Fresh of the heels of their very successful summer Vancouver Ice Cream Festival, Noms Magazine has launched their inaugural Vancouver Fall Food Festival! This festival is a self-guided culinary journey through the city’s top autumn-inspired dishes and drinks. The Vancouver Fall Food Festival is happening now until November 12th and if features over 30 of Metro Vancouver’s best eateries. These spots will be showcasing limited edition festival dishes as well as signature items. Similar to the Vancouver Ice Cream Festival, you can fill in a passport to win a variety of Festival prizes. You can pick up a passport at any participating location. All you have to do is write the vendor name you visited below each circle. Try a festival item and receive a sticker for every festival item you purchase. Check out my top 5 picks below!
1. Nam Dae Moon Rice Cake
For the Vancouver Fall Food Festival, Nam Dae Moon has four delicious offerings:
- Redbean Glutinous Rice Cake
- Mango Mochi
- Strawberry Mochi Cake Sando
- Mango Mochi Cake Sando
The Redbean Glutinous Rice Cake features fresh rice cake with layers of red bean, yam and brown sugar. This is a signature item at Nam Dae Moon and it is a personal favourite. Each layer works so well with each other without overwhelming. This is a must get item!
The Mango Mochi is so pillowy soft and squishy! A thin mochi skin covers a house made whipped cream mixed with fresh mango chunks. The Strawberry Mochi Cake Sando and the Mango Mochi Cake Sando features charcoal powder cake ‘slices’ filled with cream, fruit and a thin layer of mochi. I am a huge fan! The cake is so soft and moist, and the fruits are so sweet and plentiful. The thin layer of mochi adds a great chew. This is such a unique and delicious item.
Nam Dae Moon Rice Cake Richmond
Address: 3779 Sexsmith Rd #2132, Richmond, BC V6X 3Z9
Website: https://namdaemoon.ca/
2. Lunch Lady
Image credit: Noms Magazine
Image credit: Noms Magazine
Lunch Lady is a Michelin Bib Gorumand Vietnamese restaurant on Commercial Drive serving up elevated Vietnamese dishes. For the festival they have two items (one for lunch and one for dinner):
- Cua Chiên
- Bò Kho
The Cua Chiên is only available at lunch and features a crispy fried soft shell crab, served with lettuce, herbs and green chili aioli. It is similar to their Bánh Tôm Chiên dish which features prawns. I’m a huge fan of that dish, and I think the crab would taste really good in this! The Bò Kho is only available at dinner and it features slow braised beef cheek, caramelized daikon and carrot, crispy onions, bone marrow demi.
Lunch Lady
Address: 1046 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3W9
Website: https://thelunchlady.com/
3. Street Hawker
Street Hawker is the fast casual burger cousin of Potluck Hawker Eatery and they feature Southeas Asian burgers and fries. For the festival they are featuring:
- Hellfire Club
The Hellfire Club features Street hawker fried chicken, dragon sauce, pickles, yams, slaw, coconut ranch on a Fife Bakery charcoal bun. I am a huge fan of the burgers at Street Hawker and this one is no exception The fried chicken is super juicy and the spice really comes through! I’d pair this with one of their signature milkshakes to temper the heat.
Street Hawker
Address: 3088 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5T 3G5
Website: http://www.streethawker.ca/
4. Fiorino Italian Street Food
Fiorino Italian Street Food is a two time Michelin Bib Gourmand winner serving up Italian food in the heart of Chinatown. For the festival they have three features:
- Ossobuco
- Insalata Caterina
- Coccoli e Proscuitto
Image credit: Noms Magazine
Image credit: Noms Magazine
The Ossobuco features veal shank, crispy polenta, asparagus, salsa dolceforte and is a Festival special item. The Insalata Caterina is another Festival special item and it features Treviso chicory, pecorino Toscano, anchovy dressing, and crystallised pistachios.
The Coccoli e Proscuitto is a restaurant speciality and it features deep fried dough, 18 month Prosciutto di Parma, whipped stracchino cheese. I love this dish and I highly recommend trying it out. The dough balls are light and fluffy and pairs so well with the salty prosciutoo and the creamy cheese.
Fiorino
Address: 212 E Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z7
Website: http://fiorinovancouver.com/
5. Little Karp
Little Karp is a West Coast fusion restaurant in Richmond that’s been making some big waves since they opened with their innovative and delicious dishes. For the Festival they have three features:
- Duck Confit
- Pork Consommé with Chinese Herbs
- Lobster Risotto
Image credit: Noms Magazine
Image credit: Noms Magazine
Image credit: Noms Magazine
The Duck Confit is a Festival special item and it features pumpkin purée, plum sauce and grilled vegetables. The Pork Consommé with Chinese Herbs is a restaurant signature dish and features pork, Chinese wellness herbs, onion, carrots, celery, egg, sea cucumber, scallop, wolf berr and eggplant. The Lobster Risotto is another restaurant signature dish which features lobster bisque, cream, peas, lobster and lemon juice.
Little Karp
Address: 8631 Alexandra Rd #110, Richmond, BC V6X 1C3
Website: http://www.littlekarp.com/
