Vancouver Magazine, September/October 2020

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

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VA N M AG .C O M

S E P T E M B E R /O C TO B E R 2 0 2 0 // VO LU M E 5 3 // N U M B E R 5

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FE ATURE

31

The 31st Annual Restaurant Awards

Torafuku’s modern Asian fare snagged top marks from our judges (page 57).

der n e and

Though it’s one of the industries that’s been hardest hit by the pandemic, somehow our local restaurateurs are seeing it through.

Once again, and with new meaning, we’re celebrating the folks that keep serving.

COVER PHOTO: CLINTON HUSSE Y; TORAFUKU: LEIL A K WOK; ASHLEE FERRAL: MARK SAVOIE; CIT Y INFORMER: BYRON EGGENSCHWILER; BEER: ISTOCK /SERGE Y PETERMAN; HOROSCOPES: ALYSSA HIROSE

It’s d

City

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19 At Issue How Jody WilsonRaybould tackles representing one of the most diverse ridings in Canada.

26

68

24 What It’s Like To Just for laughs time is over—comedian Ashlee Ferral speaks out about injustice in a local theatre company.

Culture 63 The Ticket Virtual Indigenous burlesque, locally produced podcasts and more rad events to keep on our radar.

66 On the Rise Poplin and Co. pivots production from sassy shirts to funky facecoverings.

63

68 Beer & Wine Satisfying your European vacation blues (drinkwise).

26 City Informer Exactly who (or what) triggers the 9 O’Clock Gun?

66

70 Star Power Horoscopes to satisfy your hunger.

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Publisher Samantha Legge Editorial Director Anicka Quin Creative Director Catherine Mullaly Food Editor Neal McLennan Associate Art Director Jenny Reed Associate Editor Nathan Caddell Assistant Editor Alyssa Hirose Editor at Large Stacey McLachlan Contributing Editors Frances Bula, Amanda Ross Editorial Interns Shelby Daughton, Chloe Finn Editorial Email mail@vanmag.com

Director of Sales Brianne Harper Sales Manager Anna Lee Senior Account Executives Johnny Alviar, Charie GineteIlon, Jessica McBean, Joan McGrogan, Sandy Short, Sheri Stubel Digital Ad Coordinator Kim McLane Senior Production Manager Kristina Borys Production Coordination/Design Nadine Gieseler Sales Email sales@canadawide.com National Media Sales Margo Bock Tel 647-472-5203 Email mbock@canadawide.com U.S. Sales Representation, Hayes Media Sales Lesley Hayes Tel 602-432-4868 Email lesley@hayesmediasales.com European Sales Representation S&R Media Sylvie Durlach, Tel +33 1 44 18 06 62 Email srmedia@club-internet.fr

Suite 230, 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 Head of Brand Partnerships Johnny Alviar, MCE, SCE Marketing Lead Chris Hinton Accounting Terri Mason, Eileen Gajowski Circulation Katie Gajowski, 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 230, 4321 Still Creek Drive, Burnaby, B.C. V5C 6S7. Phone 604-2997311; fax 604-299-9188. Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s written permission. Not responsible for unsolicited editorial material. Privacy Policy: On occasion, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened organizations whose product or service might interest you. If you prefer that we not share your name and address (postal and/ or email), you can easily remove your name from our mailing lists by reaching us at any of the listed contact points. You can review our complete Privacy Policy at Vanmag.com. Indexed in the Canadian Magazine Index by Micromedia Ltd. and also in the Canadian Periodical Index. International standard serial no. ISSN 0380-9552.

Canadian publications mail product sales agreement #40068973. Printed in Canada by Transcontinental Printing G.P. (LGM Graphics), 737 Moray St., Winnipeg, Man. R3J 3S9. All reproduction requests must be made to: COPIBEC (paper reproductions) 800-717-2022, or CEDROM-SNi (electronic reproductions) 800-563-5665. Distributed by Coast to Coast Ltd.

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ED NOTE

Our 31st Annual Restaurant Awards have been a long time coming.

Well, that was a long time to sit on a secret this big.

Our annual Restaurant Awards issue was, of course, originally scheduled for May 2020. With the standard long leadup time required to publish a magazine, we were actually heading into production for this issue in mid-March. And, well, you all know what happened then.

So, just like the rest of the world, we had to press pause. We particularly didn’t want to announce the results of our 31st annual Restaurant Awards at a time when our winners wouldn’t even be able to welcome in guests to celebrate along with them.

Since then, we’ve seen pivot after pivot from our restaurants, undoubtedly one of the hardest hit industries in Vancouver right now. Many turned to takeout for the first time, and thanks to the City relaxing its bylaws (finally!), many others have opened street-front patios that are enlivening our neighbourhoods.

And so at last, all these months later, we can finally shine some well-deserved light on the best and the brightest in the city: those restaurants that create memorable moments as their calling card, in good times and bad. Under the leadership of our food editor, Neal McLennan, our 22 judges anonymously dined in each of these spaces over months to decide on the dozens of Restaurant Awards winners named here, who all celebrated with us at a virtual event we hosted on September 14.

At press time, we’ve lost a couple of our winning establishments to the effects of COVID: Bauhaus (Best European) and the Pear Tree, a stalwart on this list, closed their doors in August. Fittingly, chef and owner of the latter, Scott Jaeger, was chosen for our Lifetime Achievement Award (you’ll read all about him on page 36), though we very much expect he’ll be opening another fantastic, award-winning spot in the not-too-distant future. As McLennan writes, “The sadness is tempered by the recognition that it took a pair of dreamers to make a go of it in the first place, and that against steep obstacles, we were able to bask in it for 23 years.”

That same grit and creativity is being shown by every winner in these pages—each making it work, however they can, even by the skin of their teeth. In the weeks and months to come, we hope you’re able to visit your favourites (safely) in person, and raise a glass to them within their warm and welcoming spaces.

Coming Up Next Issue The Power 50 The world may still be upside down in our 2020 COVID reality—so who are the people making waves in this new world order?

It’s our 20th annual ranking of the movers and shakers in our city, from politicians to real estate moguls, healthcare visionaries to tech types.

Return of the Corner Store With more and more workers not heading back to their downtown office, is it time to bring businesses back to our neighbourhoods?

On the Web The Thursday Takeout Every Thursday over on our Instagram channel, our food editor Neal McLennan chats with the top chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and more in the city. Head to @vanmag_com at noon every week.

THE THURSDAY TAKEOUT INSTAGRAM LIVE

Food editor Neal McLennan chats with Como’s SHAUN LAYTON

THURSDAYS @ 12 PST

FOLLOW US ON

Anicka Quin editorial director

anick a . quin @vanmag . com

@ aniqua

#VMTHURSDAYS

PORTRAIT: EVA AN KHERA J; ST YLING BY LUISA RINO, MAKEUP BY MEL ANIE NEUFELD; CLOTHING COURTESY HOLT RENFREW, HOLTRENFREW.COM

Finally, the Results Are In

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PORTRAIT: EVA AN KHERA J; ST YLING BY LUISA RINO, MAKEUP BY MEL ANIE NEUFELD; CLOTHING COURTESY HOLT RENFREW, HOLTRENFREW.COM

FEB 22 – MAR 1

The Wine

B

World is Here

FEATURING

GREAT FOOD. GREAT WINE LISTS. GREAT PEOPLE. The following awards were presented at the 42nd Vancouver International Wine Festival in February.

Spirited Industry Professional Dana Lee Harris

After many years in wine sales and management Dana Lee Harris, in 2005, started her own consulting business, bringing her skills and experience in public relations, marketing and event management to organizations in the food and wine industry. She has also volunteered much of her time as a board member of the BC Hospitality Foundation, as a member of the BC chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier and as a fi tness instructor of the YWCA. She is currently working with several clients including Wines of Argentina and Wines of South Africa. Dana is the executive director of the BC Hospitality Foundation.

Presented by

Sommelier of the Year Peter Van de Reep, wine director & bar manager, Campagnolo Restaurant The Sommelier of the Year Award recognizes working sommeliers who consistently demonstrate an outstanding passion for marrying wine with food and a dedication to exceptional service. Peter Van de Reep was selected through a hands-on competition organized by the BC Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.

Peter Van de Reep is the wine director and bar manager of Upstairs @ Campagnolo and Campagnolo Restaurant. Peter started with the company in 2012 at Campagnolo Roma after working for Elysian Coffee and completing studies in Geology at the University of British Columbia. He is a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and is writing his advanced examination with the CMS later this year. He is easily plied with amaro, Champagne and Riesling.

Presented by

In partnership with

Vintners Brunch Food and Wine Pairing Competition Executive Chef Dennis Peckham Notch8 Restaurant & Bar, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver Salmon Pastrami with Quail’s Egg, House English Muffin and Lemon Balm paired with Culmina Family Estate Winery Unicus (Grüner Veltliner) 2018 Expert judges were Josh Clark, Harry Hertscheg, Tim Pawsey, and Joanne Sasvari.

Sponsored by

MAJOR SPONSORS

TRADE DAYS SPONSORS

MAJOR PARTNERS

Sponsored by

The Wine Program Excellence Awards recognize restaurants for creating a wine program that complements their establishment’s unique menu and concept. Expert judges were Tom Doughty, DJ Kearney, Martha McAvity, Iain Philip, and Jason Yamasaki.

METRO VANCOUVER

WHISTLER

Platinum L’Abattoir AnnaLena Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar Chambar CinCin Ristorante + Bar Hawksworth Restaurant Nightingale

Gold Il Caminetto

Gold Captains Room Le Crocodile Elisa Ugly Dumpling Yuwa Japanese Cuisine – Best Food & Wine Pairing

VANCOUVER ISLAND

Silver Burdock & Co. dachi Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House PiDGiN Savio Volpe Wildebeest Bronze Feast Forage Minami Restaurant Piva Modern Italian VV Tapas Lounge Honourable Mention Chi

Silver Araxi Restaurant + Oyster Bar Bearfoot Bistro Bronze Basalt Wine & Salumeria Silver Agrius Restaurant (Victoria) The Pacific Restaurant at the Hotel Grand Pacific (Victoria) Bronze Alpina Restaurant at the Villa Eyrie Resort (Malahat) Vis-à-Vis (Victoria) Honourable Mention 10 Acres The Commons (Victoria) Bard & Banker (Victoria)

BC COAST Silver Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort (Great Bear Rainforest)

ALBERTA Gold Vin Room YYC Airport (Calgary)

Please support your favourite restaurants and enjoy an outstanding (and safely distanced) wine and food experience.

