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JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2019 ISSUE 23-01
WINTER WHEAT
2018-12-16 7:59:10 PM
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Our positive screening tools can identify companies that meet stringent Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) standards, so you can be as confident in your investment counsel as you are in your nutritional advice. Contact us today to learn how we help create healthier portfolios. www.blueherongroup.ca 250 361-2284 | blueheronadvisorygroup@cibc.ca Neil Chappell and Graham Isenegger are Investment Advisors and Portfolio Managers with the Blue Heron Advisory Group of CIBC Wood Gundy in Victoria BC. CIBC Wood Gundy is a division of CIBC World Markets Inc., a subsidiary of CIBC and a Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. CIBC Private Wealth Management consists of services provided by CIBC and certain of its subsidiaries, including CIBC Wood Gundy, a division of CIBC World Markets Inc. “CIBC Private Wealth Management” is a registered trademark of CIBC, used under license. “Wood Gundy” is a registered trademark of CIBC World Markets Inc. If you are currently a CIBC Wood Gundy client, please contact your Investment Advisor. Past performance may not be repeated and is not indicative of future results.
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CITY EATS Happy New Year, EAT Readers! If one of your resolutions is to master a new cuisine (or just learn how to make a few new dishes), then Cook Culture has a class to get you started. Their January – February calendar includes classes on Persian, French, Italian, Asian Street, Greek, Spanish, Mexican, and Moroccan cuisines. cookculture.com Virtuous Pie, the Vancouver-based, plant-based pizzeria, is planning a spring opening of their new location at 530 Pandora Ave. This will be the fourth and largest Canadian location for the brand, following two Vancouver restaurants and one in Toronto. You can also find their vegan pizza in Portland, OR. The pizzeria will have 61 seats, a 653 square foot outdoor patio, and a communal bar area featuring local craft beers and wines. virtuouspie.com At press time, Bubby Rose’s is poised to open their new Bakery & Nosherie at the corner of Cook St and Sutlej St bubbyrosesbakery.com, and so Victoria’s love affair with brunch continues… Jam Café has plans for another YYJ location after opening their second Vancouver location in Kits. jamcafes.com Saanich Seedy Saturday will be taking place on Jan 12, 10am – 2pm, presented by Haliburton Farm at the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific and featuring quality vendors, seeds, plants, starters, local wineries, seed exchange, and a children’s table. Refreshments will be provided at Charlotte and the Quail. Dr Trevor Hancock will be speaking about feeding a One Planet region. Admission is $8, cash only. seeds.ca Off the Eaten Track Culinary Walking Tours is offering a new Chocolate and Churches Tour, featuring over ten chocolate samples, 5 chocolate stops at local businesses, a guided tour of Fort & Blanshard Corridor and a behind-the-scenes look at 2 places of worship. Offered Jan 13, Feb 10 and 24. offtheeatentracktours.com Once again, the Hotel Grand Pacific is hosting the popular four-day Victoria Whisky Festival. Events include master classes and grand tastings such as a whiskey and chocolate master class with Adam Bradshaw and David Mincey,
REBECCA BAUGNIET
and the Laphroaig Distillery master class with Matt Jones. Jan. 17 – 20. victoriawhiskyfestival.com Local cheese connoisseur Guillaume Kieffer has launched L’Apéro, a company specializing in cheese workshops. Coming up on Jan 18, 7 – 9pm: Cheese Tasting 101, and on Feb 1, 7 – 9pm: Cheese Board Mastering. Both workshops offered at Ottavio. aperocheeseexperience.com Tourism Victoria and the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association’s 14th Annual Dine Around and Stay in Town will take place from Jan 25 – Feb 10. Participating restaurants will offer threecourse menus for $20, $30, $40 and $50 CND per person and are all paired with BC VQA wine suggestions. This year, Dine Around Victoria will officially kick off with the Dine Around Gala on Jan 24. Hosted at the Victoria Conference Centre, the Gala will feature tasty bites from 60 local restaurants, wine and beer from VQA Wineries and BC’s finest craft breweries, and lively entertainment. Tickets are available online through Ticket Rocket. tourismvictoria.com/eat-drink/dine-around WSET wine courses and Sommelier courses are offered by Fine Vintage Ltd wine school here in Victoria. Wine tasting courses are available for wine enthusiasts and wine industry members including wine importers, agents, wine sales representatives, servers, sommeliers, wine store staff, winemakers, and grape growers. The Level 1 course focuses on learning the art of wine tasting, pairing food and
