Granville Island Delivery Co
Rooftop Patio Dining at Joe Fortes
Private Dinner with Chef Kristian Leidig
Awhile back, I had visited the now-closed Ham & Eggmans with a few others for a delicious brunch. Owner operator Chef Kristian Leidig created a menu that was both familiar and unique that satisfied many different palates and dietary needs. Unfortunately, Covid-19 came on full force and his restaurant (like many others) was forced to close. However, he is still cooking, holding private dinners in Squamish. We were recently invited out to try his 5-course French-inspired dinner out on a gorgeous rooftop (regularly $69.00). Definitely a nice way to finish a day out in Squamish, where there are not many choices left for fine-dining ever since Covid-19 helped close restaurants there as well.
To kick things off, we had an Amuse Bouche consisting of a Prawn-stuffed Tomato with smoked paprika, mirepoix and garlic panko. A little more than one-bite, the tender tomato still retained its shape. Inside, the buttery shrimp had a light meaty snap while the veggies were well-seasoned and naturally sweet. As much as the base of garlic panko served as a stability device, it also added aromatic crunch to the dish.
At first, I thought the Rillette de Carnard was going to be shared between Jacqueline and myself, but alas, we were served ONE EACH! Very generous portion of tender and delicious tasting duck with rosemary potatoes, cherry gastrique as well as crostini and almonds. There was actually more duck than crostinis on the plate. Naturally, the tangy and sweet gastrique went well with the rillette where the crunch of the nuts and crostinis added another texture.
From this, we headed off to something much lighter in the Carrot and Fennel Salad with Summer greens, pears, walnuts, and comté dressed in orange & ginger vinaigrette. As Maggi mentioned, this was a good transition from the heavy rillette as we progressed towards the main protein. Really enjoyed the comté as the saltiness with a touch of sweetness complimented the veggies and crunch from the walnuts. The salad was lightly dressed where it allowed us to taste the individual components.
Our main dish was Roasted Sablefish atop saffron hominy grits and haricot verts with a bouillabaisse sauce. As described in the previous passage, the progression made sense from the salad to the buttery fish. The best part was the sauce as it had a rich aroma from the shellfish and depth from the reduction. It was more than enough to flavour the dish in terms of taste and smell. Loved the extra hit of aroma in the saffron with the nicely textured grits. Beans were perfect being vibrant and crunchy.
We ended off with the perfect Summer dessert in the Peach & Berry Dacqoise with hazelnut meringue and Chantilly cream. Other than the fresh fruit, the best part of the dessert was the meringue as it was airy, crispy and light. Not too sweet either and of course a bit nutty. The cream wasn't too sweet as well, instead letting the fruit do the heavy-lifting. Overall, I really enjoyed the meal as it was not fussy while well-prepared. I went away full and satisfied. Chef Kristian is planning to bring this back into Vancouver and of course, he can be booked for catering dinners too.
*Dinner was complimentary*
The Good:
- Well-prepared
- Well-portioned
- Lovely setting
The Bad:
- Well, it is in Squamish, but make a day of it
Dine OutSide Vancouver @ The Rise Eatery
Now I'm sure you have heard about Dine Out Vancouver where some of the best restaurants in town offer up special multi-course meals at fixed prices. That usually occurs during the slower month of January into early February. With Covid-19 and the accompanying fears of dining inside a restaurant, we now find Dine OutSide Vancouver where restaurants are offering multi-course meals that are served not only inside, but outside and to go. I was invited to try the menu at The Rise Eatery along with Jacqueline outside on their patio behind the restaurant. It truly is a hidden slice of peace and quiet to enjoy the food and sunshine.
