I recently spent a week test driving the re-engineered Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring 2023 car around the city while I was out and about trying some new dishes at restaurants and cafes in Vancouver and Port Moody.
Enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Vivace on the Drive (1728 Commercial Dr, Vancouver) to try some of Chef Rory Byrne’s new dishes on his fall menu along with his creation in our 9th annual Vancouver Pasta Challenge.
Started off with the L’Oceano Vivace with the beautiful house made squid ink tagliolini with seared scallops and lemon butter foam with trout roe and chorizo. Rory explained the design of the plate is intended to be the sea foam at the edge of the sea colliding with the land, the capers representing rocks on the side and the scallops and roe living inside the ocean. His pasta creation won 1st place in the Media judges and People’s Choice categories and is now on their menu.
The Octopus with hints of yuzu, smoked chili, shallot; was tender and tasty.
Then the Ling Cod,was poached in red wine with cauliflower, fennel and it was divine.
The Pumpkin Gnocchi with house-made ricotta, grana padano and radicchio was outstanding and the perfect dish for the fall season.
In this 2023 Honda Accord model, The quiet, open cockpit design keeps everything you need within reach for an effortless drive.
The next day I drove to Port Moody and visited Cascadia Bakehouse (2335 Clarke St, Port Moody) for the first time where I had a Cortado and a couple of cookies, the Chocolate Chip and the Toasted Oat Cookie.
I then had a wonderful Brunch at The One Sixty Wine Bar & Cafe (3141 Murray St, Port Moody) dining during their first brunch service of this beautiful restaurant that opened earlier this year. The restaurant participated in our 10th Annual Vancouver Burger Challenge.
Started off with The Big Nap Burger, their delicious burger entry with a smashed patty topped with crispy Truffle Mac & cheese croquettes served on a toasted sesame bun with house accompaniments. The burger was created by Chef Preston Hamilton and Laurie Horvath.
I also had a side Arugula Salad to complement the burger and it had carrots, oranges, walnuts in a lemon vinaigrette.
For a brunchy dessert, I had their Cornmeal Waffles that were covered in cinnamon sugar with maple syrup and whip cream.
The car features choices of radio stations from the Touchscreen display. The standard 7″ (and available 9″) colour touchscreen is your portal to the centralized system that controls your settings and the loads of tech features in your Civic Hatchback. Like, Apple CarPlay®/Android Auto™, the available 12-speaker BOSE® Premium Sound System (including a subwoofer), and the available Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with bilingual Voice Recognition.
The next day I was back downtown Vancouver for lunch at Toloache Mexican Kitchen (586 Hornby St, Vancouver) for a Cappuccino and then lunch.
I also had the delicious Tortilla Soup along with their delicious Cochinita Pibil Tostada and the Mole Chicken Tostada.
Later in the day I returned to Bahar Bakery & Cafe ( 579 Robson St, Vancouver) for another visit, having their lucious Tres Leche Cake as well as their Carrot Cake along with an Iced Americano.
The next evening I visited newly opened La Cantina de Don Porfirio (151 E 8th Ave, Vancouver) is a great addition to the Mount Pleasant area that is styled like Mexico City’s old downtown’s style canteen. I had the delicious Enchiladas Verdes con Vegetables al Grill o Pollo.
The menu features a variety of traditional Mexican dishes as well as some combos which are noted as a ‘tasting menu’.
Filling up the car was super easy and as it is fuel efficient you get more mileage out of this model than others.
The Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring 2023 was enjoyable to drive around Vancouver and Port Moody in the to try some great eateries.
By: Richard Wolak
Disclosure: Honda Canada provided me with the 2023 Honda Civic for a week to test drive, and photograph.