A new tea shop has arrived in Yaletown. Cha Le Tea (1207 Hamilton St.)offers a proprietary line of single-origin, premium Chinese teas. The retail space also features a full-service café serving a rotating list of hand-picked teas, blends, tea lattes and herbal infusions, plus a small-bites menu. Look for a licensed patio to open this spring. chaletea.com
After a brief close for renovations, Koffie (1050 W. Pender St.)has reopened with expanded seating and a new pour-over bar. The café still carries 49th Parallel coffee, but now also features a rotating list of guest roasters, starting with Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters and Groundswell Small Batch Roasters. koffie.ca
Café Ça Va has expanded its hours and offerings. It’s now open weekdays 9am-1am for coffee and croissants, and has a daily happy hour menu from 2-6pm. The restaurant is also offering a special moules frites dinner on Sunday, Mar. 5; the three-course prix-fixe menu includes a choice of three starters, one of three different preparations of the main, and a choice of dessert, for $40 per person. cafecava.com
Caffè Artigiano has reopened in Park Royal Village with a sleek new look courtesy of Box Interiors. The renovated space features a “library” table with special lighting and plug-ins for work and play devices. There’s also a new menu of seasonal and organic sandwiches and salads. caffeartigiano.com
Hart House Restaurant is offering a special Grains vs. Grapesmenu until Mar. 26. Sommelier Si Man Lee has selected beers from New Westminster craft brewery Steel & Oak Brewing Co. and wines from Moon Curser Vineyards in Osoyoos, and the four-course menu features a wine and beer pairing for each course. The menu includes smoked sturgeon and confit potato salad, roast duck French onion soup, braised short rib cassoulet, and stout-infused sticky toffee pudding. Dinner $58 per person; pairings $22 per person. harthouserestaurant.com
Six craft breweries and one distillery in the East Village have banded together to create the East Village Brewery and Distillery Passport, a self-guided tasting tour and passport reward program. Stops include Parallel 49 Brewing, Powell Street Craft Brewery, Doan’s Craft Brewing Co., Callister Brewing Co., Bomber Brewing, and Odd Society Spirits. Collect a stamp at each location and receive an East Village-branded growler to add to your collection. eastvillagevancouver.ca
On Wednesday, Mar. 8, in celebration of International Women’s Day, women of the hospitality industry are invited to attend Courage and Conviction, a networking event,at Chambar Restaurant. Running 11am-3pm, it includes speakers plus complimentary refreshments and snacks. While there is no charge to attend, donations to the Vancouver Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter will be gratefully accepted. Attendance is limited; register online through Eventbrite.
Chefs David Gunawan (Farmer’s Apprentice) and Ryoma Matarai (Kinome) have joined together to present a pair of special six-course dinners at their respective restaurants, on Mar. 13 and 27. The first dinner will be at Kinome (2511 W. Broadway), with only 20 seats, while the second dinner, at Farmer’s Apprentice (1535 W. 6th Ave.), offers 30 seats. Each evening will have two seatings, at 6pm and 8:30pm. Each dinner includes wine and sake pairings from That’s Life Sake & Wine. Tickets $120 per person. farmersapprentice.eventbrite.com
The 23rd annual Dining Out for Life fundraiser returns on Thursday, Mar. 30. On that day, participating restaurants from Whistler to White Rock and across the Lower Mainland will donate 25 per cent of their food sales in support of local men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS. By simply ordering a meal at any participating restaurant, you are helping to support people in your own community. Visit diningoutforlife.com/vancouver for an up-to-date list of restaurants.
