Home restaurants Eat in the easy (and gourmet) way on your family’s Vancouver vacation

Eat in the easy (and gourmet) way on your family’s Vancouver vacation

by Shelly Rivoli

My kids, on many occasions after watching my live segments on View from the Bay, have greeted me at the door with the question: “But when will they let you COOK on TV?” as they’ve seen numerous other guests of the show do. I’ve tried to explain that if the producers ever saw me cook they might not let me back into the studio at all.
Travel tips I’ve got by the dozens, but cooking skills? Let’s just say I’ve had more “I Love Lucy” moments between the kitchen and dining room than I care to revisit, although I’ll never forget wiping wild mushroom soup off my kitchen ceiling as I offered guests another glass of wine—as their first course.

Perhaps part of the lure of travel to me is escaping my own kitchen and the daily obligation of deciding what to make for dinner for… sigh… five people. As we all know, opting for a vacation rental or hotel suite with a kitchen gives you the advantage of preparing foods you know your children will eat and saving over costly restaurants every meal of your vacation. But if you’re like me, you may still find yourself craving the gourmet flavors and sidechair serendipity of OTHER PEOPLE’S COOKING.

As we planned our trip to Vancouver, BC, I was ecstatic to find out I could have my Wild Sockeye Salmon and eat it too, while my kids noshed on their nuggets, bananas, and cheerios in the comfort of their pajamas. “Indish,” the nickname for Vancouver’s “Indishspensable” dine-at-home service, makes it as easy as anybody possibly could to eat all-natural, gourmet-quality, freshly prepared meals in your home—or suite or vacation rental.

When invited to try Indish for myself at our Kitsilano vacation rental, all I could say was, “Please pass the salmon!” While the simplest Indish offerings let your simply “Heat and Serve” their own freshly made meals (Boeuf Bourguingon, Chicken Pot Pie, Lasagna Bolognese to name a few – see the current menu here), I was so tempted by the Chef and Serve menu that—with the promise that I could have these dinners prepared in about 20 minutes—I had to go for it. I mean, that’s at least “Trader Joe’s easy,” am I right? But unlike my arsenal of T.J. fodder, all of the ingredients were fresh, natural, and regional. Cool!

When we arrived in Vancouver, two nights’ of Indish Chef ‘n Serve meals (each serving two adults) had already been delivered and were awaiting us in the refrigerator of The Modage, our vacation rental which can make similar arrangements for any of its guests. It was tough deciding which to cook first:

Grilled Wild BC sockeye salmon with teriyaki sake glaze, coconut yam mash, stir fry baby bok choy… or Korean Barbecue Beef with crispy fresh vegetables, noodle salad in mint-basil dressing with toasted cashews? Happily, I knew I’d get my chance at trying both dinners. There was only one catch: I still had to cook!

So as happy hubby took the antsy traveling tykes for a walk around the block and stopped at the market for a few things for our stay… I set to work in the kitchen. The instructions? Easy. The organization of the pre-chopped and pre-sorted ingredients? Brilliant. The results?

And just in case you were wondering, no ceilings were harmed in the preparation of these meals.

If I do have one good cooking tip to offer now it’s to take advantage of Indish while your family vacations in Vancouver. They’ve also got vegetarian and ocean-wise entrees to choose from, family-friendly offerings (none moreso than fresh cookies!), and even microwave-and-serve single-serve options, so even if you’re staying in a hotel room equipped only with a microwave, you can take advantage of their service. The menus change frequently to reflect the freshest local ingredients, so hop on to their website to see the latest: http://www.indish.ca/.

Thanks so much, Indish, for providing these delicious meals and renewing my family’s faith in me in as a cook. Too bad we’re not in Vancouver tonight!

Related posts and pages:
Tips for visiting the Vancouver Aquarium
Granville Island with Little Kids
Review of The Modage – Vancouver vacation rental
Hooray, hooray for Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe
Tips from a local mom: Moms Around the World, Vancouver
Find baby gear rentals in Vancouver, BC

Safe journeys,

Shelly Rivoli
Author of Travels with Baby and the new Take-Along Travels with Baby
https://travelswithbaby.com/    Travels with Baby on Facebook

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