wine, and covers the characteristics of the major grape varieties. The full-day WSET Level 1 in Wines course is offered Jan 27. finevintageltd.com Victoria’s Seedy Saturday will be held Feb 12, 10am – 4:30pm, and is hosted by the James Bay Market Society at the Victoria Conference Centre. The event will feature local seeds, plants, products, and speakers. jamesbaymarket.com/seedysaturday
FOUNDER
Looking ahead to March, Victoria Beer Week is a nine-day festival showcasing BC craft breweries in unique event settings. With a focus on education and diverse craft beer selection, VBW 2019 will feature more than 40 BC craft breweries at venues throughout the city. The Victoria Beer Week Society is a non-profit organization whose mission is to facilitate various beer-related events at locations around Greater Victoria. Mar 1 – 9. victoriabeerweek.com
Larry Arnold
The eighth annual Culinaire event will be held at the Crystal Garden on March 7 this year. This event provides locals with the opportunity to savour signature menu items and inspired dishes from an abundant selection of restaurants, lounges, pubs, cafes, specialty purveyors, and sip from a fine selection of local and regional wine, cider, and craft beer. Partial proceeds provide scholarship awards to the Camosun College Culinary Arts Program and a donation is made each year to the BC Hospitality Foundation. culinairevictoria .com
Gary Hynes
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Eating Well for Less Gozen 1005 LANGLEY ST., AT BROUGHTON, 778-265-1005
It may be odd to hone in on a condiment, but as soon as you get to Gozen, try the house-made soy sauce, on its own—I recommend a discreet finger dip. Tasting it felt like having my first taste of a great wine. Suddenly I understood how many flavour notes can be in one food, and how unaware I had been up to that moment. Gozen is most decidedly a Japanese fine dining destination. However, as with most such places, the lunch menu can offer a more budget-friendly way to sample menu items. Lunch specials range from $15 to $17. The Tofu Teriyaki lunch special for $15 is like receiving a gift. The tofu and mixed vegetables are in a very delicate teriyaki—again, a far cry from the grocery store version—and the onions, snow peas, cabbage, and red peppers were clearly each meticulously timed in the pan so each vegetable maintained its crispness. The rice is a prized type brought in from Japan and seasoned with akasu red vinegar and the yeast residue from sake, giving it a pink tint. Four side dishes accompany the main one—strips of burdock seasoned with wine and soy, spinach in a sweet sesame sauce, feather-light tempura, and seaweed salad topped with a translucent slice of red radish. Another way to sample the elegant menu is by lunching on a roll. Classic ones range from $6 to $9, and special rolls are $9 and up. While much on the menu is traditional, I was attracted to the decidedly untraditional Crazy Girl Roll for $12. This roll does not even have rice in it; it is a compilation of spicy tuna, crab, avocado ELIZABETH NYLAND
and cream cheese. Deep-fried until crispy, it is then drizzled with a sweet hot sauce. I tried desperately to find out whose ex-girlfriend “crazy girl” is named after, but no one was talking. You will surely be seduced into coming back for dinner. For a treat, I would recommend Chef’s Special A, a glamorous sashimi platter that includes fresh, fresh sockeye, toro, mackerel—and my favourite component—a white rose whose petals of tender squid encompass glistening red salmon roe. (ABOVE) CHEF’S SPECIAL A (BELOW) THE CRAZY GIRL ROLL
Cucina Italiana
106 Superior Street | 250.380.0088 | IlCovoTrattoria.ca 4
ELIZABETH NYLAND
A N AUTHENTIC TAS TE O F ITALY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
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ELIZABETH MONK
Mantra Fine Indian Cuisine 1015 FORT ST. NEAR VANCOUVER, 778-265-3786; ALSO 3480 TILLICUM RD., 250-388-4655
What I love about Indian food is that slowly simmering curries actually lend themselves to the format of a hot buffet. At Mantra, the lunch buffet always offers six curries, four salads, three chutneys and one partridge in a pear tree—OK, actually one raita. These curries rotate depending on ingredients available; on the day I was there, they were channa saag, mixed vegetable, dal makhani, butter chicken, goat curry and shahi paneer. Owner Phlower Longia got his grounding in food from his mother, Gian, and relies on Red Seal chefs in the kitchen. Everything was good, but there is always that one dish at a buffet where you go back for one last taste, even though you are stuffed to the gills. That one for me was the shahi paneer, with pressed dry cottage cheese cubes in a smooth, sweet, intriguing sauce of cashews, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. I was also pleased to see curry goat— the meat tender and the flavour smoky. If goat is a new dish for you, please know that it has some intricate bones to work around, and I confess that I just used my fingers.
