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Field Trip to Kelowna

“FieldTrips” is either a day trip or a few days where I visit food areas of interest which may include farm visits, producers, wineries, restaurants and/or other places that people can visit. This is about offering Vancouver Foodster readers a chance to get out of town and take a “Field Trip” for the day or a few days to explore, learn, taste and experience.

Field Trip to Kelowna

As I was already in the Okanagan for a visit to Osoyoos I was driving a different direction than the usual route from Vancouver. It is a fairly easy trip of around 1-1/2 hours from Osooyos on Highway 97 North to Kelowna.

Through the pandemic the largest city in the Okanagan region has grown immensely with many moving to this Okanagan spot from areas back East as well as those on the West coast. There is a lot more to do here now than there was just a few years ago.

While visiting Kelowna you may want to check out downtown and the beautiful waterfront boardwalk. Go on a tour of the many local Okanagan wineries, restaurants, craft breweries, cideries, and distilleries. Hit the trails by bike, visit the historic Myra Canyon Trestles, or hike to the top of a mountain. Relax by the lake at one of the many beaches or take to the water for endless lake activities. Visit the farms, orchards, markets, or many local restaurants for delicious seasonal products grown right here.

After we arrived to Kelowna, we checked in to the Coast Capri Hotel to stay for a couple of days, a centrally located property to nearby Capri Mall, shops and restaurants. The staff at the front desk were super helpful and ready to assist guests whenever needed.

The hotel features free wi-fi and parking to pet-friendly rooms and suites including a heated outdoor pool (opened seasonally), and a fitness room. Our room had a king bed, bathroom and sitting area.

We headed out for dinner for a 30 minute drive North to Block One Restaurant in the nearby suburb of Lake Country. This was my second visit to this wonderful restaurant at 50th Parallel Winery where Chef Kai Karoll leads the kitchen.

Started out with a Pineapple Ginger Fizz mocktail and then shared some dishes with Lawrence, the Forager pizza was a winner with nettle & spring garlic pistou, wild & cultivated mushrooms, pickled wine things, asparagus, and arugula.

We then had the outstanding Peace Country Rack of lamb on a Vadouvan curry, with Israeli couscous, butter-roasted radish, mint chutney, sumac marinated red onion, romanesco, cilantro; and the Chickpea Panise with arugula pistou, asparagus, broccolini, peas, sunflower romesco, spiced crispy chickpeas, and Grana Padano.

We decided to head back to Kelowna for dessert and visited Parlour Ice Cream downtown, a popular spot amongst locals and tourists with a great selection of flavours that are made in-house.

They make their own waffle cones in house, I had the Birthday Cake Ice Cream on a waffle cone while Lawrence had the Salted caramel vegan on waffle cone.

After a good night’s rest, we headed downtown for an early breakfast on the patio at Sunny’s a Modern Diner. Getting there right when they opened meant there was no line to wait. This is a great spot that features comforting classics for locals and tourists to enjoy. I had the delicious RJB Triple Stack Pancakes with Okanagan fruit and mascarpone; while Lawrence had a Coffee and a Fruit Bowl.

After breakfast we drove to one of my favourite Kelowna cafes, Bright Jenny Coffee Roasters and Café which is located in the industrial area of town. They had a lot of seating both inside and outside at this popular café where they not only roast their coffee beans but they also do their own baking. We both had Espresso and Tonics which were refreshing as always.

A little later for lunch we visited nearby Frankie We Salute You that’s owned by notable Chef Brian Skinner. The eatery has a nice industrial vibe, serving an inventive vegetarian menu, plus cocktails & desserts.

I had the tasty Grilled Avocado Bowl with ticky brown rice, grilled avocado, sautéed greens, adzuki tempeh, spicy pickled onions, chickpeas, Thai cashew dressing; while Lawrence had the Chorizo Ranchero Bowl – Made from scratch plant-based chorizo, sausage, roasted beets, potatoes, sweet corn salsa, tofu cotija, chili sauce.

One of my friends back home had told me about spot that makes award winning gelato, so we headed over for a visit to QB Gelato and Bakery. After tasting some of their flavours, I settled for the outstanding Bakewell tart gelato and green goddess pistachio gelato; while Lawrence had the Guava and Blackberry lemonade sorbet.

We both took some time to relax in and around the hotel during the rainy afternoon. There were 2 spots we were yearning to have dinner at that night, so we made a couple of reservations and visited both, starting off at Raudz Regional Table downtown, where we enjoyed a couple of dishes. The Panfried Handmade Parmesan Gnocchi with nettle pesto roasted preserved tomato, spinach leaves; was very good as was the Grilled Salmon Burger on a Okanagan Grocery potato bun, baked fries with blackberry ketchup.

