Spring in Vancouver’s food scene: dining experiences to devour
From Mumbai-inspired street eats to a new tortilleria on the Drive to a sakura-themed afternoon tea, there’s plenty for locals to lap up
Frankie Street Food.
Bacchus Restaurant and Lounge. Photo by Jamie Lee Fuoco
ON THE MENU in Vancouver this spring are all kinds of new dining experiences. Here are a few highlights.
Wildlight Kitchen + Bar.
New to Vancouver: Wildlight Kitchen + Bar
UBC has long had plenty of places for coffee and counter service, but not so much when it comes to upscale-casual dining—until now. Chef Warren Chow helms the culinary team at the new restaurant, the Vancouver native having recently led Team BC to Canada’s gold-medal win at ExpoGast 2022 Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg. West Coast cuisine is the clear focus; UBC Farm produce, sustainable Pacific seafood, and ethically sourced meat are pillars of the all-day menu, which also offers exclusively B.C. wines and hand-crafted cocktails made with local spirits.
Wildlight is the Pattison Food Group’s first foray into the restaurant industry. (The West Point Grey eatery is adjacent to a new Urban Fare.)
Wildlight’s pescatarian charcuterie board has house-made salmon pastrami, beet-cured ling cod, marinated Salt Spring Island Mussels, smoked albacore tataki, cod rillette, and pickled sea asparagus alongside warm olives, rye, poppadom, and nori crackers. Seared Hokkaido scallops come with indulgent truffle risotto; luscious miso koji Gindara sablefish is served with soba noodles, glazed baby bok choy, edamame, and dashi consommé. There’s tomahawk steak for two, Rossdown Farms chicken, Fraser Valley duck; and a burger of dry-aged Two Rivers Grind; then there are many vegan options (like “brisket” flatbread or crispy golden tempura oyster mushrooms with plant-based togarashi mayo spread, cabbage slaw, and butter pickles on house-made bread). Fresh rotating oysters, weekend brunch, and daily happy hour are among the other offerings.
Warren Chow.
Chow knew he wanted to become a chef when he was just a young’un. “I remember when I was four or five years old watching chefs on the Food Network,” Chow tells Stir. “I remember being fascinated on how they were able to take a piece of salmon and know exactly how to cook it, for how long and with what flavours, what components would go best on the dish, and make it look like a piece of art. I thought that was magical.
“I also remember my mom cooking every single night,” says. Chow, whose resume includes roles at The Pear Tree, Mission Hill Estate Winery, Bauhaus, and Juniper, among other places. “No matter how busy she was, no matter how busy we all were, we all sat down for family dinner. I feel like food has that power to it, to bring people together.”
Notch8.
Cherry Blossom Afternoon Tea at Notch8
The dedicated tea room in historic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s Notch8 dining room is bursting with the prettiest of pink blossoms in celebration of sakura season. With three sittings daily Thursdays through Sundays, the tea service features a tiered platter of savoury and sweet bites, the tray adorned with a puffy pink cloud of cotton candy that tops a chocolate tree trunk. In addition to the restaurant’s renowned scones (in two flavours: classic buttermilk and cherry-and-white-chocolate) with fluffy Chantilly cream and fresh fruit preserves, chef Danai Hongwanishkul’s menu includes curry puff with minced lentil keema, mushroom teriyaki sliders, albacore tuna tataki atop daikon with ponzu aioli and dashi gelee, konbini-style egg-salad sandwich on milk bread with kewpie mayonnaise and salmon roe, and sakura pork katsu on brioche with ume miso and cabbage. Then there are black sesame cookies, Japanese cotton cheesecake with fresh berries, sakura Black Forest chocolate cake with cherry-blossom Chantilly and Amarena cherries, cherry mascarpone verrine (with orange pound cake, meringue kisses, and cherry gel), and matcha profiteroles stuffed with lemon-scented green-tea custard cream. There are kids’ and vegetarian menus; a to-go version; an extensive selection of Lot 35 teas; and a collection of sakura-themed cocktails (like Picnic In Yoyogi: pear cider, white tea vermouth, sake, sparkling wine, and herbs). For every afternoon tea sold, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver will plant one tree in B.C. through One Tree Planted.
Acquafarina.
