Raincouver

The rain is beating down on my window as I write this. Another rainy day in Vancouver. Growing up here, I've certainly gotten used to this weather. But, what about all of you who've come here from sunnier lands? Does the rain in Vancouver get you down? Or are you happy to sing and dance in the puddles?

Christmas in Vancouver: Grouse Mountain Peak of Christmas

Grouse Mountain Peak of Christmas 2012

Ho ho ho, there's even more Christmas in Vancouver to tell you about. Grouse Mountain is celebrating the Peak of Christmas 2012 until Dec. 24. On the mountain, you'll find Santa Claus, real reindeer, an outdoor skating rink, Christmas carolers and much more.

Here are some fun-filled things happening on Grouse Mountain:

Santa's Workshop: Meet Father Christmas in person and tell him what's on your wishlist this year. If you're nice, maybe you'll get what you've wished for.

Meet Dancer and Vixen: Dancer and Vixen, two of Santa's very own reindeer, are on vacation in the wildlife refuge. Pop by and say hello!

Sleigh Rides: Take a magical ride through the mountain, maybe even on Santa's own sleigh!

Skate with Champions: Skate with world ice skating champion Karen Magnusson on Dec. 1, 8 or 15, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Breakfast with Santa: Enjoy a hearty breakfast with the man in the red suit on Dec. 9 and Dec. 15 to 24. 

SOS Children's Gingerbread Village: See some amazing gingerbread house creations and vote for your favourite one.

With a winter wonderland at your feet, don't miss visiting Grouse Mountain this holiday season. Bring your friends, family and kids to share in the joy of Christmas in Vancouver!

Photo credit: Grouse Mountain

Vancouver Restaurants: Yaletown Brewing Company

After enjoying a cold yet sunny day at Yaletown Candytown on Saturday, my friends and I decided to head to Yaletown Brewing Company for dinner. We got there a bit past 6 p.m. and the place was packed. We didn't have a reservation so there were only seats available in the heated patio.

The heated patio was outfitted with heat lamps above the tables and fleece blankets on the chairs. This provided enough warmth, but not enough to take our coats off. Some people were in t-shirts though and seemed perfectly fine.

Our waitress came along and took our drink orders. Because it was Candytown in Yaletown, I expected that Yaletown Brewing Company would have a special candy cocktail. The waitress didn't seem to know what the special was though. 

The food menu was varied but didn't completely appeal to me. There were lots of pizzas, burgers, rice and pasta bowls, and other miscellaneous entrees. I decided on the meatloaf -- individually baked in a cast iron pot and topped with Nagila Pale Ale infused BBQ sauce, served with fresh cut potato & mushroom hash topped with a poached egg. The potato and mushroom hash sounded especially good to me, so that's why I ordered it.

While the dish sounded really good, I wasn't really impressed with it. The potato and mushroom hash was pretty flavourless and I didn't notice many mushrooms in it. The poached egg was a nice touch, but there was definitely a lack of seasoning on the hash. As for the meatloaf, I liked that it was served in its own individual pot. The first few bites were good; however, after awhile, I was getting sick of the flavour. Perhaps ground meat isn't my favourite food, perhaps this wasn't the greatest meatloaf. If I were to come back, I don't think I'd be ordering this dish again.

The service at Yaletown Brewing Company was pretty good overall. My friend had leftovers to take home, but they accidentally threw them out. A manager came by to apologize and offered to cook up more of the dish for her to take home. That was a nice gesture.

Next time I go to Yaletown Brewing Company, I think I'll try their beer and appetizers instead.

Christmas in Vancouver: Yaletown Candytown Photos

On Nov. 23 and 24, Yaletown transformed into a Christmas wonderland at the Yaletown Candytown event. There were horse and carriage rides, a skating rink, Christmas crafts, gingerbread men and Trevor Linden!

In case you missed Yaletown Candytown, here are some photos from this great event:

Roasted chestnuts, the perfect hot treat

Trevor Linden doing a media interview

Trevor Linden signing an autograph

Free horse and carriage ride

Ice skating rink

Jolly gingerbread men

Beautiful ice sculpture

Vancouver Art: Art from the Free Print Show

Tonight's Free Print Show at Little Mountain Gallery was buzzing with talented artists, beautiful art, an awesome DJ, and a ton of supporters and art enthusiasts. Here is some of the amazing art you could've picked up for FREE at the Free Print Show.

Christmas in Vancouver: Vancouver Christmas Market

With a bit over a month left 'til Christmas, there are plenty of festivities going on to get you into the holiday spirit. The Vancouver Christmas Market is one of them. At this authentic German Christmas Market, you shop for coveted gifts, sip on hot apple cider, taste some German specialities, ride a carousel and so much more.

