I recently spent a week test driving the Honda Passport 2023 car around Vancouver and Squamish while visiting some restaurants.
Headed to Commercial Drive for dinner at Livia, this is a spot that I have always loved for baked goods, coffees and more; and this time around I visited at night for some of their homemade pasta and other Italian dishes.
Started off with the tasty Cacio de Pepe puffs
The pasta speciali of the night was the Trofie alla Genovese, with a basil pesto made with Tuscan basil. This dish celebrates these handmade twists, the pesto sauce and the half ball of Italian burrata on top!
Ended with the divine Meringa Con Ghiacchio (meringue with pistachio gelato, ganache and Okanagan cherries). Livia is located at 1399 Commercial Drive, in Vancouver.
The next night I drove to the Coal Harbour neighbourhood to visit one of my new favourite Middle Eastern Restaurants, Yasma. As it was a hot evening, I settled for a lighter meal where I enjoyed the Baba Ganousch and the Beet Mutabbal (beets, tahini, yogurt, garlic); which came with their fluffy fresh out of the oven pita. I also had the Spiced Potatoes dressed in garlic and pepper paste.
Yasma is located at 550 Denman Street in Vancouver.
The next day while I was in East Van, I visited To Live For Bakery (1508 Nanaimo Street) for their vegan Affogato and it was delicious. As this was my first time here for a visit, I look forward to returning to try some of their baked goods.
The car features a large cargo space at the rear of the car to take everything you need for road trips or for groceries when out shopping.
It was off to Squamish the next day for a Food and drinks tour that I was hosting to highlight the growing food scene there.
Luz Tacos served a Root beat ‘sope’ of surf and turf with pickled red onions and truffle oil and Ceviche and crunchy Taco.
Geo Cider served a selection of 4 ciders for guests to try OR for those that were not drinking they got to try the Horchata or the Jamaica.
Wonderlands Plants & Coffee served guests a choice of their Caffe Latte or a Hibiscus Cold Brew Tea.
Indian Spice Cuisine served an array of dishes that included Fish Pakora, Paneer Pakora, Butter Chicken, Rice, Mango Chicken, Naan and a Mango Lassi.
Match Eatery & Public House served a plate featuring their Spicy bird sandwich, Beef burger, Nashville hot chicken wing, pitmaster baked beans, coleslaw, jalapeño cornbread.
Raincity Distillery served guests a tasting flight of their choice of spirits along with a mini cocktail.
I loved how much room there was in the back seat for passengers, it is also roomy and allows the Passport to transport up to five people.
The Honda Passport offers the automaker’s suite of safety and driver-assistance technology as standard content, which includes forward-collision warning, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and more. I enjoyed the smooth ride both on the highway as well as in the city.
By: Richard Wolak
Disclosure: Honda Canada provided me with the 2023 Honda Passport to test drive, and photograph. As always, all opinions and photos are my own.