Vancouver Magazine September/October 2022

Less stress, More .Relaxation

Lodge

become one of the area’s

what really sets it apart,

its location in the middle of

from the high level

forest oasis,

Following in the footsteps of The Robinsons, Formwerks Boutique Properties presents The Robinsons Parkside Collection — a West Coquitlam community with even more homes, more variety, and more possibilities. Featuring two and three bedroom homes, some with lock-off suites, rooftop decks, or courtyard orientations. Pick a townhome, city home, or courtyard home and call one of these 92 homes yours. All of this borders a lush new greenway and robust amenities at Club Seaton.

Renderings, views, and layouts are for illustration purposes only. Marketing by Formwerks Boutique Properties. This is not an offering for sale. Any such offerings may only be made with a Disclosure Statement. E.&.O.E.

The early bird catches the worm!

SAN FRANCISCO

CABERNET FRANC

Culture

D ON THE COVER Tanya Goehring photographed our chef of the year, Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson of Published on Main. Read more on pg. 48

HOT TAKE

Get back to your routine, whatever that may be, with this season’s hottest fashion and accessories.

15 18

THE TICKET

Meet the local lawyerturned-cartoonist poking fun at politics in the pages of The New Yorker

94

NIGHTCAP

The only cocktail recipe you need for chilly evenings ahead.

Contents

Feature

Stacey McLachlan shares the totally frustrating (and totally fantastic) reality of her Kitsilano condo

28

CITY INFORMER

Firecrackers on Halloween is a strictly Vancouver thing... but why?

LOVE LETTER

Local affordable grocer Persia Foods keeps our stomachs and hearts full.

33RD RESTAURANT AWARDS

It’s (finally!) that time again—VanMag’s 2022 Restaurant Awards are here. We’re celebrating the very best of our city’s incredible food and drink scene, plus the industry heroes that make it all happen.

Publisher Samantha Legge

Editorial Director Anicka Quin

Art Director Stesha Ho

Associate Editor Alyssa Hirose

Associate Art Director Jenny Reed

Assistant Editor Danielle Wright

Editor at Large Stacey McLachlan

Wine & Spirits Editor Neal McLennan

Contributing Editors Frances Bula, Melissa Edwards, Amanda Ross

Editorial Intern Tu Lai

Editorial Email mail@vanmag.com

Sales Manager Anna Lee

Senior Account Executives Charie Ginete-Ilon, Brianne Harper, Mira Hershcovitch, Amy LaJambe, Gabriella Sepulveda Knuth, Sheri Stubel

Production and Studio Manager

ndon Spenrath

Digital Ad Coordinator Kim McLane

Production Coordination/Design

Nadine Gieseler

Sales Email s ales@canadawide.com

U.S. Sales Representation, Hayes Media Sales

Lesley Hayes Tel 602-432-4868

Email le sley@hayesmediasales.com

European Sales Representation

S&R Media Sylvie Durlach

Tel +33 1 44 18 06 65

Email srmedia@club-internet.fr

Suite 130, 4321 Still Creek Drive, Burnaby, B.C. V5C 6S7

Tel 604-299-7311 Fax 604-299-9188

Chairman and CEO Peter Legge, OBC, LLD (HON)

President Samantha Legge, MBA

VP of HR/Admin Joy Ginete-Cockle

VP of Finance Sonia Roxburgh, CPA, CGA

Executive Creative Director Rick Thibert

Director of Circulation Tracy McRitchie

Accounting Terri Mason, Eileen Gajowski

Circulation Kelly Kalirai

Office Manager/Sales Coordinator Lori North Executive Assistant to the CEO Charie Ginete-Ilon

VANCOUVER MAGAZINE is published six times a year by Canada Wide Media Limited Suite 130, 4321 Still Creek Drive, Burnaby, B.C. V5C 6S7. Phone 604-299-7311; fax 604-299-9188. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written

Not responsible

Privacy Policy: On occasion, we

Celebrating Great Food

our magazines have moved offices a few times during my tenure here, but we spent a good part of a decade on South Granville, just a half block away from the former site of Vij’s and its sister lunch counter, Rangoli.

The latter was a favourite comfort-food destination of mine, almost entirely for its portobello mushroom and red bell pepper curry with paneer. It was a truly beautiful dish, both presentationwise—slices of mushroom and pepper draped over paneer and topped with a rich curry sauce, paired with a finely minced beet salad—and, just like everything that came out of that kitchen, it was perfection on the palate, too. Any time I felt the need for a delicious lunchtime pick-me-up, I headed straight there.

That magic was created by Meeru Dhalwala, who receives this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award (page 74) in our 33rd annual celebration of the best restaurants in the city, along with the people who are making them happen. And it’s exemplary of the kind of sense-memory a great restaurant leaves long after it’s gone. (Rangoli, that is—Vij’s is still thriving, of course—just in a “new” spot on Cambie.) So many restaurants in Vancouver have made—and are continuing to make—a similar mark on this city in their own unique way, which is why we are so thrilled each year to be able to honour our local food scene.

And what a relief it is to have our Restaurant Awards (page 45) back in their full glory this year. You may recall that, for 2021, our Restaurant Awards issue had an asterisk (“yeah, we’ve pivoted too”), and it was entirely takeout-focused, since that was the order of the day when our judges were assessing the best in the city. But this issue celebrates what back-in-business restaurants do so well: welcoming us in for an incredible night of hospitality, great food and even better memories.

Consider this issue your playbook for many excellent nights out over the months to come. A huge congratulations to all of this year’s winners—as well as a thank you for the joyful nights (and so many lunches) you provide for our city.

Coming Up Next Issue

k 23 Things to Eat and Drink in 2023

From a local deli’s incredible hummus to the best cacio e pepe this side of Rome (and even an expertly executed margarita or two), these are the local food-and-drink delights you’ll want to comb the city for.

Holiday Gift Guide

No matter how difficult the giftee, we’ve got you covered with the best of holiday shopping in Vancouver.

On the Web

Every E-Bike Sharing Program in B.C.

What they cost, where to find them and how to jump helmet-first onto the boosted-mobility train.

EVAAN KHERAJ; STYLING BY LUISA RINO, MAKEUP BY MELANIE NEUFELD; CLOTHING COURTESY HOLT RENFREW, HOLTRENFREW.COM

Culture

High marks go to Alexander McQueen’s Fall 2022 oversized shredded sweater with black, orange and red embroidery and slashed leather pencil skirt with zip detailing. Price upon request, holtrenfrew.com

Summer days have officially slipped away— but our arts and culture scene remains hot, hot, hot. Read on for trending “back to it” clothing and accessories for 2022, plus things to do when it’s raining outside (a.k.a always). You’ll also get a look inside the life of a local New Yorker cartoonist, a list of fall reads to get lost in and a check-in with a Vancouver-based underwear brand that’s literally rock ing the world of intimates.

Culture Hot Take Elementary, My Dear

School—and work—can be done anywhere, anytime. So whether you’re taking care of your assignments at home or on-the-go this fall, we’ve got you covered with oversized sweaters, bright backpacks and easy morning rituals to keep you on track.

by Amanda Ross

GUCCI VANCOUVER

900 West Georgia Street

Gucci’s march toward world fashion

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver—now the largest of the brand’s boutiques in Canada. Menswear has been added to the mix, along with Gucci Pet, all set against custom geometric painted wood floors and marble polychrome inlays that create a three-dimensional

dorm living to

lazing.

, indigo.ca

Seeing

a metal chain

with blue-light

for those late-night

a pimple-expelling all-nighter with its new Clear-Out targeted blemish lotion

gone. $22, beautyboutique.ca

Five Ways to Brighten and Repair Your Skin this Fall

In summertime, the living is easy.

There’s nothing quite like spending the summer enjoying the sun. Exposure to the sun and elements directly affects your skin’s health, and while some accept the trade-off, others want to take matters into their own hands and reverse the effects of sun damage.

Dr. Thomas Buonassisi, facial plas tic surgeon and owner of 8 West Clinic in Vancouver, describes the effect sun can have on the skin.

“The deeper effects of sun damage in the skin develop and present them selves over time,” he says. “Whether you are just starting to notice the first signs of aging or have been a sun worshipper for years, our experienced skin experts can work with you to design a comprehensive plan tailored to your needs.”

8 West Clinic has an experienced team of passionate and skilled special ists to help you look and feel your best. Here are the top five treatments they recommend to help your skin look its best, year-round.

MOXI

MOXI is a non-ablative laser that im proves uneven pigmentation, tone and texture. Ideal for early aging and light damage or as maintenance between deeper treatments, MOXI is a gentle way to lighten and brighten for a more radiant skin. Unlike most other laser treatments, MOXI is a breakthrough technology that can safely be done on any skin type in any season.

POTENZA RF MICRONEEDLING

Potenza RF Microneedling uses radio frequency energy to stimulate collagen building to help reduce and remove pigmentation and redness, blemishes including active acne or acne scars, stretch marks and more. Hands down, this is the best option for those looking for a significant improvement in texture as well as skin tightening.

BBL FOREVER YOUNG

8 West Clinic offers BBL (Broad Band Light), the most advanced intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy device on the market. It targets pigment,

redness, sun damage and lax skin to leave skin looking clearer, smoother and more even. This is the best option for pigment and redness concerns.

HALO

Laser skin resurfacing has quickly made its way to the top of the list for skin rejuvenation treatments. The only laser on the market to use both ablative and non-ablative technology in one laser, Halo Hybrid Fractional Laser diminishes the signs of sun damage and aging concerns—such as tone and texture—both on the surface as well as deep within the skin with very minimal downtime for healing.

