Imagine eating with about twenty-five strangers, at four random restaurants you didn’t know about until you were halfway through the door, then trying a sample of what each place has to offer. This is Dishcrawl, an organized event where an “ambassador” picks restaurants all within a 3-block radius for foodies to test signature dishes all for $60. I for one, have not consumed so many calories in so little time ever in my life!
Twenty-four hours before Dishcrawl Kitsilano, my boyfriend and I received e-mails to meet at Tractor Foods, on the corner of West 4th avenue and Cypress. Our first location! We met with our guide, Jenny, who was very sweet and made sure everyone was having a good time. Tractor Foods Is a cafeteria-style restaurant that uses local and organic products. I was interested before I even had my first bite! We started with kale and apple salad. The kale was bright green and very fresh. The dressing was a light and sweet vinaigrette. We then had a choice of sweet butter squash soup or turkey chilli. I enjoyed my chilli very much. The portion was substantial and the salty crackers served with it were a perfect pairing. To finish the meal we were served chocolate and pistachio cookies. These cookies were amazing – rich, soft, and hearty. And we were moving on…
Next up was Vibe, a Japanese BBQ and sushi bar that was less than a block away from Tractor Foods. I will admit, I was leery about this choice as there are so many amazing sushi places in the lower mainland and wanted to experience something different. At this stop we were served raw chicken and beef to cook on the BBQ in the middle of our table. We were also served the restaurant’s special sushi roll. Although decent, Vibe wasn’t memorable or amazing.
After Vibe we walked two blocks to The August Jack, a beer and tapas bar that has been open less than four months. This place had a cool atmosphere with kegs in the back of the restaurant. As our waiter informed us, each item on the menu had a specific beer pairing. First, we were served a single, thick, hot polenta fry. I really liked the fry (I ended up eating my boyfriend’s too!) and the basil and nasturtium aioli it was served with. Next to come out was truffle popcorn. This was popcorn drizzled in truffle oil topped with grana padano. I thought this was the coolest idea ever! Lastly at August Jack was the leek and barley risotto. I wasn’t a fan of this because I thought the balsamic reduction it was served with was out of place.
Last, and probably my favourite place we visited on the tour was a tea shop called O5 Tea. This excited me because I love my teas! Here we were served a hibiscus tea that was sweetened with orange. It had a spicy after taste and was absolutely fabulous. For dessert we each tested hibiscus and dried cranberries with white chocolate, candied ginger with dark chocolate and pumpkin cheesecake. Each dessert was served on Chinese soup spoons, which made for a perfect bite-size dessert! I absolutely loved this!
This brought our Dishcrawl Kitsilano experience to an end and we had to say goodbye to our new friends and ambassador. I would definitely take part in another Dishcrawl and would recommend it to newcomers to our city who are looking to meet new people and find cool places to eat!
By: Micaela Monk