PREMIER PARTNERS

SIGNATURE

FUNDRAISING

BENEFITING

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH FESTIVAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS AT VANWINEFEST.CA AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA @VanWineFest | #VIWF | Sign up for E-News at VanWineFest.ca

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THE CANADIAN PRESS/DARRYL DYCK

The annual Spirited Industry Professional Award is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the sales, service or promotion of wine in British Columbia.

VA N M AG .C O M/C I T Y

B O U L D M OV E S / CA L L I N G O U T LO CA L C O M E DY / S M O K E S H OW

City

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One of the most diverse ridings in Canada elected Jody Wilson-Raybould as an independent. How is she going to represent it?

NG

THE CANADIAN PRESS/DARRYL DYCK

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by

Nathan Caddell

JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD doesn’t like to refer to herself as a “celebrity.”

But there’s a pretty good case to be made that, for a few months at the beginning of 2019, she was Vancouver’s most famous full-time resident.

We all know the story. A cabinet shuffle in Trudeau’s government moves her out of the attorney general post; Wilson-Raybould resigns from her new position as minister of veteran affairs; charges of inappropriate pressure arise; and, finally, she gets kicked out of the Liberal party altogether.

At the end of that year, she pulled off something perhaps more shocking than her formidable commitment to the truth against the government she served with as justice minister: she took a seat in the House of Commons as an independent, winning the riding of Vancouver Granville with over 32 percent of the vote, topping Liberal Taleeb Noormohamed (26 percent) and Conservative Zach Segal (22 percent).

It’s only been done once before in B.C., when incumbent Surrey MP Chuck Cadman won in 2004 after losing the nomination for the Conservative Party.

He ended up playing a pivotal role in government, casting the deciding vote on a budget a year later that would keep the minority Liberal government

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City AT I S S U E

in power. Time will tell whether Wilson-Raybould will be called into the spotlight à la Cadman— this is another Liberal minority government, after all.

For now, the former justice minister has a job that comes with a decidedly lesser profile: listening to residents and actually speaking for them, without a party controlling her voting hand. But that comes with complications too.

Vancouver Granville runs all the way from Second Avenue to the southernmost edge of the city between Main and Arbutus streets. It encapsulates some of the richest postal codes in Canada: in Shaughnessy, through massive swaths of treelined streets and single-family homes in Kerrisdale and Arbutus Ridge, and into stretches of Marpole and Main Street that are chock full of renters and relatively lowerincome earners. In short, it’s one of the most socioeconomically diverse areas in the country.

So how does one person, particularly someone with a hardearned reputation for fighting against injustice, represent all that?

It’s late February—a time when people are still meeting in person—when I first sit down to interview Wilson-Raybould at her West Broadway constituency office.

She welcomes me into a chair at the back of her office and sits, listening intently to my questions and nodding along, her big eyes working just as hard as her mouth to convincingly answer each one.

“The issues that people care about, in spite of the amount of money in their wallets—whether it be around the environment or reconciliation with Indigenous peoples or ensuring justice and equality and inclusion, those issues

are common to so many people,” she says, making the case that, inherently, citizens of the world— and, especially, Canadians—are a compassionate bunch. “People are people, no matter where they are.”

And Wilson-Raybould, who believes she’s more well known now than she was as the minister of justice, has certainly met her fair share of people. “I get approached all the time,” she admits. “Whether it’s on a plane, walking down the street,

I didn’t want to divide on racial lines or community lines, but I think I’m one of those examples where even if you don’t have a natural constituency you can still reach people on fundamental issues.” people sending me emails, direct messaging me on Twitter—it’s quite overwhelming.”

Her assertion that “people are people” goes against the common belief that folks will often simply vote for what’s best for them personally. But she may have a point.

In 2015, some of what she calls “influential community people” questioned her decision to run in her home riding of Vancouver Granville, making the argument that—due to the lack of Indigenous people in the area—she didn’t have a natural constituency. (Wilson-Raybould is

a member of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation, and was the first Indigenous person to hold the minister of justice office.)

“What I said was that I believe in people and that people want to invest themselves in particular issues, and impact our community in the most beneficial way possible,” she recalls. “I, at the time, said I didn’t want to divide on racial lines or community lines, but I think I’m one of those examples where even if you don’t have a natural constituency you can still reach people on fundamental issues.”

Though she jokes about being friends with all 10 Indigenous people in the riding (the 2016 Census reports—probably coincidentally— that exactly 10 people in the riding claim an Aboriginal language as their mother tongue), she still seemed to have something of a natural support group in the election. According to data from Elections Canada, she dominated polls north of King Edward Avenue and in the very south of the region.

But polls in the tony areas between King Edward and Southwest Marine Drive were almost uniformly won by Conservative candidate Segal, often with Noormohamed in second.

Makes sense. Wilson-Raybould has spent most of her life advocating for poorer people, from her time as a provincial Crown prosecutor on the Downtown Eastside to being elected as regional chief of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations in 2009.

And when it was time to choose where to hold the announcement that she’d be running as an independent, she opted for Marpole Neighbourhood House on the southern fringes of the riding.

So is it really a natural fit for her to be advocating for the

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wants and needs of Canada’s richest? “I feel comfortable in representing people who have a lot of money that look for and believe in certain causes that they want to invest their time in,” she says, arguing that the issues important to the riding—housing, climate change, general affordability, health care and, yes, Indigenous issues—are genuinely significant to everyone. “Even in Shaughnessy, where people can’t afford to pay their taxes from year to year,” she adds with a wry smile.

Whether she’ll actually have the opportunity to influence policy in a meaningful way is another matter. She entered this parliament 67th on the private member’s bill list, and has been told that her time will likely come around winter 2021.

In the meantime, she’s used virtual committees to ask the government pointed questions about mandatory minimum sentencing, which she hopes to reform, and Indigenous rights— she’s pushing for a formal recognition framework.

Though she recently headed back to Ottawa for the resumption of parliament, Wilson-Raybould spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vancouver, talking to residents over Zoom and planning virtual town halls. When we speak again over the phone in midJuly, she talks about carefully expanding her interactions (she’s been to one restaurant, BierCraft on Cambie Street) and wearing her mask everywhere she goes (they should be mandatory, she thinks).

Even with her mask on, though, she’s always getting recognized and approached.

Part of being a celebrity.

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No Laughing Matter

Comedian Ashlee Ferral has been speaking out about racism within a local theatre organization. Here’s what happened to the improvisor when she stopped accepting the classic improv line “yes, and.” by

Ashlee Ferral, as told to Alyssa Hirose

i’ve been doing improv for 20 years now, and I started taking classes at Vancouver TheatreSports (VTSL) five years ago. On my very first day, someone in my class told me they’d definitely want me on the mainstage because I’m Black and I’m a woman.

Like it had nothing to do with my actual ability or anything. I did eventually play on the mainstage (and so did the guy who made that comment), but I was told I was a token—not really a funny person.

I was constantly sexualized, and put in a position where I was only praised for playing dumb slut characters. If I played anything else, I was told to give other people (the white dudes) “more space.” Once, I was pulled aside before a show to ask if it was “okay” to have three Black performers on stage, because it could “look weird.” Another time all the women were told to invest in a padded bra in case we were groped on stage.

But as a minority, you just think this is how it will be everywhere.

In June, when I was watching everything that was happening in the States with the Black Lives Matter movement, I really wasn’t thinking about TheatreSports at all—until the blackout squares started to show up on Instagram. I saw VTSL’s post, and something just clicked in my brain.

I was like, how dare you put this up?

They couldn’t be a more systemically racist and oppressive organization if they tried. Seeing it made me incredulous. So I just commented, “Take this down.” That was it.

But then other people also started commenting, and personally messaging me about their treatment at TheatreSports. I was horrified by the volume, and by the stories themselves. For example, a Black student reached out to me about how he had taken classes at VTSL—he peaced out of doing improv at 19 years old because the racism was so brutal. Seeing that message, I just felt so complicit with my own attitude of apathy. I then felt obligated to hold them accountable. If it had just been me advocating for myself... well, I probably wouldn’t have. People were coming in with stories of how over the last 20 to 30 years they have been going to the board and telling them these things, and then the board responded with, “Oh my god, we had no idea.” Me fighting against them is just holding up a mirror. It’s not like I needed a plan at all.

But it’s definitely more work than I ever wanted. There have been a lot of people who come out of the woodwork saying they want to help, but they aren’t holding the theatre accountable. Some are just waiting for this to blow over. And lots of people

have blocked me on social media so they can’t be tagged in any posts—if they were actually concerned with being anti-racist, that wouldn’t be their reaction. You should be holding your friends and your colleagues accountable. If you can’t do that, please don’t message me saying you want to support, because you don’t.

On the positive side, with all of this being public, people are messaging me to say, “Thank you for doing this, because now I know it wasn’t just me.”

You can feel the relief in their soul and their self-worth. That’s how abusive people operate—they make you feel like it’s just you, and that no one will believe you.

Other people who have called them out publicly are getting harassed online. What I find so bizarre and infuriating is that I am not getting any of those messages. Probably because I’m sure they know that I would go after them. Like, you never heckle a comedian—I am going to destroy you. I would love if any of those people who have blocked me could directly message me, and we could have this discussion. Some of them know they are guilty and have deleted their entire social media presence, and some just want to bury their heads in the sand.

They just do whatever they can to maintain the delusion that they have never done anything wrong in their lives, instead of going, “Hey, maybe I have screwed up before.”

If you’re not being actively antiracist, then you’re helping racists, so you are racist! That’s how this works. We can’t live in a world where people are like, “Well, I don’t have any power.” Yes you do, you 100-percent do. You can call people out, and you can walk away. There is power in doing that—but you have to decide that doing the right thing is more important than getting claps.