enjoy the flavour of each separate vegetable: mushrooms, red peppers, zucchini, carrots, and green beans. The Punjabi dish of dal makhani is black lentils simmered in cream and butter—very rich and filling. The channa saag is chickpeas in a spinach sauce, and the taste of black cardamom was a pleasing endnote. The butter chicken was its usual lovable, comfort-food self—creamy and satisfying. This lunch buffet costs $13.99.
ELIZABETH NYLAND
The mixed vegetable curry had appropriate restraint in its spicing, which meant I could
MANTRA LUNCH BUFFET
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Fern Café and Bakery 1-1115 NORTH PARK ST. NEAR COOK, 250-590-3376
Young entrepreneurs Braden and Tamara Parks have hit a home run with their 100 percent vegan Fern Café and Bakery in bustling Fernwood. They opened on November 10 to instant long lineups and devotees within a week. The menu has a few entrées, and the deli counter holds more than 20 types of house-baked vegan cookies, bars and macarons. The Plant Burger for $12 is delicious, in large part because of the sweet homemade tomato jam and zingy lemon and garlic mayonnaise. The patty has a base of chickpeas, an injection of umami from mushrooms and sundried tomatoes, and a meaty texture thanks to vital wheat gluten. The bun is soft and squishes down comfortably around the patty, making it a manageable sandwich. The macaroni and cheese for $9.50 is flavourful and rich, with a robustness coming from nutritional yeast and a creaminess from coconut milk. A cashew nut crunch topping not only hints at, but elevates the classic breadcrumb and butter one, and the green onion garnish is a smart accent. For $11.50, the Italian Sausage and Pepper Panini is also very well executed. The house-made bread has a soft texture, and the stuffings have the right crispELIZABETH NYLAND
to-melty ratio. The sausage is made of chickpeas, onions, garlic, and Italian seasonings, and it is topped with plentiful softened onions and red and green peppers. There is no way you can leave without a sweet treat, all of which are in the $3 to $3.50 range. The Lemon Meringue Twinkie is as beautiful as it is tasty, a moist and spongy ladyfinger topped with tiny mounds of lemon curd and meringue. The café is open 7am – 6pm. (ABOVE) ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPER PANINI (BELOW) MAC AND CHEESE
ELIZABETH NYLAND
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Food Matters
A CHEF IN MY KITCHEN
Once the cold weather sets in, EAT writer Julie Pegg invites classic chefs to dinner. COME WINTER, I’M A HOMEBODY. Frosty weather dwindles dining out to happy hours or a get-together with friends—sometimes one and the same, which makes the hour very happy indeed. That way I’m still home by six-ish, sprawled on the sofa in front of the fire, donned in thick socks and sweats, watching Netflix. Other days (or nights) I might pop into a noodle shop. I can’t match the quality of the steaming, comforting ramen, udon or pho I slurp in one of these places. And also, for me, not worth the effort of making at home are calamari, croissants and, oh yes—sushi. JULIE PEGG
I still want my taste buds pampered, though. So I cook and invite chefs into the kitchen. Not literally, of course. I pull a whack of food books from shelves that nearly buckle with the works of classic culinary authors and chefs, among them MFK Fisher, Waverley Root and A.J. Liebling, Calvin Trillin, Richard Olney, Craig Claiborne, James Villas, James Beard, Marcella Hazan, Jacques Pépin and Julia Child, as well as one of my favourite essayists and recipe writers Elizabeth David. I brew an espresso in my Italian stove-top Moka Pot, or pour a glass of wine and hunker down with these celebs for inspiration and preparation. I find their writing timeless, their recipes comforting. In fact, as I write, Elizabeth David’s Breast of Lamb Ste.-Menehould (from An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, 1984) is gently baking in a slow oven toward its grilled and crunchy finish. Her recipe, written essay style for The Spectator in August 1961, touches on so much more than just cooking. I learn that rustic French dishes like breast of lamb and pigs’ trotters can be “breadcrumbed and grilled to a delicious, sizzling, crackling, crispness,” and that the recipe also “works a treat for the American cut of spare-ribs of pork.” I find David’s observation that “the bread-crumbing business [of making them] is such a soothing occupation when you’ve had enough of the Sunday papers” so inspirational I turn off the remote and run out to buy a loaf of day-old bread and a copy of The New York Times. In a used bookshop years back, I stumbled on a copy (signed by Julia Child and Paul Child and inscribed “for Carole”) of Julia’s 1968 French Chef Cookbook, the companion book to her WGBH Boston French Chef series. The “97th show” French onion soup, “simply a large quantity of sliced onions, slowly cooked in browned butter, then simmered in [homemade] beef bouillon,” is a rich and delicious marvel. Julia, being Julia, tosses in a goodly amount of red wine too. For the heartier gratineé version, she adds, “All you need to complete the meal is [another] bottle of red wine, perhaps a green salad.”