Admission to the Vancouver Christmas Market is only $5 for adults and, $2 for youth, and free for children 6 years and under. Better yet, if you stop by the market between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, admission is only $2! The best part is, you'll get a free re-entry pass that allows you go back to the market as many times as you want this season.

Some highlights to look out for at the Vancouver Christmas Market include:

The X-Mas Factor: A singing competition that takes place every Friday night from 6 to 6:30 p.m. If you think you've got what it takes, sign up and belt out your favourite Christmas tunes at this fun competition.

VCM Days: The Vancouver Christmas Market "Nation Days" celebrate various European cultures, including Swiss, Dutch and Bulgarian.

Gingerbread Haus: Bask in the aroma of this Christmas cookie favourite at the Gingerbread Haus. You'll find an array of gingerbreads, marzipans and sweet treats, perfect for stocking stuffers.

German Beers: Two German brewers serving up thirst-quenching beers are Krombacher and Ayinger. Taste the new Krombacher Dunkel beer, a flavourful dark beer made with roasted malts and the finest hops. Or enjoy a refreshing Ayinger Brau-Weisse wheat beer.

This is just a sampling of what to expect at the Christmas market. There's so much more so make sure to check it out.

The Vancouver Christmas Market is happening from Nov. 24 to Dec. 24 at the outdoor plaza of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Cambie near W. Georgia. It's open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closes on Dec. 24 at 6 p.m.

Photo credit: Vancouver Christmas Market

Vancouver Restaurants: The Fish Shack

I spontaneously decided to try out the The Fish Shack on Saturday evening, after reading about the restaurant on Twitter.

The Fish Shack, opened by the Glowbal Group in late October 2012, is a no-fuss seafood restaurant with fresh fish and reasonable prices. Located at the old Sanafir restaurant on Granville Street, the Fish Shack has been revamped into a buzzing restaurant with swarms of tables, a chalkboard wall and a busy bar.

A friend and I arrived at The Fish Shack around 7 p.m. on Saturday night -- prime time dinner time. The place was packed and the aroma permeating the restaurant was making my mouth water. We hadn't made reservations and there was another couple waiting for a table before us. The hostess informed us the wait would be about 20-30 minutes but they'd give us a phone call when our table was nearly ready. Tip: Make a reservation.

We wandered around Granville for a bit before deciding to head back to the restaurant and wait there. On the way back into The Fish Shack, a couple coming out started raving about the restaurant to us, telling us how amazing it was. Good sign.

We got back inside and waited a bit longer before finally getting a table. The menu had so many choices that I was lost on what to order. They had fish and chips, grilled fish, clam and mussel steamers, fresh oysters, and much more.

Fried Oysters

My friend and I decided to share the fried oysters as an appetizer. For our mains, we both knew we wanted blackened fish, but didn't know which fish we wanted. I asked our waiter for a recommendation, mentioning I liked my fish moist. He recommended the snapper and we were both sold on it. To drink, we decided to each have a The Fish Shack's Very Own caesar.

The Fish Shack has four casears on the menu. The Fish Shack's Very Own caesar, which is made with vodka, was a deliciously spicy concoction served in a large jam jar. While you're probably used to caesars adorned with celery sticks or spicy beans, this caesar was topped with a spicy pepperoni stick and a whole prawn. It was tasty and innovative.

The fried oyster appetizer was delicious too. For $9.50, you get a pail of five fried oysters served with a side of chipotle tartar sauce. The oysters weren't super crispy, perhaps because we let them sit for a bit before devouring them. Nevertheless, I enjoyed them.

Blackened Snapper

Our mains -- blackened snapper served with jasmine rice and coleslaw -- were really good, but could have been better. First and most important, the fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The snapper was moist and really hit the spot. The main downfall with the dish was the rice. The rice was a bit too wet and not fluffy enough. The plain white rice didn't quite match the fish either. I think a rice pilaf would have worked better. The coleslaw was good but nothing to write home about. The Fish Shack does have three types of coleslaw though, so perhaps the other two coleslaws (kimchi-style and Asian slaw) would have been better. Overall though, the main dish was delicious and the fish really shined through in the dish.

We sat around for a bit finishing our caesars before deciding to order dessert. The waiter recommended the sticky toffee pudding, which we were already thinking about. Sticky toffee pudding is one of my favourite desserts and you could say I'm a bit of a sticky toffee pudding snob because I've eaten this dessert countless times while living in the U.K. The sticky toffee pudding at The Fish Shack wasn't an authentic sticky toffee pudding. The cake wasn't the right type of cake. Instead of a moist brown cake, The Fish Shack used a piece of cake that was more like a dense vanilla pound cake. This was drowning in a pool toffee sauce and topped off with some cream. The dessert was good, but not the best. It was a large portion though and was perfect for sharing.

Overall, I had a great experience at The Fish Shack and would definitely go there again. The service was great, the food was tasty and the bill wasn't too hard on the wallet.