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Posts Tagged ‘Yaletown’

The Parlour Restaurant Opening

January 30th, 2013 admin

Owners: Sean Holland, Paul Rivas and Chris Holland

Last night I attended the opening party of The Parlour Restaurant in Yaletown.

Anchoring the 3,400 foot dining space is a custom Woodstone pizza oven serving up a dozen types of addictive pizza.  Adjacent to this is a stunning, open concept kitchen serving signature parlour-style comfort food dishes (takeout and delivery to be offered).   The Parlour’s expanded menu includes plenty of unique items guaranteed to please any style and size of appetite and ranges from light bites, to share plates, to satisfying deli-style sandwiches.

The Parlour’s expansive lounge area features chocolate-hued leather booth seating, high-tops and a striking 20 foot-long reclaimed wood bar that emulates a giant cask.  This is all complimented by a well chosen rotation of Canadian beer on tap, extensive craft beer available by bottle, inventive cocktails and both wine by bottle, as well as seven varietals on tap.  Rounding out the vintage ‘parlouresque’ feel to the bar is a custom built DJ station that will be put to good use by Christopher Simpson of NDVR Events Thursday through Sunday.

#Swag Pizza

Yaletown Pizza

Guests ate tasters of the popular Salmon Tartare, Brocolli and Meatball Minis. I especially loved their pizzas tasting the Roasted, Yaletown, and my favourite Gold Member and #Swag.

Ontario-born, Vancouver-loving brother’s Sean and Chris Holland bring with them an intimate understanding of upscale-casual dining after having collectively worked with the Cactus Club organization for well-over a decade.  Sean spent nearly 4 years as Head Chef at the company’s flagship location with a proven track record of success.  Also hailing from Cactus Club; Chris is well versed in the various aspects of the restaurant industry with many years of experience – and bring with him s a unique sense of creativity and transferable skills to The Parlour’s management mix. Rounding out The Parlour’s management team is Paul Rivas who (with 18 years of experience) has all-but grown up in Vancouver’s restaurant industry and is Chef-trained.

The Parlour Restaurant, a new 100-seat restaurant and lounge in Yaletown open for full dinner service from 5PM until midnight daily.

They are located at 1011 Hamilton Street in Vancouver, you can call them at 604. 568.3322  or follow them on twitter @ParlourYaletown

By: Richard Wolak

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The Wine Bar Opening

January 17th, 2013 admin

Last night I attended the opening party of The Wine Bar which is adjacent to Provence Marinaside in Yaletown.

The Wine Bar at Provence is a place where you can drop by for a glass of wine, have a light snack and meet up with friends. The self-contained separate facility features the wine bar (serving 50 wines by the glass), casual seating for 30 plus its own separate menu.  It is open from 3 p.m. to late every day and the wine program is meant to be approachable while offering guests a range of products and prices to suit every taste and budget. By-the-glass offerings start at $7 and bottles start at $30.

Guests tasted samples of all of their dishes throughout the evening, I loved the Onion Anchovy bites as well as the Risotto balls.

In addition to the wine taps for The Wine Bar, Provence has invested in a 12-slot by-the-glass wine preservation system. A couple of slots in this system are kept open so that guests have the option of being able to choose anything off the reserve list and order it by the glass at one fifth (20 percent) of the bottle price. Once the bottle is open, the selection will be available for everyone in quantities as small as an ounce taster and listed on the daily features menu. This allows wine-loving guests to try some of the best wines in the world without having to invest in a pricey bottle.

The primary focus of the wine list is French, with a selection of other Mediterranean countries and an array of prominent styles from around the world – particularly those inspired by the French classics. Also, drawing from the classic French bistro concept of using what is locally produced, the list features a broad selection of wines from British Columbia along with a wide range of sparkling wines.

Wine is meant to be enjoyed with food and at The Wine Bar guests will find a wide-selection of tempting dishes – from tasty morsels to full meals. Bites come in two sizes – Small Bites created to accompany a glass of wine value-priced at $5, and for more substantial appetites, Big Bites that can be shared for $18.

TWB – The Wine Bar is located next door to Provence Marinaside at 1167 Marinaside Crescent (at the foot of Davie St in Yaletown) in Vancouver. You can reach them by phone at 604-681-4144 or follow them on twitter @twb_TheWineBar

By: Richard Wolak

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Biggest Street Food Carnival Oct 21 at the Roundhouse

October 17th, 2012 admin

SUSTENANCE SUSTENANCE Festival celebrates this year’s Food Innovation in the City by organizing the Vancouver’s biggest Street Food Carnival on Sunday October 21st from noon to 4pm at the Roundhouse Turntable Plaza.

