Cambodian mole.

Rounding out the meal is the magret de canard, a duck breast rubbed in coffee and spices and cured for 48 hours before being lightly charred. It’s served with watermelon radishes and galangal, along with a pistou of prahok.

On the dessert menu for the evening’s service is the familiar guava cake I’d seen the party of 10 enjoy earlier: it’s a spongy tropical cake, decorated with scorched marshmallow ganache and flecks of candied orange. Just one spoonful in, I realize how much there was for that rowdy table to rave about with this dish.

But as it nears time to wrap up the meal, I have yet to try another bowl of the porridge that can turn on the waterworks.

At my first visit, Yen’s borbor was a comforting, multi-layered indulgence; I know, however, that the tasting menu is a journey through Yen’s culinary mind and memory—and I wonder what kind of a trip I might take next time I visit (perhaps for a birthday celebration?). I’m certain that there’s more than one dish here that could bring someone to tears.

IN SEARCH OF...

COLD FOAM DRINKS

By Kristi Alexandra

When André 3000 queried “What’s cooler than being cool?” we’re not sure he was talking about funky, foamy beverages—but if he had been, Vancouverites would have shouted back: “Ice cold, with some cold foam on top!” So, we went in search of Vancouver’s best cold foam drinks, hoping they might just hold the answer to Mr. 3000’s iconic question.

1 NaMì

At this Vietnamese drink and snack kiosk set inside the Royal Bank of Canada building, you can mix and match iced coffees or teas (like matcha or hojicha) with their various cold foam options. A creamy, roasted hojicha tea ($7) here pairs beautifully with a sweet, fragrant pandan milk cold foam.

885 W Georgia St., @namivietnamese

2 Hanoi Drip

That this “drip” spot has three locations (one of them is in Richmond) should tell you something about how in-demand these drinks are. Their signature phin drip ube coconut coffee ($7.50) is a rich coconut iced latte topped with a thick tropical layer of purple ube cold foam. 3779 Rupert St. and 691 E Broadway, hanoidrip.coffee

3 Nizu Cafe

From this Japanese-inspired café comes an earthy but sweet banana matcha ($8.50). Iced matcha is poured atop a whipped banana puree, which is then topped with banana milk and a dollop of cold cream.

110–800 W Pender St., @nizucafe

4 Saunter

Those seeking caffeine and dessert at once can find it in Saunter’s tiramisu cold cream (from $7.50). Their freshly brewed coffee is poured over ice and combined with a housemade chocolate sauce. On top, a dense, creamy cold foam is dusted with chocolate.

321 W Pender St., sauntercoffee.com

5 C-Market

C-Market may not be new to the Lower Mainland, but with its 5,000-square-foot

flagship now in Mount Pleasant, even more Vancouverites are flocking to the coffee chain for its special sips. Among them is the iced melon cloud latte ($7), an iced coffee with a sweet pale green “cloud” of honeydewflavoured cream on top.

195 E 36th Ave., cmarket.ca

6 Cafeclub

The digital order-ahead café lets you skip the queue and gets straight to making your drinks—and we recommend that one of those be the strawberry cold foam cold brew (from $7). In this cold brew sweetened with Madagascar vanilla syrup, strawberry cold foam floats on top and is dusted with freezedried strawberry crumbles. 1018 W Georgia St., cafeclub.ca

7 Cafe Episode

We love a treat that doesn’t skimp on the surprises, and the iced honey Biscoff latte ($8.50) is made with more rather than less. Decadent? Yes. Delicious? Also yes. Seek out the strip-mall spot and snag its signature iced latte, flavoured with honey: a crunchy Biscoff biscuit floats in the dense, foamy housemade cream top. 2891 Grandview Hwy., @cafepisode

8 Chupito

We’d be remiss to leave this killer cocktail out, although the boozy bev is an outlier in this round-up of grab-and-go drinks. Chupito’s Xochimilco cocktail ($19) is a cold, coffee-based clarified milk punch made with spent beans from Fife Bakery, topped with a hot orange horchata foam for a taste and temperature diversion that awakens the senses. 2450 Yukon St., chupito.ca