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CIT Y INFORMER

Who Sets Off the Nine O’Clock Gun Every Night? by

Stacey McLachlan Byron Eggenschwiler

illustration by

Here in Vancouver, every night at 9 p.m. sharp (PT, duh), a blast rings out from Stanley Park. It’s not an alarming new breed of exploding crow, no: it’s the sound of the iconic 9 O’Clock Gun, which has the proud distinction—and I am confident in saying this—of being Vancouver’s most accurate timekeeping weapon.

The cannon goes off each night to remind the ships in port to sync their chronometers (which hopefully is not a euphemism). I have three alarms that I set for every morning, and I still wind up lying in bed for an hour and being late for work, so I do understand why someone might turn to a big gun for help with time management. It’s almost impossible to press snooze on gunpowder.

The muzzle-loaded 12-pounder naval cannon was crafted in 1816 in the U.K. (“Cannon Capital

If England had just sent us a dozen roses like a normal ruling colonial nation, would we still be together? of the World”) and made its way to Vancouver 78 years later as part of a “just because” gift of 16 cannons to the provinces of Canada.

If England had just sent us a dozen roses like a normal ruling colonial nation, would we still be together?

Historians say: yes.

Two of the cannons that came to the West Coast flanked the Victoria

legislature (and were later melted down during the war effort), but the third was more of a free spirit—the Dharma to the other cannons’ Greg, if you will. She hung out for a bit in Nanaimo with coal miners. In Esquimalt, she was caught up in a squabble over the placement of the U.S. border. Finally, she settled down in Stanley

Park in 1898, where the Department of Marine and Fisheries used her to designate the end of each fishing day, probably because Apple Watches weren’t invented yet.

Unfortunately, the fishermen, further and further away from shore chasing salmon each day, couldn’t always hear the boom. Meanwhile,

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though, the Brockton Point lighthouse keeper, William D. Jones—noted drama queen—was blowing up a stick of dynamite every evening to aid ship navigation and mark the stroke of 9 o’clock. Taking over the cannon seemed like a real upgrade, and would slash the local dynamite budget by 100 percent. Win-win!

Since then, it’s been blasting off nightly, unless there’s an international tragedy, like WWII, or UBC engineering students have scampered off with it, as they did in 1969.

(When does a prank become property crime?

The UBC philosophy department should get on this.) During the early days of COVID, the blast time changed to 7 p.m. in a salute to health-care workers that really puts my banging-a-spoon-on-abalcony-railing to shame.

Today, while the 9 O’Clock Gun is loaded with a black powder charge daily by the Parks Department, the cannon is launched via electronic trigger.

So when it goes off each evening, you can enjoy the sound of Vancouver’s rich history, a confirmation of the time, and a reminder that we have voluntarily weaponized robots, which we will only come to regret as AI develops and we are forced to bow down to our technological overlords.

Have a great night!

Got a question for City Informer? stacey.mclachlan@vanmag.com

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★

2020

RESTAURAN AWARDS

COVER STORY

2020 Restaurant AWARDS Well, what a year. The results you

LEIL A K WOK

TABLE STAKES A table full of culinary magic courtesy of Boulevard, our Restaurant of the Year.

see on the following pages were tabulated in late February for our usual May publication, but we all know too well about best laid plans in 2020. The intervening months have been brutal on the industry but we hope this issue—the 31st Annual Restaurant Awards— gives us pause to marvel at the accomplishments of every establishment on these pages, despite it all, in the face of these tough times.

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LEIL A K WOK

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★

Best Upscale

2020

Restaurant of the Year

RESTAURANT AWARDS

1 Boulevard 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.ca 2 The Pear Tree CLOSED 3 Hawksworth 801 W Georgia St., hawksworthrestaurant.com

Boulevard

honourable mention

LEIL A K WOK

845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.ca WHEN THE FINAL VOTES WERE tallied earlier this year and it became clear that Boulevard had won Restaurant of the Year, there was one overwhelming sentiment: “Well, that makes perfect sense.” In many ways, it’s the logical conclusion for the six-year-old restaurant in downtown’s Sutton Place Hotel—some restaurants arrive on the scene like a juggernaut, all flash and dash and buzz, but Boulevard has always been more interested in playing the long game. Step one of this plan was recruiting the best talent—not just using the deep pockets enjoyed by the owners (the Gaglardi family) to poach the boldest names, but instead identifying great talent and then allowing them the freedom to develop.

Take executive chef Alex Chen—prior to Boulevard, he had been the executive chef at the Beverly Hills Hotel, a respected, well-paying job, but, to be honest, a little low on the dazzle scale. But he had just come off a Top 10 finish at the acclaimed Bocuse d’Or championships in Lyon and it was clear (in retrospect) that he was a chef ready to ascend to the highest levels of his profession. (He won our Chef of the Year in 2018.) Or take second executive chef Roger Ma. (Chen is responsible for all the hotel’s restaurants, Ma focuses on Boulevard, but they seem to have a pretty fluid arrangement, much like Crockett and Tubbs did). Hiring the Vancouver native away from Daniel Boulud’s restaurant group might have made perfect sense if the place didn’t already have a chef, but Boulevard’s rationale was,

Blue Water Cafe, Cioppino’s

“When you can get great talent, you do.”

On any given night, there’s a legitimate argument to be made that the two best chefs in the city are working in the same restaurant: Chen won the Canadian Culinary Championship in 2018; Ma took the same title last year. And it gets crazier—they’re supported by pastry chef Kenta Takahashi, recently crowned the country’s best in Canada’s Top 100.

They’re a kitchen team that has no equal in town and they put out dishes that no other restaurant dares to try: wild salmon wrapped in fig leaves and baked in a clay crust that needs to be broken with a small hammer; USDA prime striploin smoked over hay; charcoal-grilled pine mushrooms, cooked en vessie (that means in a pig’s stomach) with dashi. Bonkers.

But the cooking talent is just part of the equation. In the front of house, GM JP Potters makes you forget you’re dining in a hotel restaurant and somehow runs a tight ship with a casual demeanour. And early on, they coaxed Brian Hopkins out of retirement, not so they could have a maître d’, but the maître d’. It all creates a heady equation that’s been unstoppable over the past few years. In 2018, they knocked Hawksworth off the #1 spot it had long owned in Best Upscale, and did the same with Blue Water in Best Seafood, and it’s been a mainstay ever since. And so, here we are: the logical conclusion to six years of focus, not insignificant expenditure and a whole lot of passion.

Ladies and gentlemen, Boulevard is the best restaurant in Vancouver.

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EVEN AS THEY tighten their bowties and polish their silver, many restaurants shy away from the modifier “upscale,” fearful that diners in uber-casual Vancouver won’t show up. Bollocks, we say—this category represents the dining experience at the very top of its game.

Take Gold winner Boulevard, where dining unfolds like a symphony with maître d’ Brian Hopkins greeting you at the door, GM JP Potters stopping by your table, Isaac Olivier helping you with the perfect bottle and then chef Roger Ma and his team wowing you with dishes like the now-famous clay-baked salmon. There’s a little less pomp at Burnaby’s (sadly, now closed) the Pear Tree, which nabs Silver, but the attention to detail both in service and cooking was near flawless in what turns out to be its final dance (at least in this location): “A restaurant that continues year after year to deliver consistency and excellence. There is not a dish that chef Jaeger prepares that I don’t love,” said one judge. And the final spot on the podium goes to Hawks­ worth, the restaurant that for many defines the achievement this category represents: a beautiful contemporary room where you’re taken care of from the moment you cross the threshold until you float away after the meal is over.

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★ 2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

Andrea Carlson Burdock and Co 2702 Main St., burdockandco.com DEEP DOWN INSIDE it’s a heartbreaking job, this being a chef. Here’s what the public wants from you: an unwavering commitment to quality 24/7, a focus at work normally reserved for PGA golfers, an unhealthy dedication to your kitchen that prohibits any sort of reasonable personal life and a resolve to always choose passion over profit. Oh yes, and don’t expect to earn even close to proper compensation for all these extreme sacrifices, because we freak out if your menu prices ever increase. The miracle is not just that Andrea Carlson seems to clear of all these insane hurdles, it’s also that she does it and still seems to keep a crooked smile on her face throughout.

This year should have been the crowning achievement for Carlson. Her restaurant, Burdock and Co, celebrated its seventh birthday, they were just coming off their most financially successful year ever and she had the crowning glory of publishing an acclaimed cookbook. It looked like a victory for a chef who always seemed to be guided by passion rather than stability, who’s more comfortable cooking than schmoozing. And then COVID hit. Burdock was a restaurant uniquely screwed in its ability to weather the storm, with its triple whammy of a small dining room, limited outdoor space to expand into and a cuisine that doesn’t translate to being put in a box and driven across the city for 40 minutes. By all accounts, it should have been death-watch time.

But our Chef of the Year wouldn’t let that happen. The judges voted on this award before COVID arrived and they

agreed that Carlson’s sublime cooking was worthy of this recognition. They loved her slavish devotion to her producers that is not just about ensuring their financial stability (through both Burdock and her trailblazing CSA at Harvest Community Foods), but also about doing her best to really honour their labour with the dishes that come from her kitchen.

That she treats fresh carrots like they were wagyu; for using a perfectly served, properly portioned duck breast like the string section in a symphony, rather than a guitar solo from Whitesnake. And for being the veg-lover who can crank out joyful-tear-inducing fried chicken if she so chooses. And after COVID, our esteem has only grown, because in addition to the obvious culinary chops comes the waves of caring and resolve, of grit and graciousness that make her one of our city’s most important ambassadors.

ANDREA CARLSON: CLINTON HUSSE Y; BURDOCK AND CO: JANIS NICOL AY

Chef of the Year

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fresh. local. inspired.

safe, convenient, affordable.

