I recently spent a week test driving the Honda Odyssey 2022 around Vancouver and Squamish while trying some dishes at restaurants and cafes.
I visited Ofra’s Kitchen for dinner, one of my favourite restaurants in the Westend, they specialize in vegetarian and vegan Israeli cuisine. started off with the delicious Healing Soup, some pita to go along with the Hummus and Falafel and a tasty bowl of cooked vegetables!
The next day I visited Donuteria in downtown New Westminster to try a selection of donuts where I tasted all of these donuts and found myself a couple of favourites, the Maple Walnut and the Hazelnut Strawberry fill, both were standouts.
One of the features of the Honda Odyssey is the large amount of cargo space at the rear, you can fold down the last two rows of seats and then you can transport some larger items or store lots of luggage for a trip.
Infotainment and Connectivity features a large 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system called Display Audio. The software allows for customization of the menu layout and smartphone connectivity not only via Bluetooth, but also via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. Standard on both the Touring and Elite is a rear-seat entertainment system with built-in streaming apps.
The next day Lawrence joined me and we drove to Squamish to have coffee at one of my favourite spots, Counterpart Coffee which is off the beaten path, make sure to seek it out if you ever head to that area. They roast their own coffee there and feature a selection of baked goods as well.
We then visited Match Public Eatery for lunch where we conquered all six of the burgers on the special Burger Bender menu. It was a feast for the eyes as well as our stomachs as we tasted all the burgers and sides.
The BBQ Ranch Hand was top notch and my favourite, the pretzel bun makes this burger fly; it’s got a 6oz charbroiled, steak spice chuck burger, cheddar cheese, coleslaw, onion ring, pulled pork, spicy bbq sauce, pretzel bun. Onion rings as the side. The Nashville Hot Chicken was my 2nd favourite which had the right amount of heat, flavour with double breaded spicy chicken, coleslaw, soft potato roll. Yam fries as the side.
The Odyssey changes direction crisply, and from behind the wheel it’s easy to forget you’re piloting a three-row van. The steering is direct and the effort is light which is ideal for a mini van.
Honda also provides a full suite of driver-assistance technology, called Honda Sensing, as standard equipment on all Odyssey models.
The next day we drove to Richmond to see Sunny M Specialty Coffee to try their Affoyoutiao which had just won 1st place in our Vancouver Coffee Drink Challenge. This delicious and creative coffee was made with a crispy Chinese donut, double shot espresso and vanilla ice cream. We also enjoyed an Indonesian Pour-over coffee.
For lunch we drove back to Vancouver to visit Shameless Buns restaurant on Fraser Street. This eatery is all about Filipino fusion dishes and having lots of tasty fun.
Here we had their tasty Manila Frites, a Filipino poutine along with their delicious Tita’s Meatloaf Sandwich, Not your Lola’s Chicken Adobo and Filipino Spaghetti Lumpia, their version of the traditional lumpia, this one is stuffed with spaghetti.
For dinner we enjoyed a delicious Italian meal at Casereccio Foods where we had the Ravioli special, beet pasta dough stuffed with fine cultivated mushrooms in a lemon brown butter sauce topped with 30 months aged Reggiano and the Bucatini with Amatriciana sauce, the Pizza with pesto and mozzarella. We finished off with their Tiramisu with Panettone, made with dark chocolate, orange and amaretto; along with some of the yummy Caramelized figs and fior Di latte gelato.
I really enjoyed the Honda Odyssey which was a great car to drive in and outside of Vancouver to try some great eateries.
By: Richard Wolak
Disclosure: Honda Canada provided me with the 2022 Honda Odyssey for a week to test drive, and photograph.