PROFRACTIONAL LASER Laser treatments are becoming increasingly popular for anti-aging, sun damage and even scar management. Profractional Laser is the gold standard for treating scars, but also provides overall rejuvenation for a deeper treatment targeting concerns beyond just recent sun damage.

Start loving your skin. Book a complimentary skin consultation and get entered to win a $1,000 gift card to 8 West Clinic – 8west.ca/vanmag2022.

Terms and Conditions ($1000 gift card prize): Winner will be selected Tues, Nov 1st, 2022, and contacted by 8 West Clinic. Valid on non-physician treatments only (no products), expires in 1 year, no cash value, non-refund able, non-exchangeable, non-transferable. Cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion Contest closes: Oct. 31 at 11:59 pm PST.

LEARN MORE:

8west.ca

@8west

@8westcosmetic

8 West Clinic offers a complete spectrum of skin treatments for all skin concerns, from simple, non-invasive to deeper, more results-driven treatments.

Culture The Ticket

Quick Draw

Zoe Si’s timely cartoons make politics personal— and pretty damn funny.

by Alyssa Hirose

Getting a cartoon published in The New Yorker’s daily feed looks something like this: you create and submit your draft drawing—sometimes at 3 a.m. in a political-stress-fuelled trance. If you’re selected, you get an email at 7 a.m. saying they

want to buy it. You have two hours to deliver the final product—and, before you know it, your pro-choice doodle is out there for millions to see.

It’s a fast-paced, turnaround-heavy endeavour that Vancouverite Zoe Si excels in: her New Yorker cartoons made her a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the Illustrated Reporting and Commentary category earlier this year. And cartooning wasn’t even her first career—Si practiced law for seven years prior to becoming a full-time artist. “I started drawing autobiographical cartoons about being in law school and being a lawyer,” she says, “and

it unintentionally became my emotional outlet.”

It was also great practice for political cartooning.

“Our everyday lives are politicized, and drawing comics about topical things is what I’ve always done,” explains Si. From reproductive rights to COVID-19 panic to pop-culture blowups (her cartoon on the infamous Oscars slap was published barely a day after the event), her takes are always hot and hilarious. Si’s career in family law is behind her, but her social justice work remains: she’s an ambassador for Elimin8Hate, the advocacy arm of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. In addition to her web comics and cartoons, Si illustrates children’s books—her latest, called How to Teach Your Cat a Trick, comes out on September 27.

LISTEN

A-LIST

Matthew Presidente

Add these fresh songs from local artists to your favourite playlist.

Here’s your latest local LGBTQ+ anthem. It’s an uplifting piano-forward single with rock musical vibes (and a little nod to post-pandemic partying, too).

@mattyprez

THINK OF YOU

Hayley Wallis

Step one of getting over your ex: listening to this song from Kitasoo/ Xais’xais artist Hayley Wallis. Keep an eye out for the Grandview Lanes bowling alley in the Vancouver-heavy music video.

@hayleycwallis

ELEVATING

Sadé Awele

Pop on your noisecancelling headphones and escape whatever’s bugging you through this soulful jazz hop song—it’s all about shutting out the chaos and focusing on what matters.

@sade_awele

I started drawing autobiographical cartoons about being in law school and being a lawyer, and it unintentionally became my emotional outlet.”

A. Riley Design Inc.

A. Riley Design Inc. is a Vancouverbased boutique interior design firm that specializes in custom residential interiors. From renovations to full scale builds, we combine function and fashion to create spaces that are one of a kind, exquisite, and inviting. Our meticulous approach ensures all of our clients are involved in the design journey from start to finish. We establish trust and an open line of communication right from day one to deliver a stress-free and elevated experience for everyone involved.

Culture The Ticket

GO

BAD PARENT

DATE October 13 to 23

HEART OF THE CITY FESTIVAL

c

BEYOND KING TUT

The best events to fill up your fall calendar.

VENUE The Cultch’s Historic Theatre Parents, get ready for some relatable content. This honest new comedy from superstar Canadian playwright Ins Choi (creator of Kim’s Convenience) follows a young mother and father tackling the disasters— and joys—of parenthood. thecultch.com

SUGGESTION BOX

DATE October 26 to November 6

VENUE Downtown Eastside

This annual celebration of art in the DTES includes The Prop Master’s Dream, a new opera inspired by the life of ChineseIndigenous opera prop master Wah-Kwan Gwan. heartofthecityfestival.com

DATE October 27 to January 8

VENUE Vancouver Convention Centre

The latest highly Insta grammable immersive multimedia exhibit to take over Vancouver is focused on the world’s most famous pharaoh. Think pyramids, sphinxes and all that jazz. beyondkingtut.com

What’s one thing you’d change about Vancouver?

Returning the Hogan’s Alley Block to the stewardship of the Black community is the one thing I would like to change about Vancouver.

DR. JUNE FRANCIS, Special Advisor to the President on Anti-Racism, SFU

Visitors often ask, ‘Where is Van couver’s Black community?’ Despite a history of surveillance and segre gation, Black cultural, intellectual and artistic traditions are life affirming centres of urban life. The absence of a Black community therefore sits as a gaping cultural hole in heart of Vancouver.

But a thriving Black community was once here! Racial segregation

and proximity to the railway saw the emergence of a thriving community of Black businesses, restaurants, shops and a church with over 800 people on the rolls in the Strathcona area, called Hogan’s Alley. Sadly, the City of Vancouver’s racist policies led to the displacement of this community. How ever, with the passage of the Northeast False Creek Plan, the City has com mitted to working with Hogan’s Alley Society and the Black community to return a thriving Black community to the heart of the city. Let’s all call on the City to speed up this process.

3 HAVE YOU EATEN YET? Cheuk Kwan

Family-run Chinese restau rants aren’t just a go-to dinner spot—they also illuminate truths about immigration, culture and history. This book dives into kitchens around the world and shares true stories of resistance and community. douglas-mcintyre.com

Wrapping Up Summer in Style

The colour was green at the Reveal: A Night in All White gala and the Before Sunset garden party.

1. Returning Reveal gala chairs Jill Killeen and Clara Aquilini reimag ined the Canucks Autism Network (CAN) flagship fundraiser. The move from Rogers Arena to Aquilini’s Southlands home resulted in a record haul.

2. Los Angeles comedian and As We See It actor Rick Glassman emceed the “A Night in All White” edition of CAN CEO Britt Andersen’s Reveal gala.

3. CAN staffers Alva Tang and Ryan Yao were all smiles after $1.15 million was raised to deliver life-chang ing programs to individuals on the autism spectrum and their families.

4. Jessica Williams, Alison Fudger and Kimberley Low splashed about in mermaid tails at Paolo and Clara Aquilini’s posh summer finale.

5. Accompanied by her husband Robert, interna tionally acclaimed sculptural artist Marie Khouri gifted a signed bronze vessel that fetched $32,000 for CAN.

6. Motown legend Thelma Houston performed for 300 attendees to cap off the record night of fundraising.

7. Clara and Paolo Aquilini’s son Christian, who has autism, was the inspiration for creating the Canucks Autism Network in 2008. He’s pictured here with Joshua McVeity

by Fred Lee

If you were in a movie, this is the part where they’d put the epic music.

a different world up here. Learn why.

Culture About Town

8. Canadian Cancer Society

Daffodil Ball co-chair Meghan Brown swapped her usual yellow dress for a white ensemble, joining her main squeeze Richard Coglon for the evening en blanc.

9. Artist Athena Bax and pro broadcasting and media coach Mike Killeen were among the well-dressed and well-heeled gala goers. Bax donated a diptych titled Peaceful Garden & Love Dove to aid the fundraising efforts.

10. After a three-year hiatus, Fresh Roots executive director Alexa Pitoulis and alum David Godstime welcomed guests back to David Thompson Secondary for their annual al fresco Before Sunset garden soiree.

11. Local chef TJ Conwi of Ono Vancouver created tasty tasting plates sourced from the school yard garden tended by Fresh Roots students Farida Mohibi, Freshta Mohibi and lead facilita tor Nicole Bruce.

12. Politicos Jenny Kwan and Don Davies joined Fresh Roots founder Marc Schutzbank at the $75,000 Before Sunset “Make It Sow” fundraising campaign. Da vies is championing the creation of a national nutrition program.

13. Celebrity chefs Rob Clark and Julian Bond of Organic Ocean Seafood lent their support to the farm-based schoolyard program that helps thousands of students annually develop meaningful connections with the land, food and each other.

OCTOBER 1

Gala

OCTOBER 22

Art Auction

NOVEMBER 1

Gala

charity

Gala Vancouver Chinatown Foundation’s signature soiree in support of the city’s historic neighbourhood. chinatownfoundation.org

DECEMBER 8 Passions

Dr. Peter Centre’s gastro nomic gala returns to the Roundhouse. Proceeds go to helping those living with HIV. drpeter.org

Three Whisky Cocktail Recipes That Break all the Rules

in the Canadian blended Whisky category at the 2022 SIP Awards; bronze in the design category at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition; and Judge’s Selection in the Rye and Canadian Whisky category at the 2022 Alberta Beverage Awards.

Find out why with one of these fabulous, out-of-the-box cocktail ideas, or experiment and invent your own. After all, this is your whisky, your rules.

GRAY JAY SMASH

A ridiculously good cocktail that’s surprisingly simple. Gray Jay pairs perfectly with apple cider and gets an extra kick from fresh lemon juice and cinnamon.

Ingredients:

Whisky and iced tea? You know it. Whisky sangria?

You’re welcome. Gray Jay Whisky cocktail recipes throw convention out the window with a smooth, easy-drinking but complex flavour that soothes whisky enthusiasts and welcomes those new to whisky, with vanilla and caramel notes.