ANDREA CARLSON: CLINTON HUSSE Y; BURDOCK AND CO: JANIS NICOL AY

an uncompromising standard of excellence

bring boulevard to you

845 Burrard Street | tel: 604-642-2900 | www.boulevardvancouver.ca | info@boulevardvancouver.ca

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The Pear Tree LET’S BE CLEAR. SCOTT JAEGER is too young for this award. He almost certainly has another restaurant in him and, whatever genre it occupies, he’ll likely be back in these pages as an award-winner if he so chooses. But he also has a CV that is so monumental that maybe we don’t need to wait. He has as much high-end competition experience as probably any chef working in Canada today: representing the country at the

RESTAURANT AWARDS

Bocuse d’Or in 2008 and again in 2016, doing the same at 2013 World Hospitality Championships in Dubai. He was our Chef of the Year in 2007 and was given our Mentorship Award in 2014.

All of which makes him worthy. But even more importantly, we’re talking about his and business partner/wife/front of house manager Stephanie’s decision to open up a fine dining restaurant in a little loved section of Burnaby on New Year’s Eve 1997. The Pear Tree was at once a throwback to another era and a trailblazing newcomer that rejected the idea that downtown Vancouver was the only place

haute cuisine could live. Today, the word “fine dining” is avoided like the plague by restaurateurs anxious to ensure even the wearing-jeans-on-your-20th-anniversarydinner diners feel at home, but from the get-go the Pear Tree was welcoming to all—with the proviso that they were going to cook serious food and deliver it at an immaculately high level of service every day that they opened the doors.

And it worked. It was beloved by both the neighbourhood and by those who travelled to that section of East Hastings for the first time merely to try Scott’s food. And rarely did anyone leave disappointed. It dominated its category in these awards with nonchalant regularity and still managed to feel like a hidden secret to patrons notwithstanding.

Sadly, we’re using the past tense in regards to the Pear Tree because, as we were finalizing the awards, the Jaegers announced they were closing the doors for good. It was the victim of obscene rent increases (although COVID didn’t help) that made the ability to operate a restaurant of such ambition and reach untenable—even in Burnaby. What such realities hold for the future of dining in Vancouver is not encouraging. But the sadness is tempered by the recognition that it took a pair of dreamers to make a go of it in the first place, and that against steep obstacles we were able to bask in it for 23 years (and we continue to be able to enjoy the skills of dozens of chefs still cooking throughout the city that Jaeger has mentored over the years). So, it’s goodbye to the room, but not to the chef who brought it to us. For him, it’s this award, and passionate anticipation as to what comes next.

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ZAKL AN FARM: SCOT T BELL VISUALS

Scott Jaeger

2020

SCOT T JAEGER: CARLO RICCI

Lifetime Achievement

★

Premier Crew

Danielle McAlpine

Jeff Parr

St. Lawrence

AnnaLena

Air traffic controllers have easier jobs managing expectations than this first face you see at St. Lawrence.

Is he the secret to how AnnaLena manages to be low-key and simultaneously packed?

Stephanie Jaeger

Eric Griffith

The Pear Tree

Alta Bistro

She shares the lifetime achievement with husband Scott (but here’s an extra nod as a FOH legend.)

One part affable ski bum, two parts dialled-in somm of Whistler’s most on-point room.

Producer of the Year

ZAKL AN FARM: SCOT T BELL VISUALS

SCOT T JAEGER: CARLO RICCI

Zaklan Heritage Farm

Tiago de Souza Jensen

Isaac Olivier

Burdock and Co

Boulevard

“Always a touch a of magic,” said one judge of this veteran of St. Lawrence and Nightingale.

In a big, imposing room, Olivier brings an air of fun and lightness to our Restaurant of the Year.

How does a tiny, 1.5-acre micro-plot of dirt that’s been in owner Doug Zaklan’s family for over 90 years hope to make an impact on the behemoth that is the Vancouver dining scene? Well, for starters, he and partner Gemma McNeill grow 40 different types of vegetables in over 300 heritage varieties on said 1.5 acres (they practice “intensive cropping,” which means they will regularly grow three crops in a single bed in a season, all without chemical fertilizers or pesticides). And then you let a few chefs—Savio’s Phil Scarfone was an early adopter—try your wares and watch their eyes widen. Now their client list is a snapshot of these awards—Nightingale, Savio, Farmer’s Apprentice—and they have a name recognition unheard of in the farming business. So, that’s how.

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★ 2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

Best New Restaurant 1 Do Chay 1392 Kingsway, dochay.ca 2 Dachi 2297 E Hastings St., dachivancouver.com 3 Sushi Jin 750 Nelson St., sushijin.business.site honourable mention

The Magnet, New Fishport

AT FIRST BLUSH, our Gold winner, Do Chay, seemed like a longshot for this award. Sure, its modern interiors and modern menu appealed to the cool kids right off the bat, but our judges usually see through such puffery. But one by one, they reported back that the always-packed vegetarian Vietnamese spot on Kingsway is not only better than they thought, but downright impressive in its ability to conjure new and surprising flavours from a cuisine that has no shortage of authentic practitioners in this town.

Following closely in second is HastingsSunrise’s Dachi, a small bright spot that serves as a de facto clubhouse for off-duty industry types who are drawn to the killer wine list and a kitchen that works magic with a small-plate format. Snagging Bronze was the polarizing Sushi Jin. Some judges loved the edomae (classic nigiri) focus and the devotion to high-end ingredients, while others found the flavours oddly sweet and not what they were expecting for what seems a traditional room.

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Best Vegetarian 1 Do Chay 1392 Kingsway, dochay.ca 2 The Acorn 3995 Main St., theacornrestaurant.ca 3 Aleph Eatery 1889 Powell St., alepheatery.com honourable mention

Virtuous Pie, Beetbox

A FEW YEARS BACK we had concerns that there weren’t enough new vegetarian spots opening to make this a competitive category. Uhm, our bad.

Proof positive is newcomer Do Chay, sweeping in and snatching Gold from the Acorn, which is now widely considered one of the best vegetarian spots in North America. Our judges appreciated

Do Chay’s ever-present cleverness, starting with its now-famous Ish sauce, a vegan take on the ubiquitous fish sauce that’s a staple of Vietnamese cuisine. That and the fact that the lineup-inducing Kingsway spot is almost fully vegan only underscored their decision. And while Silver may be a small step down for the Acorn, the crew doesn’t seem to be sweating it. Shira Blustein’s Main Street staple continues to be so inventive and thoughtful that it almost seems criminal shoehorning it into a category other than “most awesome.” Rounding out the roster is Powell Street’s Aleph Eatery, a homey Palestinian spot that likewise seems to be flavourful first, vegetarian second.

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CH TH

★ 2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

Best Japanese honourable mention

Tetsu Sushi Bar, Dosanko

WE’VE LONG CONSIDERED Italian as the perennially most competitive category , but has Japanese expanded from years of Tojo’s domination to become one of the most dynamic and exciting areas in all of Vancouver dining? Yes, and in Burnaby too, because that’s where you’ll find Gold winner Stem Japanese Eatery, tucked away on a nondescript street near Metrotown. But looks can be deceiving, because inside exists the most accomplished one-two combination since Hall met Oates. Chefs Yoshi Maniwa and Tatsuya Katagiri keep the atmosphere light at the small room, but the cooking, the

wine and the sake service are the absolute best in the business. A more hushed mood pervades at Silver winner Yuwa, coincidentally where the Stem team got their start. The south-Kitsilano room is all luxury and class, with a category-leading wine list (courtesy of mother-daughter combo Iori and Miho Kataoka) and an elegant approach to cooking from chef Masahiro Omari, with a deft touch used on dishes like kanpachi carpaccio. And in third, the laser focus of Masa­yoshi, the omakase-only ode to chasing sushi perfection on Fraser Street that is as compelling as the ballet for the lucky diners.

F s j

S TANYA GOEHRING

1 Stem Japanese Eatery 5205 Rumble St., Burnaby, stemjapanese.ca 2 Yuwa 2775 W 16th Ave., yuwa.ca 3 Masayoshi 4376 Fraser St., masayoshi.ca

S t o a d e

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★

Y i T

Best Thai

2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

1 Unchai 2351 Burrard St., unchai.ca 2 Maenam 1938 W 4th Ave., maenam.ca 3 Jitlada Closed honourable mention

Kin Kao, Bob Likes Thai Food

1 Via Tevere 1190 Victoria Dr., viateverepizzeria.com 2 Pizzeria Farina 915 Main St., pizzeriafarina.com 3 Bufala 5395 West Boulevard, bufala.ca honourable mention

Farina a Legna, Corduroy Pie

HOLY DÉJÀ VU. Despite this being a perennially competitive category (it would be easy to reel off a dozen possible contenders for the throne), and despite having a new slate of judges working this category, we nonetheless have a mirror image from last year. Via Tevere, our

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F

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Best Pizzeria

Gold winner, has now officially entered icon status, given that they were at the birth of Vancouver’s pizza renaissance and they’ve continued to stay on top, year after year, thanks to creating “perfectly crusted pizzas that are creatively but sparingly topped, well textured without being chewy—and certified Napolitana authentic,” according to our judges.

Scoring Silver again is the lo-fi rabidly loved Main Street sliver that is Pizzeria Farina, which managed to keep its spot all while opening a new location on the North Shore (which debuts with an Honourable Mention) and mastering a casual vibe while dishing out some serious Neapolitan pie. And again taking Bronze is Bufala, the restaurant that put Kerrisdale on the culinary map and still, six years in, is the hardest table to snag in that well-heeled neck of the woods (and which opened a hopping North Van spot this year as well).

LOOKING FOR THE year’s biggest upset? Well, it’ll be tough to beat this one. Last year we took a pause on this category, in large part because chef Angus An’s Maenam had a stranglehold on the Gold for as long as anyone here can remember. But this year it’s his Kits neighbour, Unchai—opened by two of his former employees—that snags the top spot with a dedication to ultra-authentic dishes like the lineup-causing pad ki mao, a stir fry to end all stir frys. Finishing only a few points behind is the aforementioned Maenam, which, although now part of a mini Angus An empire (Fat Mao, Sen Pad Thai, Freebird, Longtail Kitchen), still delivers the most refined and ethereal take on Thai dishes in the city (and, likely, the country—maybe even the continent). Nudging onto the podium is another (sadly, now closed) west-side spot, Jitlada, a sliver of a room at Broadway and Granville that delivered a dose of consistency and classics to the faithful.