Before we got to the food, we tried a few cocktails first including the popular Lolliwood North featuring Bench 1775 sauvignon blanc, lychee liquor, elderflower soda, cranberry & orange-mango popsicle. This was refreshing, especially for a hot day. Crisp and clean with various fruity notes, the cocktail was so easy to drink. Presented in a beautiful green hue, The Green Light consisted of white rum, matcha, ginger ale, lime, vanilla, celery bitters and vegan foam. As much as this appeared to be matcha-forward, it really wasn't. Rather, it was light, and the matcha was subtle. No bitterness or aftertaste.
For our appies, we started with the Chicken Seoul Good with KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), wild mushroom cream, truffle oil and grated parm. We've had this before and it didn't disappoint. The nuggets of dark meat were tender and juicy with a firmly crisp rice flour coating (hence gluten-free). As much as the mushroom cream appeared to be heavy, there wasn't too much and the lemon really brightened things up. I liked how they were conservative with the truffle oil as it can often be overpowering.
Visually-appealing, the Lo Hay Salad Vegan Edition sported julienned cucumber, daikon, carrot, pickled ginger, onion, tomato and taro crisps with arugula, crisp vermicelli, toasted sesame and peanuts dressed in a apricot and beet vinaigrette. Light and refreshing for a Summer's evening, this salad had plenty of textures going on and the brightness of the veggies. Strikingly red, the vinaigrette was mildly sweet with good acidity and a bit of earthiness. I enjoyed this very much.
Of course a visit to The Rise isn't complete without their famed Uni-versal Pasta XO Edition ($8.00 upcharge if you pick this for the set menu). I consider this one of the real gems in Vancouver where it is as delicious as it is strikingly beautiful. A combination of squid ink pasta, sea urchin cream, free run egg yolk, house XO sauce, sautéed prawns, flying fish roe and toasted seaweed, there is umaminess, taste of the sea, silky textures and the meaty snap of the prawns. One of my favourite dishes in Vancouver without a doubt.
Our other main was the Fryday Meat-up featuring a medium-rare 5 oz. Flat Iron Steak, miso gravy, togarashi compound butter, frites and spicy vegetable jardinère. Once again, this was a creative use of Asian ingredients that worked with what was essentially steak frites. Beyond the tender and well-prepared steak, the compound butter was creamy and slightly spicy with umaminess. Loved the pickled veggies as they were crunchy and offered up an appetizing zing. Rich and thick, the miso gravy was a good accompaniment to the crispy fries.
I'm not a huge fan of lavender, but the Inside Scoop was fantastic. It was basically mochi ice cream with passionfruit ice cream in the middle. Dried lavender was sprinkled on top. So yes, I did get the lavender notes, but it was completely balanced off by the tangy and sweet ice cream. Even though it looked really cold, the mochi on the outside was soft and thin. Loved the colour of the dish.
The other dessert was the Boba Coma with tea tres leches, brown sugar tapioca pearls, crème anglaise, crema, brown butter crumble and warm caramel. Hidden inside the soft and lightly sweet tres leche cake were tender boba that were just sweet enough. I liked the crumble as it added more buttery sweetness as well as crunch. This was right up my alley as it looked sweet, but it really wasn't over-the-top. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and personally, I've never had a bad meal at The Rise. They are offering a worthy menu for Dine OutSide Vancouver for $35.00. It is available from August 21st to September 21st, 2020.
*All food and beverages were complimentary
The Good:
- When fusion is done right
- Vegan and gluten-free options
- Cute little patio
The Bad:
- Too bad the Uni-versal Pasta is an upcharge (but I get it, higher food costs for that dish)
Feed Your Flock at Douce Diner
Potluck Hawker Eatery
cucumber, cherry tomatoes & shrimp lightly pickled in fresh lime juice, fish sauce, chili and dried shrimp powder. Depending on whether I got a slice of bird's eye chili or not, the impact varied. Without it, the flavours were mild. If I did get a chili, it was fairly potent and impactful. Maybe a bit more lime juice and even more chilis would've been a good addition. Otherwise, it was fine with crunchy fresh cucumber and delicate shrimp with a sweet snap.