At Gray Jay, they love whisky and hate the idea that you shouldn’t enjoy it unless you follow some old and out-ofstyle rules and rituals. They encourage experienced whisky lovers and the whisky-curious to try Gray Jay in one of their fun cocktails and fall in love.

Gray Jay is proudly named after Canada’s national bird and is handcrafted in small batches by a craft distiller in Ontario, with all-Canadian ingredients. It won Best New Product in Canadian Whisky in BrandSpark’s 2021 Best New Product awards; gold in individual bottle design and silver

• 1.5 oz. Gray Jay Deluxe Canadian Whisky

• 4 oz. sweet apple cider

• 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice

• cinnamon stick Steps: Combine apple cider and lemon juice. Add Gray Jay Whisky. Garnish with cinnamon stick and enjoy!

PEACHACILLIN

A fruity and refreshing cocktail that’s ‘just peachy’ for any occasion.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Gray Jay Deluxe Canadian Whisky

• 1.5 oz. peach juice

• 0.75 oz. fresh lemon juice

• 0.5 oz. simple syrup

• ginger coins Steps: Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a glass. Top with ice and ginger coins. Enjoy!

CLASSIC WHISKY SOUR

The perfect blend of tart and pucker

with just a smidge of sweet. And Gray Jay, of course… you can’t do it any other way!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Gray Jay Deluxe Canadian Whisky

• 1 oz. lemon juice

• 0.75 oz maple syrup

• cocktail cherry Steps: Combine Gray Jay Whisky, lemon juice and maple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice, cover and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds. Strain cocktail into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and enjoy!

Culture On the Rise

We Will Rock You

Mineral undies from Vancouver-based Huha are basics that battle bacteria.

by Alyssa Hirose

Alexa Suter is used to nay sayers: an introduction to her company’s zinc-infused mineral underwear is often met with raised eyebrows. “I think there is a lot of fabric technology out there that is BS,” she admits with a laugh. “But our customers have seen the transformation.” Suter’s intimates brand,

Huha, has a growing cult following of people who love the all-natural, zinc-oxideinfused undies. “Zinc is used in diaper cream and body lotion, and to treat eczema and other skin sensitivities,” she explains, adding that the mineral is known for its bacteria- and odour-elim inating properties. So why not underwear?

Huha doesn’t shy away from the not-so-delightful realities of intimate wear: Suter’s goods are made to reduce the bacteria that is associated with yeast infections and UTIs, and her company’s spring 2022

to using modern material technology, the brand also addresses traditional design flaws (for example, stitching through the crotch—Huha’s gussets are seamless and

always looking at things through the lens of feminine health,” says Suter. “We want our community to feel acknowledged and taken care of.”

PANTY POWER Vancouverite Alexa Suter is making a statement both in fashion and in feminine health with her zinc-infused underwear brand, Huha.

In 2021, the B.C. Provincial Government approved plans to build the Yurkovich Family Pavilion – a new full service acute care tower at Richmond Hospital.

With this announcement, we now have the opportunity to consider innovative strategies that will help meet the demands within our ever-changing world.

SCAN QR

MORE

Stay up-to-date on our initiatives and follow us at:

From

to right: Chad Pederson, Board Chair, Richmond Hospital Foundation; Vivian Eliopoulos, President & CEO, Vancouver Coastal Health; Dr. Daniel Kopac, Head of Surgery, Richmond Hospital; Natalie Meixner, President and CEO, Richmond Hospital Foundation; Premier John Horgan; Minister of Health Adrian Dix.

Indicative aerial view of the new Yurkovich Family Pavilion at Richmond Hospital

At Richmond Hospital Foundation, our aim is to transform health care through philanthropy as a catalyst for change.

Culture City Informer

Why Do We Set Off Fireworks at Halloween?

by Stacey McLachlan

illustration by Byron Eggenschwiler

I don’t need to tell you that the Halloween season is upon us: the signs are every where. You’ve brushed the real cobwebs off your box of decorative cobwebs, “Mon ster Mash” is on repeat at your spin class and restau rants are serving up festive seasonal feature dishes of spaghetti and peeled grapes. But for me, it never feels quite like Halloween until

I’ve filed into an elementary school library to watch a nightmare-inducing fire cracker safety video.

I grew up associating Halloween with fireworks and firecrackers. Every year, I’d put on my Belle from Beauty and the Beast dress overtop of my raincoat (like a lady) and head out into the night with my pillowcase. I knew speed was of the essence—not just to maxi mize candy-hours and beat my neighbour Melissa, who was also dressed as Belle, of course, but also to avoid the teens who were lurking outside with their Roman candles and Lady Fingers, waiting for nightfall. The shrieks and pops of juvenile explosives rang through the neighbourhood until the wee hours, becoming as much of a soundtrack to the holiday as Rockwell’s D-list Hallow een hymn, “Somebody’s Watching Me.”

So I was shocked to discover a few years ago that this phenomenon is purely regional: firecrackers and Halloween are a “thing” in B.C., and B.C. only. Not in Calgary, not in Toronto, not even in the town in Nightmare Before Christ mas (a.k.a “the big three”). It’s like when I went to the doctor and it dawned on me for the first time that it’s pronounced “pap smear” not “pap schmear”—sudden ly the world shifts and you

How to get an international education experience and build a global network without leaving Canada at UCW

Overall, when presented with opportunities to critically explore these experiences, students can become more accepting and tolerant, and it sets them up to be good citizens in an increasingly complex and pluralistic society.

In post-secondary education, especially for students pursuing a graduate degree, it promotes personal and professional growth and gives them the potential to expand their international network while still pursuing their degree.

degrees for domestic and international students.

UCW, which has a five-star rating from QS Stars, the world’s most popular source of comparative data on university performance, offers four applied undergraduate and graduate degrees, including its ACBSP and NCMA-accredited Master of Business Administration program.

The university also offers flexible schedule options with both online and on-campus graduate and undergraduate programs available, making earning a globally recognized degree accessible to more students and working professionals.

Students learn from those whose experiences, beliefs and perspectives are different from their own. These types of interactions can lead to increased innovation and collaboration both inside and out of the classroom.

Interacting with people from different countries and backgrounds on a daily basis presents students with opportunities to learn how to communicate differently, and often more effectively, than what they are accustomed to. And students who regularly interact with racially and ethnically diverse peers show improvement in their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Having a strong international network allows professionals to stay on top of global opportunities and collaborate with companies to share ideas and resources or offer complementary products or services.

Vancouver’s University Canada West (UCW) has 8,000-plus students hailing from more than 110 countries. This diversity means that domestic students get the benefits of a truly multi-cultural experience at UCW while earning their degree in Canada.

Established in 2004, University Canada West has positioned itself as an innovative business and technology-oriented institution with undergraduate and graduate

Recognizing that getting a post-secondary education is a major investment for many, UCW has several awards, grants and scholarships available. As well, domestic students may qualify for a student loan or other financial aid option. There are both provincial and federal student loans available to residents of Canada who demonstrate financial need.

For more information about UCW’s programs, scholarships and financial aid options, visit ucanwest.ca/ admissions.

Research has shown that diversity in the classroom enriches the educational experience for all students

Culture City Informer

find yourself looking in from the outside, wondering, “why am I this way?”

There certainly isn’t an answer for my gynecological misunderstanding, but for the fireworks there’s a plausi ble explanation. Halloween butts up against England’s Guy Fawkes Day, a holiday marking the anniversary of a (failed) plot to blow up English Parliament that they celebrate with fireworks and bonfires galore. With Western Canada being chock-a-block with English immigrants in this country’s early days, it’s understandable that these pyrotechnic traditions came along, too; plus, living alongside them was a Chinese population who also had a taste for firecrackers for their own celebrations. No wonder, then, that the mischief-mak ing ethos of All Hallows’ Eve made for a perfect storm of, as historians say, “lotsa ’splosions.”

We may have seen the last of our special little West Coast Halloween tradition, though: the City of Vancouver banned fireworks and firecrackers as of November 2020. Sources say, however, that it’s still easy to stock up on explosives, if you know where to look (e.g., in any building labelled “fire works for sale”), but if they actually start to crack down, my childhood associations will soon be nothing but a memory—unless I get Netflix to pick up a gritty reboot I’m writing of those firecracker safety videos.

Culture Personal Space

What Have We Done?

Our editor-at-large knew better than to tackle a renovation… but she did it anyway. by Stacey McLachlan photos by Tina Kulic styling by Ben Leavitt

I’ve been working with Vancouver magazine and Western Living since 2010, and over that time I’ve probably written hundreds of renovation stories. I’ve covered makeovers big and small, interviewed homeowners and designers about both “money is no object”

dreams and tight-budget beauties, and invented a very rowdy drinking game based on the phrase “The house had good bones.”

Here’s what I’ve learned along the way: a renovation is always—always—a night mare. Things go wrong. It always takes more time and

money than planned. Even for designers and archi tects who deal with these sorts of projects all the time, it’s never going to be smooth sailing.

And yet, last winter, I somehow decided it would be a good idea to try a renovation of my own.

HAPPY NOW

Our editor-at-large, Stacey McLachlan, sits with husband Max Mitchell and daughter Coco in their newly renovated condo— an experience that saw its challenges, to say the least. The built-in birch plywood bench (designed by PlaidFox Studio and executed by Sofo Kitchens) has a hinged seat, offering additional storage. The Column dining table in ash from Union Wood Co. seats up to eight. Below, Sofo Kitchens crafted custom kitchen cabinets in Benjamin Moore’s Shady Lane and with birch plywood. The backsplash is from Concrete Collaborative, and the countertop is Caesarstone.

