BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition April 2019

VanCity Places
THE
MOODY
MILE
A Suburban Craft Beer
Hub Takes Flight in
Port Moody
By KATHRYN HELMORE
Taps and Tacos
To say that Taps and Tacos serves
Mexican food would be an understatement.
The 40-seat restaurant with a
modern glass exterior, BC craft beers
on tap and an open concept kitchen
strives to offer diners a unique and
fresh experience.
“We are saturated with tacos,” says
head chef Jordan Braun. “Here, we are
trying something different. We use the
taco as a base and get creative on top.
Only raw, fresh ingredients, seasonal
fish. We are introducing ceviche.”
The restaurant’s not-so-basic
offerings include Korean Pork, a 6 inch
flour tortilla that features red cabbage
and black sesame. And try the Yellowfin
Tuna, a fresh dish loaded with
seared Ocean Wise tuna, wasabi aioli,
pickled wakame and cucumber slaw.
The spot also offers vegan BBQ
Jackfruit Street Tacos, Pulled Pork
Burritos and a selection of house
made hot sauces.
Certainly not your average Mexican
food.
O
n a wooden boardwalk
suspended above an
ocean inlet teeming
with life, imagine a
woman with electric red
hair beating an acoustic guitar
to the sound of Sia’s “Titanium.”
The squawks of seagulls, the
laughter of children and the lapping
of waves play background
vocals.
The redhead is Port Moody
City Congresswoman Amy Lubik,
and the boardwalk is where
the ocean meets the Moody
Mile, a newly chartered track
of restaurants, craft breweries,
bakeries, ice cream parlours and
fish and chip stalls, hidden near
the last stop on the Millennium
skytrain line.
Originally conceived as the
terminus for the Canadian Pacific
Railroad in 1879, Port Moody
was set to become a major west
coast metropolis. Much to the
vexation of locals, though, these
hopes were dashed when the
rail line was extended several
kilometers farther west to a new
town called Vancouver.
Yet Port Moody is no longer
the abandoned child of west
coast expansion. Benefitting
from Vancouver’s boom, the
community is making a comeback
that started with a number
of craft breweries and has
resulted in lip-smackingly good
food and award-winning craft
Gabi & Jules
Handmade Pies
and Baked Goodness
Walking through the fabulously
pink front door of Gabi & Jules,
one is welcomed by the aroma
of fresh baked flour, ridiculously
friendly staff, an assortment of
locally crafted gifts and, of course,
displays overflowing with delicate
and decadent pies.
“Pie is just a vessel,” says
co-founder and owner Lisa
Beecroft. “You can do so much
with it. There is also something
warm, fuzzy and nostalgic about
pie. We go back to these roots by
using real, whole foods with ingredients
you can pronounce.”
This joint is not scared to get
creative. New pies come to the
display counter every Friday. A new
addition is the Espresso Cream Pie,
a graham cracker base loaded with
creamy espresso dulce de leche,
chocolate whipped cream and
toasted almonds.
Gabi & Jules aims to foster a
collaborative environment inclusive
of all individuals. Of their 24 employees,
seven are on the autism
spectrum.
“Our autistic employees bring a
unique flavour to the kitchen,” says
Beecroft. “One of our employees
was stuck slicing bread all day.
Now he has diversity. He plays
K-pop at the end of the day and
gets creative. He is in a culture of
kindness and acceptance. This is
not just a job.”
Moody Ales
Founded by home brewers Adam
Crandall and Dan Helmer, Moody Ales
sticks to its moonshine roots with
weekly experimental casks and small
batches. Lusty Chocolate Oatmeal
Stout, Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian
Imperial Stout and Sublime Pineapple
Hefeweizen are three of the beers on
tap at Moody Ales.
Needless to say, this brewery
gets creative.
Yet, when pressed, “creative
brewery” is not how the Moody Ales
crew defines their location.
“What defines us?” ponders Operations
Manager Nick Andersen.
“Community. Moody Ales is the ideal
place to feel like part of a community,
to chat with strangers on long
shared tables. Whoever you are.”
Locals know Moody as part
brewery and part community venue.
Dwarfed by immense, stainless steel
fermenters that reach to Moody’s
refurbished warehouse ceiling, live
bands entertain crowds every Friday
and Saturday night. On Wednesday
nights, eggheads flock to the location
for Simpsons, Family Guy and
Friends themed Trivia Nights.
Much like the Moody Mile itself,
beer is only half the story.
As the sun sets across the Burrard
Inlet and fairy lights start to pick
up in breweries across the Moody
Mile, the skytrain can be heard
whooshing to a stop in the station
above. Friends and lovers wander
across the bridge that connects the
hidden Moody Mile to Highway 7,
escaping to a collection of unique
tacos, lovingly made pies, a rich selection
of homebrewed craft beers
and, of course, community.
Parkside
Known for its neon pink and teal
sign, Parkside is a craft brewery
that’s been leaving a mark across
Vancouver and BC since its inception
in 2016. Co-owners Sam Payne and
Vern Lambourne are veterans of
Vancouver’s homebrewing scene.
“We came out here and found this
old building,” says Payne. “It was a
machine shop. We tore it up, cleaned
it up, and rebuilt it into this.”
Armed with experience and
passion, the 30-hectare brewery
has won multiple awards including
second place in the Belgian Ale
category and third place in the North
American IPA category at BC Beer
Awards 2017.
The location offers a full range
of imaginative concoctions on tap,
including West Coast Pale Ales,
Imperial Stouts and German-style
Pilsners.
The location is not all beer, though.
With a sundeck out front, pop up
stalls selling grub such as fresh
oysters, a shuffleboard round back
and vintage decor, the brewery has
a family vibe, yet is nevertheless
buzzing with energy.
10 BEATROUTE APRIL 2019
APRIL 2019 BEATROUTE 11