The year sizzled like a sirloin on a hot grill when it came to food stories.
We rejoiced at the reopening of the city’s long-standing restaurants such as the Terminal Pub and River’s Reach Pub and mourned the closing down of local favourites like Coming Home Coffee House, Tamarind Hill and Chronic Tacos.
What helped us cope is, you guessed it right, more food.
We scoured the city for more taco joints and identified spots that sell thick and creamy milkshakes to wash them down.
We showed our patriotism to the country by noshing on nanaimo bars and our appreciation to the city’s Sapperton neighbourhood by biting into a gilded doughnut that shared its name.
What heightened the doughnut fever was a local winery’s decision to pair them with wine and a local entrepreneur's initiative to introduce them as all-vegan.
If that teased our willpower, what really tested it were the sinful chocolate truffle pastries by Take the Cake and eggnog buttercream sandwich cookies by Trove Desserts.
In the summer, we hung out at the New West Farmers Market grabbing boxes of freshly made empanadas from Empanada Gal, snapping up jars of adobo flakes from Telly’s Manila Kitchen and tasting samples of vegan smoked salmon by Living Tree Foods.
On warm evenings, we sipped cool cocktails at local pubs, and swigged frothy beers at a lager fest.
We learned all about a local bakery's special pretzels that were made with brewery waste, and joined a "food flash mob" organized by Foodie Flock — a New West group — to help out local businesses.
We also bravely tasted some of the hottest sauces out there at Lucifer’s House of Heat and pondered how the downtown café Old Crow (now Moodswing Coffee and Bar) managed to moonlight as a chic cocktail bar during weekends.
By the fall season, we learned how to bake a loaf that looked like a pumpkin and where to order a picnic platter or a Thanksgiving takeout.
As the air turned nippy, we stopped for classic black milk tea at the new Passenger Cafe at the New Westminster SkyTrain station and took a hot cuppa Joe to go from Vancouver-based Caffè Mira's new location on Victoria Hill.
In the following months, New West’s Steel & Oak Brewing — the brewery which is also home to a club that ends every run with a beer — picked up a bunch of medals at the BC Beer Awards; a slew of New West restaurants got featured on TransLink’s Dine the Line 2022; and a New West resident, Cathy Ta earned a spot among the best bakers in the country on the "Cross Country Cake Off" TV Show.
As winter weather walloped the city, we found comfort in hot samosas and “box” sushis, and ordered in cheese and crackers from Cheese&Crackers Charcuterie Co. while waiting for the Christmas turkey to come out moist.
And now, we plan to end this year of gastronomic delights in fashion with... you guessed it right again, more food.
Bon appétit!
