Gastown Crawl: The Forge, Kozak Ukrainian Eatery, Oak + Fort, & Is That French?
Earlier this year, I was invited to a Gastown Crawl, hosted by the Gastown Business Improvement Association (BIA), for a summer evening to explore Gastown, Vancouver’s most historic neighbourhood. With over 55 new businesses newly opened in Gastown over the past year, the community is alive again with new spirit and excitement. I frequent Gastown all the freaking time: you can usually find me inhaling sushi at a concerning speed at Momo Sushi, searching for my next statement piece at The Latest Scoop, and fawning over home goods at Old Faithful Shop.
We started the evening at The Forge, a hidden cocktail and whiskey bar at Smith’s Irish Pub, stopped by Kozak Ukrainian Eatery for a treat, trotted over to Blood Alley for a tour of the area’s newest development, attended a special retail preview of Oak + Fort’s newest flagship location, and ended the night with drinks and appies at Is That French, a natural wine and raw bar.
Doro’s Day Off: Recovery (Massage, Cruffin, & Shabu Shabu)
Last week, I poured 150% of myself into showing up for others and I forgot to show up for myself. Between my dad’s birthday dinner, sitting on a virtual panel, dinner with a friend, a day-long branding workshop, and having contractors at my apartment for 3 days straight, I was completely spent. Even my backup tank was empty.
I realized that I needed some self-love and quality solo-time this weekend, so I booked a body oil massage, treated myself to a cruffin, and indulged in some shabu shabu as a tried and true comfort food for a rainy Vancouver day.
Doro Dines: Canffle
Pastries are my love language. My Instagram algorithm is fully aware this love and while casually scrolling through my Explore page one day, I froze in my tracks. I watched someone place an adorable mini croissant in a wafflemaker and witnessed the holy matrimony between a croissant and waffle. The birth of a croffle. I began to salivate… my tastebuds needed to try it.
When a friend told me that a neighbourhood joint serving croffles and breakfast opened up, I knew I had to go.
Introducing Canffle, a bright, compact cafe in Vancouver serving waffle-based plates with a range of unique, sweet, and savoury toppings. They offer croffles and let me tell you, it was everything I imagined and so much more.
Doro Dines: Osteria Savio Volpe
Savio Volpe is one of my favourite restaurants. It’s classic and homey, the vibes are unpretentious, and the service is impeccable.
Whenever I go to Savio Volpe, I struggle to order because my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach. Everything on the menu sounds delectable, from the beet salad to burrata to roasted chicken. A classic Cantonese saying is, “Eyes wide, stomach narrow,” which applies to every facet of my being.
I asked my server for suggestions on what to order and settled on a burrata to start, a ricotta tortelli as my main, and a scoop of pistachio gelato for dessert.
Every bite was perfection.
Vancouver: 3 Solo Date Ideas
Even the most extroverted of extroverts need some introvert time. I love a loud party with a 5 course meal, dancing, and getting dolled up with 50 other people, but also adore a day on my own at a coffee shop with a macaron, decaf oat milk flat white, and a novel.
What makes me happy? What do I like? How do I want to spend my free time?
These were things I asked myself in mid-2020, when I suddenly found myself with an influx of free time on my hands due to excessive vacation days that needed to be used up (thx COVID-19) and the conclusion of a long-term relationship. All of these activities that I would normally do with my ex-partner, like try a new restaurant, attend an event, or even binge watch a show on the couch, I now had to do either alone or with other friends.
Introducing: the solo date.
Read on for my solo date criteria and 3 solo date ideas that may inspire you as you plan your own date.
Doro’s Day Off: Solo Date (Pilates, Facial, & Coffee)
Summer is the perfect time for a solo date. You’re in great spirits, the sun is shining, your clients are out of office, and nothing can ruin your day. During the summer, my firm gives us an extra day off for each summer public holiday, which extends 3 day weekends into 4 day weekends.
I kicked off my BC Day weekend with a much-needed solo date featuring Lagree West, a laser facial at Plain Jane Skin Bar, coffee at Aperture Coffee Bar, and a bonus stop at Burgoo.