I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy some truly excellent meals this year. Some have been at restaurants that I subsequently wrote about for this publication, others have been at “off-book” meals with friends at older establishments. But only a few dishes have truly been on that elevated and sublime level that quiets a noisy table, induces sighs of contentment, and leaves an overall feeling of gastronomic bliss.
These dishes all tend to be on the simpler side (not to be confused with easy or lazy), and speak to the techniques, philosophies, and imagination of the respective chefs. So, for my last column of 2014, I present, in no particular order, my most memorable dishes of 2014. Happy holiday eating and see you in 2015.
Lupo: Octopus carpaccio
When chef Julio Gonzalez Perini and sommelier Michael Mameli first started working together at the original Villa del Lupo, it was the start of a decades-long business partnership that continues with their ownership and operation of Lupo, the smart, comfortable, and contemporary Italian restaurant tucked away in a heritage house just outside of the heart of Yaletown.
The care and detail put into each dish by Gonzalez Perini and his team is otherworldly, as with this simple starter of lightly dressed octopus, sliced paper-thin and drizzled with limoncello and pimenton (Spanish paprika). Topped with cubes of octopus steak, mushrooms and a bit of frisée, it’s tender, sweet, savoury, rich, acidic and lovely.
Zest Japanese Cuisine: Roasted duck breast carpaccio
Executive chef Tatsuya Katagiri (he also happens to be a sommelier) is part of the new wave of young Japanese chefs out of Tokyo who have brought their homegrown aesthetic to a new land and skillfully applied it to dishes that celebrate local ingredients. Here, Yarrow Meadows duck breast is marinated in yuzu-citrus before being lightly grilled. It sits over a local parsnip purée that’s flecked with orange, topped with micro-cilantro and kabocha squash chips. The acidity from the citrus cuts perfectly through the lush mouthfeel of the duck. It was so good, I stole half of my dining companion’s plate.
Ask for Luigi: Anchovies and eggs
You can’t get much simpler than egg-on-egg. But, when that egg is a soft-boiled number topped with wild salmon caviar (egg number two) and finished with a slice of fresh anchovy, simplicity becomes divine. A drizzle of basil pesto and some rustic bread (also made in-house) finishes the plate.
JC Poirier is a chef who understands the beauty of simple flavours and textural contrasts. It’s the kind of dish that makes you think, “That’s so easy, I could do it at home.” You’d be wrong, but that’s OK, because you can just head to Gastown and ask for Luigi.
Blacktail: Farmcrest Farms Chicken
When Geoff Rogers took over the toque at Blacktail Florist (now just Blacktail), he took what had been the genesis of a good idea and turned it into something outstanding. How else to explain this earthy chicken dish presented over a generous dollop of popcorn “pudding” (think a heavenly cross between creamy polenta and mashed potatoes), and heaped with heirloom roasted carrots and foraged mushrooms? Chicken is not a meat I generally order in a restaurant, but this ultra-moist, juicy and flavourful iteration is worth repeat visits. More impressive is Rogers’ ability to have fewer than five main ingredients on the plate, and make every one of them sing in chorus with the others. Inventive, locavore comfort food has rarely been done better.
Secret Location: Salmon ceviche
At the extreme end of the local, seasonal, sustainable comfort food that most restaurants have been tooting the last few years are the mad-genius inventions of chef Jefferson Alvarez. Molecular gastronomy and nouveau fine dining aren’t for everyone, but despite the digs about the appropriateness of the digs (What? Upscale minimalism in Gastown? #shockandawe #getoverit), it’s a beautiful room that makes a perfect setting for Alvarez’s ever-changing and oft-inspiring menus. Take the salmon ceviche; simplistic on the surface, but with surprising depths. Shaved cucumber and apple salad is brightened with a cucumber granita and dill salt. Flowers and paper-thin shavings of baby radish add visual and textural pop.
Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar: Crispy chicken wings
It’s a little surprising to think that one of the best items on the menu at this new fine-dining hot spot is a dish as plebeian as chicken wings, but such is the case. Executive chef Alex Chen has a good palate for what works when it comes to classic comfort, and the chicken wings are a shining case in point. Fried until crispy in good, hot oil, then tossed in caramelized fish sauce and sambal chilli, this is so addictive we unanimously renamed it “chicken crack” and decided never to share an order again (yes, they’re that good).
Mr. Red Café: Green mango salad
Sometimes, you just want something fresh and clean. The northern Vietnamese fare at this small café on East Hastings is the perfect answer, especially when it comes to this truly outstanding version of what is often a drippy, overripe, mess. The fruit in the green mango salad is firm and julienned with carrots, then topped with fried, crispy shallots, kaffir leaves, dried mushrooms, and delectable, miniscule dried shrimps. It’s a dish that will never go out of style, but is only available seasonally, so get it while you can.
Nicli Next Door: “Not” Scotch egg
The success of Nicli Antica Pizzeria has made it a byword among Napoletana aficionados, but don’t forget its little sister Next Door, which focuses on the “everything else” of Italian cuisine. From arancini to wild boar ragu, the food here is a collection of happy small plates done well by chef Keev Mah. The “not” Scotch egg is a veritable feast of awesomeness, stuffed with rustic Italian sausage, creamy fior di latte, an extremely runny egg yolk and a perfectly smoky egg white aioli. Put it all together, and it’s the culinary jackpot of gooey, crispy and succulent.
The Fat Badger: Mini Yorkshire puddings
Chef Neil Taylor and GM Ed Perrow are well-known for their highly popular España in the West End. Now with the success of their newest venture, The Fat Badger, the business partners have scored another hit for the neighbourhood. This modern British pub does all things right proper, like the Scotch eggs and chicken masala, but it’s the mini Yorkshire puddings that will have your heart—and palate—singing “God Save the Queen.” Beautifully rich pastry is properly baked with lashings of jus, and stuffed with juicy roast beef, buttery gravy and fresh horseradish. It’s a heady and hearty concoction that will ward off seasonal depression, holiday burnout and hunger pangs.
Wildebeest: Horse tartare
It takes a brave restaurant these days—both politically and socially—to not only put horse on its menu, but foie gras, veal tongue, et al. Chef Wesley Young, however, is true to the restaurant’s philosophy of using only happy, ethically-raised animals, and works in close partnership with local producers and growers. Horse might put some off, but there’s no denying the sweet, firm, slightly lean flesh has a taste all its own, especially when prepared with such skill. The knife work alone is reason to sigh over this dish. Meat is finely diced and laced with capers and seasoning. The brilliant confit egg yolk is slow-cooked at a low temperature and runs like a starter when pricked with the fork. Paired with the housemade potato crisps, it’s a decadent and delicious expression of carnivorous dining at its finest.
