Elem

Yes, here we are with another visit to Elem.  It was a long time coming because it was supposed to be in May.  It was for my mother's birthday, but she got sick and we had to postpone it to June.  This would be the first time that she and my kids got to try Elem.  Moreover, I haven't been to Elem since they made Canada's 100 Best Restaurants list.  Congrats to them and I know they are working hard to be better every day.  I think this is my 6th visit?

Like every other meal we've had here, it all starts with their Rye Bread with butter.  This time, it was black garlic butter and there was definitely the sweet umaminess combined with the usual creaminess.  Love the bread here, so soft and fluffy but having a chew to them as well.  Next, we had the Glorious Organics Salad with magnolia vinaigrette, radish and toasted nuts.  I'm not much of a salad person, but this was a good way to get some fresh and crisp greens into the meal while having some really apparent texture with the crunchy nuts.

One of the daily features was the Morels stuffed with spot prawn mousse in a lemon garlic mouseline sauce with morel broth.  As you can imagine, the morels were at the forefront of this dish and there was intense umaminess.  Texturally, each morel had the classic sponginess giving way to a delicate, sweet and bouncy filling.  The sauce was also spiked with morel woodsiness and had plenty of aromatics and creaminess.

Okay, what can I say about the Dungeness Crab Toast that I haven't already stated?  I've had this every meal at Elem and it never disappoints.  Of course, this time was no different.  The ample amount of fluffy and sweet crab sat atop milk bread surrounded by lemongrass ginger foam.  There was a good contrast of texture between the crab and the crispy toast.  Moreover, the light airiness of the sauce matched well with the crab. Naturally, the SE Asian flavours of the sauce make the dish with the aromatic brightness of lemongrass.

We also had the Carrots and the Grilled Lamb Skewers where I was elated to to have the latter.  You see, most people I dine with do not like lamb.  However, the lamb skewers here at Elem are fantastic.  With a good mix of meat and fat, the skewers were succulent and tender.  They were nicely paired with the thick and tangy labneh and sweet date glaze.  Nice crunch from the buckwheat on top.  As for the carrots, they were sweet and earthy while atop whipped miso tofu.  This was good, but I probably would not order them again.

This time with the fam, I didn't go too extreme with the cocktails and only had two of them.  Both were on the "Fifth Dimension" supplemental menu.  The first was the Black Sesame Whiskey Sour with peanut butter washed Shelter Point whiskey, black sesame paste and egg whites.  Definitely aromatic and nutty with the hit of lemon to keep things bright.  The other was the Wild Rose Daiquiri with earl grey rum, wild rose cordial, lime and curry leaf oil.  This was the stronger of the two, yet at the same time, went down easy.  This was partly due to the sweetness offered up by the cordial.  At the same time, there was some tang form the lime and earthiness of the curry leaf oil.  If I had to choose between the two, I would take the latter.

It seems like every culture has a version of fried chicken, so why not have Indian Fried Chicken?  This version featured large thigh pieces that were coated in a crispy, but light batter.  Inside, the meat was juicy and super tender.  Underneath, we found a butter chicken sauce which was well-balanced with a touch of spice.  I found it creamy, but not heavy while having a muted tanginess.  Topping it off, we found a few blistered shishitos.

I'm glad they kept the Roasted Brussels Sprouts on the menu because as simple as it may seem, the dish is delicious.  Firm, but cooked through, the sprouts were tender and nicely roasted.  The pops of sweetness was provided by the sultana raisins while there was some balancing acidity from the pear agrodulce.  As per usual, we also added the Barbecue Chicken Fried Rice topped with a sunny side egg.  Beyond the chewy texture of the rice and the nutty caramelization, there was tang and spice from the house kimchi.  Yet, the proverbial cherry on top was the chili crunch on the side.  This made the rice with nuttiness, crunch, smokiness and a bit of spice. 

For our pasta dish, we had the stunning Short Rib Scarpinocc beautifully plated with fresh spring peas and pickled rhubarb.  This sat in a lightly creamy beurre blanc sauce that was not heavy with perfect balance of sweetness with a touch of acidity.  The sweet peas added bursts of flavour while the rhubard provided extra tanginess and a bit of crunch.  The pasta itself was appealingly firm with tender and intensely savoury short rib.