In my defence, the pandemic prompted many of us to make some crazy decisions: some of us cut our own bangs, others bought terrible apartments. Potato, poh-tahto! Around month eight of working from home, my husband Max and I started hunting for a condo

Culture Personal Space

with a little more space, and in the process we stumbled across a priced-to-move, 850-square-foot unit in Kitsilano. We saw nicotine-stained walls, carpeting destroyed by what I can only assume were some very ill cats, curling linoleum, lighting and closet doors dangling from their fixtures... and we also saw potential. (Well, I saw potential. Max took one step in the door during the open house and turned right back around to wait in the hallway.)

Sure, I knew that a renovation would take some blood, sweat and tears, but an opportunity was knocking to save hundreds of thousands on the typical Vancouver condo ticket price and have an excuse to buy a cool dining room light fixture. Designer Ben

Leavitt, principal of PlaidFox Studio, was game to help us with the design; Max’s dad, Paul, was both a skilled amateur handyman and very retired. We could toss our furniture into storage, crash with my mom in the suburbs for a couple of months and be living in our dream condo in Kits in no time.

Leavitt drafted up an exciting, colourful concept for the space. We’d open up the kitchen by knocking out the upper cabinets, and double the depth of the countertop to create an island-like effect (though it would technically be a peninsula) with a breakfast bar and

CHILL ZONE

The awkward shape of the living room made deciding on a layout tough, but ultimately the couple went with designer Ben Leavitt’s suggestion to just block off the patio door with a royal blue Replay sectional from EQ3. (The patio can be accessed from either of the bedrooms.) They spray-painted the gold detailing of the gas fireplace black, and installed oversized vertical tiles from Tierra Sol around it. Vancouver Special chairs at the table and by the hearth offer additional seating.

Renovating is always— always—a nightmare. Things go wrong. It always takes more time and money than planned.”

In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the diversity of sols , offers large possibilities of tastes and maturities.

With the same original taste over the year, laFiole du Pape is an elegant blend of wine, the perfect demonstration of the art of assembly.

Original creation since 1952

Culture Personal Space

cabinets on the backside. A long plywood built-in bench (complete with storage) would run the length of the living space so that we could tuck the dining table closer to the wall. The cabinetry would be a mix of birch plywood and olive green,

while the fireplace across the room would be decked out in a floor-to-ceiling grid of oversized dusty blue and white rectangular tiles. In the bathroom, the plan was for mustard-yellow cabinets with a custom terrazzo countertop and walls cov-

ered in white squares with black grout; in the bedroom, a circular drywall cut-out would create a unique architectural focal point behind the headboard.

We fell in love with the plan (Who wouldn’t? Mustard cabinets? Get real!) and

Before

CURVES AHEAD

Max’s father was able to craft a perfect drywall circle detail onto the bedroom wall, and the couple added vinyl decals from Urban Walls.

Sofo Kitchens built the salmon-coloured side table here, just visible on the other side of the bed, with a Muuto lamp from Vancouver Special. The wall-mounted light is a classic Herman Miller design, sourced from Lightform.

Culture Personal Space

IT’S A PROCESS

Custom terrazzo countertops from Paragon Surfacing are a quieter neutral to the bold mustard cabinets in the bathroom (left). The faucet is a matte white Rubinet number—a match to a beloved blue faucet in the kitchen. Accessories here are courtesy of Vancouver Special. Oversized confetti-print tiles from Mutina grace the floor. The plumbing work was done by C&C Electrical Mechanical. “The condo went through a lot of changes—and we weren’t sorry to say goodbye to the carpet in the bedroom,” says Stacey.

took the plunge. We sold our apartment and packed up our U-Haul storage boxes... and spent the next six months covered in drywall dust and taking turns having mental breakdowns.

Listen, I know how privileged we are to have gotten

to tackle this project at all. I am so grateful for how much time we got to spend with our parents and how much help we received. But it was also a dark, dark time.

There is a unique despair associated with getting a phone call from the tiler

telling you that the splurge-y Italian floor tile you bought for the bathroom shattered upon installation, and mental health professionals are not talking about it enough. There are moments when you realize you are putting your marriage vows

to the test over an argument about pot lights. There is a darkness that you didn’t realize lived inside of you until the cabinetmaker and the countertop installers disagree about the laws of physics and refuse to do any further work until you,

Culture Personal Space

someone who does not know anything about cabinets or countertops, pick a side.

I cried multiple times. I snapped at my very kind and helpful mother regularly. I was... not my best.

But as low as the lows were, the highs were high. When the pieces finally came together, it was downright magical. There is no living room floor as beautiful as one snapped together by your own husband and his dad, and the crossword-puzzle-like tiles in your bathroom look even more dazzling when you know intimately the work that went into waterproofing the wall behind them. Scrubbing the bubbling nicotine out of the stained blue walls and covering them with a fresh coat of crisp white?

WORK PARTY

In the soon-to-be office, the couple opted for Terrazzo wallpaper from Anewall—a fun Zoom backdrop for now, but perfect for when the space converts to a kid’s bedroom. New doors, trim and baseboards were courtesy of Metrie.

Pure before-and-after satisfaction. Running our bright blue kitchen faucet, dimming our Scandi-chic lights, performing a Rorschach test with the pattern on our kitchen backsplash tile: each was a moment of design joy that suggested some light appearing at the end of the tunnel.

We moved in August 1 —five and a half months after the chaos began. And, luckily, the longer we live here, the further away we get from those moments of regret and unhappiness, and the more we nestle in to the appreciation of the final product: the magic of the human brain. (I guess it’s the same psychological function that tricks people into having more than one kid?) Yes, Max continues

to give tours of the apartment with a thematic focus of “Look How Sloppy the Baseboards Are,” but we’re ultimately proud of how things turned out. We made it through, and now I cook in our beautiful green kitchen with joy, eat my cereal at our oversized countertop, play elaborate bird-themed board games around our custom Union Wood Co. table, write this very article in my terrazzo-wallpapered home office. We turned an opportunity into a home. (Well, mostly Max and Paul and the tradespeople: I just did a lot of emailing and weeping.)

Would I do it again?

No. But only because we managed to create a place I can’t imagine wanting to leave

The longer we live here, the further away we get from those moments of regret and unhappiness, and the more we nestle in to the appreciation of the final product.”

Discover wines that become the occasion.

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Here, an unparalleled selection of fine wine is expertly curated by passionate and highly knowledgeable consultants who help guide you to a bottle that perfectly suits your influence, your tastes, and become the centre of your occasion.

We’ll make sure you go home with a good story and a great bottle.

Cheap Thrills

Crowded, chaotic perfection: an ode to Persia Foods, the greatest (and most affordable) grocer in the city. by Alyssa Hirose

I wasn’t a kid who kicked and screamed in the grocery store, or who needed my mother to open up a box of Oreos to sate me. Instead, we had a routine: upon entering the cool, shinytiled supermarket, I’d trot off to the greeting card aisle and read horrifically corny stationery to my heart’s content while my mother worried about silly adult things like feeding a family of four. As she was puzzling over the price of cauliflower, I was 11 aisles away, laughing at doodles of droopy-boobed women making snarky remarks about aging.

All this to say: I did not pay attention to the cost of produce until it became absolutely necessary. And when that time came, the sticker shock was real. (Maybe those greeting card drawings were on to something—growing up kind of sucks.) Thank god I spent my university days living in a basement just a block away from a Persia Foods. That’s where I learned how to grocery shop.

My Persia Foods is not shiny-tiled, and sometimes

they don’t even have cauliflower. If you go at the wrong time (read: literally any convenient time) you’ll find that the checkout line reaches down an entire aisle or even wraps all the way around the back of the store. They’ve always just received a shipment of something or other that’s blocking a shelf—or six. And it’s constantly packed with college students swinging bulky backpacks and little old men who take so long to choose a tomato you’re afraid they’ll both expire.

But Persia Foods is the only place in the city I know of where you can reliably get an avocado for less than $2. I can buy a week’s worth of

groceries for less than $20. Lentils and chickpeas and gnocchi and tomato paste all cost a fraction of the price you’ll find in other stores. The rosewater and orange blossom water (under $3 each) make my low-commitment cocktails taste damn fancy.

At my Persia Foods, there are two gals who seem to be always working the checkout: one who greets me with a smile and another who looks like she wouldn’t care if I dropped dead. I find them both equally charming. There are no conveyor belts or finicky plastic dividers, just a linoleum counter to plop your items on. Then it’s a race to pile them into your

The marriage of classic French cuisine & the gastronomic identity and culture of Les Québécois

After a pandemic edition of our Restaurant Awards (oh, those takeout-only days!), we’re thrilled to bring them back this year in their full-fledged, 100-percentasterisk-free glory. In celebration of our incredible, resilient restaurant industry, the pages that follow are your playbook to dining in Vancouver for the coming year: start lining up those reservations.

MYSTERY DISH

Which restaurant is this?

Turn to page 42 to discover which spot took home Best New Restaurant honours for 2022.

As Canadians, we’re a selfdeprecating bunch. And Van couverites can be overly humble beyond that. But sometimes it’s important to take a figurative step back, inhale deeply (some thing we’re pretty good at here) and celebrate the special things we have. And let’s start with this: St. Lawrence is a marvel of a restaurant.

It’s tough to imagine another space that feels as vital and fresh at its half-decade mark. Most places—especially successful ones—quickly fall into a pattern of greatest hits speckled with the odd Instagram-worthy special, but St. Lawrence still seems like it should be in the running for Best New Restaurant.

