Visited last night to taste a selection of new dishes from new Executive Chef Jeff Miller’s summer menu.

Amuse:

Seafood in a delicious kasu broth

1st dish:

Snapper Ceviche on watermelon planks Tequila & grapefruit marinated fresh snapper, pickled shallots, jalapeno, cucumber-mint water, mole oil, habanero-passion fruit caviar, citrus roe, plantain hickory sticks

2nd dish:

Sweet Summer Corn Polenta fried safron corn polenta, pumpkin seed pesto, roasted Village Farms vine tomatoes, Gruyere cheese, bee pollen, citrus emulsion

 

3rd dish:

Chilled Tomato Consommé with Soba Salad Cold-pressed local heirloom tomatoes, Mesquite-smoked Salt Spring Island mussels & clams, watermelon, basil oil, buckwheat noodles, sweet sesame vinaigrette

4th dish:

The West Coast Blackened Squid Trio Citrus-soy marinated sous-vide tube, black sesame and squid ink beer-battered tentacles, mesquite-smoked jerky, kelp and jellyfish salad, sake heirloom, kasu foam, fresh wasabi and avocado crema, golden tobiko, micro-shiso. Created by Chef Jeff Miller

5th dish:

Blackened Snapper Tempura Black sesame & squid ink beer-battered snapper, dehydrated root chips, fermented kohlrabi & rainbow carrot slaw, kasu tobiko tartar sauce

6th dish:

Purple Lobster Skordalia Sous-vide Atlantic lobster tail, purple lavender pomme puree, golden tobiko, local organic squash, zucchini blossom, cucumber-fennel & asparagus salad

7th dish:

Chermoula Roasted Free-range Chicken Fraser Valley boneless chicken thighs, pearl couscous, apricot harissa, oven-dried tomatoes, olives, raisins, pistachio, micro-greens

8th dish:

Matcha Creme Brûlée with berries and a mango coulis

My Take:

It was great to see how Chef Jeff Miller was able to create a Westcoast inspired menu with exquisite presentation that features ingredient and flavour enhancements from Asia and other countries. I loved the flavours and the slight heat kick in the amuse which was the perfect palate temp to the coming dishes. The Snapper Ceviche was outstanding in both flavours and presentation. The Sweet Summer Corn Polenta was done 3 ways and the pumpkin seed pesto made for wonderful dish. The Chilled Tomato Consommé was a stunning creation served with Soba Salad to be dipped in the consommé. The West Coast Blackened Squid Trio was created for my Calamari Challenge and is only on the menu for a limited time, very creative dish. I loved the Blackened Snapper Tempura with the delicious kasu tobiko tartar sauce and would order this time and time again. On the Purple Lobster Skordalia dish, it was the Sous-vide Atlantic lobster tail that stole the thunder of the dish, perfectly cooked and seasoned. The Chermoula Roasted Free-range Chicken from the Fraser Valley was delicious with it’s pearl Israelli couscous, apricot harissa, oven-dried tomatoes, olives, raisins, pistachio, and micro-greens. Lastly the Matcha Crème Brulee was smooth and the perfect ending to this outstanding meal.

Argan Bistro

795 Jervis Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-563-8466

Web: http://arganbistro.com/

Twitter: @ArganBistro

There are many more new dishes on their nightly menu and I am looking forward to their upcoming brunch service.

By: Richard Wolak