Moving onto our meat course, we had the Dry-Aged Duck.  This consisted of a succulent duck breast which was cooked perfectly as well as duck leg with fall-apart meat.  Both featured rendered skin which were glazed with sweet prunes.  Underneath, we found a duck jus that was full of umami and sweetness.  Also on the plate, we found a braised shallot that was finished off some broiling.  It provided even more sweetness to the dish.

We ended up with some desserts including the Nemesis Cake and Popcorn.  I've had both of these before and that cake was fantastic.  This time around, it was just like I remembered.  It was rich and creamy with the slight bitterness of dark chocolate at the forefront with mild sweetness.  The vanilla miso ice cream on the side added some saltiness while the tarragon wafer provided crunch and subtle licorice vibes.  A nicely balanced and composed dessert.  As for the popcorn, it is a whimsical dessert, where it really did taste like aromatic sweet popcorn.  Totally intentional because it is supposed to emulate the flavours of Chicago mix.  So therefore, that is why we found cheddar on top while sitting on a corn mousse & foam with caramel sauce.  Very light and airy dessert that wasn't too heavy.

Our third dessert was a new one back when we had it in June.  The Piña Colada  Baba au Rum Cake was quite balanced.  I've had rum cake before that it was so strong, I could barely eat it.  This had a hint of it where the soaked cake was moist and semi-sweet.  We found some chewy pineapple bits that added concentrated sweetness and texture.  Tangy black lime crema offered up some tangy bitterness.  Lastly, there was some pandan coconut ice cream which was floral and purposefully sweet.  Along with the bill, we had one more small bite in the White Chocolate with lemon zest.  These were creamy and of course sweet, yet not as much as I would've expected from white chocolate.  So there we are, another delicious meal at Elem with a few new dishes that go off in different directions.  That is the concept with Elem as there are influences from around the world (both food and beverages) in a metropolitan space with Michelin-worthy service.

The Good:

- Thoughtfully-conceptualized dishes

- Good ambiance as per usual

- Great service as per usual

The Bad:

- The bill can get up there, but nothing is inexpensive these days

Elem

Here is another double-post on Elem, where it was my 4th and 5th visits respectively.  I bet you can tell I really enjoy the place and am willing to spend my hard-earned money on their delicious and carefully-crafted eats.  I truly believe the team of Vish, Winnie, Hasib and all the great people in the kitchen and front-of-the-house are doing all the right things to put Elem in the running for both a Michelin-Star and to be included in Canada's Top 100 restaurants.  So without further ado, I will talk about all the plates I had in both meals!

Of course I start off every meal at Elem with their wonderful Bread & Butter featuring their rye Parker rolls.  For the first meal, the butter was citrus fennel pollen.  The second was a koji butter with chives.  As usual, the warm rolls were slightly crispy on the outside while soft and fluffy on the inside.  They were lightly sweet while the butter added an aromatic creaminess.  If I had to choose, the koji butter really did it for me since it was lightly tangy and plenty bright from the chives.

Winnie and I had a convo last time I was here where we expressed our common love for corn.  Hence, she surprised me with a Elote cocktail.  It consisted of grilled corn tequila reposado, corn-honey-cilantro-cumin syrup, chipotle chili, lactose-free cream, fresh lime and shaved cojita cheese.  This was rather creamy and sweet with a hint of spice and earthiness.  The cheese on top really added depth and an extra layer of savouriness.  I want this again!  Staying with the classics, we also had the Jakarta, which is the most fruity and lightest of all the cocktails on the menu.

Onto what I consider their signature dish - the Dungeness Crab Toast.  This house made milk bread was toasted and then set in a lemongrass ginger crab foam.  As you can see, they also are not shy about laying on the fluffy dungeness crab on top of the toast.  Every component in this dish served a purpose and they worked harmoniously together.  Aromatic and full of sweet brininess, the foam helped bring out even more of the natural crab flavour.  The toast had a nice sturdiness to it, so it did not get soggy from the foam.  The crispiness was a nice textural contrast.

