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Stay home and cook up a storm with these delicious eats from in and around the city
Good food isn’t cancelled! Festive dining doesn’t have to go amiss this year with these top picks from Vancouver-area favourites.
Granville Island’s culinary school is making sure you’re fully equipped this Christmas with festive to-go dinners and holiday baking classes. PICA’s on-site Blue Hat Bakery Café is taking the stress out of Christmas cooking and offering ready-to-heat and serve multi-course, chef-prepped dinners featuring either rosemary-citrus turkey ($45 per person) or tender roast beef ($55 per person), alongside classic trimmings and a choice of decadent desserts and optional wine pairings. The take-home feasts can be customized for any number of guests making them the perfect option for smaller groups.
PICA will be offering a limited-edition series of festive workshops to improve those at-home baking skills too. Led by award-winning chef instructors, the workshops will cover everything from artisanal chocolate truffles and authentic German Christmas stollen, to chef’s tips on how to cook a moist and perfectly golden turkey.
Orders available online, with pick-up December 23rd and December 24th; Information on classes available online
Throughout December, indulge in the warmth of traditional Southeast Asian hospitality with Potluck Hawker Eatery’s new holiday offerings. Reminiscent of his childhood, chef and co-owner Justin Cheung has created a special crab feast series ($150, serves two to four) featuring a different flavour each week of December. Each dinner set is paired with golden buns and a variety of Potluck Hawker fixings, such as caramelized Brussels sprouts, winter vegetable gado gado, seafood nasi goreng, and Potluck’s signature char kway teow. New holiday bentos are also available for dine-in and take-out.Available online, for take-out at 5 p.m. each day
Always stressing about side dishes? With a collection of six heat-and-serve sides, Nuba has you covered. The festive package includes onion walnut bread stuffing, za’atar Brussels sprouts, pomegranate braised carrots, mashed parsnips, pear and feta arugula salad and roasted sweet potatoes with yam and pumpkin. The holiday collection feeds four adults for $75 plus tax.
From now until December 31st, Nuba has also launched a ‘buy-one-give-one’ campaign to benefit the WISH Women’s Drop-In Centre Society. With each sale of a meal kit, Nuba will donate two meals to the WISH Centre, which works to improve the health, safety and well-being of women involved in Vancouver’s street-based sex trade.Available online until December 21st, with pick-up or direct delivery from the Mount Pleasant location (146 East 3rd Avenue) from December 22nd to 24th
Celebrate a COVID-friendly holiday season with Dachi’s seasonal wine, cocktail and limited edition merchandise packages. Whether they’re for gifts or a treat-yourself moment, they’re offering a variety of four-pack wine packages ranging from $150 to $290, hand-assembled cocktail kits in a Dachi-branded gift box for $75, and Dachi fans can get their hands on some branded merchandise, from tote bags to toques.Details online
Celebrate the holiday season with a five-course Christmas menu and decadent caviar-themed brunch service at Five Sails. The restaurant’s multi-course holiday menu offers a wide variety of options with dishes showcasing premium meat, seafood and seasonal vegetables such as roasted beef tenderloin rossimi, creamy lobster beet risotto, and a turkey dinner served with all the traditional holiday trimmings.Details online; Christmas menu available exclusively from December 24th to 26th, with brunch service offered exclusively on Saturday, December 26th
For both dine-in and take-out, Aburi restaurants have launched festive menus including winter tasting options, limited-edition bento boxes, and festive desserts.
Featuring stackable, deluxe bento boxes, Miku’s layered holiday box includes zensai bento, shusai bento, signature sushi bento and a dessert bento.Details online; $130 for two people; Available until December 31st
Minami’s decadent Holiday Bento ($250) was created by chef Alan Ferrer and features five tiers of signature fare including Aburi beef carpaccio, ebi fritters, chicken nanban, AAA butler steak and chicken ballotine, Aburi salmon and a winter dessert tier to finish. Details online; $250 for four to six; Available until December 31st
Gyoza Bar’s holiday platter feeds four to six and features spicy pork ribs, Marukatsu chicken katsu sandwich, Marukatsu ebi fry, char siu skewer, crispy vegetable gyoza, Asian slaw and edamame. Details online; $60 for four to six; Available until December 31st
Celebrate with gourmet to-go holiday dinners and special multi-course Christmas and New Year’s Eve menus from the Teahouse, Seasons in the Park, Cardero’s and The Sandbar this holiday season. Available at all four restaurants, pre-made holiday turkey dinners will keep you stress-free. The multi-course menu features butternut squash soup, oven-roasted white and dark turkey, mashed potatoes, classic stuffing, Brussels sprouts, glazed carrots and gravy, with each restaurant offering their own signature homemade dessert. Additionally, Seasons in the Park and the Teahouse will also be hosting their own special three-course Christmas Eve dinner priced at $59 per person, and a multi-course Christmas Dinner for $89 per person. Details online, with pick-up on December 24th
Available in both the standard full-sized package (feeding eight to 10 for $349), and a new half package (feeding up to 5 for $249) for smaller gatherings, Railtown Cafe is offering turkey to-go packages to make Christmas cooking easier for you. Featuring a lineup of classic dishes that will satisfy everyone’s holiday cravings, indulge in sage-roasted turkey, dried apricot chestnut and brioche bread stuffing, maple-glazed sweet potatoes, decadent pecan pie and so much more! There’s plenty of opportunity to supplement the meal with additional sides and add-ons, including the vegan acorn stuffed squash. A true feast for the family! Details online
