alumni UBC Foodie Tours: Cocktails and chopsticks

Date options:
1. Saturday, June 15: 5:00pm
2. Thursday, August 22: 6:00pm

Cost: $135

Vancouver’s Chinatown is the epicenter of mixology excellence. This bar crawl will feature two of Canada’s top award-winning bars and one newly opened by the owners of a Michelin-starred restaurant. Tour these beautiful rooms and learn about the history of the city’s cocktail culture, the essentials of cocktail ice, and the basics of baijiu, the world’s best-selling Chinese spirit. The tour includes at least one signature cocktail and substantial snacks at each stop.

Keefer Bar
Inspired by Chinese apothecaries and traditional medicine, the Keefer Bar was one of Vancouver’s first serious, modern cocktail bars. It has won numerous international awards and has been ranked among the Top 10 cocktail bars by Canada’s 50 Best Bars for six years straight.

Meo
Newly opened by the owners of Chinatown’s award-winning Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie and the one-Michelin starred Kissa Tanto, Meo is a fun retro bar specializing in savoury cocktails and the city’s best artisanal cocktail ice.

Laowai
A sexy speakeasy that boasts Canada’s largest selection of baijiu, Laowai ushered in a sophisticated new era for Vancouver bar design when it opened in 2022 — and was named Canada’s Best New Bar.

Date options:
1. Saturday, June 1: 6:00pm
2. Thursday, August 8: 6:00pm

Cost: $75

Grab your chopsticks and your appetite! Take a delicious romp along the dumpling trail in Richmond — the most Chinese city (by ethnicity) in the world outside Asia. Starting with Tourism Richmond’s renowned Dumpling Trail, the tour will veer off the beaten track to explore hidden gems and three different regional Chinese cuisines.

Suhang Restaurant
Suhang specializes in Shanghai-style cuisine, originating from the picturesque Yangtze River Delta. Their dishes feature finely chopped, stir-fried, braised, steamed, and expertly cooked fresh ingredients. The result is a delightful balance of richness and lightness that feels refreshingly silky on the palate.

Tsim Chai Noodle
Tsim Chai is a Cantonese-style restaurant linked with the acclaimed Tsim Chai Kee on Wellington Street in Hong Kong. This establishment is famed for its generously sized prawn-filled wontons and a variety of traditional congee noodle house dishes, all freshly prepared.

Silkway Halal Cuisine

Silkway offers a range of traditional Chinese Muslim halal dishes, widely loved and prevalent in Northwestern China. This restaurant is renowned for its tantalizing cumin lamb dish and delectable lamb, beef, and fish dumplings.

David Peng is a writer, adventurous foodie, and digital creator. He is the principal editor of Vancouver Foodie Pulse and also uses the handle @PickyDiner on social media platforms. Originally from Guangzhou, China’s Cantonese culinary hub, he studied computer science at UBC and became a software engineer. Yet his love for good food remained constant. In 2013, he launched pickydiners.com and began studying entrepreneurship in 2018. In 2019, he created Vancouver Gourmet Tours to offer cocktail and fine-dining experiences. During the pandemic, he pivoted to providing PR marketing services, spotlighting regional Chinese and Asian food and beverage concepts.

Alexandra Gill is one of Canada’s most foremost culinary experts. She was The Globe and Mail‘s Vancouver restaurant critic for 17 years, from 2005 to 2022. She is the editor of Canada’s 50 Best Bars and a judge for many major competitions, including Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants, Air Canada enRoute‘s Best New Restaurants, the Chinese Restaurant Awards, and Food Network Canada’s Iron Chef Canada. As owner and creative director of Dine Like A Critic, she curates custom culinary experiences for corporate groups, event planners, charities, and personal clients. She also works as a consultant for restaurants, tourism groups, and destination management companies.