Last night, a hungry hoard descended upon Gabi & Jules bakery in Port Moody to kick off Vancouver Foodster’s Tasting Plates Port Moody. The Butcher, the Baker and the Ice Cream Maker were all on the cards for the evening.
Tasting Platers picked up their Tasting Plates cards and menus then set out on a flavourful exploration of the suburb starting with the surprisingly quaint Gabi & Jules’ bakery, located in an industrial looking building the pretty interior was matched by their homestyle pies and pasties. For my tasting pie plate, I choose Raspberry Rhubarb pie with a “Jules” Peach Tea Latte. The pie really had a nice balance between the sweet and tart fruit in a nicely baked crumbly crust.
A trip to Port Moody needs to include a trip to Brewer’s Row. First up was the three month old Parkside Brewery for a flight of 4 of their craft brews – Dawn Pilsner, Dusk Pale Ale, Murray Mild and Beauregarde Blueberry Wit, all made nice sips while sitting in the garden patio.
Down the row, Moody Ales also offered a foursome flight of their Vienna Lager, Hardy Brown Ale, Affable IPA and BC Fresh-Hopped Red Ale. Bumping into a local friend and his Jenga playing family, enforcing the family-friendly reputation of the local breweries.
What goes better with beer than pizza? Spacca Napoli Pizzeria fired up their stone oven to serve a Tasting Plate of their rustic Italian fare. The Port Moody hot spot was bustling even without the Tasting Platers and we could see why from the quartet they serviced. Pizza from the wood-fired brick oven, dense meatballs, rigatoni bolognese and Frittelle (similar to a fried doughnut).
Next door, Meat Craft Urban Butchery had the barbecue going to cook up a choice of their smokies. Served atop a fresh, light Apple slaw and a zesty potato salad, it was a great ‘tailgate’ plate for the last evening of summer. I must admit the baskets of pepperoni and salami on the counter got the best of me, I had to take a selection home with me.
The renowned Rocky Point Ice Cream showed why they’re gaining a reputation for great ice cream treats. A trio of mini desserts; strawberry ice cream with basil and balsamic reduction in a chocolate cup, a Sweet Georgia Brown sundae and a ginger-molasses and pumpkin spice ice cream sandwhich made a welcome way to wrap up Tasting Plates Port Moody.
If these sounded tasty to you, consider taking part in Vancouver Foodster’s next taste adventure; Taco Crawl on September 28th and Tasting Plates Yaletown on Oct 19th.