Another year, another EAT! Vancouver to attend. [see my posts of 2011 and 2009] This is the 10th year this festival has been put on, and I’m grateful for it. It’s a fun way to spend a day or even a weekend, walking around sampling various products and even try out restaurants I would normally never get the chance to.
McDonald’s secured a great location right by the entrance, enticing you with their new real fruit smoothies. Mango Pineapple, Banana Strawberry or Blueberry Pomegranate are your choices, and they encourage you to take as many as you can! I indulged every time I passed by except for the last time.
In the International Food Pavilion, various countries showcased their cuisine, such as Peru, Indonesia, Philippines and others.
I swear, there was some kind of theme to this years, as I noticed a lot of yogurt. The Oikos stand was constantly busy, serving up natural greek yogurt.
What made it unique was the DIY topping stand, complete with raisins, flax seed, coconut and syrup & honey.
Then there was the “super healthy” section, such as these daiya all natural vegan cheese cubes. Made from tapioca, it actually melts..but the texture is a bit strange. Vanessa, I know you love this cheese and all, but I can’t give up the real thing.
Blenz was doing some tasting of their teas, as well as samples of their Matcha Latte and Belgian Hot Chocolate.
I had some non-alcoholic Caesars made with Matt & Steve’s pickled beans.
Some interesting chocolate coated cereal. Way too sweet, please don’t feed your kids this!
D-Way Food sampled their sauces with some fish.
mmm…
Van Houtte had a stand that let people discover their “coffee profile” based on their preferences of steak, wine, cheese and toast pairings.
Off to the alcohol section! Nice to see Mill St. Brewery here.
Some Liefmans for Val because it’s like, the only beer she’ll drink because it’s sweet and fruity.
Some classy looking bottles of Gin and Whisky from Vernon, BC.
I don’t know how I feel about chocolate tasting wine, but I suppose it would work as a dessert.
Mott’s Clamato + Polar Ice Vodka means Caesars.
With no more tickets left to indulge in samples, we did another round, stopping for some ONE Coconut Water.
Took a look at the “Bite of Vancouver” section, featuring multiple restaurants, but we were way too full to even think about getting anything.
I did have 4 tickets left over…
…which I spent on this salmon.
Swallow Tail Food Tours also had a stand there, manned by Matt. If you get a chance, ask to try the fiddlehead and dandelion. It’s quite different and eye opening once you realize that some things are edible, we just would never try it based on the looks or name.
The festival ends this Sunday, so if you’re looking for something to do that’s inexpensive, this isn’t a bad idea!
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