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Best Korean 1 Hanwoori 5740 Imperial St., Burnaby, hanwoori.ca 2 Joong Won 1329 Robson St., 778-379-4222 3 Royal Seoul House 1215 W Broadway, royalseoulhouse.com honourable mention

Sura Korean BBQ, Insadong

1 Downlow Chicken Shack 905 Commercial Dr., dlchickenshack.ca 2 HK BBQ Master 4651 Number 3 Rd., Richmond, 604-272-6568 3 Chancho Tortilleria 560 Davie St., chancho.ca honourable mention

Fat Mao, Downlow Burgers

STRIP AWAY ALL THE TRAPPINGS, like fancy (or any) servers, detailed wine lists and St. Marie-designed interiors, and you have the casual restaurant. Either the food is good, or the restaurant empty.

And the food at Gold winner Downlow

HANNAH HA A Z

Best Casual

Chicken Shack is so insanely tasty that we doubt the place has ever been open and not busy. Vancouverites line up for a tour de force of fried chicken: and while Nashville hot is the house specialty, a recent detour into jerk sandwich gave one of the judges a moment of stunned reverie with its pure flavour. Second-place winner HK BBQ Master essentially invented the idea of lining up for the cheap and cheerful in town and, thanks to Seth Rogen and David Chang (who popped by the restaurant on the Netflix series Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner), the Richmond temple to BBQ duck and pork has ascended to new levels of busy that we’ve yet to develop words for.

Rounding out the order is the gorgeous simplicity of downtown’s Chancho, where new nicer digs have not lost the soul of our best Latin spot (see page 48): steel tray, fresh housemade tortillas, perfectly slow-roasted pork. Lord, it’s good.

THERE ARE FEW CATEGORIES tougher for the uninitiated to crack into than the true Korean eatery, but our judges agreed that you can do no better than longtime standard bearer Hanwoori.

The Metrotown strip mall location isn’t inspiring and the food can be pricey, but once inside you’re treated to an event that blends the fun of tabletop cooking with dishes like oxtail and bone marrow soup (kkori gomtang)—a bubbling cast-iron cauldron of Korean comfort food—that are the best in town. Taking second is Robson’s Joong Won, which won’t win any prizes for decor but was a welcome surprise for our panel: “Leave your name and go for a stroll—the food is well worth the wait” was their consensus.

And third place goes to the OG that is Broadway’s Royal Seoul House, perhaps the city’s most iconic Korean spot: still rock solid, and a great intro for newbies to what classic Korean is all about.

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★ 2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

Best European 1 Bauhaus Closed 2 Chambar 568 Beatty St., chambar.com 3 Como Taperia 201 E 7th Ave., comotaperia.com honourable mention

HANNAH HA A Z

Bacchus at the Wedgewood, The Magnet

THIS IS A NEW TAKE on an old category (the ominously named “other European”) and its goal is to capture some of that continental flair that’s neither French nor Italian. And there can be no better poster child representing the need for this than sadly now-closed Gold winner Bauhaus, Uwe Boll’s labour of love with a stated aim of bringing true Michelin-star experience to a city where people wear Lululemon to fancy dinners. In our judges’ eyes, he nailed it—the room may be airy and light, but the high-level fare—think veal with ramp pesto and herbed spaetzle—coming from chef Christian Kuehnel (who cut his teeth at London’s Dinner by Heston

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Blumenthal) was transportive. We hope to see Herr Boll’s high-wire act open in a new location soon. In second is the Belgian-by-way-of-other-influences force that is Chambar. Nico (BOH) and Karri (FOH) Schuermans’ room celebrated its 15th anniversary last year but it still manages to capture the verve (and crowds) of a place that just opened. And in the Bronze spot is Como Taperia, the ode to the tapas parlours of Barcelona and Madrid that’s hands-down the vibiest spot in town. So much so that it’s easy to get caught up in the fun and overlook the stellar small plates emerging from the Main Street haunt’s small kitchen.

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★ 2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

Best French

a

1 St. Lawrence 269 Powell St., stlawrencerestaurant.com 2 Au Comptoir 2278 W 4th Ave., aucomptoir.ca 3 Le Crocodile 909 Burrard St., lecrocodilerestaurant.com honourable mention

Provence Marinaside, Tableau Bar Bistro

Best West Coast 1 Boulevard 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.ca 2 Burdock and Co 2702 Main St., burdockandco.com 3 Mak N Ming 1629 Yew St., maknming.com honourable mention

Farmer’s Apprentice, Nightingale

OKAY, WE’LL BE FRANK: this is always a tricky category—how do you capture the locavore, farm-to-table vibe that’s long been our city’s culinary calling card? You call it West Coast and let the judges loose. This year they gave the #1 nod to the maximalist approach of Boulevard, where sourcing the

best local ingredients doesn’t mean that the resulting dishes are twee or spare. Instead, chef Roger Ma crafts the region’s bounty— fish, vegetables and meat—into showstopper dishes that elevate what the area has to offer. Taking Silver is chef Andrea Carlson’s Burdock and Co, frequent Gold winner in the category in years past and in some ways what most people consider the archetype of a West Coast restaurant: sustainable, thoughtful, delicious, caring. Those modifiers could also be used for Bronze medallist Mak N Ming, the Kits spot with an amazing chef’s menu that’s frequently a journey of the Lower Mainland’s greatest hits prepared by the deft touch of chef Makoto Ono.

ST. L AWRENCE: TANYA GOEHRING

GALLIC PURISTS might scoff, but there’s support to the idea that authentic Quebecois cooking as practiced by JC Poirier is closer to true French cooking than any other spot. What’s beyond debate is that Poirier is a chef at the absolute top of his game, overseeing a kitchen that turns out dishes like pot-au-feu and vol-au-vent that are utterly revelatory for the lucky few who manage to snag a reservation at the Powell Street room that is Gold winner St. Lawrence. Playing the role of French brasserie to perfection is Silver winner Au Comptoir, where, like a true Parisian boîte, the specials change, carafes of muscadet are ordered at lunch to pair with an endive salad, and a relaxed easiness that eludes most Vancouver spots reigns supreme. Bronze goes to longtime champ Le Crocodile, where insiders know that, despite the staid exterior, the kitchen inside is near flawless in its preparation of classics like the sublime Alsatian onion tart.

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CityTile-1/

Autostrada Osteria nominated for Vancouver Best Italian 2020 autostradahospitality.ca

DOWNTOWN

350 W. Pender Street

MAIN ST.

4811 Main Street

VANCOUVER HOUSE

1481 Continental Street (Coming soon)

ST. L AWRENCE: TANYA GOEHRING

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Est.1999 Family Owned Over 20 years Ti

rience le expe

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Best Latin American honourable mention

Rinconcito Salvadoreno

TEN YEARS AGO this was a moribund category, hallmarked by Vancouverites longing for “real” Latin food. What a difference a decade makes—we now have all tranches covered, from sophisticated moles to pinche tacos, and this year the judges decided that Gold goes to the chill atmosphere of Ernesto Gomez’s Chancho.

It may have moved to bigger digs around the corner, but a no-nonsense approach to slow-roasted meat pervades: you have only three slightly different options (or one veggie), and it’s served on a tray that’s suitable for a prison riot. Oh—and it’s flipping delicious every single time.

Slowly slipping its casual roots is Silver winner La Taqueria, where high-end ingredients, a serious Michelin-starred chef and a killer cocktail program have helped it expand to five locations (and a sixth in Victoria), all with slightly different menus. And Bronze goes to La Mezcaleria, the two-outpost enterprise that creates heaven in a bowl with its queso fundido variations.

ERICH SAIDE

1 Chancho Tortilleria 560 Davie St., chancho.ca 2 La Taqueria Several locations, lataqueria.com 3 La Mezcaleria 1622 Commercial Dr., lamezcaleria.ca

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Best Chain 1 Cactus Club Cafe Several locations, cactusclubcafe.com 2 Joey Several locations, joeyrestaurants.com 3 Tacofino Several locations, tacofino.com honourable mention

Earls, Nook

2020

Best Italian 1 Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill and Enoteca 1133 Hamilton St., cioppinosyaletown.com 2 La Quercia 3689 W 4th Ave., laquercia.ca 3 Savio Volpe 615 Kingsway, saviovolpe.com honourable mention

Autostrada Osteria, Ask for Luigi

YEAR IN, YEAR OUT, THIS is an insanely competitive category with a dozen spots that on any given year might crack the top five. Want proof? Last year, legendary chef Pino Posteraro found himself off the podium for the first time in years (and on his restaurant’s 20-year anniversary, to boot). But you can’t keep a good legend down, and his Cioppino’s

RESTAURANT AWARDS

is back on top, where it no doubt feels comfortable (in his newly spiffed up room no less). There may be a new fresh pasta spot opening every week, but the judges flock back to the classic and fastidious preparations that come out of chef Pino’s kitchen (a kitchen, we might add, that he helms nearly every night of the year).

The same themes—focus, chef in the kitchen every night, insane attention to detail—also describe chef Adam Pegg, whose La Quercia notched Silver this year for its near-perfect encapsulation of regional Italian dining. Taking Bronze is the most gregarious of the bunch: the always (always) packed Osteria Savio Volpe, where the buzzy vibe and collegial atmosphere belie the high-level cooking coming from the open kitchen.

ERICH SAIDE

FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS this category has been a twooperation race, with the twin powerhouses of Cactus Club Cafe and Joey duking it out for the ability to replicate the high-end experience in a growing variety of locales. But this year... nothing’s changed. Cactus Club again takes Gold, Joey, again Silver.

The judges continue to marvel at Cactus’s ongoing ability to create a memorable dining experience, be it watching the seaplanes land while tackling a tuna stack at Coal Harbour or a crispy tofu bowl in Nanaimo, the service (thanks to Sebastien Le Goff) and food (Rob Feenie and team) work seamlessly. And Joey should take solace knowing that second place in Vancouver is essentially second place in North America for upscale casual, but one gets the impression the company is too busy dominating new markets— North Van’s Joey Shipyards last fall and, later this year, Houston, Miami and Manhattan Beach—to have much time for handwringing. Notching third is truly local phenom Tacofino, whose new Kits spot makes sure that all the citizens of Lotusland are never far from on-point Mexican food.