Partly, it’s their decision to start featuring various regions

FIRST BITE

In his Railtown restaurant, chef and owner J-C Poirier (top centre) crafts his own brilliant take on Québécois home cooking—and the restaurant feels as vital and fresh a halfdecade in as it did on day one.

of France as inspiration for their table d’hôte approach to menu design. So in a year where travel was still limited, a local diner could experience the choucroute of Alsace, the cod dumplings of Lyon or the bouillabaisse of Provence—all executed in a way that is refreshing and distinctive while still honouring the dishes’ geography—without ever having to leave the city limits. And partly it’s because the kitchen (anchored by ever-present chef/ owner J-C Poirier and backed by the tightest line in town, includ

ing chef de cuisine and pâté en croûte whisperer Colin Johnson and sous chef Jake Isaak) and the front of house (GM Julie So puck, somm David Lawson and barkeep Sarah Hawkins) work together like Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey after a summer of furtive dance lessons.

The result is an operation at the top of its game, such that scoring a ticket (that’s what the prepaid reservation has been reimagined as) feels like a small triumph, more akin to seeing your favourite band live

than something so pedestrian as “going out for dinner.” And to top off a stellar year, this fall will see the publication of their much-anticipated cookbook, Where the River Narrows, which should encapsulate everything that draws us to St. Lawrence: refinement over fanciness, timelessness over fashion, dedication over striving. St. Lawrence has now won this award more times than it hasn’t, and that’s a testament to what a special operation it is: a place very deserving of celebration.

★ GUS STIEFFENHOFERBRANDSON

Published on Main 3593 Main St., Vancouver publishedonmain.com

As much high-level praise as Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson has col lected, the soul of the chef seems as down-to-earth as a shortorder cook. Give him his druthers and his formal chef’s whites are replaced by a plain white T-shirt and sturdy no-nonsense apron. Ask him to do a “chef collaboration” and one imagines that his first thought would be to call a buddy who makes fried chicken or birria tacos or pizza. His kitchen seems to have zero use for the harsh rigours of the brigade system and its inflexible pecking order and barking of commands. And give

him a day off and he’ll take his Jeep out into the middle of no where to forage for mushrooms.

But, luckily for us, that practical soul is connected to the mind of a food savant. Stieffenhofer-Brandson seems to show a photographic recall of all the flavours and textures he’s experienced over the past three decades—ranging from meals at his grandparents’ farm in rural Manitoba to his work in the kitchen at the legendary Noma, where he staged earlier in his ca reer—as well as a skill for putting together those culinary building blocks in bold and inventive ways that seem to occur only to him. He exhibits what one judge calls a “mind-blowing reverence” for ingredients, and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the ones he uses in his kitchen are the pinnacle of their relative

ART IN MOTION Chef Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson (opposite page) exhibits what one judge calls a “mind-blowing reverence” for ingredients—and the plates that emerge from his kitchen at Published on Main have a balanced composition that would inspire Kandinsky.

PERFECT PREPARATIONS

Stieffenhofer-Brandson notes that he has always wanted his room to be the sort of neighbourhood joint where locals could pop in for a casual—if expertly conceived and prepared— small plate of something.

expressions. And the plates that emerge from that kitchen have a balanced composition that would inspire Kandinsky.

And when that cataloguelevel memory and artistic skill meet, magic happens. Wagyu and rutabaga are both treated with equal awe at Published on Main, Stieffenhofer-Brandson’s restaurant. The chef notes that he has always wanted his room to be the sort of neighbourhood joint where locals could pop in for a casual—if expertly conceived and prepared—small plate of something, in this case, something like wagyu carpaccio with pickled elderflower and ginger miso. And while food critics tend to pigeonhole his restaurant as a destination spot with their constant stream of accolades (how could they help it when he creates incredible dish es like lamb sweetbreads with fermented Zaklan Farm pepper sauce, creamy Saint Agur sauce and pickled celery), this scrappy kid from Winnipeg steadfastly refuses to let his room become “fancy.” And he keeps it even more real at Bar Susu, this year’s Best New Restaurant, where he and his team helped design the menu—and made sure to import that same magic blend of casual and focused. Whichever of his restaurants you look at, you’ll see a place where respect comes from accomplishment and actions, not standing or title. And his patrons are the lucky beneficiaries.

Discover wines of history, family, and excellence.

MENTION

NATURAL SELECTION

With its highly creative yet unpretentious approach to local ingredients—and a great natural wine list—Bar Susu takes home the gold.

★ BAR SUSU

209 E 6th Ave., Vancouver

thisisbarsusu.com

Here’s the thing about restaurant pop-ups: no matter their wild success or legions of adoring fans, it’s understood that they’ll eventually, well, pop down. But inside The Whip’s former Mount Pleasant haunt, there’s Bar Susu, the pop-up concept that popped off—and became a natural wine bar that’s loved not for its novelty or “get it while you can”-ness, but for the way it feels like both a secret neighbourhood gem and a Vancouver destination all at once. Chef Gus StieffenhoferBrandson, who helped develop the eclectic menu alongside chef de cuisine Ashley Kurtz, is this year’s Vanmag Chef of the Year—and his highly creative yet

★ Collective Goods

3532 Commercial St., Vancouver collectivegoods.ca

★ Elephant

1879 Powell St., Vancouver elephantinvancouver .com

unpretentious approach to local ingredients shows itself in each thoughtful, technique-driven shared plate. Dishes juxta pose familiar warmth with unexpected ingredients (for instance, a fresh honey cruller topped with a dreamy duck liver parfait or smoked lamb belly

served alongside minted grains and garlic-forward labneh).

Following Bar Susu closely is silver winner Collective Goods, a “French-ish” hybrid concept that’s part neighbourhood bis tro, part grocer, serving refined but never fussy dishes that pair traditional sauces with seasonal

ingredients; in sum, a spot that exemplifies how Vancouverites are eating right now. With only 18 seats, Elephant is one of the city’s smallest rooms—but that’s part of the charm. This year’s bronze winner offers vibrant, produce-forward omakase and exceptional natural wine.

★ YUWA JAPANESE CUISINE

2775 W 16th Ave., Vancouver yuwa.ca

The battle for best Japanese in our fair city could be a bloodbath—just bring the subject up with your buddies for a guaranteed argument starter—but instead of fostering uncompromising, self-serious chefs, Vancouver is a locus of humble dedication and unshakable creativity. After two second-place standings, in 2019 and 2020, Yuwa deservedly takes the top spot in 2022: from Masa hiro Omori’s always-evolving menu to the beautiful room to the superb front-of-house hospitality, it’s a masterclass in elegance. Stem’s elevated Japanese comfort food (not to mention the impressive spe cialty sake list) earns them a solid silver, and Masayoshi takes bronze thanks to their delicious omakase-only of ferings that are as delightful to watch prep as they are to eat. And we’re awarding the honourable mention to a very honourable spot: the iconic Tojo’s

★ Stem Japanese Eatery

5205 Rumble St., Burnaby stemjapanese.ca

★ Masayoshi

4376 Fraser St., Vancouver masayoshi.ca

HONOURABLE MENTION

Tojo’s

1133 W Broadway, Vancouver tojos.com

★ ZOOMAK

KOREAN TAVERN

52 Alexander St., Vancouver zoomakyvr.com

Zoomak truly opened in the worst of times (October 2020), but in two short, chaotic years they have found an honoured spot in our judges’ hearts—and stomachs. The modern Korean tavern clinches gold in this category, not just for fantastic food and an unbeatably priced lunch special ($20 for a 12part tasting tray) but also for the ambiance: the stocked-up bar and subway-tiled interior is casual and classic. Hot on Zoomak’s heels is Maru, the Lower Lonsdale bistro known for sizzling stone bowls and gochujang-glazed Korean fried chicken.

★ Maru Korean Bistro

125 2nd St. E, North Vancouver marukoreanbistro.com

★ Insadong

Korean BBQ Restaurant

403 North Rd #301, Coquitlam

insadongbbq.ca

HONOURABLE MENTION

Hanwoori Korean Restaurant 5740 Imperial St., Burnaby hanwoori.ca

Securing bronze is Insadong, well worth the journey to Coquitlam for BBQ-yourown marinated sliced beef, short ribs and pork jowl. Restaurant Awards vet Han woori earns the honourable mention.

Zoomak

★ BAAN LAO

★ ARIKE

1725 Davie St., Vancouver arikerestaurant.com

Arike takes the gold, captivating our esteemed judges with its rare-to-Vancouver combination of Nigerian flavours and Pacific Northwest ingredients. The West End spot shifts its menu with the seasons, but whatever time of year you go, expect a feast; think artfully plated aromatic West African curries, spicy jollof rice and banana-leaf steamed sweet corn and pre served chilies, courtesy of chef Sam Olayinka. Olayinka’s father hails from Lagos, and he takes his precision and presentation from past stints at casual-fine and actual-fine dining destinations (Cactus Club and Bacchus, respectively). The pack-a-punch spices and bold flavours transport with the taste of a faraway home.

Meanwhile, date-night-chic Moltaqa takes silver—judges applauded the homey tagines and homemade merguez, served in a trendy tile-lined eatery— while Commercial Drive’s casual-cool Baby Dhal scoops up the bronze thanks to serious spiced Trinidadi an curries and

tender, buttery roti. Honourable mention goes to longstanding neighbourhood hotspot Fassil, the warm and unfussy go-to for Ethiopian fare.

