Every time another birthday is coming up, I’m trying to come up with a day full of activities and experiences that are memorable, special, something that will be remembered for a year. I think of how the day will flow, what places we can visit in a day and finally I go through one review after another, looking for a restaurant that would be just perfect for a special birthday night. Also, we have an 8 year old son, so whatever we do has to be family-friendly since I have a strong belief that birthday celebrations have to include all of our small family. That was the challenge for Derek’s birthday this year and I found one perfect plan to make that day super-special. 
Early morning on a hot Sunday in August we’ve headed out to the Fort Langley. There is an awesome brunch and lunch spot in a small town of Fort Langley – Wendel’s book store. Yes, it’s an awesome cozy café with tons of character and a book store right The fact that it’s always busy says a lot – they serve awesome food in an awesome setting. It was a right choice for a birthday brunch – not too pretentious, but great coffee and organic, flavorful brunch.
Next stop was Fort Langley Historical Site. Quite an adventure back in times, walking through the heritage buildings, learning about Hudson Bay trade posts and enjoying the costume performances and games – we spent wonderful few hours touring the place! After that we headed out to Fraser Valley. Within just a 20 minute drive was the only winery in Fraser Valley that had a restaurant on site – Chaberton Estate Winery. I couldn’t have picked a better day than that August afternoon to visit the place. After a quick tasting at the wine store and picking up some nice BC white bottles to relieve the experience at home, we headed out to the Bacchus Bistro. With the beautiful patio facing the vineyards, can you imagine anything more romantic and wonderful on a beautiful summer day? We loved the service, amazing French cuisine and of course the wonderful Domaine de Chaberton wine. Staying true to the French classics Derek had French onion soup and Beef Bourguignon – both exceptional, while I enjoyed the light and flavorful halibut and Pavlova dessert.
We loved the journey and will definitely be coming back – to get more wine and to enjoy the wonderful Bacchus once again some time next summer.