It all started with the duck fried rice, then transitioned to the Shrimp Fried Rice and finally to the BBQ Chicken Fried Rice.  They all shared similar traits such as the chewy and nutty rice that was the beneficiary of high heat and aromatic oils.  They all came with the addictive chili crunch that added both texture and spice to the dish.  With the herbs, it helped the rice gain some brightness and balance out the heaviness of the oil.  With the shrimp, they were meaty with a sweet snap while the chicken was nicely seared from the stir-fry.  On top of the chicken fried rice, we found a fried egg that added a custardy texture to the rice.

So for our most recent visit, we had two cocktails to start including the Salsa Verde and the Mexican Coca-Cola.  With a beautiful spiciness balanced off by sweetness, the Salsa Verde benefits from the pear cordial and lime.  These offer up brightness to counter the strength of the mezcal and tequila.  As for the Mexican Coca-Cola, don't let the name fool you into thinking this was so weak drink.  Rather, it had some real bite from the mezcal and tequila.  Some Coca Cola syrup provided the background essence of the drink.

A dish that is not currently offered, but has stuck in my mind was the Mackeral with pickled ramps cream sauce.  This was ever-so-simple with super-fresh mackeral (like flown in the day of) that was salted and seared until the skin was super crispy.  It remained rare and was perfectly deboned.  Each piece had the freshness of the sea with natural sweetness accented by sake. The sauce was mild and added some tanginess.

Still on the menu, the Buckwheat Spaghetti was a robust and hearty dish.  I felt the texture of the spaghetti was perfectly al dente while being firmer than its wheat flour version.  The generous amount of duck ragu was meaty with equal parts umami and sweetness.  This was accented by the kombu, pickled ramps and sake where there was acidity and added sweetness from the sake.  As mentioned, this was pretty hearty, which would be paired well with a refreshing beverage.

On that note, two of the more refreshing cocktails are the Seoul and Tokyo.  Both from the Lightness part of the cocktail menu, they helped cut the heaviness of the pasta.  For the Seoul, it had some kick due to the gochujang, but also sweetness from the grapefruit soda.  In typical Korean fashion, we found some sesame oil for that unmistakable aroma.  As for the Tokyo, it had all the colour from the matcha, but in reality, the banana came through with sweet aroma.  But then some curious saltiness comes through too.  A soft ice cream mochi on the side was great too.

We had two off-menu items that were similar, yet remarkable different as well.  The first was the Argentinian Prawn Risotto with mushroom XO sauce and scallion oil.  Absolutely adored this dish as the rice itself was al dente, bordering on hard, but wasn't.  This was a flavour bomb with sweet and briny hits of Argentinian prawn shells cooked down into the broth.  The XO sauce provided an umami tang that helped bring the dish alive.  As for the other risotto, it was a Snow Crab Risotto with New Brunswick Acadian Caviar and scallion oil.  This was much more subtle with the sweet saltiness of crab.  The caviar wasn't just there for decadence's sake.  Rather, the pops of briny saltiness only provided another layer of flavour.  The generous amount of snow crab leg meat was buttery and soft while naturally sweet.

At first, I was thinking that the Octopus was a bit too chewy for my liking.  But as I ate more of the dish, I started to understand it more.  Sure, it was not exactly super soft, but that wasn't the point of the dish.  Instead, the extra chewing involved allowed the flavours to be more pronounced.  The red zhoug afforded heat, sweetness and some smokiness to the dish.  The topping of tomato chili salsa added brightness and freshness.  The side of cuttlefish ink aioli helped cool things down nicely.

We ended up with a few vegetable dishes off the menu including the Roasted Brussels Sprouts and the Cauliflower.  Really enjoyed the sprouts as they were cooked just enough so that they retained some crunch.  There was also some lightly blanched leaves on top for colour and a different texture.  What really made this dish was the sultana raisins as they added an intense sweetness.  That was further aided by the pear agrodolce with more sweetness and balanced off with tanginess.  As for the cauliflower, it was beautifully plated with fasoulia, crispy chickpeas and saffron tahini.  Nutty and seasoned, the cauliflower was still firm while cooked through.  It sat atop a bean stew that had some slight sweetness while the saffron tahini was aromatic and nutty.  The crunch from the chickpeas was an appealing addition.