Chef’s Lab at Acquafarina
With Jefferson Alvarez having recently been appointed culinary director of the Michelin-recommended Italian restaurant, Acquafarina is hosting a weekly experimental menu, “a chef's playground” of sorts, every Tuesday beginning March 7. Formerly of Cacao, the chef will experiment with and showcase new and modernist Italian-inspired dishes—and encourages guests to let the team know which dishes pass the test. Expect the unexpected from the chef who has incorporated everything from fermented leek aioli to sturgeon liver to truffle chocolate into dishes. Acquafarina is home to Vancouver’s largest grappa selection and a wine cellar of more than 8,000 bottles.
Introducing Frankie Street Food
When Stir first connected with Mumbai-born and -raised Vancouver-based chef Tushar Tondvalkar, in the fall of 2020, he had just launched The Indian Pantry, making a line of small-batch freshly roasted spices, simmering sauces, and condiments that reflect the cuisine of the historic region of northern India. He was also keeping busy with Urban Tadka alongside partner Evan Elman, specializing in Awadhi cuisine, or “royal” cuisine, with ready-to-go curries. Both of those ventures are flourishing, with the expansion of retail products nationwide. Tondvalkar has gone on to launch a private catering company under his own name, which offers a canape menu, tasting menu, pop-up dinners, and cocktails and full bar service, enlisting chef and fellow Mumbai native Tushar Kaldalgaokar and mixologist Prem Shetty. Up next: Frankie Street Food. Soft-launching on March 8 outside of Port Moody’s Brave Street Brewing, the food truck features menu items inspired by Mumbai street eats, its namesake referring to a roti wrap or “Mumbai burrito”. “Frankies” range from grilled lamb kebab to chicken tikka; also available are Indo-Szechuan fried chicken sandwich, butter chicken poutine, piri-piri fries, and more.
Provence Marinaside.
Quelle Surprise at Provence Marinaside
Just like French fashion, comfort food never goes out of style. Provence Marinaside chef Jean-Francis Quaglia found himself craving classic bistro dishes from his native France, so he decided to share them with local diners in Quelle Surprise, a two-course prix-fixe menu running March 15 to April 15. Each morning, the culinary artist and his team will make a limited number of dishes from a rotating assortment of French favourites, depending on availability of ingredients and what happens to be inspiring them on any given day. The options might be os à moelle (roasted bone marrow) and canard (duck) confit one day or soupe aux oignons and daube de boeuf (Provençal beef stew) the next. There may be ratatouille, salade Niçoise, tartare de boeuf, coq au vin, thon (tuna) aux olives, vol au vent au lapin (rabbit), or quiche—or not. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. “There’s no set order to what dishes we will make, how often they’ll be presented or how many will be available each day,” Quaglia says in a release. “I think it’s a fun way to keep things fresh and the kitchen brigade get to make things not normally on the menu.” Wine director Joshua Carlson will make recommendations for each dish, and he may pull out a special bottle or two to accompany the surprises.
Di Beppe.
Di Beppe’s Festa della Polenta
Happening March 16, the fifth annual family-style feast at the Gastown restaurant honours a Tuscan tradition that dates back centuries, originating from a time when members of the nobility offered polenta to hungry townspeople to help fight a famine that was sweeping through the region. All across Italy to this day, people gather over dishes made of cornmeal. The fest begins with snacks and a beverage, while the main event at communal tables features the pouring of piping-hot polenta sulla spianatoia (on a wooden board). Accompaniments include ossobuco with bone marrow, roast chicken in a creamy sauce, and roasted winter vegetables with parmesan. The dinner ends with a dolci (polenta cake with raspberry sauce), with the option to continue the celebration at Di Beppe’s caffè over a digestivo.
If you miss the one-night-only polenta fest, Di Beppe is a draw regardless for its in pala and al metro pizzas (oblong shaped, baked directly on the floor of the pizza oven) with toppings like sopressata and anchovy; prosciutto cotto, artichoke, olive, and mushrooms; and eggplant, kale, squash, and chili ricotta. The pasta menu offers a choice of spaghetti or rigatoni in varieites such as carbonara, cacio e pepe, and puttanesca. We love the Amaro, digestivo, and Grappa list; Aperitivo Hour (3 to 6 pm) features classic cocktails (Aperol Spritz, Americano, Bicicletta, Cynar Spritz, and Negroni) along with vermouth, wine, and beer.
