BC buffet

The Saturday Market on Salt Spring Island is a party-like celebration of great local foodie treats. PHOTO CREDIT: Tourism BC.

Article by: John Lee, September 2008

Lined with sugar-frosted mountains and broccoli-green forests, verdant British Columbia looks good enough to eat. The region is a veritable smorgasbord for epicurious travellers. First stop: the Okanagan Valley.

The annual Sun Peaks Icewine Festival includes a Saturday night tasting crawl around the snow-covered ski village. PHOTO CREDIT: Tourism Sun Peaks.

A one-hour flight or four-hour drive east of Vancouver, the sun-dappled Okanagan is BC's laid-back winemaking capital, with more than 150 grape-stomping establishments luring travellers from the big city. Framed by vine-striped hills, some of Canada's top wineries – and their tempting tasting rooms – reside here, including Burrowing Owl, Sumac Ridge and Mission Hill. Also here is Nk'Mip Cellars (pronounced 'in-ka-meep'), North America's first aboriginal winery, which produces a lip-smacking chardonnay at its desert-fringed location.

While riesling and pinot noir are also regional favorites, icewine is the signature Okanagan tipple. Made from grapes frozen on the vine, the sweet dessert drink is showcased at January's Sun Peaks Icewine Festival, a uniquely snob-free wine fest which centres on a Saturday night crawl around the icicle-covered resort.

If you need something to soak up all that booze, BC also bulges with scrumptious foodie experiences, making pants with elasticised waists suddenly seem like a good idea. Among the best is Salt Spring Island's bustling Saturday Market, which runs from March to October and is just a short ferry ride or floatplane hop from the mainland.

You can build your own picnic from the hearty home-baked breads and piquant local cheeses

You can build your own picnic from the hearty home-baked breads and piquant local cheeses here, then choose from dozens of organic apple varieties grown on the island (seasonal figs, berries and melons might also be available). Later, rest your shopping muscles at the nearby Tree House Café (106 Purvis Lane, tel: 250 537 5379), an al fresco diner with seating clustered around a large plum tree. It's the perfect afternoon hangout for a frothy Salt Spring Golden Ale.

Continue your trek west from the mainland and you'll find plenty of gourmet treats on Vancouver Island. Historic Victoria – BC's capital city, located on the island's southeast tip – is replete with restaurants increasingly committed to sourcing and serving distinctive local ingredients.

Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Bay is an ideal destination for artisan food fans. PHOTO CREDIT: Tourism BC.

Among the most surprising – and arguably the city's best-kept dining secret – is the handsome Parliament Buildings, where the subsidised subterranean cafeteria is open to the public. The great-value BC-only menu here can range from delectable Fraser Valley chicken and Queen Charlotte Island crab to seasonal regional fruits and vegetables.

Also consider Red Fish Blue Fish, an ecofriendly seafood shack housed in a refurbished shipping container on the Inner Harbour waterfront. It specialises in sustainable local seafood - try the Qualicum Bay scallop tacos while you drink in the bobbing boat views across the inlet.

You'll also find the island has its own artisan food and wine region just a 45-minute drive north of Victoria. Cowichan Valley is self-described as 'BC's Provence'; it's a gentle countryside haven of boutique wineries, friendly farms and rustic eateries where you can rub shoulders with chatty locals.

Cowichan Valley is self-described as 'BC's Provence'; it's a gentle countryside haven of boutique wineries, friendly farms and rustic eateries

Head first for Cowichan Bay and you won't be disappointed. A string of bright-painted wooden buildings teeters over the lake here and there are several tempting restaurants and food stores. My favourite houses both the Grain Bread bakery and Hillary's Cheese Company, each typically buzzing with esurient shoppers. Pick up a still-warm hazelnut sourdough loaf then select some sharp goat's cheese: all the necessary food groups covered in one meal.

Of course if you'd like to dine around BC without straying too far from Vancouver, there are also plenty of regional food experiences in the heart of the big city. Pioneering the idea of restaurants showcasing local ingredients long before it was cool, Bishop's, in Kitsilano, specialises in entrées like roasted Salt Spring Island lamb, grilled northern BC bison and pan-seared Queen Charlotte halibut. Province-sourced seafood is also the backbone of False Creek's excellent C Restaurant, where the menu is suffused with BC treats like sweet side-stripe prawns.

Apricots, and other fine Okanagan Valley fruits, are available at summertime farmers’ markets around Vancouver. PHOTO CREDIT: Tourism BC.

Regional producers also bring their wares to town at Vancouver's summertime farmers' markets. Among the best is on the southern edge of Nelson Park in the West End. Tote your own bag and forage for ultra-sweet seasonal strawberries from the Fraser Valley, giant juice-packed peaches from the Okanagan and ripe heirloom tomatoes from farms in Abbottsford.

For a local tipple, the Alibi Room on the edge of Vancouver's once-gritty Gastown district has 14 draught taps and the city's best selection of craft-brewed BC beer. The CDN$3 tasting glasses encourage adventurous sampling – regional highlights include Swan's Red Ale from Victoria, Old Yale Pale Ale from Mission and Back Hand of God, a celebrated organic stout from a farm-based microbrewery in Sorrento. BC has never tasted better.