★ Moltaqa

Moroccan Restaurant

1002 Mainland St., Vancouver moltaqarestaurant.ca

★ Baby Dhal Roti Shop

2707 Commercial Dr., Vancouver babydhalroti.com

4100 Bayview St., Richmond baanlao.ca

MENTION

Fassil Ethiopian Restaurant

736 E Broadway, Vancouver fassil.ca

For high-end Thai food, we’re looking down—south, specifi cally, to Steveston’s Baan Lao The refined, rotating menu by Chef Nutcha Phanthoupheng earned the Richmond restau rant a place on the Canada’s Best New Restaurants list this year, so it’s not surprising that Baan Lao wins gold in our 2022 Thai category. (“There really isn’t anything quite like it in Canada,” remarked one of our judges). Maenam takes silver as the Kits eatery that continues to set a benchmark for Thai dining in the city with its quality ingredients and innovative twists on the classics. Bronze goes to Kin Kao Song—sister restaurant to Kin Kao—applauded for its rustic authenticity, and the honourable mention goes to the unfussy (but worth fussing over) Unchai

★ Maenam

1938 W 4th Ave., Vancouver maenam.ca

★ Kin Kao Song

317 E Broadway, Vancouver kinkao.ca

MENTION

Unchai

2351 Burrard St., Vancouver unchai.ca

Spiked seltzers just got smoother.

★ CAFFÈ LA TANA

635 Commercial Dr., Vancouver caffelatana.ca

Well, this is a shake up. Pepino’s sister restaurant, Caffè La Tana , nabs the top spot for the first time. Our judges applauded its evolution from a neighbourhood alimentari into a true culinary slice of the old country, under the guidance of culinary director Phil Scarfone and chef de cuisine Vish Mayekar. Ethe real handmade pastas pair with exquisitely prepared proteins: like baby back ribs rubbed with porcini spice and presented with a Campari glaze, charred oranges and fried rosemary leaves. Over a decade in, silver winner La Quercia continues to delight West Point Grey locals with its elevated take on the neighbourhood restaurant. Chef Adam Pegg’s seasonally driven menu tours Italia with delights like perfectly seared sausage-stuffed morels with sweetbreads, and gorgeously green spring asparagus and prawn risotto. (And if the deli has it on offer, pick up their note-perfect lasagna to bring the magic home.)

Bronze goes to Autostrada , which has perfected the notion that casual Italian can come hand-in-hand with thoughtful preparation under chef Lucais Syme’s careful watch—where a simple seasonal salad will be studded with local kohlrabi,

★ La Quercia

3689 W 4th Ave., Vancouver laquercia.ca

★ Autostrada Osteria

Various locations autostradahospitality.ca

HONOURABLE MENTION

Oca Pastificio

1260 Commercial Dr., Vancouver ocapastificio.com

CinCin

1154 Robson St., Vancouver cincin.net

and the cacio e pepe is elevated with single-origin black pepper. Honourable mentions to Oca Pastificio for its handmade, sublime pastas and to CinCin for its homey trattoria vibe and excellent hospitality.

★ THE ACORN

3995 Main St., Vancouver theacornrestaurant.ca

What one judge calls “the mecca of vegetarian cuisine in Vancouver since inception,” The Acorn takes home gold just in time for its 10-year anniversary. A decade in and the team is continuing to forge a path of creative and innovative veggie-focused dishes that have truly altered the way this city thinks about vegetarian dining. The menu changes seasonally and elevates locally farmed and foraged ingredients with the high-end treatment that they deserve. Shira Blustein and Brian Luptak—owner and chef, respectively—have also released an adventurous but accessible 2021 cookbook that serves to highlight their “root to stem” approach. Silver goes to Do Chay with its inventive, crazy-tasty dishes that make it a mainstay in both the vegetarian and Vietnamese local food scenes. Aleph and Nightshade share bronze this year—Night shade is the new kid on the block, and although its namesake comes from a single family of vegeta bles, the Yaletown haunt has an expansive menu that crosses the globe for inspiration. Aleph lays down a focused Middle Eastern menu that leans into both the flavour and nostalgia departments.

★ Do Chay

1392 Kingsway, Vancouver

1269 Hamilton St. Vancouver dochay.ca

★ Aleph Eatery

1889 Powell St., Vancouver alepheatery.com

★ Nightshade

1079 Mainland St., Vancouver nightshadeyvr.com

★ Downlow

Chicken Shack

Various locations, dlchickenshack.ca

★ HK BBQ Master

4651 No.3 Rd., Richmond restaurantwebexpert .com/hkbbqmaster

HONOURABLE MENTION

Chancho

Tortilleria

560 Davie St., Vancouver chancho.ca

★ SUPERBABA

2419 Main St., Vancouver eatsuperbaba.com

No need for a tablecloth or drawn-out service here—Best Casual is a category that’s all about the food. After earning a co-win in this category in our 2021 takeout-only awards, Superbaba hangs onto that top spot this year, scoring gold for its modern take on Middle East ern fare. Hearty, tasty fillings like shawarma-spiced grilled chicken and battered eggplant come stuffed in a pita that’s baked fresh daily, or atop a bed of rice and greens. Top-tier sauces like herby yogurt, bright shug (a Middle Eastern hot sauce made with cilantro, red pepper and garlic) or smooth tahini bring home the flavour alongside crunchy, fresh or pickled veg. Silver goes to Downlow Chicken Shack—a Vancouver favourite with gloriously crispy, highly seasoned fried chicken that defines Nashville-style in the city. Variations on the classics—like their all-dressed sando and everchanging specials— have people lining up ’til closing. Bronze goes to HK BBQ Master thanks to spec tacular old-school BBQ duck and roast pork that is stealing the hearts of Vancouverites with its ridiculously crisp skin and always-juicy insides.

LEFT: SHIRA BLUSTEIN; EVA VON JAGOW; SEAN DAVID; EVA VON JAGOW, (SUPERBABA) TANYA GOEHRING

★ LE CROCODILE

909 Burrard St., Vancouver lecrocodilerestaurant.com

★ St. Lawrence

269 Powell St., Vancouver stlawrencerestaurant .com

★ Collective Goods Bistro and Grocer

★ CHEF’S CHOICE

955 W Broadway, Vancouver chefschoice1198.com

After securing gold for Best Chinese in our takeout-only 2021 awards, Chef’s Choice is back for round two. This classic, Hong Kong–style Cantonese restau rant is celebrated for both their old-school favourites (read: dim sum) and the bright, hot flavours of their modern Szechuan cooking. “The work manship and attention to detail is second to none,” said one judge. Silver goes to Dynasty for their larger-than-life cuisine (especially during king crab season) and bronze goes to Chef Tony, highlighted for their char grilled whole duck and bubbling ling cod tail hot pot with squash. Thanks to their artfully subtle flavours and warm hospitality, Jade Seafood gets the honour able mention.

★ Dynasty Seafood Restaurant

108-777 W Broadway, Vancouver dynasty-restaurant.ca

★ Chef Tony

4600 No. 3 Rd #101, Richmond cheftonycanada.com

HONOURABLE MENTION

The Jade Seafood Restaurant

2811 No. 3 Rd #280, Richmond jaderestaurant.ca

A tough two years has our judges revelling in the comfort of precise execution of the French standards. Legendary room Le Crocodile—steered by chef and master mentor Michel Jacob— impressed the judges with its refined take on the classics. The restaurant is always buzzing, the technique is perfection— but, noted one judge, this isn’t formality for its own sake, it’s an expression of respect: for the food, for the occasion and, most of all, for the diner. “It’s the personal touches that make visiting this restaurant feel like you are part of the family,” said another judge. Silver goes to one of the toughest reservations in town: St. Lawrence, where chef J-C Poirier delivers his gor geous takes on Gallic classics from this side of the Atlantic: perfect tourtières topped with a cheeky Canadiens banner; incredible homemade pâté en croûtes. As one judge noted, “I would like my last meal to include their cailles en sarcophagi (quail in puff pastry): a dream dish right out of Babette’s Feast.” Newcomer Collective Goods clinches bronze this year—a charming boîte with note-perfect steak frites, an excellent wine list and a great-value prix fixe. And honourable mention goes to Au Comptoir, whose zinc bar, excellent tartare and charming service bring a slice of Paris to the streets of Kitsilano.

3532 Commercial St., Vancouver collectivegoods.ca

HONOURABLE MENTION

Au Comptoir

2278 W 4th Ave., Vancouver aucomptoir.ca

FOOD

★ HY’S STEAKHOUSE & COCKTAIL BAR

637 Hornby St., Vancouver hyssteakhouse.com

Hy’s is what the judges refer to as “the classic”—and it once again secures gold for Best Steakhouse. It sets the bar high: exceptional tableside service and a sharply focused crew that puts out prop erly chargrilled steaks that are tender, succulent and seasoned to perfection. Classic steakhouse sides are executed at the same calibre, from an outstanding creamed spinach to their famous cheese toast—we’d hit happy hour for the toast alone. This is a treat-yourself kind of meal. Elisa’s trendy, modern vibe and vast selection of steaks and tartares land them with silver this year. And Hy’s debonair sib ling, Gotham, takes bronze for its modern approach to classic dishes (A5 Wagyu with crispy garlic and ponzu, anyone?) and a top-notch wine selection.

★ Elisa

1109 Hamilton St., Vancouver elisasteak.com

★ Gotham Steakhouse & Bar

★ LA TAQUERIA

Various locations

lataqueria.com

It’s no secret that Latin food in Vancouver has seen a boom over the past few years. From moody eateries featuring fresh aguachile to late-night haunts with cheesy birria tacos, what was once a lean category has become a staple in the Vancouver culinary scene. That means choosing our winners was no easy feat for this years’ judges —but La Taqueria nabs the gold, thanks to its casual-yet -hip fare served in handheld form. With straight-out-ofMexico-City vibes, tortillas are made in-house and fillings range from perfectly charred al pastor to huitlacoche mushroom stew. Silver goes to Chancho

★ Chancho

Tortilleria

560 Davie St., Vancouver chancho.ca

★ Chupito

322 W Hastings St., Vancouver

chupito.ca Alimentaria

HONOURABLE MENTION

Mexicana

1596 Johnston St., Vancouver alimentariamexicana .com

HONOURABLE MENTION

615 Seymour St., Vancouver gothamsteakhouse.com CPrime

1015 Burrard St., Vancouver cprime.ca

Tortilleria

menu that is as bona fide as they come: heirloom-corn tortillas served with five options of au thentic Mexican fillings (three pork, two veggie) all made with local ingredients. La Taqueria’s little sister, Chupito

bronze with its excellent alleyside patio, expansive and creative cocktail program and coastal Mexican eats.

