Tasting Plates – Port Moody by VanFoodster

I was invited to VanFoodster‘s latest edition of Tasting Plates in the beautiful city of  Port Moody. As much as I was excited to visit the ‘City of Arts’, I was looking forward to check out the local vibrant food scene and the flourishing wave of microbreweries.  As a bonus to this foodie adventure,  I even had a chance to take the West Coast Express train for the first time with my buddy Hanson (Nosh and Nibble).  A relaxing 25-minute ride later, we were convinced that Port Moody is quite accessible from downtown Vancouver. With the new Evergreen skytrain line launching soon, Port Moody will definitely become a bigger attraction for visitors and new residents.

It was such a gorgeous early evening in the fall. As we were loving the sun and the blue sky, we took a nice stroll towards the city centre.

Our first stop Gabi & Jules, a local bakery was merely 10 – 15 minutes walk away from the train station.  They are known for the delectable bake goods such as the Peach and Strawberry and the Raspberry Rhubarb pie, which were both on the tasting menu for the evening. And we get to comes with a cup of complimentary cafe latte or tea. It was definitely the much needed sugar and caffeine fix for us after a long day at work .  I particularly enjoyed the nice little spice-up touch of ginger in my peach and strawberry pie.

The next 2 destinations are right next to each other at the corner of Moody Street and St. Johns Street.

First, we stopped at Meat Craft Urban Butchery for a taste of their house-made mini smokies, featuring the Romanian, Moody Ale and Yellow Dog. The latter two were actually made with the local craft beers so that the sausage meat remains moist after being cooked. It’s great to see the butchery trying to utilize local free range and ethically raised meat from the community.

Around the corner from the butchery, Spacca Napoli Pizzeria is the neighborhood gem that offers a great selection of Napoli style pizzas, pasta dishes and other Italian specialties.  The dining room is tastefully designed with a mix of rustic and chic elements.  With the owner’s Italian mother running the kitchen and the great looking pizza pies coming out of a massive wood burning, we enjoyed both the food and the warm welcoming ambiance.  The tasting bites of the authentic Napoli taste were:  the house-made Meat Balls, Frittelle, Rigatoni Bolognese, and a slice of Margherita Pizza.

Next we walked over to Rocky Point Park and visited a popular spot among the locals: Rocky Point Ice Cream. We were greeted with a flight of ice cream treats, featuring a mini Sweet Georgia Brown sundae, a Strawberry Ice Cream topped with Balsamic Reduction and Fresh Basil, and a mini Ginger-Molasses and Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream Sandwich. It was great to see the ice cream maker has brought the popular frozen sweet treat to a whole new gourmet level.

After the delicious ice cream, we moved on to another highly anticipated part of the event – beer tasting.  Port Moody has welcomed a new bloom of microbrewery scene the last couple years. Just to name a few in the area – Moody Ales, The Parkside Brewery, Yellow Dog Brewing, and Twin Sails Brewing.  And they have become quite active in the local craft beer events and festivities,  and established their names among the beer lovers.

The Tasting Plates map brought us to The Parkside Brewery first, and we were served the Parkbench Flight of 4  chosen from the 5 different beers – Dawn Pilsner, Dusk Pale Ale, Graffiti IPA, Murray Mild and Bearegarde Blueberry Wit.  While I was enjoying a hoppy and strong flavoured Graffiti IPA, I also quite like the fruity tone from the Blueberry Wit.

Look who I ran into, Jacqueline from Pork Ninjas and her friend Ray!

At the last stop, we were welcomed with another flight of craft beers at Moody Ales. The tasting choices were: Vienna Lager, Happy Brown Ale, Affable IPA, Sociable Pale Ale, and BC Fresh-Hopped Red Ale. My favourite were Vienna Lager and the Red Ale, both with beautiful dark honey colour and rich in flavours.

That concludes the fun foodie adventure in Port Moody.  And the next Tasting Plates event will be back in the city centre of Vancouver in Yaletown on Oct 19!