Kitsilano, that one-time haunt of hippies and starving undergrads, has grown beyond its Naam roots into a bona fide dining destination in recent years. Nowhere is that more evident than in the prevalence of seafood-forward restaurants and retailers in the neighbourhood. With the high season for halibut, salmon, et al, in full swing, here are a few places to try some amazing pelagic delicacies.
Maenam
1938 West 4th Ave. | 604-730-5579 | Maenam.ca
Open for lunch Tuesday-Saturday, 12pm-2pm; open for dinner nightly, 5pm-10pm.
Chef Angus An really loves local seafood and it shows in dishes like the crispy soft shell crab salad, the eight-spice lingcod and green curry halibut. Everything is sustainably sourced, usually from local waters around BC. Thai food is all about balance, so expect elements of sweet, salt, spice, bitter and savoury in every dish. The sablefish hot and sour soup is another winner. When the colder weather comes back, look for the uni and crab curry to return to the menu (fingers crossed).
Supermarine
1685 Yew St. | 604-739-4677 | Supermarine.ca
Open for dinner Monday-Saturday, 5:30pm-late; open for brunch Saturday-Sunday, 9:30am-230pm.
With a strong emphasis on local suppliers, the seafood here is practically flopping around on your plate, it’s so fresh. It’s all about a modern take on classic comforts like fish and chips; in this case, it’s beer-battered red snapper sided with a light and zingy celery and radish salad. Smoked fish sticks with horseradish sour cream will make you forget the frozen horrors of your childhood and octopus ceviche with avocado and cucumber is only made better with one of the excellent cocktails created by co-owner Josh Pape.
Kinome
2511 West Broadway | 778-379-1925 | Facebook.com/KinomeJapaneseKitchen
Open for dinner Thursday-Monday, 5:30pm-10pm.
Sustainable, zero-waste, organic and mostly Ocean Wise (the rest comes wild from Japan) – this tiny Japanese restaurant at the far west side of Kits is hitting all the right notes, thanks to chef/owner Ryoma Matarai’s insistence on high-quality product. This is one of the few places you can try glass shrimp (when in season), and the urchin is usually from the waters around Haida Gwaii. Sushi and sashimi are available and excellent, although they aren’t the focus here. Instead, don’t miss the snow crab, shitake and mitsuba with an uni-ponzu sauce, or the snow crab rice bowl with uni and ikura (yeah, I’m really into the snow crab).
Chewie’s
2201 West 1st Ave. | 604-558-4448 | Chewies.ca
Open for dinner nightly, 5pm-late; open for brunch Saturday-Sunday, 10am-3pm.
This casual and fun restaurant just up the hill from Kits Beach is the perfect oyster hunting ground, especially during the buck-a-shuck happy hour. It’s also one of the only places in the city you can try chicken-fried crocodile (okay, the only place), and while technically it isn’t seafood, the Humboldt squid, shrimp and grits, and Salt Spring Island mussels definitely are. Don’t miss the New Orleans-style gumbo.
Fresh Ideas Start Here
2959 West Broadway | 604-733-0305 | EatFish.ca
Open Monday-Friday, 10am-7pm, Saturday-Sunday, 10am-6pm, statutory holidays 11am-5pm.
Last, but most definitely not least, F.I.S.H. opened its doors on West Broadway just a few months ago, and has been catering to happy crowds ever since. In addition to supplying the best restaurants in town with its all-Ocean Wise products, which are caught by the company’s own divers and fishers, the to-go menu features frozen seafood-stuffed pasta, terrines, sauces, marinades, and the house line of “shmoked” seafood candy (the black cod is highly addictive).
Anya Levykh is a freelance food, drink and travel writer who covers all things ingestible. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @foodgirlfriday.