Chancho Tortilleria.
New beginnings at Chancho Tortilleria
When one door closes, another one opens, the saying goes. In this case, Chancho is exiting its Davie Street location for new digs on Commercial Drive (in the former home of Cafe Deux Soleils, which is about three times as big as its current space). Chancho’s last weekend on the west side will be March 25 and 26, with the East Van tienda de tacos is set to open in April. Tortillas made fresh daily out of non-GMO heirloom corn sourced from small farms in remote Mexican communities form the backbone of the menu, with dishes like birria tacos with consommé'; chilaquiles; and carnitas tacos, (availalbe with tender and toothsome slow-braised pork shoulder and/or pork belly or veggie versions). Round out the meal with margaritas, an order of guacamole and chips, and churros.
Carlino.
Fai tu at Carlino
Now helming the kitchen at the Michelin-recommended northern Italian restaurant is chef Omar Hadi, formerly of Tutto and Glowbal, who previously held a 12-year tenure at Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts around the world. Menu highlights include casarecce with house-made walnut pesto; whole salt-baked branzino with winter beans and roasted-red pepper sauce; and brodetto di pesce, a sablefish, mussel and clam stew in a tomato fennel broth. The restaurant also offers a multicourse family-style tasting menu called fai tu, the phrase meaning “you pick”, as in, the chef designs what’s on the menu. Located in the Shangri-La Hotel, the restaurant has a monthly rotating charity program (like other Kitchen Table Group restaurants), with March seeing $1 from each frico sold being donated to Music Heals, which increases access to music therapy for people across B.C. and Canada. Frico is a traditional dish of Friulian fried cheese with soft potatoes and slow-cooked onions.
Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge.
Rob Feenie favourites at Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge
Legendary chef Rob Feenie recently wrapped up an exclusive chef residency at Wedgewood Hotel & Spa, Vancouver’s sole Relais & Châteaux property, where many of his signature dishes continue to be featured on the menu. His tenure marked a full-circle moment; his former restaurant Lumière (which he opened in 1995 at age 29), was at the time Canada’s only free-standing restaurant to receive Relais Gourmand status and was the first to earn Traditions et Qualité: Les Grands Tables du Monde designation. (He went on to open the more casual Feenie’s next door.) The list of accolades that Feenie carries with him is longer than a Champagne sabre; with early experience at Le Crocodile and The Rim Rock Café and stages at Michelin three-star restaurants across Europe, he knocked it out of the park with his 2005 career-vaulting win on Iron Chef America, beating out Masaharu Morimoto on live TV. (He was the first Canadian to win the U.S. competition; he won Iron Chef Canada in 2018.) It came as a shocker when he joined Cactus Club Café in 2008, but the chef went on to spend 15 years leading culinary development there, transforming the upscale-casual category as a whole and turning the brand into the top chain restaurant in Canada.
Feenie is in the process of opening up his own restaurant, which, he tells Stir, is likely to launch in early 2024. Meantime, at Bacchus, people can dine on dishes like Feenie’s classic hamachi crudo (pictured above). Inspired by the foods he ate growing up with his Japanese neighbours, the starter of yellowfin tuna is accompanied by crisp Granny Smith apple, juicy ruby grapefruit, jalapeno, and hard-to-find tart-tangy white-soy ponzu. He came up with the idea for Bacchus’s soy sake-marinated local sablefish while travelling in Japan with beloved late chef Nathan Fong; it comes with sushi rice, butter-glazed bok choy, and edamame and is finished at the table with yuzu dashi. Local steelhead is a standout, ever so delicately cooked sous-vide; ricotta mascarpone ravioli (perhaps with green peas) is another. “When I think of the raviolis and the hamachi, they’re dishes that reflect the kind of chef I am,” he says: clean and simple, which is how he likes to eat at home. At the Michelin-recommended Bacchus, those dishes and more are served with live piano nightly.
Cactus Club Cafe.