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WE STEAK OUR REPUTATION ON IT
Frittatas Bennys Pancakes
...and more! 1001 Wharf St, Victoria Reservations: 250-380-2260 nauticalnelliesrestaurant.com 8
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JULIE PEGG
The last time I followed her French onion soup recipe, I made my own beef bone broth, which is easy, economical and deliciously rewarding. However, it takes time, from 8-14 hours, so I make a huge batch at once. You can start it in the morning. I started mine late afternoon and left it simmering slowly overnight in a tightly covered soup kettle, awaking to a rich and most homey aroma wafting about the kitchen. Bone broth is having quite the heyday, so you can also look for it at farmers’ markets and specialty grocers. The late Anthony Bourdain of Kitchen Confidential and No Reservations favoured rich chicken stock over beef stock for French onion soup. Quite rightly. I can’t argue either with its “deliciousness,” as he might have said. As for turning to cookbooks that tout fresh, sustainable and eating local, I frequently turn to Chez Panisse’s Alice Waters, and Vancouver’s own John Bishop, both pioneers in the farm- (or water-) to-table tenet that so many of today’s chefs follow. Bishop nixed long ago serving dishes like foie gras or Dover sole at his eponymously named Bishop’s. Alice Waters lived in France and was bowled over by locals who cooked “trout right from the stream and raspberry tart from the berries in the back garden.” Waters returned to Berkley and launched Chez Panisse “to do the very best we could do with French recipes and California ingredients,” she says in the Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook intro. In Simply Bishop’s (2002), Bishop brings his philosophy into the home kitchen. Simply Bishop’s oyster stew is made with local bivalves, leeks and vermouth, which is also now produced locally. (Think Imperative Dry Vermouth, a Vancouver Island collaboration between Ampersand Distillery and Rathjen Cellars farm-based winery.) In keeping with the vegetarian ethos, at least 40 plant-based entries, from roasted eggplant and garlic soup to vegetarian lasagna, appear in Bishop’s earlier published Cooking at My House (1999). Likewise, Waters, true to her word, stuffs the Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook (1995) with French-influenced recipes that rely on local, albeit Californian, ingredients such as lemons and olives. A little off the mark and season up here, but I’m all for the basil and olive butters that go onto her poached salmon.
Now I must get back to Elizabeth. The lamb has gently released itself from the bones. I am about ready to breadcrumb and grill. It’s all going as planned, and I’m happy I invited her to dinner.
JULIE PEGG
As for modern times, I just bought Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty More for his incredible Middle East and vegetarian inspirations. And I often look to any of Jamie Oliver’s recipes for trusty home cooking, from roast beef and Yorkshire pudding to risotto or Bolognese Apple Cake (a sort of Italian bread pudding). I’ve yet to have any of them fail.
