Gary's Restaurant

Gary's Restaurant has been on my radar for a little while and it was also on my "to dine at" list.  I did suggest to some friends that this was an option for our dinners, but there were no takers.  However, Jo messaged me out-of-the-blue to meet up for eats and suggested Gary's!  Well, what a nice coincidence!  I mean, it is also great to meet up with Jo as I haven't seen her in quite some time, but it was also even better that we got to hit up a place I wanted to go to!

This cozy little spot on 12th at Granville has great lighting due to the large windows in front.  We looked over the menu and decided to order a la carte rather than the tasting.  As much as the tasting seemed appealing, we wanted to choose our preferred dishes.  It all began with the Rye Rolls with an herb butter.  I found the rolls to be fairly fluffy with some chew to them.   The salt on top really added a flavourful crunch.  Loved the butter as it was whipped until airy.

Onto the actual plates, we had the Kanpachi Crudo with strawberries, sumac vinaigrette and shoyu.  As for the slices of kanpachi, they were fresh-tasting and looked the part too.  There was the usual natural sweetness and the essence of the sea.  I'm usually not keen on fruit and fish, but the strawberries were sweet and didn't clash.  I found the sumac vinaigrette a bit earthy and maybe lacking in enough acidity to really make an impact.  The restrained use of the soy ensured that the fish maintained its starring role.

Next, we had the Raw Beef with king james blue, chicory and house-made potato chips.  First and foremost, the diced beef was buttery and didn't require much chewing.  It was visually-appealing and tasted fresh.  With intermittent pops of nutty saltiness, the stilton also added body and creaminess to the tartare.  There was some crunch from the chicories but overall, the whole mixture was pretty soft.  Seasoning was mild with a good balance of salty, sweet and tang.  Loved the potato chips as they were thin and crispy.

For the larger plates, we had the Ling Cod with Argentinian prawns and cherry tomatoes in a Calabrian chili butter sauce.  As evidenced in the picture, the cod filet was beautifully seared with crispy portions.  Inside, the fish was moist and flaky with some butteriness.  It was also well-seasoned and tasted great on its own.  However, that silky sauce had a spicy nuttiness to it and was well-suited for the fish.  It was not too strong, but also had impact at the same time.  Those prawns were perfectly cooked with a delicate meatiness that was aromatic.

The most filling dish was the Pork Collar with parsley sauce, grilled onion and Swiss chard.  Fatty with its classic rebound meatiness, the pork collar was nicely brined.  It was had an inherently full-flavoured taste to it while not being salty.  The meat was tender, but maintained a bite.  I found the parsley sauce to be creamy and bright.  The veggies were cooked perfectly where they were wilted, but still had lots of texture left.

For dessert, we had the Paris-Brest with lemon verbena cream, strawberry and chantilly.  Texturally, the choux pastry was crispy on the outside and fairly light on the inside.  I found the chantilly to be a bit melty, but it was still light and creamy.  The lemon cream was mildly-flavoured while the strawberry was sweet.  Overall, it was a pleasant meal at Gary's with properly-prepared proteins and focused flavours.  I would be open to a return visit one day!

The Good:
- Properly-prepared proteins
- Nice flavours
- Great service

The Bad:
- Seating is a bit tight for tables of 2

 

Good Thief

I'm sure you are familiar with the story of Anh & Chi located on Main near 18th.  You know, where Pho Hoang used to be located, but the kids took over and modernized the whole outfit.  They have become hugely successful and was even awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation in 2022.  Now they are launching Good Thief right next door that focuses on cocktails with a menu that is modern and of course Vietnamese-inspired.  I recently visited the place with Roanna.

We began with the Crudo featuring BC side stripe prawns, clarified tamarind, pomelo, mango, almonds and ngò ôm.  This was neatly plated with a good amount of buttery soft prawns.  We felt the temperature could've been just a tad colder, but in the end, the dish was still delicious.  Beyond the natural sweetness of the prawns, the combination of Asian ingredients offered up plenty of brightness and tanginess.  Almonds added the necessary texture to the otherwise soft dish.