Onto some heavier meat dishes, we had the Korean Braised Shortrib with gochujang glaze, bak choy condiment and shaved pear.  The large pieces of deboned shortrib were fall apart tender and moist.  I felt that the gochujang was evident with mild spice and tanginess but the dish could've used a bit more salt.  Loved the subtle addition of shaved Asian pear as it provided freshness and the classic mild floral sweetness.

We ended off the savoury dishes with the AAA Bone-in Striploin with some side condiments.  The steak itself was prepared a perfect medium-rare where it was well-rested.  Hence, the meat was juicy while not exhibiting any moisture on the plate.  The steak itself was well-charred and salted.  However, we found some tangy and salty castelvetrano salsa verde, a silky and earthy rosemary jus and pickled mushrooms.  The mushrooms acted as a palate cleanser in between bites of the steak.

 

Onto the sweets, we had a playful creation in the Popcorn consisting of cheddar cake, caramel sauce, corn mousse & foam and aged cheddar.  So yes, this was savoury and sweet as well as cheesy.  The popcorn aroma did come through while the cheese made this dessert in my opinion.  The added salt and nuttiness created loads of umami.  Something familiar to me, the Sticky Toffee Pudding was like a warm hug with rich winter spices., this was not super sweet like the classic rendition, rather it offered depth and smokiness.  The peppercorn and white chocolate crema provided the necessary moisture to soften up the slightly firm pudding.

 

One of the best desserts I've had at Elem was the Koji Banana Bread with toasted meringue, pear sorbet and toasted hazelnuts.  Completely caramelized and crispy, the outside of the banana bread was smoky and sweet.  Beyond that, the bread was soft and moist with the sweet aroma of ripe bananas.  Good choice of the pear sorbet as it complimented the dish without taking over.  We also had the Nemesis Cake with miso vanilla ice cream, tarragon wafer and pine nuts.  This flourless cake was creamy and ganache-like.  Modestly sweet, the dark chocolate vibes came through with a bit of bitterness.  Nice crunch from the wafer and the fermented saltiness of the ice cream acted like flakes of salt with the cake.  Yes, this basically covers most of the menu and naturally, some dishes stand out more than others.  That goes for any menu especially when we are dealing with subjective tastes.  As a whole, the food delivers and there is a concentrated effort going on to be one of the best in the country.  As I've said, they are well on the road to accomplish that.

 

The Good:

- Vish knows when to be bold and when to dial it back when it comes the flavours

- Winnie dares to be a mad scientist with her cocktails

- Hasib and the restaurant team make every experience memorable

 

The Bad:

- As with any sharing plate restaurant, prices can get up there if you aren't careful, I'm not careful...

 

Elem

The fine dining scene in Vancouver is ever-changing and slowly catching up to the rest of the world.  You can't really compare with places that have lower operating costs, so in Vancouver, it is always a challenge to invest so much in decor.  One of the newest spots, Elem on Main, takes you to New York with its modern, yet simple design.  Top Chef alum Chef Vish Mayekar is at the helm and offers up a global menu that incorporates sustainability.  My visit here was only 5 days into their full operations, so keep that in mind when reading this blog post.

Now food is one thing, but their cocktail program run by Beverage Director Winnie Sun receives equal billing at Elem with a beautiful and spacious bar that conveniently faces the kitchen from the other side of the restaurant.  There are 4 distinct sections to the restaurant that represent the elements including Earth, Water, Air and Fire.  They have a commitment to no-waste as all the trimmings go into the mother stock and any other scraps goes into fermentation. Even the copper that frames the kitchen will change organically over time.  