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HOME SWEET HOME House of Boateng in Langford is a simple café, but there’s nothing simple about its food. stor y by: Cinda Chavich
photography by: Sherri Mar tin
CASTRO BOATENG IS ONE OF THE CITY’S MOST TALENTED and personable chefs and caterers. And now you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to enjoy his refined cooking. Boateng has landed in a place of his own—a casual little daytime café in the suburban Langford neighbourhood he calls home. “We live nearby and we wanted to create a good place to eat in the area,” says the smiling owner/chef, greeting his customers at the door of the new House of Boateng and offering a copy of his scrumptious menu. This is a simple counter service café—order your meal from the friendly staff then wait for it to be delivered to your table. But there’s nothing simple about the food. In typical Boateng style, there’s a clever melding of global flavours and professional technique in every dish, with the finest local ingredients and a seasonal focus that includes wild foraged foods and lots of fresh produce. I couldn’t be happier that there’s a place I can visit any day of the week to enjoy Boateng’s delightful dishes, from a Moroccan vegetable tagine with chewy pearls of Israeli couscous, poached eggs and slivers of preserved lemon, to the verdant Hippy Benny, the eggs napped in nettle hollandaise and served atop tender chickpea polenta, with fresh local greens in a citrusy, spruce-tip vinaigrette. It’s beautiful, chef-driven cuisine, but it’s approachable and affordable, too. The daily breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch menus include Boateng’s spiced lamb Scotch eggs, Jerk Chicken Bowl with chayote squash slaw and crispy plantain, and scrambled eggs
HOUSE OF BOATENG IN LANGFORD wrapped up with his spicy Jollof rice and beans. Flip the sheet over, and there’s a full vegetarian/vegan menu, too, featuring dishes like his Vegan Island Bowl with smoked tempeh, sea asparagus and wild Japanese knotweed on ancient grains, or simple beans on toast scented with olive oil and fresh herbs. A native of Ghana, Boateng grew up in Toronto where he graduated from culinary school, then worked at prestigious properties around the world, from Turnberry Resort in Scotland and the Fairmont Southampton Princess in Bermuda to the Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff, where he was chef de cuisine of the elegant Eden restaurant. When he arrived on Vancouver Island, he led the kitchens at the Aerie Resort (now Villa Eyrie), then opened his own catering business in 2010. Boateng has also lured chef Motoharu Nozawa to the island to work with him. The Japanese-born chef, with experience at Calgary’s Rush and Banff’s Eden, brings a high skill HIPPY BENNY, WITH NETTLE HOLLANDAISE AND CHICKPEA POLENTA
level and Asian flair to this globally inspired kitchen.
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Han dmade Eth i cal L o cal Tradi t i o n al
CURED AND SMOKED MEATS 2 0 3 2 O A K B AY A V E N U E , V I C T O R I A
250.590.PORK
THEWHOLEBEAS T.C A C U RED@ T H EWH O LEB EA ST.C A
BRIGHT AND SPACIOUS SEATING AT HOUSE OF BOATENG The space is open and sunny, its family-friendly wooden banquette seating dotted with comfortable throw cushions against a wall of windows. Polished concrete floors, high ceilings, a deep green wall and contemporary brass chandeliers add to the clean, modern décor. There’s a case with sandwiches and house-made pastries if you just have time for coffee or a takeaway lunch. We enjoyed a Hippy Mimosa with our weekend brunch—sparkling wine and elderflower lemonade with citrusy fir tip syrup—as well as vegan dark chocolate and plantain truffle and a fluffy bofrot, a little Ghanaian doughnut spiced with nutmeg and rolled in sugar. And never fear, if you want to have your event catered by Boateng, or rent his comfortable space any evening after the café closes at 4pm, he is at your service. There are stunning photos and many catering menu ideas on his houseofboateng.ca website—whether you need a five-course menu to impress guests at home, a gourmet burger buffet or the full House of Boateng experience, complete with both African and Japanese food stations. Boateng’s new café and catering kitchen fills the corner space on the main floor of Peatt Commons (2854 Peatt Rd.), located among the many condo and rental apartment buildings springing up in the centre of town to serve a rapidly growing population. A Taiwanese teahouse is opening next door, and Boateng says the area will soon have more international eateries that will draw diners beyond downtown Victoria. At House of Boateng, you’ll be met with delicious aromas and a warm Ghanaian greeting, “Akwaaba—welcome to our home.” HOUSE OF BOATENG, 105 - 2854 PEATT RD 778-432-2233 HOUSEOFBOATENG.CA
