This weekend the first Culinary Scavenger Hunt, presented by Vancouver Foodster took place in downtown Vancouver. A couple hundred food fans gathered at XOXOLAT to check-in and receive their Scavenger Hunt card, then were off on a mystery food tour around the town.
Unlike Vancouver Foodster’s other food tour, Tasting Plates, the patrons did not know what they would be served until they arrived at the restaurants, so the venues were able to be creative and put their best foot forward to wow the crowd. In the spirit of a scavenger hunt, many of the restaurants made patrons work for our bites. Posting on Social Media at The Parlour Yaletown, making our own juice at Chasers, memorizing menu items at Milestones Yaletown, were just some of the activities.
From the sweet nibs and fragances at the check-in location at XOXOLAT, the first scavenger hunt clues lead people off in different directions.
Chaser’s Fresh Juice & Deli at 1026 Mainland Street, a raw food and juice bar. Guests had the chance to press the button on their own freshly squeezed orange juice and sample some of their blends of greens and vegetable juices as well as cashew milk.
Hamilton Street was the next stop at The Parlour, a personal favourite, where they really made people work for their bites. Social Media tasks to enter to win prizes and then sample their handmade, woodfired pizza menu, salads and Prohibition IPA beer.
Down the street at Milestones, Chef Robyn Schreier put people through the paces of memorizing menu items before offering up tastes of Breakfast Tostadas.
For an after breakfast treat, Marquis Wine Cellars offered a selection of wines pairs with fruits bites to tickle the senses.
Next up was the always popular Bella Gelateria, with a line up of patrons devouring their award winning, handmade gelato.
Down on the waterfront below Jack Poole Plaza, De Dutch Pannekoek House gave a choice of sweet or savoury pannekoeken as guests got to choose from Edam & De Bakon or Banana-Strawberry for fillings.
On Pender Street, Soirette Macarons debuted two new flavours exclusively for the Culinary Scavenger Hunt crowd – Guava & Coconut and Yuza & Cumquat, and alongside samples of three of their fine teas.
Lastly, Seventeen89 Restaurant & Lounge served up a nice, fresh Tuna Tartare in a mini cone along with Shock Top Belgian Beer. The servers made it known that, since the Cellar Jazz Club closed, Seventeen89 was now the spot to catch great live Cory Weeds’ jazz shows on Tuesday nights.
After a fun, filling afternoon patrons were sure to have found a new taste or two in downtown Vancouver.
Watch for the next Vancouver Foodster event, Tasting Plates Gastown Edition on April 23rd.