9 Goldie’s Donuts and Bakery

If you’re nuts about cold foam, the Nutty Cloud ($7) at Goldie’s breaks away from the norm for a seriously peanut-flavoured foam drink: an iced peanut butter latte is topped with peanut butter sweet cream. 3932 Fraser St. and 2017 W 4th Ave., goldiesdonuts.ca

BEST THING I ATE

by Kristi Alexandra

Crisp Comfort

The atmosphere in Railtown’s newest Korean joint, Nabi House, is cozy from the get-go. An open-concept kitchen, where mother and son (chef Daniel Lee and mom Vivian) cook together, makes the 23seat space feel like you’re hanging out in a friend’s living room.

But it’s not just the coziness of the overall atmosphere that makes it feel like you’ve been invited into a friendly home—homestyle recipes, warming soups and handmade condiments are the regular bill of fare.

So when I dig into the savoury, crispy Nokdu pancake ($15), I’m instantly flooded with the feeling of familial ease. The pancake itself has a near-crunchy outer layer, gently crisped on both sides. Inside the pressed-down patty is a soft cake of soaked and ground mung beans, with an ever-so-slight fermented taste by virtue of the addition of kimchi. A side of umami-rich soy-pickled jalapenos adds a layer of panache to the snack—a hint of spicy acidity plays on the tongue, while the soy-pickle flavour lulls the tastebuds back into comfort territory.

Though it’s my first time eating this dish, its flavour smacks of familiarity. A version of the pancake is common in Korean households, but at Nabi, Chef Daniel has made it his own. 1889 Powell St., nabihouse.ca

From Restaurant Award-winning Suyo chef Ricardo Valverde comes Canada’s first-ever cevicheria. Now digging deep into Valverde’s Chinese-Peruvian ancestry, his new seafood concept Uchu highlights Peru’s Chifa cuisine, featuring a “live-action” raw bar so you can watch your ceviche and tiraditos (a sashimi style of raw fish slices with ceviche sauce poured overtop) being made in real time. uchurestaurant.ca

Opened February 2026 | 158 E Pender St.

Pizza My Heart

Belli Pizza serves up New York style pizza and natural wines. Funky decor (hey, disco ball!) and hip hop tunes aren’t the only things that make this place hot—to kick things up a notch, a handful of their Italian-American pies (like the Vesuvius and the Hawaiian) are drizzled with a spicy, umami-rich housemade bomba diavolo sauce. belli.pizza

Opened October 2025 | 1733 Commercial Dr.

’Wiching Hour

Dante Italian Sandwich’s cozy six-seater is open from 11 a.m. until they’re sold out, and we recommend getting your hands on their stacked caprese sandwich, layered with basil, fresh mozza, tomatoes, arugula, a tangy balsamic reduction and grana padano. This is the third spot for the sandwich franchise (from the minds behind Via Tevere). dantesandwich.com

Opened February 2026 | 505 Burrard St.

EATERS GOTTA EAT

Want to know where Vancouver chefs and bartenders eat? Just ask. The city’s culinary insiders are happy to share their after-shift go-tos, under-the-radar noodle joints and the dishes they can’t live without. by KATIE NANTON

SATOSHI YONEMORI

Bar Manager, June

Yonemori spent time behind many a bar (The Diamond, Grapes and Soda—where he was our 2018 Bartender of the Year—and The Keefer) before joining the star-bar-trio at June on Cambie. Now, along with beverage director Amber Bruce and head bartender Riley Maggs, Yonemori is busy brainstorming new creations for June and its sumptuous underground speakeasy, Lala. When the bar manager and father of three gets a chance to eat out, here’s where he hits.

