The smallest of the Tri-City communities, Port Moody is definitely a charming place. From beautiful nature hikes such as Jug Island Trail, Buntzen Trail and Diez Vistas Trail to delicious food places, it is a great family-friendly place for a day out. It is also only a 30 minutes drive or so from Vancouver, making it accessible.
We started the day at Kirin in New Westminster for some delicious dimsum, then drove over to Port Moody to do the Shoreline Trail. As the Port Moody Rib Fest was occurring, parking at Rocky Point Park was full, so we drove over to a large free parking lot along the trail.
The Shoreline Trail is an easy and popular walking route that wraps around the eastern most section of Burrard Inlet, starting from the pier at Rocky Point Park and ending at Old Orchard Park. It was definitely filled with people, even on a cloudy Sunday. Around 6km in length, it was an easy walk with little elevation gain.
There are some benches, and a beach and a park along the trail to relax and enjoy the scenery. A few signs indicated dangerous mudflats, so be wary not to get too close.
After the hike, we headed to the Sri Lankan and Asian Restaurant Kurumba for some affordable and delicious food. As Southeast Asians, we were amazed that a Sri Lankan chef could capture the taste of Singaporean dishes so authentically. The prices are also very reasonable for the generous portions, ingredients and quality of the food. We thoroughly enjoyed the nasi lemak (with fried fish), mee goreng (I thought this was the best dish) and char kway teow.
We had previously come here for lunch, and enjoyed the murtabak and roti platter with vegetarian curry. I appreciate the variety of dishes, and friendly chatter with the owner, Richard, who is a very down-to-earth guy who is passionate about cooking. A lot of the curries are made from scratch, and you can tell that the dishes taste homemade.
We had previously tried Port Moody Ice Cream, which we found to be all right. I stumbled upon another ice cream place on Google that was highly rated and reviewed, Vashti Rose Ice Cream. They have beautiful and inventive flavours, and some popular ones include saffron pistachio rose (with real rose petals!), cookies and cream, strawberry basil, lavender london fog, mint chocolate chip, raspberry pistachio, coffee almond fudge, mango almond with rose petals, blueberry cheesecake, espresso flake chocolate and saffron and orange blossom.
Notably, they have vegan ice creams made with ouse-made cashew milk, organic coconut milk, organic extra virgin coconut oil, organic cane sugar, pure cocoa butter, and organic carob bean. Their dairy ice creams are made with fresh organic milk and organic cream, organic cane sugar, and organic egg yolks. Both recipes result in a rich, decadent, naturally perfect ice cream.
I had the vegan version of their popular saffron pistachio rose, and it was creamy and delicious, but not overly sweet. It was such a bright color and unique flavour that I have not seen before! You also have the opportunity of asking for a sample on top of your ice cream, which was like a mini ice cream scoop! The long line up outside the store is definitely indicative of the popularity and quality of the ice cream.
There is parking in front of and behind the shop, seats outside and a park
A delicious and food-filled day out at Port Moody! I am sure there are tons of other hidden gems in Port Moody! Do let me know if you have any favorites as well!
Some other Ideas:
Rocky Point Ice Cream and Pajo’s at Rocky Point Park
Breweries galore in Port Moody, if that’s your scene