★

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★ 2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

1 Elisa 1109 Hamilton St., elisasteak.com 2 Hy’s Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar 637 Hornby St., hyssteakhouse.com 3 Gotham Steakhouse and Bar 615 Seymour St., gothamsteakhouse.com honourable mention

The Victor, Atlas Steak and Fish

LAST YEAR SAW THE very well-funded Elisa debut with an impressive 2nd place finish, despite the fact it had only been open a few months when the voting commenced. And this year its upward trajectory continues, snagging the top spot for TopTable with a very modern take on what a steakhouse is. For starters, despite the myriad of bovine selections,

from Wisconsin Holstein to Japanese A5, it actually sort of knocks the non-steak items out of the park too—like a roasted chicken that’s the best in the city. Throw in a first-class bar program (created by current Bartender of the Year Katie Ingram) and a wine list that’s not quite as punitive as the genre usually dictates, and you can see why they’re wearing Gold.

Second place goes to longtime champ Hy’s—still the epitome of what a great steakhouse is—great meat, a minimum of fuss… and cheese bread. Bronze goes to Hy’s fancier sibling, Gotham, which (like Elisa) skews a bit more modern while making sure you’re never far from a killer Cali bab or Bordeaux first growth to go with your celebration of striploin.

LEIL A K WOK

Best Steakhouse

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★ 2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

Best Indian 1 My Shanti 15869 Croydon Dr., Surrey, vijs.ca/my-shanti 2 Swad 1734 Marine Dr., West Vancouver, swadindiankitchen.ca 3 Vij’s (tie) 3106 Cambie St., vijs.ca 3 Dosa Corner (tie) 8248 Fraser St., dosacorner.ca honourable mention

Sachdeva Sweets

OF ALL THE ELEMENTS in the Vikram Vij empire—an empire that, in some form or another, has owned this category—it’s South Surrey’s My Shanti that has best held our judges’ attention for the past few years. It wins Gold again this year (for the fourth time) in part because of what the judges describe as an amazingly consistent focus on the best ingredients and technique. Taking Silver is last year’s surprise winner, Swad, which continues to please our judges with its cozy neighbourhood vibe and its broadly appealing menu of regional Indian cuisines. Third place sees a tie between the legendary Vij’s, which needs no introduction (but where you can finally make reservations) and the much more casual Dosa Corner, the Fraserhood spot where the eponymous Punjabi specialty is the order of the day.

Best Chinese 1 Mott 32 1161 W Georgia St., mott32.com 2 New Fishport Seafood Bistro 620 SE Marine Dr., newfishport.com 3 Dynasty 108–777 W Broadway, dynasty-restaurant.ca honourable mention

Chef Tony, Chang’An

IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT, but for the orange elephant in the room, Mott 32—the genre-disrupting spot that happens to be located in that hotel (“adjacent!” they say) that begins with a T and ends with Rump— would have been on this list when it first opened. It arrives this year at the very top thanks to recognition that its extraordinary dishes—applewood-smoked Peking duck,

Maine lobster har gow, Iberico pork hot and sour dumplings—expand the confines of traditional Chinese fare. That it also has our Sommelier of the Year, Robert Stelmachuk, creating the most interesting pairings in town is just gold leaf on top.

The surprise Silver winner is newcomer New Fishport, whose nondescript Southeast Marine Drive location is greatly enhanced by the presence of Sam Leung, Dynasty’s longtime chef who plays the classics—he’s a maestro with king crab—like Cole Porter. And, speaking of Dynasty, the West Broadway spot is rewarded with Bronze for year-in, year-out being the city’s most reliable interpreter of seafood showstoppers like pan-fried lobster with ginger and green onions.

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Best Vietnamese 1 Mr. Red Cafe 2131 E Hastings St., mrredcafe.ca 2 Hanoi Old Quarter 5207 Victoria Dr., mrredcafe.ca 3 Co’m 120, 7688 Alderbridge Way, Richmond, comvietnamese.com honourable mention

Anh and Chi, Do Chay

THIS CATEGORY HAS SEEN a raft of new, modern rooms enter into the fray, but it’s the homey, reliable, always on point standby that is Mr. Red Cafe that holds on to first place for yet another year.

Both the Kitsilano and East Hastings locations channel that “you’re-part-ofthe family” vibe when you enter and while prices have crept up in recent years—the

famed bánh mi is now $7—they’re still a steal compared to the competition.

All of the above could also be said about our second-place finisher, which is not surprising given that Hanoi Old Quarter is the new Victoria Street spot from Mr. Red’s Rose Nguyen and Hong Duong.

The menu pretty much borrows the Northern Vietnamese dishes from Mr. Red’s menu, but when that means more of the divine bún cha hà nôi, a meatball and pork-belly wonder, then who cares?

Rounding out the order is another newcomer: Richmond’s swanky Co’m.

If the above two are a cozy couch, Co’m, with its slick design and Glasfurd and Walker branding, is B&B Italia. Luckily the food is likewise on point—and with a proper cocktail program to boot.

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★

Best Seafood

ti b a

2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

1 Blue Water Cafe 1095 Hamilton St., bluewatercafe.net 2 Boulevard 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.ca 3 Ancora 1600 Howe St., ancoradining.com

p

honourable mention

Oddfish, Landmark Hot Pot

TWO GIANTS DUKED it out for top spot in what is, in some ways, a defining category for a coastal city. This year it’s the iconic Blue Water Cafe reclaiming the Gold medal that was its birthright for so many years. They did it the way only a perfectly humming kitchen can—cranking it up a notch, tightening the focus, nailing the service. Only a millimetre behind in Silver is Boulevard, now iconic in its own right, where chef Roger Ma fully hopped into the big shoes of chef Alex Chen and proved that the depth of Boulevard’s kitchen seemingly has no limits.

In third spot is Ancora, which sits on hallowed seafood ground (C Restaurant was the former occupant) and continues to impress with its high-end sushi service and its melding of Peruvian and Japanese influences when it comes to its inventive fish dishes.

Pr th

27

Best Pan-Asian 1 Longtail Kitchen 116–810 Quayside Dr., New Westminster, longtailkitchen.com 2 Ugly Dumpling 1590 Commercial Dr., uglydumpling.ca 3 Pidgin 350 Carrall St., pidginvancouver.com honourable mention

Torafuku, Fat Mao

THE PROMISED FOOD revolution is coming a bit slower to New West than had been predicted, but Angus An’s uber casual Longtail Kitchen, though it may look like your run-of-the mill food court outpost, has consistently wowed our judges since

opening. It takes Gold again this year with its ability to capture all that is great in this category: a low price point and dishes like the Singaporean cereal crab or the epic noodles of traditional Malaysian char kway teow.

Taking Silver is Ugly Dumpling, also the Silver medal winner for Best New last year, a jewel box of a room on Commercial that cranks out one of the most eclectic, ever-changing menus in the city in a kitchen so tiny that it defies belief.

Rounding out the podium is Gastown’s Pidgin, a spot that flies under the radar— but not for our judges, who love chef Wesley Young’s fantastically precise take on Asian-French cooking.

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Ancora

★

Boulevard

2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

Best of the Neighbourhoods Hats off to these local heroes.

This has always been a tricky category. It blends great food, perfect ambiance and a vibe that speaks to its particular locale. It’s the restaurant that first comes to mind when someone mentions the neighbourhood it’s in, the place you imagine walking to once a week if you lived there. Sometimes they serve tacos, sometimes tuna tartare—but whatever they do, they kill it night in and night out, in a way that perfectly encapsulates their home turf.

BEST NORTH SHORE

1 Ancora 1351 Bellevue Ave., ancoradining.com 2 Two Rivers 180 Donaghy Ave., North Vancouver, tworiversmeats.ca 3 Bufala 3280 Edgemont Blvd., bufala.ca

Como Taperia

BEST DOWNTOWN

1 Boulevard 845 Burrard St., boulevardvancouver.ca 2 Botanist 1038 Canada Place, botanistrestaurant.com 3 Hawksworth 801 W Georgia St., hawksworthrestaurant.com honourable

honourable

mention

mention

Bacchus, Tavola

Terrior Kitchen, Olive and Anchor

BOULEVARD: LEL A K WOK; UGLY DUMPLING: LEIL A K WOK

Ugly Dumpling

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Torafuku

St. Lawrence

La Quercia/L’Ufficio

ST: L AWRENCE: TANYA GOEHRING

BOULEVARD: LEL A K WOK; UGLY DUMPLING: LEIL A K WOK

BEST CHINATOWN

1 Torafuku 958 Main St., torafuku.ca 2 Bao Bei 163 Keefer St., bao-bei.ca 3 Kissa Tanto 263 E Pender St., kissatanto.com

BEST GASTOWN

BEST MOUNT PLEASANT

BEST EAST SIDE

BEST WEST SIDE

honourable

1 St. Lawrence 269 Powell St., stlawrencerestaurant.com 2 L’Abattoir 217 Carrall St., labattoir.ca 3 Ask for Luigi 305 Alexander St., askforluigi.com

mention

honourable

Chinatown BBQ,

mention

1 Como Taperia 201 E 7th Ave., comotaperia.com 2 Burdock and Co 2702 Main St., burdockandco.com 3 Osteria Savio Volpe 615 Kingsway, saviovolpe.com

1 Ugly Dumpling 1590 Commercial Dr., uglydumpling.ca 2 Kishimoto 2054 Commercial Dr., kishimotorestaurant.com 3 Dachi 2297 East Hastings St., dachivancouver.com

1 La Quercia/ L’Ufficio

honourable

honourable

Oyster Express

Pidgin, Bauhaus

honourable

mention

mention

mention

Livia, Via Tevere

AnnaLena, Grapes and Soda

Masayoshi, Koon Bo

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3687 W. 4th Ave., laquercia.ca/lufficio 2 Yuwa 2775 W 16th Ave., yuwa.ca 3 Maenam 1938 W 4th Ave., maenam.ca