Oku Izakaya

2 Water St.

“The best karaage in town,” says Yonemori of this Gastown izakaya joint. “If I have a day off, or if I have chef friends in town, I always go here.” He orders the hand-rolled temaki sushi—served open-faced, taco-like, on nori—and the pork belly. “If you go, sit at the bar to watch [owner Takeshi Hasegawa] do his magic.” okuizakayabar.com

Pax Romana

1670 Commercial Dr. “A chef I really respect is Justin Song-Ell, who used to be at Elephant and now does a pop-up at Pax Romana on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.” Yonemori describes his friend as a superchef who often has 20 different items on his menu, all cooked from scratch.

A recent highlight?

Fingerling potato salad with house-made albacore kasabushi. paxromana.ca

Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen

5155 Victoria Dr.

One of the most popular Vietnamese soup noodle spots in town, the Victoria Drive location of Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen is a famfave. “I have three kids, so we can be a bit messy. The servers are great: you never have to ask for side plates or high chairs, they just bring it all over right away. I get the #24: fish cake pho with lots of dill.” bunchacahoangyen.com

Noah’s Cafe

1096 Denman St.

This Japanese-Western fusion bistro, run by

ri’s friend Cliff Chi, has a menu that’s downright mouthwatering. “They make a great housemade pasta with lots of sea urchin in it,” he says, describing the uni creme pasta with prawns and truffle oil. “He’s also known for this omelette hayashi rice, where the omelette is served on top of this hashed beef stew.” noahscafe604.com

Cultivate Tea

2208 Main St. “I love the room, and [owner Jude Wang] is so sweet. I met him back when he was making a really clean kombucha,

with no vinegar flavour; I remember I just kept going back and asking questions. Now, I’ll book ahead and do a tea tasting,” he says. “The vibe at Cultivate gives me the same feeling I get from Niwa—so clean and calm.” cultivatetea.com

Balance Botanical and Quidditas Health

4341 Main St. and 1906

Commercial Dr.

To craft housemade liquors and infusions, Yonemori stocks up at these hidden-gem bulk shops, with jars of teas, herbs, spices and roots lining the shelves. “They have the unusual things I need, things like dried artichoke, gentian root, wormwood and devil’s club.” balancebotanicals onmain.com

LINA CASCHETTO Chef/owner, Touski and Say Hey Cafe

Caschetto spent seven years working in restaurants in France before opening the sandwich shop of your dreams—Say Hey Cafe and Deli—in Chinatown, and then, earlier this year, neighbourhood bistro Touski. When she’s not behind the counter or in the kitchen, you can find the chef/ owner channelling her contagious energy and culinary expertise into foodie collabs and popups around town. (Colleagues in France used to call her “the Flying Chef” because she was everywhere, all the time, doing everything.)

Magari by Oca

1260 Commercial Dr.

There’s always a line at Magari by Oca, the reimagined fresh pasta resto previously known as Oca Pastificio. “I was heartbroken by the loss of Greg [Dilabio, the late chef and co-owner],” says Caschetto. “It’s incredible to see the team’s resilience and what they’ve been able to continue to create, on such a high level.” Her tip: avoid the lines by going later, around 8:30 or 9 p.m. “We’ll get a few plates of pasta, maybe a negroni.

Eating out doesn’t have to be about breaking the bank. It should be about feeling nourished—not just with food, with the vibe and experience, too.”

@magari_by_oca

Duffin’s Donuts

1391 E 41st Ave.

Ah, this old classic—the (sometimes) 24-hour icon of our times, Duffin’s. “We love getting their spicy chicken and I usually get it with rice and a side of gravy,” laughs Caschetto. duffinsdonuts.ca

The Patty Shop 4019 Macdonald St.

This tiny Jamaican patty shop on the west side is an epic quick-stop snack spot. “The spicy beef is my favourite patty of all time—I could eat a thousand! But the curry chicken is very good too.” 604-738-2144

Merci Boulangerie

2879 Commercial Dr.

Although Caschetto and baker/owner Natalie Cumberbirch lived and worked in Paris restaurants around the same time, they never met until they were both back in Vancouver. “The focaccia is good; the baguettes are excellent. Having lived in France for so long, it’s really hard to find good bread here.”

merciboulangerie.com

Ramen Danbo

1833 W 4th Ave.

Yes, there’s always a lineup, but it’s worth it.