We began out meal with some Prosecco with elderflower, peppercorn and cardamom.  This was served with a side of Winnie's Szechuan Peanuts.  As for our first round of cocktails, we had the Best Tacos Pepe and Butternut Squash first.  Topped with candy lego bricks, the BTP was smooth with an almost vanilla finish (from the evaporated & condensed milk).  As for the second cocktail, it was a take on an old-fashioned with smokiness and the mysterious woodsiness of the shiitake mushrooms.

To start our dinner, we had the Bread & Butter featuring brioche Parker rolls with truffle honey butter.  Elevating this even further was the addition of fresh shaved black truffles.  These buns were soft and fluffy but still had a bit of density.  The truffle was impactful while not being overwhelming.  We went for 2 more cocktails during this time in the Mango Rasmalai and Mumbai Biryani.  Wow, that mango rasmalai was so delicious.  I could've easily downed this in gulp.  By virtue of it being gin-based, it was a bit light to begin with and with the addition of fresh mango, cardamom and clarified saffron milk, it went down real easy.  Some saffron white chocolate paint on the side provided some sweet aromatics.  As for the Mumbai biryani, this really did drink like a meal.  Furthermore, the spiced tequila made this a stronger drink.  This consisted of lacto-fermented grape, kewra, rosewater, salted ghee-caramel foam and fried onion.  If you can imagine, this made for a spice-laced concoction that had some real savoury elements.

Taking elements of Indian cuisine with the classic Behl Puri, we find the Yellowfin Tuna Behl served with semolina crackers.  This really did have all of the elements of the dish with cilantro mint chutney, puffed rice, onions and tomato.  However with the addition of tuna and avocado, it made the whole thing more hearty and gave it some ceviche vibes.  In fact, the whole thing was possibly too acidic for some (okay for me personally), which totally made for a bright and ceviche-type experience, especially with the light and crispy crackers.

Loaded with fluffy crab on top, the Dungeness Crab Toast was a real hit.  It sat in a lemongrass ginger foam that had not only SE Asian aromatics, the essence of crab shells was prominent.  The well-toasted milk bread had enough integrity to stand up to the sauce, yet at the same time, not be too firm that it would overwhelm the delicate texture of the crab meat.  About that crab, it was naturally sweet and barely cooked through.  The contrast in textures between the crab and toast was perfect.

One of our favourite dishes was the Grilled Lamb Skewers in a medjool date glaze.  The caramelization and char were evident visually and totally confirmed tastewise.  The flavours were super intense with a nutty sweetness.  The lamb belly was super fatty and totally melted in our mouths.  As gamy as lamb can be, especially with so much fat, this was quite mild due to the perfect char and seasoning. The sweetness was balanced off well by the ginger labneh underneath and the pickles on top.  The crunch from the buckwheat added the necessary texture as well.

The hits kept coming with the beautifully-plated Squash Caramelle.  These precious little pasta pockets shaped like candy wrappers featured the ideal texture for freshly-made pasta.  It was firm and chewy while still giving way to the soft and sweet squash filling.  Love the fall flavours including the background nutmeg.  The miso buerre blanc was rich and smooth while not being too heavy.  It had the classic fermented saltiness of miso complimented by the sweetness of the squash.  We also found chanterelles and pumpkin seeds finishing off the dish.

The other pasta on the menu was equally fantastic in the Rabbit and Chestnut Cavatelli.  First and foremost, the pasta was next level (just like the previous dish) where it had a firm resistance upon first chew, but then transitioned to a pleasant denseness inside.  The ridges on the pasta held the white sauce well and we could taste the sweetness of the rabbit.  Normally, the lean meat can be dry, but it wasn't the case here.  So tender and well-incorporated into the sauce.  Little nuggets of chestnut and thin slices of matsutake mushrooms added texture and mushroominess to the dish.  To top it off, aged toma added nuttiness and tang to the pasta.

As if the pastas weren't blowing us away already, but the Honey Mussels Curry was so on point.  First of all, the use of honey mussels was already a bonus as they are some of the most plump mussels available.  Unlike Kiwi mussels, honey mussels are delicate and more flavourful.  This was further enhanced by the tomato-based curry which was spiked by the tanginess of tamarind and sweetness from all the cooked down onions.  The addition of crispy rice balls provided not only texture, it also helped soak up the delicious curry.