For our next dish, we went for one of the features - the Oxtail & Chanterelle Dumplings served with Thai dip.  These little precious pockets featured a dumpling skin which was thin and crispy.  It was cooked all-the-way-through without losing its elasticity.  Inside, the filling was a bit lacking in texture as it was soft and runny.  It was meaty-tasting with the unmistakable mushroom taste of the chanterelles.  As for the dip, it had a noticeable kick with sweetness.

We had 2 more small dishes in the Beets and the Pomme Frites.  As for the beets, they were dressed with blood orange, rice patty herb and chili salt.  We thought this dish was quite good where the beets were tender with a sweet earthiness.  There was a good combination of sweetness, tanginess and only the slightest amount of spice.  The big and thick fries had a considerable firm potato texture with a slightly crispy exterior.  Considering they fried them multiple times, they weren't as crispy as they appeared.  However, I still enjoyed eating them since I love natural potato texture.  The side of Thai green chili aioli was creamy and aromatic with only a mild spiciness.

Onto the mains, we had the the Oxtail which featured meat removed off the bone, encased in caul fat and then braised.  The result was a kind of pulled oxtail that was tender, yet didn't give up its classic meatiness.  With the rendered fat from the oxtail, there was a natural umaminess to the dish, but the pho demi glace really brought the dish together.  So much depth, so silky and and classic warm flavours from the spices.  This came with a confit daikon which was firm but tender, yet also added to the pho demi glace experience with its sweetness.  Also on the plate was soft carrots with a sweet carrot puree.

Moving away from the richness of the oxtail, we had the Halibut hidden underneath hakurei turnip and shaved fennel.  The whole dish was finished tableside with a dill and turmeric soubise.  I found the halibut itself fresh and cooked beautifully.  It was classic halibut firm, but was still delicate in its own way and flaky.  The soubise was vibrant, earthy and herbaceous.  Loved the crunch from the turnip and fennel as well as the addition of fresh dill to further amp the flavours.

It was decided that we would order the Ribeye with charred broccolini despite the fact we had already piled on the proteins.  In actuality, we were deciding between that and pork chop feature (which we ended up getting anyways).  Sliced into 3 large pieces, the ribeye was generally medium-rare.  I thought it was pretty tender and had great natural flavour.  The jus underneath was subtle with depth-of-flavour which was meaty and complimentary.

Now for the Snake Rivers Pork Chop, it was beautifully prepared being fully cooked but still having noticeable juiciness.  Hence, the meat was tender and not dry at all, the pork hock demi glace was silky and gelatinous.  It adhered to each piece of pork lovingly and was savoury and full of umaminess.  Underneath, we found a mix of fresh corn, chanterelles and Swiss chard.  We thought this was the better than the ribeye, yet it wasn't as if the ribeye wasn't good though.

For dessert, we tried both options including the White Negroni consisting of calamansi sorbet atop spruce granita and fermented plum while finished off with green tea cherry soda.  As expected, the calamansi offered up a burst of sourness ending off with bitterness.  However, this was balanced off with  the sweetness of the soda and the granita.  Very refreshing and acted like a palate cleanser.  You could eat this between the small bites and the big bites!

Lastly, we had the Mung Bean atop almondine cake.  It was topped with condensed milk ice cream and mung bean crema.  Yes, this dessert was unmistakable mung bean with the density of the mashed beans being present.  It was lightly sweet and the soaked almondine cake underneath had a similar texture to the mung bean.  This was a rather sweet dessert due to the addition of the condensed milk ice cream.  I think you might want to have both desserts if you want some balance (or just choose the White Negroni).

