Modern Pantry (West Vancouver)

As much as I travel for food (as far as Chilliwack), it isn't often I venture into West Vancouver.  I think the last time I was here, it was at Terroir Kitchen with Mijune.  So it was a bit ironic that the first place I hit up in West Van since then was at the Modern Pantry.  Fate would have it, this was the former location of Terroir Kitchen (La Regalade before that) and guess who was with me?  This is actually the 2nd location of the Modern Pantry as their original location is in North Vancouver.

We started off with the Grain Bowl which was both vegan and gluten free.  it consisted of marinated chickpeas with turmeric and cumin, rosemary pickled onions, roasted yams, kale and maple tahini dressing.   That was good, but the Hearty Salad won me over, with feta marinated in honey, oregano, fennel and chili flakes, kale, roasted yams, pumpkin seeds, cabbage and mushrooms.  There was a bevy of textures and flavours (including tang, spice, salt and sweetness) that kept me wanting to eat more.

Grand in size, the Quiche featured sweet potato and feta on whole wheat laminated pastry.  This was very light, eggy and airy.  For some, I could see that it wouldn't be firm enough, but for me, it was good.  It was easy to eat and the texture was consistent throughout.  Naturally, it was sweet due to the ingredients with a touch of cheesiness.  Loved the pastry as it was flaky and crispy, even on the bottom.

Hands down, the best savoury item was the Grilled Cheese.  Now it wasn't prepared in the classic manner where the bread was slathered in butter and cooked in a pan or flattop.  Rather, it was toasted house made sourdough sandwiching  aged white cheddar and spicy tomato jam.  This meant the bread was soft, warm and slightly chewy.  Inside, the cheese was sharp and that tomato jam had a kick as well as sweet tang.  Delicious!

A surprising item was the Veggie Sandwich featuring sourdough focaccia, roasted sweet potatoes and red peppers, caramelized onion feta spread and fresh dill.  If you know me, I love my meat, but hey, this sammie was packed full of flavour and texture.  There was considerable sweetness to the sandwich accented by the cheese and dill.  Loved the focaccia as it was crispy in parts, soft and slightly chewy in others.

One of the most visually-appealing items in the display case was the Breakfast Sandwich consisting of bread made with brioche dough with spinach, cheddar and onion.  Inside, there was sambal mayo, soft-boiled egg and cheddar.  Loved the egg, it looked inviting and it ate with a custardy centre.  Bread was tasty with plenty of inherent flavour but was a bit firm.  Mayo and cheese complimented the egg well and it was a nice little bite.

Off to the Sweets portion of the tasting, we had a bevy of delicious items including the Northshore Cookie with coffee, pretzels, chocolate, coconut, granola and sea salt.  This was pretty crunch, especially the edges.  Lots of flavours and with the addition of salt, it further heightened everything else.  Apparently, the Brownie has been 10-years in the making since Kendall (the owner operator) has been perfecting it for that long.  Well, it was chocolatey, chewy and consistent in texture throughout.  Good brownie!  We were truly impressed with the Gluten-Free Burnt Lemon Cake as it was blessed with lemon and cardamom drizzled with white chocolate orange syrup.  This was essentially a financier with hits of tang and sweetness.  On the same plate, there was a Apple Oat Coffee Cake with fresh and dried apples within an almond streusel.  The cake itself was fluffy and just sweet enough.  On top, the crunch and sweetness from the almond streusel was a delicious textural contrast.  Also fluffy, the Vegan Coconut Loaf was not all dense (especially being vegan).  It was aromatic and again, purposefully sweet.  Although the Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie would be an appropriate name, they are actually nicknamed "Kendall Cookies" because the kids of returning customers would ask for them by that name.  I understand why because they were a bit crispy on the edges but soft and chewy in the middle.  There was a nuttiness from the butter and of course sweetness from the chocolate chunks.  Now the best of these was the Pear Danish with lemon cream cheese.  The laminated pastry couldn't have been any more on point.  So crispy and light with defined layers.  It was of course buttery and the lemon cream cheese was tang and smooth.  Tender pears on top were the proverbial icing on the cake.  I highly recommend this item.  Well, I would actually recommend almost everything because it is obvious that Kendall puts her heart into the food and overall feel of the place.  If you happen to be on the North Shore, I suggest you check it out.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Carefully crafted food
- Owner that is passionate and cares
- Welcoming space

The Bad:
- It is a small space though