Here are the participating Food Trucks:

  • Pig on the Street
  • Guanaco Truck
  • Soho Road Naan Kebab
  • Street Meet
  • Ze Bite
  • Holy Perogy
  • Re-Up
  • Le Tigre
  • White Spot
  • Pazza Rella
  • JJ’s Trucketeria
  • Mangal Kiss
  • Slingers
  • Taser Grilled Cheese
  • Mogu
  • Roaming Dragon
  • Dougie Dog
  • Burger Bus
  • Kaboom Box
  • Shwarma… Yum

We are celebrating one of the hottest culinary trends in the city: street food! From ethnic fusion to BBQ and tacos our on-the-go culinary options in Vancouver have increased with the diversity of food carts showing up in our streets. Imagine the largest gathering of food carts in one place and carnival attractions for all ages.

SUSTENANCE is a city-wide celebration endeavours to connect the communities of art, culture, and food security. From global to local, from historic to present day, the art and culture of food offer something everyone can feast on!

Posted in Culinary News, Latest Tags: , , , No Comments »

Taste of Yaletown 2012

October 17th, 2012 admin

Last night I previewed 3 very different restaurants in Yaletown, I travelled the world without leaving the neighborhood from Thai to Japanese to Italian! The main purpose of the Taste of Yaletown is just that to taste food at restaurants you may have not dined at previously. I chose these 3 restaurants for a reason, I hadn’t eaten dinner at any of them in the past, each was a new tasting experience for me, hopefully will be a new tasting experience for you and your friends as well!

Yaletown L’Antipasto

The Yaletown Business Improvement Association presents the 8th annual Taste of Yaletown event October 17 – 27th, 2012.  The menus vary at each of the restaurants, you will find that they range from $25-$45 depending on the restaurant for a three-course tasting menu, you can find the list of participating restaurants here for this year’s Taste of Yaletown.

One of my experiences last night was dining Japanese at Bistro Sakana, such a wonderful restaurant in the heart of Yaletown who has been around for 7 years, can’t believe it took me that long to visit.

They are offering the $35.00 menu where you receive all these 3 courses as your meal.

Wild Sockeye Salmon Miso Chowder

Appetizer

Wild Sockeye Salmon Miso Chowder - a delicious rich creamy salmon & miso chowder.

Signature Sample Platter

Entrée

A Signature Sample Platter including all of the following:

Wild Sockeye Jalapeno Aburi “Hakozushi”

sockeye salmon layered with rice, box pressed, flame torched, and topped with jalapeño slices

Toro Red Chili Aburi “Hakozushi”

albacore toro marinated in Junmai sake & miso, layered with rice, box pressed, flame torched, and topped with red chili and key lime slivers

Teppan Roll

fresh tomato, Hotate scallop sashimi, fresh bocconcini mozzarella & home-made shiso-basil pesto, rolled up with rice, lightly sauteed and plated with a rim of aged balsamic reduction and unfiltered extra virgin olive oil

Nasu Dengaku

traditional baked Japanese eggplant with aka miso sauce, served on brown rice risotto

Ginger Citrus Hamachi

fresh yellowtail sashimi layered with pink grapefruit sections and drizzled with a soy-balsamic vinaigrette

Oka San’s Rich Chocolate Brownies

Dessert

Oka San’s Rich Chocolate Brownies

rich dark chocolate brownies served warm with dark chocolate sauce & vanilla bean gelato

You can find Bistro Sakana at 1123 Mainland Street, call to reserve (604) 633-1280 and follow them on twitter @BistroSakana

Another one of my experiences was to Yaletown L’Antipasto for an Italian dining experience. The restaurant opened in Yaletown almost a year ago and again I found another gem last night which took me almost a year to visit.

This restaurant is offering a $25 menu as well as a $35 menu, I sampled selections off of both menus and since I was dining alone I had taster size portions.

Celeste Salad

Appetizer

Celeste Salad (offered on both the $25 and $35 menus)

organic spring greens, Chevre goats cheese, dried cherries, almonds, balsamic vinaigrette

Saute di Vongole

Appetizer

Saute di Vongole (offered on the $35 menu)

saute of Manilla clams in olive oil, garlic, white wine & chillies

Lobster & Crab Ravioli

Entrée

Lobster & Crab Ravioli  (offered on the $35 menu)

in a fresh tomato sauce, arugula & tiger prawns

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms  (offered on the $35 menu)

Tiramisu

Dessert

Tiramisu (offered on both the $25 and $35 menus)

Affogato

Affogato (offered on both the $25 and $35 menus)

Italian Hazelnut gelato with a shot of espresso

You can find Yaletown L’Antipasto at 1127 Mainland Street, call to reserve (604) 558-1174 and follow them on twitter @Lantipasto

Another one of my experiences was to Urban Thai Bistro for a Thai dining experience. The restaurant has been in Yaletown for over 11 years, I had previously taken a cooking class as well as attended one of their anniversary parties in the past, this was my first dinner experience.