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REPORTER
VIS À VIS’S SOPHIE FENLON
The young executive chef has returned to a life of balance in her hometown of Oak Bay. stor y by: Jill Van Gyn
photography by: Rebecca Wellman
THERE IS SOMETHING SO RARE in finding a person who decided at a very young age what they wanted to be when they grew up and who then fully realized this ambition. Much of the time these individuals are groomed to follow in a parent’s footsteps. They are cut out, moulded and have their destiny chosen for them. Not so for Sophie Fenlon, who at the tender age of 28 is quite possibly Victoria’s youngest executive chef. “I grew up in a family where you just eat to fuel. I don’t really know where all of this came from, but from a really young age I just knew that when I graduated high school I was going to go to culinary school,” says Fenlon, who used to fill the family fridge with dressings and sauces as a way to start practicing for her future career. Today, after what for some 50-year-old chefs would be a storied career, Fenlon heads up the team at Vis à Vis and the Penny Farthing in Oak Bay. Fenlon’s path to her current career
Executive Chef Sofie Fenlon was a single-minded journey to her current position. Getting a worldly start by travelling the globe with her Air Force parents, the family ended up settling in Victoria. Discipline, organization and the ability to stand tall against the pressures of the kitchen came to her naturally and this, Fenlon thinks, is why she was hand-selected for the Junior Team Canada representing Vancouver Community College in culinary competitions across the country. While competition certainly honed her skills as a chef, Fenlon recognized that she had to choose between being a competition chef or a restaurant chef. With this in mind, she began to apprentice as a Red Seal Chef under Lee Parsons of the Wedgewood Hotel in Vancouver. And so began her career. One of the reasons Fenlon has earned the position of executive chef is her experience working in everything from hotel kitchens to small, Michelin-starred outfits. She moved to London shortly after receiving her Red Seal and took a position at the famed Ritz Hotel. “I had had my eye on working at The Ritz, mostly because of that [Irving Berlin] song … it was my favourite song as a kid. The chef at the Wedgewood had connections there so I was able to move to London and start the position right away.” Working at The Ritz was a great start, but Fenlon quickly found that she was drowned Espresso Cured Beef Carpaccio Fried capers, smoked eggplant, pickled mustard seeds, olive oil croutons, grano padano
out in a sea of more than 70 cooks. “I wanted to be seen and become known,” says Fenlon, explaining that working in that type of environment made that goal very difficult. “I can
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handle cutthroat conditions, but there was something there I just didn’t love.” This is what brought her to a small, Michelin-starred restaurant, Trinity, under ownerchef Adam Byatt in Clapham Common, where she began to find her stride among the tight staff of eight. “This gave me the opportunity to grow and move up more quickly,” she says. Living in London certainly gave Fenlon the chance to cut her teeth and pay her dues, but in the end, London is a terribly expensive place to live for a cook, no mat-
VaLEnTiMe
In Cowichan.
ter your raw and learned talent. Fenlon also began to question the quality of life she was living. “The whole idea of ‘you sleep when you die’ is so common and accepted in the industry, but I really like to find balance in my life. And that has helped me survive this hectic world.” A rare
Fenlon’s accumulated experience well before the age of 30 would outstrip that of many a career chef.
frame of mind for a chef, indeed. Ultimately, Fenlon decided to move back to the West Coast. The plan was to return, reset and be with family, then head back to Europe again. But she found that after living away for a number of years, Victoria had turned into a place where she might want to set down some roots. “Coming back as an adult I had a new appreciation for [Victoria]. It has
a beautiful culture.” Fenlon truly found her place here in the closest thing she had to a hometown, working for some of Victoria’s top restaurants and institutions such
Glowing embers. Salt breeze. Chocolate and our own whipped cream. Valentine’s Days are different here. Slow down and savour love.
