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You are here: Home / Food / 13 Best Meals of 2013

13 Best Meals of 2013

01/01/14 | Food


Some posts on this site contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you!). You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Everyone is putting together lists of their past year, reflecting on what has happened the past 365 days. I wanted to something slightly different and since I spend so much time thinking about food, writing about food, looking at food and dreaming about what I’m going to eat next, it is only logical that I talk about food! So I present to you: the 13 best things I ate in 2013.

Ki Sushi // New Westminster, Canada

ki-sushi

You know the saying “wanting something you can’t have”? That describes my relationship perfectly with sushi. Budapest, which offered plenty of delicious delicacies, sushi isn’t one of them. Sushi was a constant craving so it was appropriate that my first meal back home was sushi. There are so many sushi joints in the Vancouver area, but this one stands out because it was the first one in years.

The Acorn // Vancouver, Canada

the-acorn-vancouver

When I found out this was a vegetarian restaurant I was doubtful. I like my vegetables, but I also like my meat. But, boy was I surprised. I didn’t even miss the meat. Everything was really hearty and delicious. Foods were organic, and locally sourced. The best part was the amazing dessert called ‘Pumpkin’ which was a semifreddo of pumpkin with amaretti crumble, crème fraiche, and sage crisps. They’ve since taken it off the menu (put it back!), but maybe they’ll bring it back this season.

Chicken Haryali – Siddhartha’s Kitchen // Vancouver, BC

SiddharthasKitchen-45

I generally don’t like Indian food, but this place made me change my mind. I originally was there to check out a set menu that they were offering, but have since gone back multiple times. I especially love this dish, the Chicken Haryali, because the chicken is so tender and flavourful and the spinach is super smooth and tasty. Definitely worth the visit.

Alaskan King Crab // Richmond, Canada

alaskan-king-crab

Chinese restaurants turn the Alaskan king crab into a massive multi-course meal which utilizes all the parts of the crab. We generally get two courses with the first being all the legs, split in half and generally we get them cooked in garlic butter. The second course uses the shell of the crab to bake a crab fried rice. You can also opt to get noodles or the crab knuckles as a third or fourth course. It’s a great meal to share with family and friends.

Salted Caramel – Ernest Ice Cream // Vancouver, Canada

earnest-ice-cream

I love salted caramel. Anything with that in it, on it, near it, I must have. So it does without saying that I took home a pint of this good stuff.

Richmond Night Market // Richmond, Canada

Taiwanese Chicken Nuggets @ Richmond Night Market | Richmond, CanadaThe Richmond Night market is such a great place to go to try a variety of cuisines from the various stalls set up. You can essentially eat your way around Asia. A must have is the Taiwanese popcorn chicken and washed down with some bubble tea.

Beef Sliders with Potato Salad – Little Straw Vineyard // Kelowna, Canada

Sliders @ Little Straw Vineyards | Okanagan, Canada

I’ve previously mentioned this amazingly fresh meal I had in the middle of my vineyard tours. It really was tasty and I still think of that delicious potato salad.

Everything Bagel with Salmon Spread – Absolute Bagels // NYC, USA

Absolute Bagels | New York City, USAHonestly, I’m pretty indifferent to bagels. On occasion, I’ll really crave one with cream cheese, and that is about it (again massive cravings in Budapest because you can’t get them there). But this bagel was different. Freshly baked, pipping hot, I sprung for the salmon spread instead of plain ‘ol cream cheese and boy was I in heaven. I picked the everything bagel (normally I’m a plain bagel kinda gal), and I loved the hint of poppy and sesame seed flavour with a bit of salt. And the salmon spread? More please!

Pastrami Sandwich – Katz’s Deli // NYC, USA

Pastrami Sandwich @ Katz's Diner | New York City, USAI’ve already named this meal to be the best thing I ate while in NYC, and it definitely was one of 2013 as well. So so good.

Birthday Dinner – Tom’s Kitchen // Vancouver, Canada

birthday-dinner-toms-kitchen

For my birthday, I had a private chef put together a menu for me and a few of my friends: Rustic Fall Vegetable Soup with Smoked Bacon, Mixed Green Salad with Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette, Risotto of Wild Mushrooms, Fresh locally caught soho salmon with potatoes and vegetables, and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis. It was delicious!

Eggs Benedict – Jam Cafe // Victoria, Canada

Jam Cafe | Victoria, Canada

Victoria, BC is a city of brunch. There are so many delicious options to try and I visited a place that was new to me. I thoroughly enjoyed my pesto and prosciutto benny with a side of hash browns and sun-dried tomatoes. The cafe is small, but houses some pretty cool decorations. Get there early or be prepared to wait!