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★

Best Victoria

2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

1 Wild Mountain 1831 Maple Ave., Sooke, wildmountaindinners.com 2 Nowhere *A Restaurant 1001 Douglas St., nowherearestaurant.com 3 Part and Parcel 2656 Quadra St., partandparcel.ca honourable mention

The Courtney Room, House of Boateng

Best Okanagan 1 Waterfront #104 1180 Sunset Dr., Kelowna, waterfrontrestaurant.ca 2 Home Block at CedarCreek 5445 Lakeshore Rd., Kelowna, cedarcreek.bc.ca 3 Liquidity Bistro (tie) 4720 Allendale Rd., Okanagan Falls, liquiditywines.com 3 Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek (tie) 537 Tinhorn Creek Rd., Oliver, tinhorn.com/restaurant honourable mention

Row Fourteen

WELL, LET’S MAKE THAT an even dozen, shall we? That’s how many straight years Mark Filatow’s Waterfront has topped this category. So, what’s the secret? Perhaps it’s that, while Filatow embraces the crazy local bounty like so many of his other colleagues, he consistently aims just a little bit higher than the competition in terms of ambition and theme—while by no means formal, Waterfront still seems a lock for a special dinner, while never lapsing into stuffy (you can stop by and pay $20 for a burger and a glass of rosé at happy hour). Finishing second may be the strongest challenger that Waterfront has seen in a while—the new Home Block at CedarCreek: a gorgeous, purposebuilt room in the winery overhauled by a healthy dose of von Mandl money. Here, chef Neil Taylor has been transplanted from Vancouver to play with a swanky new wood-fired grill that makes this spot airy in the summer and cozy in the winter. Bronze is a tie between Liquidity Bistro (now also owned by Mr. von Mandl) and Tinhorn Creek’s popular Miradoro, helmed by Geoff Van Geest.

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WILD MOUNTAIN: BROOKE FADER; WATERFRONT: PURELY LUCY

THINGS HAVE BEEN HOPPING in the capital city for the last little while, with a slew of new rooms (many delayed by COVID, unfortunately) opening. But, for the second year in a row, the Gold goes to the decidedly low-fi Wild Mountain, comfortably ensconced in equally low-fi Sooke. Run by longtime residents Oliver Kienast and Brooke Fader, the menu follows the seasons, artfully moving from fresh English pea soup to housemade charcuteries as the weather changes. It’s become the definition of “Worth the Drive.”

Coming in second is arguably the buzziest new room on the Island: Nowhere, a new spot from the team behind the beloved Hanks. An ever-changing menu and a combination of elevated cooking (think mini grilled cheese with caviar) and understated prices have made this the toughest reservation in town. Bronze goes to long-time fave Part and Parcel, which is happiest in full casual mode with counter ordering and a sleepy Quadra Street locale that’s the very definition of a perfect neighbourhood hangout.

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Best Whistler

★ 2020

RESTAURANT AWARDS

1 Alta Bistro 4319 Main St., altabistro.com 2 Araxi (tie) 4222 Village Sq., araxi.com 2 The Grill Room (tie) 4599 Chateau Blvd., fairmont.com/ whistler/dining/grillroom honourable mention

Bar Oso, Red Door Bistro

IT’S A REPEAT FOR THE TEAM from Alta Bistro, who have always shied away from the flash and dash of the main village and instead built a loyal following of those who appreciate the restaurant’s non-resort ethos. That means a non-hokey approach to local cuisine, a wine list that skews esoteric and a vibe that blends professional service with the “I’ve skied all morning”

The Judges ★ Christina Burridge is the executive director of the BC Seafood Alliance. ★ Sid Cross continues his lifelong passion for and pursuit of high-quality food and wine, and volunteering his time to help others. ★ Hussain Askari is director of operations at the Wine Vault. ★ DJ Kearny is a global wine expert, veteran sommelier instructor and a pillar of the influential Vancouver Magazine Wine Awards which ran from 2004 to 2014. In addition to teaching the WSET programs at PICA, she is the Director of Wine at Vancouver’s Terminal City Club. ★ Sylvia Potvin is co-owner of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. ★ William Ho is a TV and radio broadcaster, well known in Vancouver’s performing arts scene. Besides performing, he is active in social media,

brand of friendliness that Whistler is known for. The silver is shared between two different stalwarts: the first is Araxi, a multi-time gold winner in this category for its rabid attention to detail and its perfect fit for the well-heeled traveller.

And then there’s the Grill Room at the Chateau Whistler, a spot that under the direction of chefs Isabel Chung and Derek Bendig continues to defy expectation for a large resort dining room at every turn.

and is a judge at the Chinese Restaurant Awards. ★ Mia Stainsby is the restaurant critic for The Vancouver Sun and The Province. ★ Juno Kim is a conscious chef curating thoughtful and intentional culinary experiences for the top brands in town since 2012. ★ Rasoul Salehi began his career in the wine industry as soon as he turned 19 while attending university and studying toward his goal of staying and working in academia. His foot has stayed on the gas pedal ever since and the obsession only gets stronger by the day. ★ Sven Freybe is the CEO and the sixth generation to work his family’s sausage and deli meats business, Freybe Gourmet Foods, which celebrates its 176th anniversary this year. ★ Gail Johnson is an award-winning print, web and broadcast journalist and a regular contributor to CBC Radio, the Georgia

Straight and the Globe and Mail. ★ Joie Alvaro Kent is a freelance writer, full-contact eater and cocktail lover who contributes regularly to Nuvo and Montecristo magazines. ★ Anya Levykh is a food, drink and travel writer who covers all things ingestible for print, radio and digital. She’s the host of The Nosh on Vancouver Co-op Radio and also edits—and voraciously collects—cookbooks. ★ Lee Man is a regular contributor to Vancouver magazine and is a founding judge for the Chinese Restaurant Awards. ★ Brendon Mathews is a freelance food writer with expertise in Chinese cuisine, and a judge of the Chinese Restaurant Awards. ★ Robert McCullough is a vice president of Penguin Random House Canada and publisher of Appetite, its Vancouver-based imprint of bestselling and awardwinning food, drink, health and lifestyle titles. ★ Mijune Pak is the founder of

FollowMeFoodie.com, a Food Network Canada personality and resident judge on Top Chef Canada and Iron Chef Canada. ★ Tim Pawsey eats, drinks, writes and shoots at hiredbelly.com, and for Where, Quench, Taste, Vitis, The Alchemist and others. ★ Jim Tobler has been a magazine editor and a food and wine writer for over 23 years. He has co-authored four cookbooks, with the chefs of West, Blue Water Cafe, Araxi and Cin Cin. ★ Lindsay William-Ross is the managing editor of Vancouver Is Awesome. A fifth-generation Vancouverite, she was previously the food editor of Daily Hive, senior editor of Vancity Buzz and editor-in-chief of LAist.com. ★ Iris Yim is an experienced editor who has worked in both Hong Kong and Vancouver.

She writes travel and gourmet articles for different Chinese magazines and blogs in Vancouver on a regular basis.

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TO P T I C K E T S / M A S K E D M AG I C / D R I N K S TO T R A N S P O R T / S I G N S A N D S N AC K S

VA N M AG .C O M/C I T Y

Culture

THE TICK E T

SEE YA, STEREOTYPES Virago Nation was born out of a love of performance, a celebration of Indigeneity and six burlesque artists feeling done with Pocahontas stereotypes. “When we first met up, I thought we were going to bead some things, go to a powwow or maybe go for a sweat,” says performer Sparkle Plenty. “But we found a common narrative that was so uplifting— and we thought, why don’t we start performing together?”

Since 2016, the group has been both literally and symbolically destroying stereotypes (in their debut performance, they ripped off consciously cliché costumes and threw them into a prop fire) and earning love and respect from both the burlesque world and the Indigenous arts community. Their now-virtual shows are provocative and powerful, and every one celebrates multifaceted Indigenous sexuality. “Being a part of this group has empowered me to live in my most authentic way,” says Plenty. Don’t miss Virago Nation’s closing night performance in the Cultch’s Transform Cabaret Festival on October 3. viragonation.ca FUBARFOTO

@viragonation by

Alyssa Hirose

Power House The celebration of Indigeneity that is Virago Nation, clockwise from top: Rainbow Glitz, Sparkle Plenty, Ruthe Ordare, Manda Stroyer, Scarlet Delirium and Shane Sable. (Lynx Chase and Monday Blues not pictured.)

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Culture T H E T I C K E T

Yes Fun City The people and events that are keeping Vancouver awesome.

Alyssa Hirose The Nameless Collective (left to right) Naveen Girn, Paneet Singh and Milan Singh

VANCOUVER WRITERS FEST DATE October 19 to 25 VENUE Online writersfest.bc.ca It’s the classic fest, rewritten: over 65 authors will virtually share their conversations, interviews and collabs, with a select few being filmed in advance in front of a small, physically distanced audience. Read up on the festival’s official list, featuring local authors like Billy-Ray Belcourt, Cicely Belle Blain and Ian Williams.

THIRD REALM DATE September 4 to November 8 VENUE Polygon Gallery thepolygon.ca Get your fix of the cool, the creepy and the complex at this eclectic exhibition of contemporary art from Asia. Third Realm covers a vital period of artistic production from 2006 to 2013, and has film, photography and installation—including work from Apichatpong Weerasethakul, whose improvised fine art videos provide a unique look into everyday Thai society.

BARD ON THE BEACH WINE WEDNESDAYS DATE September 2 and October 7 VENUE Online bardonthebeach.org

VANCOUVER ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL DATE November 5 to 8 VENUE Online vaff.org Lights, camera, distanced action. Canada’s longest-running Asian film festival has a fitting theme this year: “What’s Your 20?” It’s film-speak for where are you, and it’s an idea worth exploring in a time when locations are more than loaded with meaning (for example, “two metres away”).