Onto the cocktails, we had the Lặp đi Lặp Lại and Pom Pom Punch for our first round of drinks.  I found the Lặp đi Lặp Lại to be rather refreshing with its mix of fino sherry, Italian dry vermouth, Good Thief shiso mountain honey liqueur, mango cordial, Wasted Citrus Shrub and sparkling sake.  Definitely a dangerous drink but easy going down.  The Pom Pom Punch also had some refreshing vibes but a nice twist at the end with a definite rice finish.  It consisted of pandan & vanilla Don Julio reposado, Parnubes Oaxacan rum, spiced pomelo, fresh lime, salted roselle and rice milk.

Our second round found us going for the Good Leaf with mint-washed Bacardi Superior, lime leaf Mulita Pisco Distillate, passionfruit cordial, lime juice and Champagne.  I definitely got the fruitiness to begin and then the champagne, but as it was starting to get floral, it took a left turn when I was expecting a right turn.  It went strong herbaceous and it was probably due to the lime leaf distillate and/or the mint-washed rum.  In a beautiful hue of purple, the Han Noi Nights featured lemongrass Aviation Gin, cacao butter bitter bianco, rectified mangosteen, lychee jasmine, maldon salt, chilli and ube foam.  This was definitely tart and floral as it was described on the menu, but we really wanted to see a strong ube flavour.  Overall, our experience at Good Thief was good.  The cocktails were interesting and tasty while the food had some real highlights. 

The Good:
- Tasty cocktails
- Well-prepared proteins
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- A bit pricey
- Some further refinements with a few items

Ju

Black Rice Izakaya used to be one of my favourite little hidden gems.  It consistently put out fresh sushi & sashimi as well as creative dishes for a fair price (especially given it was in Downtown).  However, they always got unfairly criticized for being a Korean-run Japanese Izakaya.  Let me make this very clear: food is food and if it is good, it doesn't matter who makes it.  By judging who makes it is prejudice in my books.  Well, Black Rice is only a memory now and the same people have brought a new concept in Ju.  Consider it Westcoast/French cuisine with Korean influences.  We visited the place for a menu tasting recently.

To start things off, we had a selection of 4 Canapés including Angus Bulgogi Toast, Yuk-Hwei, Poached Oyster and Botan Ebi.  These beautiful little bites were so precious, I didn't want to eat them.  But really, I did eat them and my favourite was the botan ebi with horseradish mayo on brioche.  It was buttery soft with a slight sweet snap.  The yuk-hwei featured CAB tartare with doen-jang powder, miso aioli and aged gan-jang.  Beyond the buttery morsels of beef, the fermented soybeans came through with a rich savouriness.  I found the bulgogi to be super tender and seasoned just enough that it was neither too salty nor too sweet.  Lastly, the poached oyster was buttery and creamy with an aromatic garlic mushroom sauce and a crunchy togarashi crumble.

We moved onto the actual appetizers next with the Crudo featuring shima-aji, hibiscus sauce, soy gel, orange gel, grapefruit gel and avocado puree.  The slices of fish were supremely fresh with a bright essence and on point texture.  Buttery with a slight snap texture, the shima-aji was sweet and had the aroma of the sea.  It was complimented beautifully by the hibiscus that was fruity and a bit tangy.  Combined with the different gels, we found some sweetness that didn't overshadow the fish.

Stunningly plated, the Hokkaido Scallops were nicely seared while still being buttery soft and sweet.  Underneath, we found cauliflower puree and a yellow pepper puree.  Both were smooth with the cauliflower being creamy.  The sweetness of the yellow pepper was evident while the dashi milk foam was more than just for visuals.  The background umaminess did come through while still allowing the natural flavour of the scallop shine.

The next dish was certainly one of the most Korean items on the menu being the Mandu.  These dumplings were filled with tender and juicy pork while the dumpling skin was a bit too thick.  Compliments included king oyster mushroom, micro cilantro, shaved green courgette, mandu jus, sesame oil and perilla panko. I really enjoyed the jus as it was concentrated and full of umaminess.  Naturally, sesame oil added nutty pungency while the perilla panko was effective with texture and a bit of licorice.

