Edible News + Notes: July 18, 2022
New Places & Spaces
There’s a new addition to the variety of shops and restaurants located at Coombs. Spanish Kitchen has all the ingredients from Spain that you need to make paellas, tapas and more. Not sure how to assemble to the best feast? The staff are excited about sharing their tips and tricks with you!
A new restaurant is a welcome addition to the beautiful island of Gabriola, so next time you’re in need of some time away from your busy life, pop on the short ferry and enjoy the scenery and the new Ground Up Café & Catering for a local breakfast and lunch.
Mudsharks Café is a staple of downtown Courtenay. But you’ll need to pop a couple streets over to find their newly opened location on 6th Street—with the same friendly smiles and delicious food and coffee, but with an updated look and modern ambiance.
Photo from Mudshark's Facebook page
Accolades
Have you been to Tofino recently? If not, it might be time to plan a trip: Time magazine recently labelled the beautiful coastal town as one of the world’s top 50 destinations. With its luxurious resorts, access to outdoor experiences and incredible culinary options, we’d have to agree! Meanwhile, bestcities.org just ranked Victoria as Canada’s best small city, so clearly Vancouver Island is the place to live and travel.
Congratulations to Marianne Scott, the author of The Distilleries of Vancouver Island, which is a guide to the people behind the innovative craft and artisan distillers on the island. The book was shortlisted for the Taste Canada Awards in the culinary narrative category.
We all have our favourite breweries, and if you want to help give them the accolades you think they deserve, nominate them for the 2022 BC Ale Trail Best Brewery Experience Award. Cast your votes by August 31, 2022.
Things to Know
Category 12 Brewing just released four new beers, just in time for our long-awaited summer season. The Hefeweizen Wheat Beer is a light and refreshing wheat beer made with German Pilsner and wheat malts; The Pathway Pale Ale is an easy-drinking pale that has a delicious intersection of citrus aroma, flavour and light malt; The Raspberry Vanilla Sour is an indulgent yet refreshing sour beer that uses B.C. raspberries and blueberries complemented with a hint of vanilla; Westy Pilsner is a Czech-style Pilsner fdeaturing distinct Czech Pilsen malts and Czech Saaz hops this brew is crisp and crushable.
Oyster Bay Café is open for the season again in Ladysmith. They specialize in freshly made food and are open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week and for dinner Thursday to Saturday. Located on the dock, it’s the perfect place to soak in the sunshine and sea breeze while enjoying a glass of wine or tasty meal.
Current Closings
A popular Comox coffee haunt was recently hit with an unfortunate fire, so their doors are temporarily closed while they repair and recover from the incident. We wish the Komox Grind & Espresso Bar at #105-1811 Comox Ave. well and look forward to seeing them open again soon!
The Qualicum Beach location of Lefty’s is now permanently closed, but never fear, you can still enjoy their menu at their Parksville restaurant. This allows them to focus on one location in order to offer the menu and service that they are popular for.