“It’s one of the only ramen spots where I eat the whole thing. All the broth, all the noodles, everything. It’s so delicious, I can’t stop.” She goes for a spicy bowl of Original Rekka ramen, which gets

its heat from a Japanese chili pepper powder. ramendanbo.com

Hawker’s Delight

4127 Main St.

For Singaporean-Malaysian cuisine, this Main Street staple is her go-to.

“I remember someone taking me back in the day and I had their chicken curry—I’d never eaten anything like that before.

It was mind-blowing.

I’m a big fan of their nasi goreng: the flavour hits just the way I want it to.

I also love the stuffed tofu puff dish with bean sprout, cucumber and peanut sauce.”

@hawkersdelightdeli

33 Acres 15 W 8th Ave.

“It’s always a vibe there!”

says Caschetto of our 2024 Readers’ Choice for Best Brewery. “Their beer is my favourite and I love that they have popcorn and chips and dip. The staff are all so nice; I really appreciate that. It’s like Cheers. Everyone knows your name.” Caschetto’s sip of choice: 33 Acres of Sunshine French Blanche. 33acresbrewing.com

Annabelle’s

620 Quebec St. Owned by Annabelle Choi, this cult favourite bakery is mere steps away from Say Hey and Touski—which is “life-changing” for Caschetto’s teams, she says. “I love a little hojicha latte with oat milk and a plain croissant. And Annabelle is starting to ramp up gelato; her flavours are amazing and unconventional. For example, she made one for the Light Up Chinatown festival one year that was plum blossom and Scottish shortbread.” Umm, yum. annabelle choistudio.com

THE WINE LIST

by Neal McLennan

JOIE DE VINO

I mean, as a starting point: aren’t all wines happy wines? I suppose, when you dig down, some have a brooding side—Napa cab, barolo—whereas in this issue, we’re looking for the ones that just bop, bop, bop into your glass like Holly Golightly. That doesn’t mean they’re simple; it just means that a smile means more to these wines than a contemplative frown. 1 2

Noble Ridge The Pink One, $35

If pink bubbles don’t make you happy, then I fear you’re a lost cause. I’ve been super impressed with the focus of Noble Ridge’s sparkling program and while most of the wines skew contemplative (in a good way), this rosé splashes a little strawberry, raspberry and citrus fun into the equation.

Monte del Fra Bardolino, $20 Bardolino is located on the shores of Lake Garda and if that doesn’t make for happy grapes, then I don’t know what does. The result is fruit-forward but still crunchy, juicy but with proper acid. A wine that can clandestinely drop into a red solo cup for a beach walk with the class of its neighbour George Clooney.

Pamplemousse Jus

Foch Nouveau, $30

How happy is natty wine? So happy, it can turn a hard-ass grape like Marechal Foch into something that elicits grins. The winery describes this bottle as like “blueberry bubblegum” and there’s no better descriptor for this exuberant exercise in lip smacking.

BLIND FAITH

My co-workers set me up on blind dates with Vanmag readers: will I actually meet my match?

by Kerri Donaldson

I’ve spent enough time on dating apps to know the ritual: bat “how’s your day going?” back and forth until you both lose the will to live, then watch the other person vanish forever because you replied to a meme 14 hours too late.

So when my co-workers offered to set me up on four (yes, four) blind dates in three days for this column, I agreed out of a desire to escape Hinge purgatory. But instead of hooking me up with their cute single friends, they created a submission form where readers of this magazine could nominate potential matches for me based on “my personality.” This felt optimistic considering most of my co-workers primarily know me as “woman always holding coffee despite time of day or tardiness,” but, still, I liked the premise. No swiping. No pre-screening. No cyberstalking someone’s ex on Instagram before meeting them. Just a first name, a reservation and instructions for each man to bring flowers to help me identify him. Honestly? More dates should involve props.