Looking very much like a version of headcheese, the Pyun-Yuk was pressed pork belly and ear that had been thinly sliced.  Served flat on a plate, this was garnished with Korean chive, ssam-jang mayo, jjang-a-chi and pickled pearl onion.  This partly melted in my mouth since it was fatty pork belly, but it also had texture due to the cartilage from the pig's ear.  Nice contrast with each bite and plenty of natural pork essence and sweetness.  This was complimented by the slightly spice mayo and the sharpness from the onions.

Onto the mains, we had the Chicken that featured chicken breast with offal mousse sandwiched in between.  This was sous-vide and then finished off by a hard sear skin down. The result was super crispy skin (that was well-seasoned) giving way to juicy and tender chicken.  There was a lemongrass sauce that was creamy and aromatic.  We also found some micro cilantro, baby carrots, brussels sprouts and cherry tomato confit.  

So we thought the chicken was super delicious, but the Galbi levelled up from that.  The pieces of CAB short rib literally melted-in-our-mouths.  This was also sous-vide and then finished off on the grill.  Combined with the reduced jus, there was some natural meatiness and umaminess.  Now, before you think what you see on the plate is a potato pavé, it was a variation.  You see, the chef layered it with daikon and potato, which meant there was certain lightness in texture and flavour.  I enjoyed it and the carrot puree on top added even more sweetness.  I combined the puree with the short rib.  It seemed to go well.

So the hits kept coming with the Sablefish with gochu oil, Korean radish, yau choy and potato confit.  The roasted sablefish was perfectly prepared being flaky and fatty.  It was already somewhat seasoned, but the gochu oil helped amp things up in an aromatic, nutty and smoky way but being only slightly spicy.  The accompaniments were also cooked up perfectly where the potato was delicate and the yau choy had crunch. 

Onto another fish, we had the Halibut atop risotto, celeriac puree, shiitake, clam, pearl onions and topped with sweet potato chips.  Although lacking in colour, the dish was executed perfectly.  The risotto underneath was creamy with al dente rice.  Nice addition of clams as it provided some brininess.  The piece of halibut was cooked just right being flaky and buttery (as only fresh halibut can be).  On top, we found 2 crispy chips that added some texture.

If the mains aren't appealing to you (not sure why they wouldn't be!), there are some starches to choose from including the White Ragu with fresh pasta.  Made of various meats, the ragu was definitely meaty with a rich creaminess.  Lots of umami and natural meat flavour.  There was enough of it to coat each strand of al dente pasta (which was properly salted while cooking).  This was a truly addictive dish and we could've eaten more of this if we didn't have so many dishes already!

Something that was probably the most interesting dish was the Mara Ong-Simee.  These "sticks" were like potato gnocchi in texture, but acted like Korean rice cakes in spirit.  Hence, it was no surprise to find the spicy mara cream sauce with this as well as a mara crumble.  We found an onsen egg in the middle and a bit of parm too.  When mixed together, the flavours were spicy and slightly sweet with the silkiness of the egg yolk.  The potato ong simee were somewhere in between fluffy and firm.

Somewhat controversial amongst us, the vegan Bibimbop was one of my favourites.  Yes really...  So this was made with barley and buckwheat, hence the "rice" had a chewier and more robust texture.  On top, we found spinach puree, carrot puree and red cabbage puree with tofu sauce.  If I closed my eyes, the flavours of a bibimbop were really there!  Some thought I was nuts liking this dish over the galbi or scallops, but I stand behind my opinion!

So for dessert, we were served the semi-frozen Chocolate mousse and the Lemon curd in puff pastry.  Almost like a semi-freddo, the mousse was creamy but more sturdy.  It was chocolatey and semi-sweet.  It came with some mouth-pleasing honeycomb as well as vanilla coffee espuma, caramel gel and black sesame cake.  As for the lemon curd, it was pleasingly tangy and smooth.  The crispy puff pastry added texture while the kong garu powder provided some nuttiness.  As you can see, the food at Ju stays true to their theme of French/Westcoast with Asian influences.  I feel that they have succeeded even though this is their first version of the menu (to the public).  I would say this is definitely worth a try since it is quite different in a sea of the same in the GVRD.