This year, Glowbal offers buffet-style meals and Christmas Eve take-home packages. Their festive at-home brunch ($240 for four to six) includes a spread of healthful salads, exceptional breakfast dishes, gourmet meat and seafood, and sweet pastries, like smoked wild salmon with potato rosti, Christmas butter tarts, chocolate Yule log, assorted macarons and more daytime delights. If it’s a Christmas Eve dinner you’re looking for, indulge in a delicious buffet-style meal, including roasted butternut squash soup, wedge salad, slow-roasted half turkey, herb-crusted striploin, creamy garlic mashed potatoes finished with a buffet-style meal includes roasted butternut squash soup, wedge salad, slow-roasted half turkey, herb-crusted striploin and garlic mashed potatoes.Details online with pick-up Sunday, December 13th (brunch) and Thursday, December 24th (Christmas Eve take-out)
Treat yourself to Juke Fried Chicken’s ‘Turducken Feast’ ($179) this holiday season. Each Turducken meal kit feeds four, is gluten-free, and includes a full turducken—a three-in-one showstopper that features roasted turkey, duck and chicken—as the centrepiece alongside, scalloped potatoes, leek and sausage stuffing, Brussels sprouts with bacon jam, roasted squash and carrots with pumpkin-seed dukkah and so much more. Details online, with pickup Tuesday, December 22nd and Wednesday, December 23rd
Honey Salt has announced a series of holiday-themed activities and initiatives starting with a gingerbread house competition on December 5th, a special edition festive brunch service from December 19th to 27th and a month-long charitable meal-delivery program in support of Girls Who Leap. Partnering with Vancouver Firefighter Charities in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the culinary team will be preparing hundreds of gourmet meals to be donated to the volunteer-run non-profit organization that provides leadership and mentorship opportunities for vulnerable youth in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and Grandview Woodland communities.Details online
Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar are launching a lineup of festive experiences to make the holiday season delicious and effortless. Starting with their Christmas turkey dinner to-go package ($218.00 for half-package feeding four to five or $375 for full package feeding eight to 10) or boneless prime rib roast ($275, feeding 4) and pair with all the traditional trimmings and finish with chef Kenta Takahashi’s decadent black forest cake.
Alternatively, experience Christmas Day at Boulevard with a decadent multi-course festive feast for both lunch and dinner ($88). Highlights include honey mussels, with options per course ranging from traditional staples to elegantly prepared seafood.Details online; with to-go meals available December 23rd to 25th
Offering a a three-course Christmas Day brunch ($79 per person), and four-course Christmas Day dinner ($159 per person with $50 wine pairing option), Bacchus’ festive menu includes a roasted turkey roulade, Brant Lake wagyu beef coulotte with braised boneless beef shank and a traditional Christmas pudding. Details online
Available for pick-up and delivery at their Broadway location throughout December, Heritage Asian Eatery is featuring a generous array of creative Asian fare including Heritage chicken, BBQ pork, truffle siu mai, gai lan, crystal scallop and pea tip dumplings and more. Each kit provides plenty of food and you can pick between a feast for two to four for $69 or choose to feed four to six for $139. Details online
Exclusively for the holidays, Beetbox is bringing back their holiday sandwich ($9.50) that features their popular fried ‘chick-un’ and includes cranberry sauce, celery stuffing, Brussels sprouts slaw, and gravy vegan mayo. Delicious! Available for dine-in and pick-up December 9th to 23rd
Fans of Cafe Medina will be excited to hear that the popular brunch spot is introducing new festive kits to-go. The kits come complete with a choice of fricasée, cassoulet or fricasée champignon mains, foccacia, a six-pack of their famous Liège waffles with salted caramel topping, a pound of 49th Parallel Old School Espresso and a mimosa kit, and are available for two ($125) or four diners ($175).Details online, with pick-up December 23rd and 24th
Offering take-out Christmas dinners, Homer Street Cafe‘s menu boasts a three-course traditional roast turkey with all the trimmings and serves two generously ($85), because they know next-day leftovers are the best part of Christmas dinner. Your to-go festive feast will also include mashed potatoes and traditional stuffing, roasted brussels and honey-glazed carrots, gravy and classic shortbread and old-fashioned molasses cookies. Details online
Enjoy a classic holiday feast at home this festive season as Wedgewood Hotel’s Bacchus Restaurant offers numerous seasonal offerings. Throughout the month of December, executive chef Montgomery Lau’s 12 Days of Christmas take-home, heat-and-serve menus include: Coq au Vin Blanc (from $72 for two), Balsamic Glazed Boneless Beef Shank (from $80 for two), and Lamb Shanks Kokkinisto (from $88). Served family-style, their Traditional Holiday Turkey Dinner features turkey marinated in winter herbs and spices, sourdough stuffing, garlic-whipped Yukon potatoes, roasted yams, Brussels sprouts and a variety of tasty vegetables and gravy. Order 12 Days of Christmas 24 hours in advance online, available for next day curbside pick-up at 845 Hornby Street; Traditional Holiday Turkey Dinner is designed for two to six at $79 per person, pre-ordered online until December 17, 2020 for curbside pick-up on December 24, 2020.
Make the holidays easier this year and celebrate the season with a delicious four-course holiday dinner ($119.95 per person) from Hy’s, including their signature cheese toast, Caesar salad, a choice of New York, filet or rib steak, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, maple-glazed carrots and a festive cheesecake for dessert. All dishes are ready to finish and serve, and come with easy-to-follow cooking instructions to ensure perfect preparation.Available for takeout and delivery via UberEats online
Gotham’s Holiday Dinner ($125 per person) features a four-course feast beginning with rich and creamy lobster bisque and an organic winter green salad, a choice of New York, filet or rib steak accompanied by fingerling potatoes, cauliflower gratin and candied beets, and a homemade Baba au Rhum (rum-soaked fruit cake) with Chantilly cream. All dishes come with easy-to-follow cooking instructions so your time spent in the kitchen will be stress-free! Available for takeout and delivery via UberEats online
