Contemporary Canadian cuisine has taken many forms in the city of late. When The Oakwood opened its doors a handful of years ago, the little bistro deep in Kitsilano quickly became popular for its towering, cooked-to-order burger (medium-rare, if you please) and their brisket poutine. What could be more Canadian, eh?
Owner Mike Shea has created a comfortable, rustic room that seems to attract a steady crowd most nights. Dark wood, deep banquettes, white brick walls and even some antlers on display set the mood, although – by the bye – what is it with all of the taxidermy that has swept local establishments lately? The mood is light and relaxed, as befits the neighbourhood, and the street-front patio gets a lot of action despite sitting next to a busy intersection.
As the name might suggest, the menu is all Canadian, all the time. Executive chef Michael Robbins has put together a graduating list of dishes, all sourced within our borders (most sourced within BC). It’s a laudable effort, although I’m assuming the lemon in my drink came from slightly further away. Nonetheless, anyone who sources their proteins from the likes of Rabbit River, Yarrow Meadows, and Maple Hill, among others, is on the right track. The wine list, likewise, also focuses on BC producers, although Washington State gets some healthy representation, as do the Cote du Rhone, Marlborough, and Napa regions.
The dishes themselves, are, unfortunately, hit-and-miss. Rabbit rillette with truffle butter and shaved foie gras was a revelation, served with excellent housemade caraway bread and pickled veg. Halibut with bacon lardons, shimeji mushrooms and cracking was less stellar. The fish was cooked perfectly, but all of the accoutrements failed to provide any contrast to the richness of flavour. Fried octopus was crispy and salty, lightly breaded and delicious, and the accompanying bacon aioli was excellent. But the dish it was served in, a long creviced receptacle, was too narrow for the serving spoon, necessitating some interesting manoeuvering to extract the crunchy shreds of tentacle without spilling over onto the table.
Desserts are lovely layers presented in small mason jars, but the trio of offerings were too similar in their sickly sweetness to merit repeat performances. Maple cream with a hint of caramel was made still sweeter by a cranberry gel that grated on the teeth. Goat’s cheesecake with blueberry compote was unimaginative and forgettable. A little more variety here would have served them well, perhaps even an all-Canadian cheese and charcuterie plate? Since Oakwood produces its own breads and pastas, and handles its own butchery (fantastic, that), it would be nice to see more consistency and care with the excellent ingredients being used and produced.
As for service, friendly and relaxed describes it best, although the girl looking after us one night seemed a bit too eager to remove our dishes before we had finished them. Since they weren’t in a rush for our table, it was a bit confusing. The rest of the staff seems a well-trained machine, led rather ably by GM Jeff Parr. For a drink and a few bites, this neighbourhood joint will likely keep the locals happy, but serious meals might be more satisfactorily eaten elsewhere.
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★★1/2
Service: ★★
Ambiance: ★★★
Overall: ★★1/2
★: Okay, nothing memorable.
★★: Good, shows promise.
★★★: Very good, occasionally excellent.
★★★★: Excellent, consistently above average.
★★★★★: Awe-inspiring, practically perfect in every way.
The Oakwood Canadian Bistro | 2741 West 4 Ave. | 604-558-1965 | TheOakwood.ca
Anya Levykh has been writing about all things ingestible for more than 10 years. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday. FoodGirlFriday.com