For our 2nd dinner of the night or part 2 as we shall call it, we got back in the car and drove about 30 minutes to West Kelowna where we visited Crown and Thieves Winery and their Angel Share restaurant. This is where Chef JP Holmes offers up an almost daily changing menu using as much local seasonal ingredients as possible at this outside rooftop restaurant that offers an incredible view.

Here we shared the unique Roasted carrots with chili, peanut butter powder, chocolate; and the Peri Peri Chicken and pork belly fried rice; finishing of with the Pop Tart Ice cream Sandwich with pistachio ice cream for dessert when they did last call.

The next morning we went to the other popular downtown restaurant for breakfast, visiting the Bohemian Café a restaurant that had been around for many years. Here I had the Build your own breakfast with organic yogurt, half avocado with salsa and whole wheat toast with their house-made strawberry jam. Lawrence got the Bohegger Breakfast sandwich bacon cheddar which he loved.

Afterwards we headed nearby to the Slow Side Coffee Bar and had the tasty Comp set (coffee with milk in one cup and an espresso in another) featuring Tim Wendelboe coffee (Norway) along with a delicious Lemon Meringue croissant.

Right next door, through the adjoining space is Sprout Bread where they bake an extensive selection of breads as well as baked goods. I had the delicious The Ploughman Sandwich with peach chutney, mustard, cheddar, salami, shallot for my lunch.

Lastly before leaving town, we visited Karat Chocolate and Pastry Boutique for some Iced Americano’s and chocolate bars at this notable chocolate shop owned by Chef Julian Helman.

It was a nice couple of days visiting Kelowna and area.

Stay tuned for my next Field Trip outside of Vancouver.

By: Richard Wolak

Disclosure: Coast Capri Hotel provided us with complimentary accommodation, Tourism Kelowna assisted with providing complimentary meals and such. As always, all opinions and photos are my own.

Field Trips Latest Travel
Angel Share Restaurant Block One Restaurant Bright Jenny Coffee Roasters Chef Brian Skinner Chef JP Holmes Chef Julian Helman Coast Capri Hotel Crowns and Thieves Winery Frankie We Salute You Karat Chocolate and Pastry Kelowna Parlour Ice Cream QB Gelato and Bakery Raudz Regional Table Slow Side Coffee Bar Sprout Bread Sunny's a Modern Diner The Bohemian Cafe Tourism Kelowna
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Food, Travel & Lifestyle | Writer, Influencer, Storyteller | Host of The Vanfoodster Podcast | Collaborations | richard@vancouverfoodster.com

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Love dumplings and this is the delicious Vegan Dum Love dumplings and this is the delicious Vegan Dumpling 🥟 bowl @aiyaohno.cafe with seasoned sushi rice, quinoa + sprouted bean salad, seasonal salad greens in apple carrot ginger dressing, pickled vegetables, vegan dumplings and marinated firm tofu.
Iced Sencha Tea with Kinome and Guava @aiyaohno.ca Iced Sencha Tea with Kinome and Guava @aiyaohno.cafe created by Bev and Greg; it won 1st place this summer in our Iced Summer Drink Challenge. This refreshing and tasty drink was made with cold brewed sencha green tea shaken with lightly salted fresh guava puree and topped with a foamed kinome infusion. Kinome are the young leaves of the Japanese sansho pepper tree and they have a very distinctive herbal/citrusy aroma.If you want to try this unique drink, it's available in their cafe until the end of summer. Swipe to the next photo to see Bev and Greg and their 1st place 🥇 award.
One of my favourite spots on the Sunshine Coast is One of my favourite spots on the Sunshine Coast is Gibson’s which offers a variety of eateries and beautiful views. I visited over the weekend to catchup with a friend and then enjoyed some Black Licorice ice cream @mikesplace2003 which has been serving up locals and visitors for over 18 years.
To celebrate the 8th Anniversary of @liuyishouhotp To celebrate the 8th Anniversary of @liuyishouhotpot
Richmond location that opened 8 years ago as their first North American location  @liuyishou.vancouver the international hot pot chain held a “Celebration 8” Dinner Gala. I was invited along with a couple of other foodie friends @mijunepak and @goodlifevan to celebrate this milestone with them, 

On the table:

Hot pot cooking experience at our table - I loved the Chicken with coconut soup base; as you get your choice of two different soup bases, our table also had the Pork bone soup base. The lobster and special beef and lamb to enjoy with the vegetables and other items.

Swipe ⬅️ for photos of the dishes that we had and more

The “Celebration 8” Dinner Gala menu featured deluxe dishes such as Japanese A5 Wagyu and Canadian Lobster. Not to mention the Aged Angus Beef, an exclusive dish by Liuyishou, making it the first restaurant to adapt steak aging technology to prepare mouth-watering hot pot beef dishes. 

