We had the pleasure of popping in to check out the new Finfolk restaurant in East Van during their recent soft opening. This is a unique space that we expect will be a happening spot in East Van’s Craft Beer District. Finfolk has a Nordic inspired menu which was created by Jeff Bobyk, his father Karey Bobyk and their partner and Executive Chef Darren Brown. If you are unfamiliar with the name, you will remember the food. Chef Darren Brown has worked in a variety of kitchens including CinCin, Horizon’s and Whistler’s Quattro. So you can expect some unique high quality food but in a casual relaxed setting.
The menu is simple and straight forward, but will be evolving over the coming weeks as they get ready for the official opening in early May. Right now the menu includes pizza, one of which is named Hildaland which comes with lamb, potatoes, truffle cream and rosemary (pictured below). They will also be serving fresh Fanny Bay Oysters which will be delivered every Friday along with fresh organic produce from North Arm Farms in Pemberton. If you wish to nibble, they will have some truly Nordic inspired grazing plates. Finfolk brines and smokes all their own meats and pickles their own vegetables. As they do it all in-house, you can expect a bit bigger portions than you might find on your average charcuterie plates around town.
Last but not least, the beer! Here they are doing something a little different we like. There are many more craft breweries popping up in other parts of the Lower Mainland making a name for themselves including the stretch in Port Moody and Four Winds in Delta. Finfolk will be bring a variety of different beers on top from other breweries to East Van. So you don’t have to travel to Port Moody to try Twin Sails beer, you can try it right here in East Van. We understand the selection will be rotating, so expect it to change. This is definitely a spot worth checking out. We will be keeping an eye out on their evolving menu as they gear up for their official opening. In the meantime, stop by Friday, Saturday or Sunday 11:00 am to 11:0 pm. They are located at 1600 East Franklin Street, just 1 block North of East Hastings. To check for updates on their update, new menu features, follow them on Instagram.
This Friday, June 15th is the first 
The Italian Cultural Centre invites you to an evening of beer and pizza in their outdoor space adjacent to Beaconsfield Park. Outside of having some great beer and authentic Italian pizza, you will learn about BC grains, the bakers and brewers and at the same time meeting some of the bakers, brewers and growers. The event is about is as local as you can get. Pizza will be made from Fraser Valley grown wheat, beer is from 
In case you hadn’t heard the news, The Italian Cultural Centre now has it’s very own outdoor brick pizza oven which had its inaugural run on June 17th. The pizza oven is located at the Italian Cultural Centre’s outdoor space which is adjacent to Beaconsfield Park. Within easy view is their still fairly new community garden and a playground for the wee ones. So we were pleased to hear about this collaborative event coming on August 17th called Good Grains which incorporates many things we love. The event is being billed as a celebration of pizza and beer and is a collaboration between FarmFolk, City Folk, the Bauta Initiative, the Italian Cultural Centre and East Van’s newest brewery, Luppolo. The evening event will give you an opportunity to meet local grain growers, hand-mill flour, take a peak at a demo size brewer and best of all eat and drink local. This is a family friendly event that gets under way at 6:00 pm. Early bird tickets are available for $20 (until July 21st) after which they will be $25 person, save for children which are $5. Tickets are available directly the Italian Cultural Centre at 604.430.3337, or you can purchase them 
ILiveInEastVan.com 