Date One was at Loula’s with a man I’ll call Mr. Groomsman because he worked for a men’s grooming company he refused to name, like he was protecting state secrets instead of beard oil formulas. He was waiting outside holding flowers and, immediately, I could tell he wasn’t someone I would’ve swiped right on. Not that he wasn’t attractive, he just wasn’t my usual type... which might be the entire point. Left to my own devices, I tend to select men based on highly scientific criteria like “looks emotionally unavailable while on a motorcycle.”

Loula’s was ideal first-date territory: the lighting was soft, the cocktails were strong. We snacked on grilled octopus

while I asked normal firstdate questions, like “What’s your karaoke song?” and “What do you think happens when we die?”

The date itself was genuinely fun.

Twice, his parents called because they were having trouble figuring out their TV setup. Normally I’d consider it rude to take a call during dinner, but watching a grown man troubleshoot streaming services while I quietly ate potatoes felt weirdly charming. There’s intimacy in realizing another person is also their parents’ unpaid tech support hotline.

While there wasn’t a romantic spark, there was ease. After years of dating apps, simply spending a few enjoyable hours with a stranger who showed up felt refreshing.

Date Two, at Coast, had the exact opposite energy. Instead of cozy romance, it was packed Friday-night downtown chaos. A server led me through a room full of post-work finance guys to the table where Bachelor Number Two was already seated. I made an awkward side-slide booth entrance while yell-flirting over the noise.

I’ll call him Mr. Trauma because within minutes I learned he was dealing with flood damage, a sick father and around 47 active emotional browser tabs. We bonded over oysters and Catholic guilt. Unfortunately, he lives outside Vancouver, which for me counts as long-distance. I’m simply not willing to cross a transit zone for love.

Saturday was the true gauntlet: two dates, two locations and one outfit that had to survive an entire flirting double shift. Date Three was at Cardero’s with a man I’ll call Mr. Cartoon because he worked in animation and, before our meeting, texted me to say he’d just finished archery class and would be wearing an orange backpack and a Bigfoot shirt. This was... a lot of information. Was I meeting a potential

romantic partner or someone who ran a medieval-themed escape room?

Still, he was sweet and genuinely game for the weirdness of this entire experiment, which I appreciated. Also, after three meet-ups in under 48 hours, I had become bizarrely good at blind dates, like a hospitality worker who’s hit a conversational flow state. Unfortunately, he was already three margaritas deep while I still had one more date left to go, so I eventually jumped into an Uber and headed toward my final stop: The Victor.

This is where things got dangerously close to romantic. The Victor was pure glamour. Wagyu beef. Tableside cocktails. A server named Eugene who functioned as an elite emotional support wingman. At one point, when my date went to the washroom, Eugene quietly checked in to ask how things were going. Reader, I would trust Eugene with my life.

Instead of flowers, my final date—Mr. Banana Slug—brought me a pin featuring a frog riding, yes, a banana slug, which did feel more memorable than chrysanthemums. We had mutual friends, similar humour and, most importantly, the ability to riff. By the end of the night, with wagyu coursing through my bloodstream, we lingered outside instead of doing the usual awkward “well... anyway...” goodbye dance that only a smoke bomb and my silhouette disappearing in the haze could save. And, for the first time all weekend, I thought: Oh. Maybe I’d like to see this person again.

Would I recommend being set up? Absolutely. At minimum, it gets you out of your own algorithm. It forces you to meet people you might otherwise dismiss in three seconds while lying in bed eating pretzels. It also removes the worst part of modern dating: the endless messaging, scheduling and conversational foreplay required just to meet for one drink. So let your friends play matchmaker. Pick a good restaurant. Ask better questions. Bring flowers. Or don’t. A frog riding a banana slug also works.

Go for the plot. And if the plot starts to turn more horror than rom com, give Eugene the signal and smoke bomb out of there.

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