The Vancouver Foodster Chowder Challenge was a success featuring creations from restaurants from around Vancouver. Each restaurant featured their Chowder creation from March 8-31, 2024.
The Winners are:
1st Place:
{104 points}
Stanley’s Bar & Grill
The Chicken’s Nest Chowder
Price: $15
Created by:the team
Description: The Chicken’s Nest Chowder is composed of a popcorn infused sunset chicken chowder, potato nest, quail egg, smoked sat and a perched garlic knot bird.
Ingredients: Chicken, popcorn infused cream, potatoes, red & green peppers, onion, tomato, charred corn, hard boiled quails egg, garlic bread
Offered: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m Wednesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays and Tuesday).
Available: Dine-in and Takeout
Stanley’s Bar & Grill
610 Pipeline Rd (inside Stanley Park), Vancouver
Tel: (604) 602-3088
Web: https://stanleysbargrill.com/
Instagram @stanleysbargrill
2nd Place
{99 points}
Lift Bar & Grill
Candied Salmon Chowder
Price: $15
Created by: Chris Andraza
Description: The flavors are inspired by those little smoked salmon crostini’s you see at cocktail parties except in the form of a chowder.
Ingredients: House smoked candy salmon, classic cream base, bacon, fingerling potatoes, crispy capers, pickled onion, salmon roe, fresh dill
Offered: All day, everyday
Available: for dine-in only
Lift Bar & Grill
333 Menchion Mews, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 689-5438
Web: https://www.liftbarandgrill.com/
Instagram @liftbarandgrill
3rd Place
{93 points}
Chewie’s Oyster Bar
Mama’s Seafood Chowder
Price: $20
Created by: Gordon Ma
Description: Our delicious take on a classic New England Clam chowder. We have added a few things to make it a “seafood” chowder instead. You will enjoy a cream base with an abundance of protein including halibut, scallops, prawns, clams and mussels. It will also include a classic carrot, celery, fennel and potato veggie combo. Our chowder will be served in a home made brioche bread bowl and topped with a crispy fried coconut prawn. If you’re looking for a hearty chowder to warm your soul during a rainy day (or any day for that matter), we’ve got you covered.
Ingredients:
Cream, Clam Broth, Flour, Prawns, Halibut, Clams, Mussels, Scallops, Celery, Carrots, Fennel, Potato, Brioche Bun, Coconut Panko
Available: Daily during dinner hours only (not available at brunch on the weekends).
Not available for takeout (bread bowl does not travel well)
Chewie’s Oyster Bar
2201 W. 1st Avenue, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 558-4448
Instagram @chewiesoysterbar
In the People’s Choice Awards category, the public who tried the Chowder creations were the ones who had the opportunity to cast their vote throughout the challenge.
The Winners are:
1st Place People’s Choice:
Vancouver Aquarium
Signature Sustainable Seafood Chowder
Price: $14
Created by: Executive Chef David Lee
Description: Enjoy a jaw-some bowl of our delicious sustainably sourced seafood chowder at the Vancouver Aquarium. Delight in the flavours of wild caught BC Halibut, Wood River Alaskan Sockeye, wild pacific cod and more in this hearty chowder. The tasty mouthwatering seafood chowder is simmered to perfection with tender potatoes and fire roasted tomatoes. Served with a toasted Baguette.
Available: Daily all the time
Vancouver Aquarium (all on site restaurants including the Courtyard Cafe and the Upstream Cafe and the Bicycle Bistro Cafe)
845 Avison Way, Vancouver
Tel:(778) 655-9554
Instagram @vanaqua
2nd Place People’s Choice:
Stanley’s Bar & Grill
The Chicken’s Nest Chowder
Price: $15
Created by:the team
Description: The Chicken’s Nest Chowder is composed of a popcorn infused sunset chicken chowder, potato nest, quail egg, smoked sat and a perched garlic knot bird.
Ingredients: Chicken, popcorn infused cream, potatoes, red & green peppers, onion, tomato, charred corn, hard boiled quails egg, garlic bread
Offered: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m Wednesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays and Tuesday).
Available: Dine-in and Takeout
Stanley’s Bar & Grill
610 Pipeline Rd (inside Stanley Park), Vancouver
Tel: (604) 602-3088
Web: https://stanleysbargrill.com/
Instagram @stanleysbargrill
3rd Place People’s Choice:
Lift Bar & Grill
Candied Salmon Chowder
Price: $15
Created by: Chris Andraza,
Description: The flavors are inspired by those little smoked salmon crostini’s you see at cocktail parties except in the form of a chowder.
Ingredients: House smoked candy salmon, classic cream base, bacon, fingerling potatoes, crispy capers, pickled onion, salmon roe, fresh dill
Offered: All day, everyday
Available: for dine-in only
Lift Bar & Grill
333 Menchion Mews, Vancouver
Tel: (604) 689-5438
Web: https://www.liftbarandgrill.com/
Instagram @liftbarandgrill
Our media judging panel determined the ultimate winners of the challenge, and this was quite the task as each judge who tasted each creation with a rigorous process based on taste, originality/uniqueness and presentation/appearance.
Our Media judges for this challenge were: Jay Minter, Rick Green and Shelley Hayashi.
Each media judge will have scored the creation with a maximum of 40 points as follows: Overall Taste 20 points, Originality and Uniqueness 10 points, Presentation and Appearance 10 points). The total number of points a cake creation could earn is 120 points.
Thank you to the chefs and establishments that accepted my invitation and featured their Chowder creations on the menu for the past few weeks during this challenge.
I encourage you to visit the winning places to try their Chowder creations! See the entries here.
By: Richard Wolak