This restaurant is offering a $25 menu as well as a $35 menu, I sampled selections off of both menus.

Goong Noon Hae Deep

Appetizer

Goong Noon Hae  Deep (offered on both the $25 and $35 menus)

fried tiger prawns wrapped with noodles, served with tangy plum sauce

Are Han Jaan Bhed

Entree

Are Han Jaan Bhed (offered on the $35 menu)

boneless roasted Long Island duck stir-fried with Thai chili, onions, green bean, bell peppers & fresh basil

 

Deep Fried Banana with Mango Ice Cream

Dessert

Deep Fried Banana with Mango Ice Cream (offered on both the $25 and $35 menus)

You can find Urban Thai Bistro at 1119 Hamilton Street, call to reserve (604) 408-7788 and follow them on twitter @urbanthai

View the other Taste of Yaletown restaurants menus.

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Culinary Adventures, Latest Tags: , , , , No Comments »

Killjoy Cocktail Tavern Opening

June 29th, 2012 admin

On June 28, Killjoy Bar in Yaletown hosted a VIP reception to celebrate its grand opening. I was pleased to attend, as it was a great opportunity to find and try highlights of the culinary options featuring high end meats and cheese that this place has to offer.

Although Killjoy is located in a rather secluded spot on Hamilton Street, it was not difficult to find the greeters at the door expecting invitees on the guest list to come. Once inside, the chic ambiance of dim lights, dark furniture, and house music immediately submerged me in a classic (and classy) Yaletown atmosphere. The restaurant, albeit small, offers a cozy environment for a chilled evening of drinks and appies.

One of the highlights of Killjoy is its wine. Aside from offering a wide selection of reds, whites and rosés (mostly from BC, but with a couple of features from New Zealand as well), a particularity of the wine at this bar is that it is served right from taps – which I was informed, helps to prevent oxidization of the wine. Killjoy also boasts about its unique cocktails, which feature the “Fleur de Genever” (a combination of Boomsma Genever, lemon juice, lavender syrup, and prosecco) and the “Smokehouse” (Victoria Oaken Gin, Aperol, Mezcal, sherry, and lemon zest), among others.

The wines are smoothly married to a select array of tapas-style delicacies, some of which were featured at the reception. We were offered delicate canapés that mainly featured the trademark meats and cheeses that Killjoy boasts about. The invitees were invited to try bites that included prosciutto with goat cheese, bread with tomato, arugula and olive oil, smoked tuna with avocado, and the special platter featuring 3 types of cold cuts along with three types of cheeses.

Killjoy Cocktail Tavern is located on 1120 Hamilton Street in Yaletown. You can find them on Twitter @KilljoyBar on online.

By: Eddie Tafber

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Minami Restaurant Opening

June 22nd, 2012 admin

Last night June 21st, I attended the opening party of Minami Restaurant in Yaletown.

Chefs team

Seigo Nakamura was on hand to greet guests and speak as he welcomed guests to his 2nd restaurant in Vancouver, his company also owns 8 restaurants in Japan. Minami is named after his youngest daughter. This restaurant mixes his love for Japanese food and art and they want to become the leading restaurant in the city with the largest selection of Sake.

The cocktail list was curated by well known local barman Shaun Layton and Pacific Pimm’s cocktails were served along with wine and sake throughout the evening.

Guests mingled over delicious canapés all selections of their extensive menu that not only features their Aburi Sushi, there was also a wonderful refreshing soba noodle salad and other tasty bites.

Minami Restaurant is located at  1118 Mainland Street in Yaletown and is open daily for lunch and dinner. You can find them on twitter @MinamiYaletown

By: Richard Wolak

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Vancouver Craft Beer Week Opening Night

May 21st, 2012 admin

Cheers

The opening event for the 3rd Annual Vancouver Craft Beer Week got off to a roaring start on Friday on May 18th. The room was filled with beer lovers who mixed and mingled over tastings from many of the regions breweries including Howe Sound Brewery, Elysian, Lighthouse, Russel, Red Truck and more.

John Mitchell

I met John Mitchell who was the founder of Craft Beer in BC 32 years ago Known as the “grandfather of micro-brewing in Canada”. In 1980, John Mitchell and Frank Appleton pioneered North America’s first modern craft brewery at Horseshoe Bay on BC’s spectacular Howe Sound.  This began what has become known as the “craft brewing renaissance”. In 1996, John Mitchell helped design the Howe Sound Brewery and worked as their first brewer developing their initial recipes.

