Back in February I wrote about an exciting new restaurant called Fat Dragon. Its seldom that I dedicate an entire column to a single restaurant that isnt even open yet, but when I do, its usually for one of four reasons: 1) the restaurateur has an especially laudable track record, 2) its located at a particularly interesting address, 3) the food concept is refreshingly unique, or 4) the chef is all that and a lobe of foie gras. Fat Dragon hit all four of those marks.
The new effort is from serial risk-takers Tom Doughty and Robert Belcham, the same sommelier/chef duo that brought us West 4ths Refuel and the two lovely Campagnolos. While I wouldnt go so far as to call them Midas men, theyre well respected in the trade and have a knack for getting into the right spots at the right time. Joining them as the third partner is chef Ted Anderson, a fierce talent of the food-nerd school who has toiled in each of their restaurants over the years. (Its great to see him finally having a stake in something). Doing the actual cooking will be chef Adam Johnson, formerly of Campagnolo and Pourhouse. In other words, Fat Dragon has three chefs.
While they couldnt hold on to their Refuel space, they did help spark a rejuvenation of West 4ths then staid food scene. And to the east, both Campagnolos are busy nearly every night. The first, which opened back in late 2008, came at a time when Vancouver was suffering a terrible pizza drought and Italian cuisine was still largely in the hands of a few fine dining restaurants of the old school. In a wise move, they bought the building (it would cost them less in mortgage payments than Refuel did in rent) and, with the neighbourhood having been cleaned up considerably since that purchase, theyre now sitting on a hot property. The opening of Campagnolo Roma three years later cemented my respect for their intuition. Im a bit of an evangelist about the Hastings-Sunrise area, and I think it will enjoy something of a casual restaurant renaissance in the coming years. Once again, they arrived when the going was relatively cheapish.
And so follows Fat Dragon. Its location 566 Powell St. (in the darker recesses of the DTES half a block east of Oppenheimer Park) is certainly daring, inarguably more so than any of the others. Its the most courageous restaurant location Ive ever seen in this city. I live only a few blocks away, and know that to open a business in adjacent Gastown, Strathcona or Chinatown (which are like so many placid Disneylands in comparison) would be a hell of a lot easier, guaranteeing plenty of moneyed foot traffic. And yet, despite the deplorable state of its surrounds, Fat Dragon is more calculation than lunacy. Because the people will come. Vancouver diners have repeatedly shown themselves keen to try anything interesting. If its good and well put together, people go. Fat Dragon is both. The package is something weve never seen before.
The food is fun and far from fancy. Think Chinese BBQ with licks of Southern US spice. Its not meant to be the least bit authentic, but they need not play the authenticity game when the whole idea is to riff off two genres. What to order? Go for the Szechuan peppercorn cured pork belly (an untidy pile of fatty, smokily delicious slabs on white bread); the bao buns stuffed either with beef deckle and caramelized peanuts, smoked tofu and bean sprout kimchi, or tender squid and smoked chili salt; the smoked Chinese sausage slices studded with birds eye chilies (careful!); the intensely flavoured Jalan Alor wings; the cooling papaya and cabbage salad; the addictive, sambal-licked long beans with smoked almonds; and the indulgent noodles tossed in beef, duck, pork, and chicken drippings (my favourite thing on the menu). Also worth a whirl are the desserts, particularly the house made chocolate bars and the bespoke soft serve ice creams (mmm, kaffir lime).
Of the lot, only one plate disappointed: a hillock of smoked cauliflower sauced with a meekly flavoured cashew gravy. On the whole (and cauliflower aside), its just as affordable as Campagnolo, though if you eye the larger items for the whole table, like the red curry smoked half Polderside duck or the roasted half pigs head, the prices can read somewhat prohibitively ($29-$45).
The drinks list hits all the right notes (a tightly wrought selection of wines, beers, and original cocktails), and Im a fan of the roughly hewn, kitsch-free look by designer Marc Bricault (see also Vijs, Campagnolo, and Thierry). Though its much too clean and spacious to look like an opium den (as was the intent), the old brick wears well, and the dominating motif a dragon, scales and all, snaking the ceiling for the length of the room is undeniably pretty. All told, Fat Dragon is a well-rolled gamble, a destination joint worthy of your discovery.