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

The Good:
- Flawless execution with the proteins
- Successful marriage of Korean flavours with French techniques
- Some dishes are too beautiful to eat (but eat it anyways)

The Bad:
- Mandu skin can be less thick

Published on Main

So you know the saying that "you can never have too much of a good thing?", well I think it is completely true when we are referring to Published on Main.  Fresh off a visit back in September, I felt that I needed to come back again.  Not only do I love the food there, the biggest reason for another visit was that Viv had never been.  So I took her there for her birthday and coincidentally, I made the rez just prior to Published being awarded a Michelin star.  Oh and also being recognized as one of the best restaurants in the world as well.

With those lofty expectations, we started simply with the Chips & Dip.  Yes, this isn't the most sexiest dish on the menu, but it is one of my favourites.  Those thick cut house potato chips arrived crunchy and nicely salted.  The accompanying sour cream and onion dip was the perfect temperature being cool and creamy.  There was a natural sweetness from the onions as well as a background sharpness.  What really made the dip was the smoked fish as there was an appealing fishiness and depth.

Next up was the Chicken Fried Maitake with garlic scape ranch.  Although there was no meat in this dish, the meatiness of the mushrooms made this rather fulfilling.  Beyond the aggressive crunch of the cornmeal batter, the maitake were tender with a meaty chew.  Creamy and aromatic, the ranch helped cool things down, much like the sour cream dip, but with more effect since the mushrooms were hot.  As much as garlic scapes can be rather strong flavoured, the dip was balanced.

One of the prettiest dishes was the Albacore Crudo with an ajo blanco, almonds, olive and lemon.  It ate as well as it looked where the tuna was super buttery with a fresh taste of the sea.  Underneath, the ajo blanco was rich but had a nice bit of acidity to compliment the fish.  The crunch of the almond crumble added the necessary texture as well as nuttiness.  Providing saltiness and a touch more tang, the olives were more than a garnish.

Continuing on with the seafood, we had the Roasted Octopus with turnips and a lemon guajillo dressing.  I found the texture of the octopus to be perfect for my liking.  Often, restaurants overcompensate for the chewy texture of octopus by making it too soft.  Here, the tentacles still had a good chew but was not hard to eat.  That dressing was just plain delicious where it had great acidity as well as a smoky and sweet finish.

One of my favourite dishes at Published is their Winter Squash.  I was pretty glad that they still had this on the menu. It featured roasted squash with a pepita miso glaze, fermented currants and a koji butter sauce.  The glaze itself was almost like a brulee and had an intense sweetness accented by a rich saltiness.  The sweet squash was firm, yet still tender.  To add even more luxuriousness to this dish, the koji butter sauce was rich, yet not too heavy.

We ended up ordering 2 of their features for the night including the Pickerel Filet with rosti, celery, Brussels sprouts and green dashi butter.  The fish couldn't have been prepared any better.  It was flaky, buttery and moist while the skin was crispy and well-salted.  That green dashi butter tasted like its colour yet was not heavy.  The accompaniments were excellent as well with vibrant veggies and a crispy rosti.

The other feature was the Beef Cheek with red wine cabbage puree, German gnocchi and Brussels sprouts.  Gelatinous and fork tender, the beef cheek was rich and delicious.  However, the puree was just a bit too tangy for our tastes.  It was in a beautiful shade of violet though and really popped.  Those gnocchi had a great mouth feel with a slight chew giving way to fluffiness.  Nice sear on them with a butteriness.

Onto dessert, the Elderflower Mousse with yogurt sorbet and lemon verbena was plated interestingly and was rather functional.  Alternating between sorbet and verbena, the sliced discs were easy to pick up and eat.  Nice tang on both while the verbena was super creamy.  I gotta say that this meal lived up to our expectations.  I've never had a bad experience at Published and I think they are fully deserving of their Michelin star.  Of course I'll be back sometime soon.