BC

RESTAURANTS

★ BURDOCK & CO

2702 Main St., Vancouver burdockandco.com

Chef Andrea Carlson has been promoting local, sustainably sourced ingredients since long be fore it was de rigueur—a feat that once again sees Burdock and Co take the top spot in this category.

“Highly technical in the kitchen; delightful on the plate,” raved one judge. Her perpetually inventive menu—one Naramata-themed tasting menu featured rich burrata paired with black-pepperpickled apricots, and heavenly ravioli with Naramata walnut and nasturtium pesto—comes paired with one of the city’s best natural wine lists. Boulevard’s superb take on seafood, under the steady hands of chefs Alex Chen and Roger Ma, earns them silver this year. “Passionately sourced ingredients at every level,” noted one judge—and, given this level of service, the early-week prix fixe is a particular steal. Chef Adam Jordan’s detail-driven fare sees AnnaLena in the bronze spot. “While the food is serious, there’s always a sense of fun,” one judge said. The rotating, incredibly cre ative small-plates menu—along with a wicked cocktail selection— draws the crowds to this buzzy space. Honourable mention goes to Ubuntu Canteen for chef Dave Gunawan’s modern and inspired takes on classic dishes (think sake-steamed clams with summer squash and bonito butter).

★ ST. LAWRENCE

269 Powell St., Vancouver stlawrencerestaurant.com

Upscale used to be defined by white tablecloths and unflappa ble waitstaff, but in Vancouver times have changed—arguably for the better. It’s how an un pretentious take on down-home Québécois cuisine can take the category gold: St. Lawrence chef and principal J-C Poirier serves pork rinds in a maple syr up tin and somehow creates the perfect special-occasion restau rant in the process. Poirier’s food is honest, inventive and artful, unrepentantly rich and a love letter to his home province. This is what haute cuisine looks like in Vancouver in 2022.

Published on Main may be silver on our list, but they’re still riding high from being named the best room in the country on the “Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants” list. Both honours are well deserved: the chef’s tasting menu is always ambitious and surprising, with a laser-focus on market-fresh

Vancouver publishedonmain.com

★ Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar

845 Burrard St., Vancouver boulevardvancouver.ca

HONOURABLE MENTION

Blue Water Cafe

1095 Hamilton St., Vancouver bluewatercafe.net

Hawksworth

801 W Georgia St., Vancouver hawksworthrestaurant .com

ingredients and whimsical treatments. Our judges gave bronze this year to perennial upscale favourite Boulevard, still a master of hospitali ty, candle-lit elegance and jaw-dropping seafood towers. Honourable mentions go to local legends Blue Water Cafe (forever a seafood des tination) and Hawksworth (and its unparalleled service).

★ Sachdeva

Sweets and Restaurant

118 - 7500 120 St., Surrey sachdevasweets.com

HONOURABLE MENTION

The Yellow Chilli 8737 120 St., Delta theyellowchilli.ca

SWAD INDIAN

1734 Marine Dr., West Vancouver swadindiankitchen.ca

West Vancouver’s Swad heads back to the top after its silver placement in 2020. The re strained delicacy of the cooking here, noted one judge, highlights the long lineage of sophisticated dining and cooking culture that is Indian cuisine. The menu travels a wide range of regions, but particularly superb is the lamb Hyderabadi, with its love ly bittersweet finish thanks to poppy seeds and coconut. Dosa Corner is awarded silver for its perfectly prepared Southern Indian namesake dosas: crackling thin along the edges, the right amount of tangy, fer mented chew, and fillings that are alive with sharp spicing. Surrey institution Sachdeva Sweets takes bronze for its superb Indian street food: cool puri chaat, warming channa bhatura and terrific stuffed bread. (And don’t leave without a box of crisp spiced fritters—or their made-in-house addictive snack mixes.) And an honour able mention nod goes to Delta’s The Yellow Chilli: the Murgh Noormahal biryani—topped with a traditional sealed pastry—is perfection.

Restaurant

★ CACTUS CLUB CAFE

With the departure of both longtime owner Richard Jaffray and decorated execu tive chef Rob Feenie in early 2022, it’s uncertain where Cactus Club will end up on next year’s list—but the team runs such a tight, dependable ship that it seems unlikely it could drift too far off its win ning course. But no matter the future: we’re here to talk about the casual-fine chain’s impeccable past year, and the reasons that it takes the gold for the umpteenth time in a row. Even the snobbiest of foodies can’t deny that Cac tus refuses to drop the ball: the West Coast fare (Ocean Wise salmon, the beloved fish tacos, the butternut squash ravioli with prawns) is consistently impeccable. Though the restaurant is an institution at this point, the Cactus team rarely rests on their laurels, with an admirable commitment to adapting to culinary trends, including a thoughtfully executed plant-based menu. It’s hard to imagine a better place for a please-everyoneat-the-table business lunch. Similarly, silver winner Joey remains a pillar of consisten cy and casual-cool, wherever you pop in across the Lower Mainland. Tied for bronze, winners Nook and Tacofino

★ Joey

★ Nook

★ Tacofino

both provide neighbourhood-y vibes (and stellar meals) at each unique location, even as they quietly grow their mini empires.

A TOUR OF

RIVERWAY

★ KLIPPERS ORGANICS

klippersorganics.com

It’s rare that there’s an easy consensus reached in any cate gory of our Restaurant Awards judging, but in the top producer conversation this year, there was a common exclamation: “I can’t believe Klippers has never won!” The Similkameen Valley farm is admired for their quality produce, of course, but also for their presence in the community: at farmers’ markets, through their community supported agriculture boxes (including a CSA initiative specifically for single parents) and onsite events like yoga and long-table dinners. Owners Annamarie and Kevin Klippenstein are expert growers, in the soil and in their business: their impressive portfolio also in cludes Row Fourteen restaurant, Untangled cidery and Klippers marketplace and café.

★ Sid Cross continues his lifelong passion for and pursuit of high-quality food and wine, volunteering his time to help others and writing on his blog for the International Food and Wine Society and @winefoodguru.

★ Gail Johnson is an awardwinning print, web and broadcast journalist and a regular contributor to CBC Radio, the Georgia Straight, The Globe and Mail, Yahoo Canada and other outlets.

★ Joie Alvaro Kent co-authored

Where the River Narrows and Maenam: A Fresh Approach to Thai Cooking. She is also Vancouver’s senior judge for the Canadian Culinary Championships.

★ Anya Levykh is a writer, editor and broadcaster covering the people, places and issues behind what we eat and drink.

★ Lee Man is a founding judge for the Chinese Restaurants Awards and a longtime contributor to Vancouver, Montecristo and other magazines.

★ Brendon Mathews is a freelance food writer with expertise in Chinese cuisine, and a judge of the Chinese Restaurant Awards.

★ Mijune Pak is a Food Network Canada personality, the founder of FollowMeFoodie.com and resident judge on Top Chef Canada and Iron Chef Canada.

★ Tim Pawsey writes and shoots at HiredBelly.com, and for Where, Quench, Taste, Vitis, the Alchemist and others.

★ Iris Yim is an experienced editor who has worked in both Hong Kong and Vancouver. She writes about travel and gourmet dining for EliteGen magazine, Boulevard magazine, BCBay.com, her blog Gourmet Vancouver and more.

★ Rasoul Salehi is a wineindustry veteran, a certified Spanish wine educator and a managing partner at LaStella winery. He has an everlasting passion for the study of all things gastronomy.

★ Sylvia Potvin is the owner of Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, Vancouver’s premier professional culinary education training centre.

★ Jacob Sweetapple is an award-winning bartender and managing partner at Notion Concepts, where he aims to elevate drinking culture around the world through innovative beverage ideation and education.

★ Mark Taylor is an awardwinning restaurateur and sommelier, wine lover and presenter. He is currently president of the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.

★ Mia Stainsby is the longtime restaurant critic at the Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers.

★ In Memory of Andrew Morrison

Just a few weeks after the publication of our 2021 Restaurant Awards issue, Vancouver's food scene was shaken by the passing of Andrew Morrison, co-founder and editor of Scout, a trailblazer in the industry and a longtime judge of our awards. It would be impossible to overstate just how big a deal Scout’s launch was—and is—to our local restaurant industry, and Andrew was the firebrand behind it. He approached every new opportunity with curiosity, humour and a why-not attitude that made him a respected judge, adventurous foodie and welcoming presence in what can be a cutthroat industry. He made our awards, and our magazine, better—no matter which outlet was sporting his byline (and we were grateful when it appeared in our pages, too). His loss is felt by all of us here at VanMag, and we're all raising a glass in his honour this awards season. To Andrew!

Taste

★ MEERU DHALWALA

Vij’s has become such an institution in Vancouver that it might be easy to overlook the significant impact it’s had on our city—an impact that reaches back nearly to day one. Back in 2003, New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman placed Vij’s “easily among the finest Indian restaurants in the world”—and this at a time when Vancouver’s culinary scene wasn’t particularly lauded internationally—and GQ magazine noted that “there’s no more-beloved Indian restaurant in North America.”