Fresh takes at Cactus Club Café
Speaking of Cactus Club, executive chef of culinary development Gregory McCallum—who trained at Le Crocodile under chef Michel Jacob and rose through the ranks at L’Abattoir—has introduced several standout menu items in time for spring. Rigatoni Bolognese would win over any Italian nonna, with truffled pecorino from Sardinia, slow-cooked beef and pork ragu, and rosemary, topped with fennel-chili crumb and garlic crostini. Crispy fried chicken, with Nashville spice and honey, comes with a creamy Parmesan dip and crunchy pickles; panko-crusted crab and prawn cakes appear solo (with cucumber, tomatoes, fresh greens, pickled red onions, dill, and green goddess dressing), in a salad; and as a main with kale salad and sea-salted fries. Also noteworthy: sushi by Hilary Nguy of Sushi Hil (formerly of Temaki Sushi), who has introduced spectacular new rolls to the menu, some with Ocean Wise seafood, others that are vegan-friendly.
Their There. Photo by Allison Kuhl
Brunch at Their There
From Michelin-starred AnnaLena comes the recent relaunch of Their There as an all-day breakfast and lunch restaurant. Owner Mike Robbins and executive chef Catherine Wong are reviving vibes of the former Oakwood Restaurant (where the two worked together and where Robbins created the brunch menu) while bringing in AnnaLena’s pursuit of excellence to the Kitsilano hot spot. Beef brisket hash. hot chicken and cornbread waffles, and various versions of eggs Benedict are popular picks. Happy Hour is a thing, while Their There’s take-away coffee remains available along with grab-and-go snacks, freshly baked mocha doughnuts, sandwiches, pastries, and other topnotch goods.
Photo via Presss Democrat
California Wine and Taco Fest
In addition to winery dinners at various top local restaurants, Vancouver International Wine Festival is presenting this mingler on April 26 at North Vancouver’s Pipe Shop. Several creative takes on tacos will be paired with California wines, such as Beringer Vineyards’ Napa Valley Chardonnay 2019, Bogle Vineyards’ Old Vine Zinfandel 2021, Lake Sonoma Winery’s Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2021, Wagner Family of Wine’s Conundrum White 2021, and more. Guests will be able to vote for their favourite combo for the Best of Festival pairing.
16 West.
Brunch at 16 West
16 West is a wine and tapas bar in North Vancouver that has fast become a locals’ favourite, with a small but excellent wine list and approachable menu of share plates; it recently introduced weekday lunch and weekend brunch—two more reasons to pop by this neighbourhood place soon.
Available Saturdays and Sundays, executive chef Jorge Camacho’s brunch menu features items like Belgian waffles, Bennys, beef carpaccio, lobster and shrimp roll, and a house-made 16 West Coffee Cake with honey mascarpone cream. For lunch are dishes such as duck, steak, veggie, or charcuterie sandos with rosemary potatoes, as well as spaghetti Bolognese, Salt Spring Island Mussels with toasted baguette, and seafood pasta, to name just some.
Plus: while beverages take centre-stage at Vancouver Cocktail Week, there are several culinary experiences as part of the program, too, with 16 West hosting Traditional Hawaiian Lū’au, North Shore Style, presented by Kōloa Rum on March 9. The event features a Hawaiian four-course feast paired with Kōloa Rum-based cocktails. Guest speaker Robert M. “Bob” Gunter is president and CEO of the Hawaii-based spirits company, which makes artisanal, single-batch rum on the island of Kaua’i, home to Hawaii’s first and only distilled spirits tasting room.
New navigation at Five Sails
Executive chef Robert Robinson recently took the helm of Five Sails after holding down notable roles at Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, Toronto’s acclaimed Canoe Restaurant, and more; his CV also includes experience at Le Crocodile and West. Fare of the Pacific Northwest is in the spotlight at the spectacularly scenic fine-dining Glowbal restaurant. Cases in point: Cured king salmon with avocado crème, ponzu gel, nori chips, and rice pearls; scallops with caramelized endive, pink apple purée, and green apple butter crumble; Fraser Valley squab breast and stuffed leg crépinette; and bacon-wrapped Canadian elk striploin with de puy lentil, braised salsify parsnip purée, and Saskatoon berry jus. Lobster is an East Coast exception; presented out of the shell, the 1.5-pound lobster is poached in citrus butter and served with Parisian gnocchi and a parmesan-almond tuile.
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