The celebration continues through to August 18 at both their Richmond and Burnaby locations and you can dine and enjoy the same special menu. Make a reservation by calling them at 
Richmond, BC: 604-285-6122 or Burnaby, BC: 604-559-9888.
Sechelt is a beautiful spot to visit on the Sunshi Sechelt is a beautiful spot to visit on the Sunshine Coast, and I ventured over there for a day trip by walking on @bcferries at Horseshoe Bay and then taking @bc_transit #90 bus (35 min ride) and then walked around the town (you can also drive if you can get an advance car reservation). While there I enjoyed a tasty lunch @jamjarcanteen located at 5530 Wharf Avenue (opened 9 months ago) it's a cafe and shop that sells provisions, Their commissary is also located there which supplies all of their Vancouver restaurants. 

On the table:

Delicious Vegan sampler that features their Makali (cauliflower), falafel, Mujadara, hummus and other dips, coleslaw and house-made pickles. 

Swipe ⬅️ for photos of the dishes that I had, the store and more of Sechelt 

2) Chicken Shwarma

3) Fattoush salad and Tabbouli salad 

4) Selection of Baklava 

5) The cafe and store 

6) - 10) Sechelt and it's beaches
Enjoyed a delicious lunch @liftbarandgrill with my Enjoyed a delicious lunch @liftbarandgrill with my friend Sheryl @gr8tblueskyy on their beautiful upstairs patio overlooking Coal Harbour. We were there to try some new and refined dishes by @chefandraza who recently joined as their new Executive Chef. 

On the table:

Cajun Salmon Burger with red onion, arugula, tomato, tartar sauce

served on a brioche bun with cripsy fries

Swipe ⬅️ for photos of the dishes that we had and more

2) Mussels on the shell (not on the menu) which was a delicious start to our lunch.

3) Red crab cakes with tartar sauce, arugula, fried capers; and this one is a classic from the menu with no changes. 

 

4) Kani Roll with crab, avocado, cucumber, crumbled tempura, sweet soy

 

5) Tuna Tataki with edamame beans, daikon, sesame seeds, sweet soy

 

6) Crab roll

with tomato, cucumber, tartar sauce. served on a brioche bun with salad

 

7) Sticky Toffee Pudding with vanilla ice cream; this was my favourite of the two desserts we tried. 

 

8) Chocolate Mess with chocolate brownies, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. 

9) the restaurant
Over a delicious lunch @rosewoodhotelgeorgia with Over a delicious lunch @rosewoodhotelgeorgia with @paul.li_vancity I had this tasty Salmon Aburi Sushi with Ikura, green onion and sweet soy glaze.
Enjoyed a delicious Korean dinner @mapopancakehous Enjoyed a delicious Korean dinner @mapopancakehouse in Yaletown. This restaurant features authentic Korean savoury pancakes and Makgeolli (Korean rice wine) amongst other Korean dishes and drinks. My friends @imanagerisks and @tintypeportraits_canada joined me for this one of a kind and tasty experience.

On the table:

Seafood Green Onion Pancake,  Bulgogi Cheese Pancake, Yook Jeon, Green salad, pickles, sauces and a Sampler flight of (Makgeolli) Rice Wine (original, citron, grape & chestnut) 

Swipe ⬅️ for photos of the dishes that we had and more

2) Sampler flight of (Makgeolli) Rice Wine (original, citron, grape & chestnut) locally made @van_makgeolli my favourites were the original and chestnut. 

3) Green grape flavoured Soju 

4) Large Seafood Green Onion Pancake with prawns, squid, mussels, imitation crab, green onion, and special sauce for dipping; and this was the table favourite and perfect for sharing. 

5) Large Bulgogi Cheese Pancake with special sauce, this was very rich as it was topped with various cheeses, carrots, onion and bulgogi beef.

6) Yook Jeon features sliced beef and egg

7) Tofu kimchi this was a surprisingly tasty dish with  stir fried kimchi w/ pork and squares of tofu

8) Kimchi cold soup -- one of their new items currently in development 

9) the food menu

10) the drinks menu 

When you order the pancakes and other dishes you also receive a green salad and they offer complimentary refills upon request during the meal. There are a variety of savoury pancakes to choose from and you can get them in a variety of sizes. You get Korean pickles and dipping sauces and you can ask for more as you wish. This restaurant is a great addition to the Yaletown dining scene.
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August 3, 2022 / 544 views

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TRAVEL

Field Trip down the I-5 with the Honda Civic Sedan Sport

July 7, 2022 / 358 views

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