Probably the best dish we had all night was the Duck Fried Rice.  The aroma and umaminess emanating from this dish was intoxicating.  We had the duck fat really coming through with a luxurious silkiness while the caramelization of the rice added to the nuttiness already present.  Some chili crunch added texture and spice while the house-made kimchi provided acidity and another layer of spice.  To top it off literally and figuratively, we found fresh mint and cilantro to give the dish some brightness. 

We finally made it to a vegetable dish in the Barbecued Carrots with mandarin kosho, smoked yogurt and bubu arare.  I found this dish to be just alright.  The carrots were a bit too firm but not hard.  There was a natural sweetness to them which was contrasted by the sourness of the kosho.  Underneath, the smoked yogurt was pleasant and not overwhelming.  The addition of rice crackers provided that crunch that was needed in the dish.

Onto more cocktails, we had Chef's Negroni and Duck Fried Rice.  Consisting of dark chocolate gin, spent mulberry campari, Stoney Paradise tomato vine vermouth and applewood + cedar smoke, this was rich and smoky.  Definitely a full-bodied drink with lots of strong flavours.  As for the duck fried rice, it was mirroring the menu dish in some ways.  With duck fat washed gin, we could definitely get the essence of duck, while the kimchi maraschino provided a tangy sweet spice. The rice milk gave a lightly milky nuttiness and the thyme provided some earthiness.   Something a bit more refreshing, the Tokyo featured matcha vodka, banana, shiro shoyu, tonic water and a side of yuzu mochi.  The brightness of the tonic water hit me first then the bitterness of the matcha vodka next.  Mid drink, I got the essence of real banana while the shiro shoyu came at the end in the mildest manner.

Onto the showstopper main dish in the Loong Kong Chicken with a maple espresso glaze and farm side vegetables.  This free-range chicken with everything attached (including the foot) was lean and appealingly chewy.  It was still moist and tender though with properly rendered skin.  The chicken was well-seasoned with the glaze being sweet and savoury with a hint of bitterness.  The buttery sunchoke puree added some moisture and an extra layer of nuttiness to the dish.  The side of veggies were bordering on salty, but was just right adding more flavour to the dish.

So dining with Mijune means we have to get all of the desserts...  Yes we did...  The first was the Banana Ice Cream cradled in a mochi donut with buckwheat granola and toffee sauce.  Loved the creaminess of the ice cream and the aromatics of real banana.  The donut was perfect with a crunchy exterior and a chewy interior.  Next, the Masala Chai Kulfi was presented as a popsicle.  I definitely got the earthy spices combined with the black tea as well as the sweetness.  This was accented by the some crunchy and sweet pistachio brittle as well as the creamy and light brioche Chantilly.  Some spruce oil finished the dish adding a bright woodiness.

Our last 2 desserts consisted of the Japanese Pudding and the Sweet Potato Churro.  Oh that pudding was so perfect.  Super smooth and creamy with a consistent texture.  It was lightly sweet with burnt caramel notes.  A little addition of Vecchio Amaro tableside provided some bitter-sweetness.  Lastly, the churro was crispy and intensely sweet.  It was topped with some sticky quince marmalade and cereal crumb.  The miso vanilla ice cream afforded some rich salty sweetness.

We ended off with one more cocktail in the Build Your Own Chai featuring Elem chai liqueur and tea biscuit milk.  We could adjust the mix to our own preference and that we did with more milk!  This was aromatic and creamy with a touch of booziness.  Nice finish to our dinner.  In fact, we actually ended off the meal with some Dark Chocolates.  Oh and what a meal it was!  The food was so on point and especially impressive since this was only the 5th day of operation!   Such a beautiful room (or rooms) with Chef Vish Mayekar's finely crafted global cuisine complimented by inventive cocktails by Winnie Sun.  I'm planning to come back.  In fact, I've got reservations already!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Genuinely delicious food

- Stunning room

- Such creative cocktails

The Bad:

- Cocktails and food are competing against each other sometimes