Photo by Sheri Radford

Fluffy fried bannock enclosing thinly sliced smoked salmon, served with salad of crunchy red cabbage, carrot, sunflower seeds and bell pepper in a maple-syrup dressing…food for the gods! The elegant-but-unnamed little eatery at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre whips up West Coast First Nations cuisine with a contemporary flair and serves it cafeteria-style for a snappy patio lunch. When you tour the centre, named for the two cultures it celebrates, leave time to taste a simple-but-superb salmon or venison dish created by chefs Theodora Sam and Ken Wright. Pair it with xusem, a cool drink made from the soapberries found all over Lil’wat territory and served free.—Louise Phillips