The Good:
- Beautifully plated and delicious food
- On point, but not fussy, service
- Excellent cocktails

The Bad:
- Can get pricey since 3 dishes (excluding dessert) at minimum per person is needed to be satisfied
- Getting a table these days is difficult

Arike

Back when it first opened, I had hit up Arike out on Davie Street.  It was one of the rare African restaurants in the GVRD and even more unique, it had a Nigerian focus.  I came away quite satisfied with my meal, but apparently, this was confusing for people looking for Nigerian cuisine.  It was not the big share portions of home-style cooking normally associated with Nigerian cuisine.  So on this recent visit with Mijune, we discovered they feature only a tasting-menu that focuses on a variety of dishes that have African-influenced flavours and ingredients.  I guess they are doing something right as they have been recently graced with the Michelin-recommended status.

For $65.00, we felt this was a reasonable price for a tasting menu in a Downtown restaurant.  We began with the Herbed Foccacia with peanut hummus and chili oil.  Normally, I don't rave about bread, but I'm going to do it this time.  Crispy and nutty on the outside, the foccacia was soft and warm on the inside.  That peanut hummus was smooth with a spicy nuttiness that elevated the bread.  I could put spoonfuls of that in my mouth.

Up next, we had something I wouldn't have expected, but at the same time, shows the creativity of the chef.  Featuring a beautiful lightly torched Scallop atop jerk pork belly rice, this was a great interpretation of nigiri.  Beyond the buttery sweetness of the fresh scallop, the luxurious and richness of the rice underneath was a nice counterbalance.  Add in the sharpness of ginger and the tang of lemon, there was enough acidity to make the flavours pop.

Pretty with mandarin, mint and coconut ricotta, the red kuri Squash "tart" was perfectly-placed in the progression of dishes in the tasting menu.  The squash base was sweet, nutty and soft.  The addition of mandarin added some sweet and juicy tanginess to break up the heaviness of the squash.  Providing some crunch, we had some nuts and creamy aromatics was provided by the ricotta.  To top it off literally and figuratively, we had the herbaceous hit of the mint.

After this fairly rich course, we were treated to a Palette Cleanser in the form of lemon ginger granita.  Once again, the use of lemon and ginger provided a refreshing combination of acidity and sharpness.  This took away any of the flavours of the last dish.  The granita was fluffy, yet crunchy at the same time.  It did not melt and was consistent in texture.

Good thing we had the palette cleanser as it allowed us to enjoy the Duck ravioli to the fullest.  This was an overstuffed creation with perfectly thin and al dente pasta encasing a considerable amount of moist and tender duck (that also had a good rebound texture).  On top we found some grated cured egg yolk, pickled mustard seed and fermented iru bean.  I can't tell you how delicious this was where the duck was definitely the star.  I found the flavours of the other ingredients to be complimentary and in balance.

My favourite course was the Lamb shoulder sausage atop chermoula with pickled carrots and grilled yam pita.  That sausage was so juicy and well-spiced, I would've been happy with it alone on a plate.  However, the chermoula complimented the rich sausage with acidity and brightness.  The carrots added another layer of tanginess and a bit of crunch.  Loved the soft chewiness of the yam pita as it was a nice foil to the meat.  The trick here was to have everything in one bite.

For dessert, we were served the black Sesame cake with cappuccino panna cotta with cardamom and ginger.  Soft and warm, the sesame cake was nutty and only semi-sweet.  Digging into the panna cotta, it revealed a creaminess accented by spice and slight sharpness.  I enjoyed how this dessert was more about subtly rather than sweetness.  In the end, I was truly blown away with the tasting menu at Arike.  It was thoughtful and the progression of courses made sense.  I love the direction they have taken with the menu as it is creative and delicious.  I will be back 100%.

The Good:

- Just downright delicious

- Creative incorporation of African spices and influences

- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- Currently open everyday in December, but only on Friday and Saturdays in January, hence it will be difficult to get a reservation

- Location is a bit hidden, but IYKYK