Christmas Dinner // Chez Moi

christmas-dinner

I love to cook and take any opportunity to experiment. Lately, I’ve been trying to perfect my roast chicken and I think I might have done just that for my Christmas dinner. In my house, instead of roasting a turkey, we make a chicken. It came out perfectly brown and crispy. It was tender and flavourful. Now, if only I can replicate it.

Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings // Pok Pok, Portland, OR

You go to Portland and everyone tells you that you’ve gotta try these wings. They were everything that you would expect wings to be. Sticky, sweet, salty and garlicky.  You can opt to make it spicy as well for that extra pop. The rest of the meal was just average, but those wings are too good. I’m going to try to make them at home!

So there you have it. Have you eaten something this past year that was mind blowing? Share it with me!

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« Memorable Moments of 2013
Victoria – A City of Brunch »

Comments

  1. Samantha says

    January 1, 2014 at 6:20 PM

    Yum!! I heard Vancouver has some of the best international food around that area, all looks delicious! I haven’t eaten sushi in over 6 months and now I’m craving it…

    • Adelina says

      January 2, 2014 at 8:15 PM

      I hope you managed to find some sushi replacement! Anytime you’re up for a visit to Vancouver we’ll go eat 🙂 Happy new year Samantha!

  2. Sharon says

    January 2, 2014 at 1:40 AM

    So thanks for making me soooo hungry right when we are somewhere without much variety!! Definitely one of the things I miss most when we are travelling is the food back home in Melbourne. So much variety. So many other places are boring in comparison

    • Adelina says

      January 2, 2014 at 8:10 PM

      YES! I know what you mean. I’m always craving something that I can’t have until I find some poor substitute or I move on to craving something else.

  3. Jempi says

    January 2, 2014 at 7:15 PM

    Great post, also love the pictures! Can’t write more about it at this moment because you’ve made me so hungry that I’m gonna take an olympic sprint to the refrigerator 😉

    • Adelina says

      January 2, 2014 at 8:08 PM

      Excellent – I have accomplished my goal 🙂 Happy New Year Jempi!

  4. Eva Gold says

    January 3, 2014 at 6:00 PM

    Now I’m hungry! what a great article! very original 😉 that sushi looks amazing, and thanks for introducing me to Earnest Ice cream! 🙂 regards from Munich

    • Adelina says

      January 3, 2014 at 6:47 PM

      Thanks for reading Eva! Happy new year!

  5. Wes says

    January 3, 2014 at 6:08 PM

    Wow all that food looks amazing. This food makes me so hungry, I am glad its lunchtime here

    • Adelina says

      January 3, 2014 at 6:48 PM

      Thanks Wes! Enjoy lunch 🙂

  6. Mrs. Chasing the Donkey says

    January 5, 2014 at 2:10 AM

    I first saw that chicken on FB, and wanted it. But now I want that Chicken Haryali, how long will that take to get to Croatia?

  7. Contented Traveller says

    January 5, 2014 at 12:36 PM

    Had always heard that Vancouver and Canada had great food. This post confirms it. Well done

    • Adelina says

      January 5, 2014 at 4:31 PM

      Yes! There is a lot of diversity. If you can dream it, someone probably is already making it.

  8. Corinne says

    January 6, 2014 at 4:55 PM

    I love posts like this one that list more places I can eat while I travel. The only place I’ve been on your list is Katz Deli in NYC and loved it! Great post!

    • Adelina says

      January 6, 2014 at 11:52 PM

      Thanks Corinne! There are so many great places to eat in every city. It’s so hard to narrow it down and discover the best ones!

  9. PurpleTravelKate says

    January 23, 2014 at 11:28 AM

    It was hard to choose… But THAT PASTRAMI SANDWICH looks epic. 🙂

    • Adelina says

      January 23, 2014 at 11:46 PM

      SO GOOD!

  10. Zorica says

    January 25, 2014 at 10:15 PM

    This post really made me hungry 🙂 Great photos, I’m really craving for sushi now 🙂

Welcome to Pack Me To!

Adelina is a part time traveler, exploring the world despite having a full-time job. Pack Me To is a collection of stories from her travels and adventures around the world as she packs you to destinations around the world with her.

Adelina has been traveling for as long as she can remember and has lived abroad in the Netherlands and Hungary. She loves telling stories, and eating and exploring her way around the world. Come along for the ride. Read More…

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