The Beerthirst guys --Leo (left), Hannan (middle) & Scott (right)

Howe Sound Brewery

Red Truck Beer

60 events are being offered in this year’s Vancouver Craft Beer Week that includes 9 Headliner events, 6 Opening Acts, 36 Neighbourhood Gigs, and 12+ week-long specials dedicated to all things craft beer.

Make sure to check out their 60+ participating Breweries.

Paul Done of Epic Media showing off Street Meet Food Truck's Smoked Beef Poutine

Of course there were a selection of eats being served both inside and outside the building. Inside Darby’s Pub was handing out platters of sliders. Outside the Street Meet Food Truck was offering a selection of eats for purchase including their popular Smoked Beef Poutine.

By: Richard Wolak

Posted in Festivals, Latest Tags: , , , , , No Comments »

Chef Jason Vallee

January 3rd, 2012 admin

Vancouver is home to some of the best chefs in the world, many have worked for the top chefs and restaurants around the world as well as around the city. Dishing with the Chefs is a series of Interviews with some of the top chefs in and around Vancouver.

Chef Jason Vallee

Last month I spent the afternoon with Chef Jason Vallee at Glowbal Grill Restaurant in Yaletown. I have known Jason for a couple of years, ever since I met him at Coast Restaurant.

At 15, he worked at McDonalds, while in high school he got really interested in cooking and took the culinary arts class in Powell River then continued into the college program at Malaspina. Then  worked at Val d’Isère Restaurant in Whistler for almost 4 years. Jason then moved to Vancouver in 2005, where he worked at the Raincity Grill and then at Coast Restaurant in Yaletown as the Line Cook. He then moved on to Coast Restaurant on Alberni for 2 years. In 2009 he was promoted within the Glowbal Group and became Executive Chef at Society, then Executive Chef at Glowbal Grill in Yaletown in 2011.

What was it about cooking that interested  you while growing up?

I played sports when I was younger and cooking in the kitchen had the same kind of buzz.

What is your favourite cuisine to eat personally?

  • Hot pot soups
  • Asian hot pot style

What do you want your chefs to learn from you?

Respect for ingredients, what comes from the farm, how to treat the environment, kitchen, equipment etc

The First Dish:

Marrow & Crostini

Marrow & Crostini

Roasted bone marrow

Baguette with roasted garlic puree

Smoked sea salt garnish

Frisee salad

What was your inspiration behind this dish?

Showing my cooks about a product like this and what we can create.

What are your favourite restaurants in Vancouver outside of the Glowbal Group ?

  • Hapa Izakaya
  • Bin 941

Do you cook at home?

Occasionally, mostly for the family for the holidays.

The Second Dish:

Surf & Turf

Surf & Turf

Kobe meat ball

Lobster ravioli truffle cream sauce

Spicy tomato sauce

Parmesan crisps

Shaved black truffles

Herb oil

What was your inspiration behind this dish?

The restaurant and our speciality meat balls at Glowbal, Coast’s seafood element, my take on Surf & Turf at Glowbal.

What makes a good steak?

Proper seasoning for one, start at a high enough temperature so that a crust starts to develop caramelizing forms that is the trick. At Glowbal Grill we have a char broiler that cooks our steaks at 1700 degrees.

What type of beef do you serve at Glowbal Grill?

Canadian Prime, grade past Triple A.

What did you like to do in your off time ?

  • Play video games
  • Watch hockey
  • Family time

What pushes you to grow in your career?

My personality, I always want to be the best that I can be. Motivated to push on and keep it fresh, thrive to be the best at what I do.

Who are your Mentors?

  • Chef Roland Pfaff in Whistler who taught me to care about the ingredients.
  • Chef Sean Riley
  • Chef Josh Wolfe

Is there a cuisine that you have always wanted to do that you haven’t had a chance to do?

Molecular gastronomy

The Third Dish:

Pot Au Feu

Pot Au Feu

Brisket beef

Potatoes

Carrots

Turnip

Leeks

Beef broth

Green onions

Brussels sprouts

What was your inspiration behind this dish?

French training – wintery dish on a cold rainy day

What is your favourite beverage to drink with one of your steaks at Glowbal?

Peroni beer

What is the best way to season a steak?

Diamond Circle Kosher salt & pepper

Do you create your own features at the restaurant?

Yes we have the freedom to create dishes daily for our features.

Did you study pastry and savoury or?

I did pastry when I was working in Whistler and can do it if needed. I do enjoy working with pastry.

Stay tuned for the next chef in the Dishing with the Chef series.

By: Richard Wolak

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