And the beautiful food that’s hustled out of each kitchen comes back to Meeru Dhalwala and the team of women chefs she manages. “I realized very early on,” Dhal wala told this magazine back in 2014, “that there was a need for a matching magic in the back if [Vij’s co-founder] Vikram was going to accomplish what he told me the first day I ever met him: that he was going to change every preconceived notion about Indian food in Canada.”

It started with careful in terpretations of a few nostalgic curries she loved in childhood— and Vancouverites (literally) ate it up. “Modern Indian made with French techniques, local ingredients, and a dash of whimsy,” wrote Globe and Mail reviewer Alexandra Gill. The

two foundational restaurants in the Vij’s empire—the afore mentioned Vij’s and My Shanti in Surrey—have won a collective 23 gold medals over the years, an astonishing feat that, again, comes back to Dhalwala’s tire less commitment to the craft of creating a memorable night out for each and every guest.

“There was once a perception that certain cuisines had to be cheap and cheerful,” said Restaurant Awards judge Joanne Sasvari. “The way she has elevated the perception of what Indian food is—it’s incredible. She brought in local ingredients, the fusion aspect— making it so sophisticated, but never unapproachable. It’s really remarkable.”

And Dhalwala’s energy for feeding others appears to be limitless—whether it’s spearheading food-celebratory events like Joy of Feeding (a food festival and fundraiser she founded to support UBC Farm), or hosting Yes Shef!, an annual dinner that pairs seasoned female chefs and up-and-comers with the goal, says Dhalwala, “to not only empower women in the industry, but entice those who left to come back.”

And because juggling mul tiple restaurants and all these events isn’t quite enough, she also carved out time to launch My Bambiri, a line of organic baby food, earlier this year.

Chef Andrea Carlson of Burdock and Co recently worked with Dhalwala on both Joy of Feeding and her Yes Shef! initiative, and she commended Dhalwala for how essential she has been to the dining culture in Vancouver. “For many years, Meeru has been a force of nature on the Vancouver dining scene with her iconic restaurant Vij’s—long the benchmark of

gracious hospitality and deli cious food,” said Carlson.

All of it comes back to her seemingly innate sense of what it means to be a chef, often behind the scenes. Perhaps nothing sums up Dhalwala better than her own words:

“This isn’t about food,” she told us back in 2012, when she launched Joy of Feeding. “It’s about generosity.”

There was once a perception that certain cuisines had to be cheap and cheerful. The way she has elevated the perception of what Indian food is—it’s incredible. She brought in local ingredients, the fusion aspect—making it so sophisticated, but never unapproachable.”

—Joanne Sasvari, Restaurant Awards judge

QUEEN OF THE SCENE Meeru Dhalwala has been a stalwart of not just Indian cooking in the city, but the restaurant industry at large.

BAR STARS Bartender of the year Jeff Savage (left) and sommelier of the year Christina Hartigan, pictured in Savage's Botanist home base.

★ JEFF SAVAGE

Botanist

1038 Canada Pl., Vancouver botanistrestaurant.com

When we established this award in 2006, the goal was modest: try to figure out who is the top bartender in town. But what we didn’t appreciate at the time was that Vancouver was having a cocktail moment such that the winner of BOTY that year—and many years after—was not only the best bartender in town, but likely in the country... and, some might argue, the world. Even more amazingly, as the mixology revolution grew, so did Van couver’s standing—so when a young Albertan studying political theory and religious studies suddenly caught the barkeep bug, he was able to hop on a short flight and receive encouragement from luminaries like Jay Jones, Shaun Layton and Lauren Mote, all giants in the industry and also working bartenders in town, always willing to help out a visiting colleague. The mentorship paid off: by the time Jeff Savage took up Grant Sceney’s offer to move to Vancouver and work at Botanist, he had been racking up accolades and competition wins in our provincial neighbour to the east for years. But once ensconced in the mad scientist lab in the Pac Rim, things really took off. In 2019 he won World Class Canada (the Super Bowl of bar competitions), then finished second in the world by an in sanely close margin—and, in doing so, played his own key role in keeping Vancouver perched as one of the world’s cocktail capitals. And like those who came before him, he’s always happy to mentor a newbie or lead a patron through the genesis of a cocktail that might have as many literary references as it has ingredients.

★ CHRISTINA HARTIGAN

AnnaLena

1809 W 1st Ave., Vancouver annalena.ca

It’s easy to imagine sommeliers as beings that are born into this world fully informed on the grape, requesting riesling with their pablum to cut the blandness with some much-needed acidity. But the truth is that they all had to learn about wine just like every other oenophile, and the best of them never stop that process. And Christina Hartigan knows a thing or two about learning—she was a newly minted high school history teacher when she caught the wine bug and fed her passion by reading voraciously, working a harvest in France and doing pretty much anything she could to be around fermented grape juice. Ultimately, that led to her giving up teaching to take a chance on working at a new Kitsilano upstart called AnnaLena. That was in 2015, and since then she’s worked with fellow SOTY alum Jill Spoor on the opening of Botanist, then at Wildebeest, and then at Bufala Edgemont. Then, last fall, she returned to AnnaLena, this time as wine director. And while she’s a much different sommelier this go-around—one who’s lauded by customers and colleagues alike both for her wine knowledge and for her ridiculously open approach to the craft—she still brings that air of discovery to everything she does.

Christina Hartigan knows a thing or two about learning—she was a newly minted high school history teacher when she caught the wine bug and fed her passion by reading voraciously, working a harvest in France and doing pretty much anything she could to be around fermented grape juice."

Raise a glass to the front of house: the superstars who welcome the (sometimes awesome, sometimes not-so-pleasant) public into our restaurants, the folks who ensure our souls are just as taken care of as our stomachs. But don’t take it from us—here’s what our 2022 Restaurant Awards judges had to say.

★ KELCIE JONES

Sommelier, Elephant

“Kelcie’s depth and breadth of knowl edge—not only when it comes to wine, but also literature, mycology and likely much more—is only part of the reason she is one of Vancouver’s best somms. Her passion for guiding customers and educating those in the industry is the perfect cork to an excellent vintage.”

—judge Anya Levykh

* not pictured

★ MIHO KATAOKA

Sommelier, Yuwa

“Miho Kataoka—or Miho-san as she is affectionately called by Yuwa’s regulars—is an engaging and hospitable sommelier. She passionately shares her knowl edge of sake, wine and food with an infectious enthusiasm. Miho’s graciousness toward all her guests is what makes each visit a memorable one!”

—judge Sylvia Potvin

★ SIDNEY LEUNG

General Manager, Landmark Hot Pot House

“Sidney Leung has been the general manager of Landmark Hot Pot, a bastion of the finest Cantonese-style hot-pot dishes, for well over 25 years. He is beloved by generations of diners, and his rapid-fire friendly banter and boundless energy keep one of the most raucous Chinese restaurants in Vancouver running with ease and efficiency.”

—judge Lee Man

★ JOHN FERRIE

Server, The Teahouse

“He might have racked up 43 years of waitering—20 of them at The Teahouse—but he’s a young, joyful spirit who connects with guests to give them a wonderful experience.

John also received a Pride Legacy Award for his leadership in the gay community.”

—judge Mia Stainsby

★ CLAIRE LASSAM

Chef and co-owner, Livia “Ebullient and welcoming, Claire Lassam is the quintessential host. Her exceptional charm and grace fill Livia’s bustling room with warmth, playing no small part in making it a neighbour hood favourite.”

—judge Joie Alvaro Kent

★ LEAGH BARKLEY

Director of Restaurants and Bars, The Vancouver Club

“Leagh Barkley enhances the sense of occasion without pretension and yet with all the professionalism. His kindness, charisma and deep knowledge of wines make him one of the reasons to visit any room he works in.”

—judge Mijune Pak

VICTORIA

Indulgence

Culture Nightcap

Beauty Is Spain

If an espresso martini hopped on a quick flight to Donostia, a city in the Basque region of Spain— then this is the cocktail it would become. Inspired by an autumn trip taken by our 2015 Bartender of the Year Lauren Mote and her husband, chef Jonathan Chovancek, this apple-forward sipper invokes the city’s epic burnt-top cheesecakes, bustling tapas bars and unique local ciders.

DONOSTIA ASKATUTA

SERVES 1

¾ ounce (22.5 mL) Spanish brandy

¾ ounce (2 2.5 mL) amontillado sherry

2 ounces (60 mL) brewed black tea, cool

¾ ounce (22.5 mL) apple syrup

2 dashes peach bitters (like Bittered Sling Clingstone Peach)

1 egg white

1 dried apple slice (for garnish)

METHOD

1. To a shaker, add the brandy, sherry, tea, syrup, bitters and egg white. Dry shake (without ice) for 5 seconds.

2. Open the shaker and add cubed ice. Tightly close the shaker and shake again (this allows the egg white to emulsify with the other ingredients and get frothy).

3. Using a small fine-mesh bar sieve to catch the loose ice chips, double strain into a cocktail glass or coupe.

4. Garnish with a dried apple slice across the top of the drink.

HOT TIP

If you’re concerned about the food safety of raw eggs, use 1 ounce (30 mL) pasteurized liquid egg whites in place of the egg white.

EXCERPTED FROM A BARTENDER’S GUIDE TO THE WORLD: COCKTAILS AND STORIES FROM 75 PLACES BY LAUREN MOTE AND JAMES O. FRAIOLI. COPYRIGHT © 2022 LAUREN MOTE AND JAMES O. FRAIOLI. COVER AND BOOK DESIGN BY TERRI NIMMO. COVER AND BOOK PHOTOGRAPHY BY JONATHAN CHOVANCEK. PUBLISHED BY APPETITE BY RANDOM HOUSE, A DIVISION OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE CANADA LIMITED. REPRODUCED BY ARRANGEMENT WITH THE PUBLISHER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.