The show can’t go on, but the wine can. Bard on the Beach artistic director Christopher Gaze and Vancouver International Wine Festival executive director Harry Hertscheg are hosting monthly virtual tastings with optional charcuterie plates (delivered to you when you order in advance). Huzzah!

LITTLE VOLCANO DATE October 22 to 25 VENUE Online thecultch.com In these times, solo shows are the way to go, and Veda Hille has perfected the one-woman production. The East Van pianist will be streaming her musical memoir (think autobiography plus Bach) live from the Cultch this fall.

Della Orrey

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ED JUAN: URSEL BARWINSKI

Ola Dada

THE NAMELESS COLLECTIVE: MANJOT BAINS; DELL A ORRE Y: REECE T. WILLIAMS

by

Life

is so much easier when you can find the things you want.

Edward Fu-Chen Juan

THE NAMELESS COLLECTIVE PODCAST jugnistyle.com A trio of local historians—Naveen Girn, Milan Singh and Paneet Singh—host this storytelling podcast that rediscovers South Asian history in Vancouver. Subscribe for untold stories of neighbourhood narratives— their upcoming season delves into the murder trial of Sabhu Singh.

ONLINE QUOTING NOW AVAILABLE!

@thenameless.collective DELLA ORREY dellaorrey.com Della Orrey is an audio creative whose projects explore identity, healing and the modern expanse of Blackness.

This fall, watch for the debut of her collaboration with local mindfulness artist Dora Kamau.

EDWARD FU-CHEN JUAN edjuan.com Using water-based ink extracted from B.C. plants, Vancouver artist Ed FuChen Juan makes colourful silkscreen prints. The technique is influenced by Japanese woodblock printmaking and artisanal weavers he has collaborated with in Oaxaca, Mexico. Juan uses traditional techniques with contemporary style, and is all about conservation.

This year, he’s been selected as one of the ambassadors for the B.C. Culture Days (September 25 to October 25) and will be hosting in-person and online demos.

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Employee Benefits are evolving. Are you?

Over the years, Employee Benefits have remained relatively unchanged while employee needs have shifted dramatically.

@edjuandraws

ED JUAN: URSEL BARWINSKI

THE NAMELESS COLLECTIVE: MANJOT BAINS; DELL A ORRE Y: REECE T. WILLIAMS

@dellaorrey

cosycloset.ca | 778.990.3739

OLA DADA oladada.com Comedian Ola Dada is hot off the release of a CBC Gem comedy episode.

His stand-up and sketch comedy finds the funny in too-serious situations, and he likes to highlight comparisons between Nigerian and Canadian culture. He’ll be in (COVID-guideline abiding) in-person shows soon; follow him for updates. @showtime.dada

Time to catch up?

Maximizing Employee Benefits requires rethinking the traditional. Today’s needs are diverse and require flexibility and inclusion.

Every organization is different.

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Culture O N T H E R I S E

EXTREME HOME MASKOVER

i Washable 100% cotton face masks, $16.50.

Poplin and Co.’s cheery prints are doing a little extra good. by

Alyssa Hirose

k Up next for Poplin

Antonio Krezic and Shadi Ahmadisagheb.

For designer Shadi Ahmadisagheb, fashion has always been about forecasting. She and her partner, Antonio Krezic, founded menswear brand Poplin and Co. in 2018. “It was kind of the perfect mix,” says Krezic.

“She used her design and creativity and I used my background in marketing to propel this into existence.”

Ahmadisagheb attended plenty of industry seminars and executed predicted trends with her own twist, influenced by the vibrant textiles traditional to her Iranian heritage. The result was colourful and quirky cotton shirts sporting detailed florals, fruits and cute critters like sloths and raccoons.

But even a style visionary couldn’t have predicted COVID-19. As sales dropped and retailers shut down, Ahmadisagheb and Krezic pivoted their playful

and Co. is their first line of jacquard-knit sweaters—they’re keeping us colourful and cozy even as the temperature drops. poplinandco.ca

designs to a more urgent need: masks. They started by sewing a few fabric facecoverings for friends and family using material from unsold shirts. Then they put a few online, and sold out instantly. “The demand was so high, we started using home sewers in Vancouver,” says Ahmadisagheb.

Poplin and Co. manufacture their shirts in China, but the pandemic has brought the mask-making process closer to home. Their Vancouver team of mask sewers is made up of local women, many with incomes that were affected by the virus. The duo is proud that their unique prints translate well into COVID-era fashion, but, mostly, they’re grateful for a caring community in a difficult time: “We feel very fortunate for all the local support,” says Ahmadisagheb.

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IS A BOUTIQUE INVESTMENT FIRM RIGHT FOR YOU?

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Culture B E E R & W I N E

THE WINE AND BEER PIVOT

Okay, so your planned summer trip across the pond was a major bust. But all is not lost: grab one of these local, Europe-aligned pours, find a quiet spot and prepare to be sorta, quasi-transported to that dream destination you were so looking forward to. by

Nathan Caddell and Neal McLennan

WIN E

We were supposed to be in: BEAUNE Drink instead: B L U E M O U N TA I N

PINOT NOIR RIVER FLOW 2018

The Mavety family are our blessed pinot pioneers and their new single-vineyard expressions channel a slightly more muscular take on Burgundy’s approach to pinot: site specific, thoughtful and age-able, with a side of idiosyncrasy.

BEER We were supposed to be in: GALICIA Drink instead: T E R R AV I S TA

ALBARIÑO

We were supposed to be in: ANTWERP Drink instead: DAG E R A A D B U R N A B A R I A N We’d be compromised if we recommended an Antwerpinspired beer from anywhere other than Dageraad, the Burnaby producer of quality Belgian beers. You can’t really go wrong with Dageraad’s catalogue (Jumo and Rainshine are excellent patio choices, for example), but the Burnabarian—a classic Belgian-style table beer—is the obvious call.

We were supposed to be in: MUNICH Drink instead: S U N D O W N M I N I M A L EFFORT HEFEWEIZEN

We couldn’t not pick a hefeweizen for Germany, and this one—from relative newbie Sundown (which brews out of East Van’s Container Brewing)—more than deserves the recommendation. The extremely juicy and still pretty clean hef claimed Gold in the Wheat Beer (German Style) category at last year’s Canadian Brewing Awards. Crack one open on the patio or in the park and you’ll clearly see why it won.

New owners have continued Senka and Bob Tennant’s dream of a winery that dives deep into the freshness of Spanish white varieties. Terravista grows both verdejo and this albariño, a salty smack in the face of a warm weather wine if there ever was one.

We were supposed to be in: MILAN Drink instead: S TAG ’ S H O L L O W DOLCET TO

You’ll get no nebbiolo here, but this nice juicy number from variety pioneer Stag’s Hollow will give you a taste of how everyday Italians socialize: with a patio, some fresh juicy wine and maybe some charcuterie. (Yelling at each other and talking with your hands is optional.)

We were supposed to be in: THE COTSWOLDS Drink instead: E A S T VA N B R E W I N G ISTOCK /SERGE Y PETERMAN

HUMBLE HIVE ENGLISH BROWN ALE

A collaboration with local honeybee company East Van Bees, this beer has the characteristics of a classic English brown ale—malty, toasted nut—but finishes with a blink-and-you’llmiss-it hint of honey. Oh, beehive.

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Untitled-7

ISTOCK /SERGE Y PETERMAN

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Culture S TA R P O W E R

EAT FOR THE STARS

Predicting the future is a tough gig, especially in this most unprecedented of times. But hey, we still gotta eat.

Here’s what to fill your plate with this fall. by

Alyssa Hirose Alyssa Hirose

illustration by

Libra September 23–October 22 ALL OF A SUDDEN, right when it seems like the world has stopped turning, you’ve got new opportunities coming out of your ears. Your love life is positively thriving. You look different for some reason. Is it your hair?

All this to say: beware. Your stomach is about to betray you. A kitchen staple will wreak havoc on that beautiful digestive system of yours. When it’s all over, eat crackers.

Scorpio October 23–November 21 YOU’RE DANGEROUSLY CLOSE to losing it on the next person who stands too close to you. Your tolerance for careless people is at an alltime low. And while we totally support COVID-related public callouts, confrontation might not be what’s best for your mental health. A giant bowl of soup with hearty ingredients like beans and corn will comfort you in these trying times. Feed the fire inside.

SAGITTARIUS

November 22– December 21 Now’s the time to take on new challenges—except in your personal life. Best to play it safe there. There are plenty of online tutorials on making dumplings if you’re looking for an emotionally fulfilling pursuit.

CAPRICORN

December 22–January 19 You’re feeling really good about yourself right now.

Don’t let anyone stop your cheer train. Snacking on a banana will keep those sunshine vibes bright.

AQUARIUS

January 20–February 18 You’re more concerned about your public image than usual, but people aren’t being as critical as you think they are. Eat that fancy pasta dish you’ve been craving since March.

PISCES

February 19–March 20 A good work ethic is getting harder and harder to maintain. Feed your brain with leafy greens

and reward small tasks with crunchy snacks, like peanuts. If you’re allergic, you’re out of luck.

ARIES

March 21–April 19 We get it, you want to be alone. You’re not unfriendly, you’re doing your part for the good of humankind.

Chow down on a burrito the size of your head. No one wants to witness that, anyway.

TAURUS

April 20–May 20 You’re in for big complications this month (very on brand for 2020) so don’t take on anything too difficult. Cup noodles with an egg cracked in never hurt anyone.

GEMINI

May 21–June 20 You desperately want to party. Your heart beats with a yearning for celebration. Live it up by getting two scoops of ice cream in a waffle cone. It’s something.

CANCER

June 21–July 22 Someone new is entering your life. They might even be entering your bubble.

Think sharable small plates like chicken wings or dips.

Fight them for the last bite.

LEO

July 23–August 22 Your professional life is going to be positively bonkers this season. Meal prepping for the week will give you some semblance of control. Eat lots of rice.

VIRGO

August 23– September 22 Your finances seem good right now, but there are no guarantees these days.

Stick to the top half of any menu and don’t eat out too often. Squash is your friend.

T

I

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Tuna Poke Bowl

Inspired by the fresh, vibrant flavours of Hawaii.

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