tourismcowichan.com
as Olo, The London Chef and Sooke’s acclaimed Wild Mountain. Fenlon’s accumulated experience well before the age of 30 would outstrip that of many a career chef. Fenlon has been in the fires of competition, jockeyed with an army of line cooks in the kitchen of a world-famous hotel, worked for a Michelin chef, played with some of the finest ingredients the West Coast has to offer and delved into the slow-food movement of Vancouver Island. It’s no wonder she has landed the top spot at Vis à Vis and The Penny Farthing. After seeing a posting for the position late one night, Fenlon decided to go for it. “I met with Matt McNeil and somehow convinced him I was right for the job!” she says. “I’m coming up to two years here, and I have built this great team. There is a lot of talk about the high turnover of kitchen staff in the industry, and I find that if you create a quality of life for your team, they won’t go anywhere.” Quality of life, balance and finding a life outside the kitchen is important to Fenlon, and this is reflected in her management style. Her kitchen staff enjoy a four-day work week, which keeps them fresh, and they are encouraged to find an interest outside of work. “If we stop trying to put cooks into the box of what a passionate, high-pressured cook position should be— like we see on TV—then we can create careers that people want to stay in.” This is what Sophie Fenlon truly brings to the table. She is a talented and passionate chef, but she also has a highly practical side to her. She sees great value in the discipline and diligence learned in the long hours of a busy kitchen, but she also places much importance on creating balance in an industry that is known to lack it. For the time being, Victoria is lucky to have such a young talent contribute to our growing food scene, but there is no doubt that Fenlon will carve out a path to her own little place one day. She has hinted at a butchery and small eatery where everything will be made, cured, dressed and fermented in-house. It is a lovely little dream that Fenlon will no doubt someday make a reality. VIS À VIS, 2232 OAK BAY AVE 250-590-7424 VISAVISOAKBAY.COM
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REPORTER
KEEPING TRADITION ALIVE We talk to Solomon Siegel eight months after a major renovation that has renewed and improved Pagliacci’s without changing what Victoria loves about “Pag’s.” stor y by: Joseph Blake
photography by: Sherri Martin
SOLOMON SIEGEL SITS AT THE BACK CORNER TABLE AT PAGLIACCI’S, the restaurant that has been in his family since 1979, surveying the room with a quick, sidelong glance. Solomon has been working here since his days as a 12-year-old, Sunday morning coffee boy. Now he’s the boss. Since taking over, Solomon has tried to keep his family’s tradition of value and fun dining alive, and he hopes to continue that tradition for another 40 years. He takes a lot of pride in last spring’s renovation and the fact that customers don’t even notice the physical changes, things like rebuilding the art deco wall lights his father had salvaged from an old theatre when Pagliacci’s opened. It was more expensive to remake the old lights, but Water Glass Studios did a great job, and, most importantly, you don’t notice the change. “Ultimately, the purpose of the renovation was to make the restaurant a better place to work, to give my staff workspaces that allow them to do the best job they can,” Solomon explains. “The public doesn’t see the changes, but our expanded kitchen allows for lots more appetizers on the menu using local sources like meats from The Whole Beast. I’m improving the calibre of all the ingredients we use from free-range chickens to our classic egg creams using Brooklyn’s U-Bet Chocolate Syrup. It costs a lot to ship it out here, but it makes a classic egg cream. Our cioppino is called I’ll Have What She’s Having, and it’s a huge bowl of local, sustainable seafood—salmon, clams, mussels, king crab legs—whatever is in season. We’ve got AAA Angus beef steaks from Alberta and ethically raised bone-in
SOLOMON SIEGEL IN HIS “SECOND HOME”
veal chops from Quebec. There is a lot of curation that goes into the current menu, little things that keep adding to the quality of our dishes.”
Solomon worked three years as a paramedic but became too disillusioned with the job’s
Solomon’s title is general manager, a position he has held for almost five years. But that role
bureaucracy. He then went to work for his brother-in-law at Discovery Coffee. Solomon was
changed with the death of his uncle and mentor, David Siegel, last fall.
fascinated with coffee and the quality of Discovery Coffee’s product. He was inspired by
David retired from the day-to-day operation at Pag’s almost a decade ago but still came in to look at the end-of-month figures. “He had no day-to-day concerns,” Solomon explains. “The last couple of years, this was my uncle’s favourite place to hang out. He’d talk to me about every aspect of the business. He was passing on everything he knew about the business, and
the experience of engaging with his customers, with what he calls “the human interaction, the transformative connection while serving people coffee. It can change a customer’s day. It’s the difference between vending machine culture and an experience that acknowledges human dignity.”
he became more engaged again,” Solomon continues. “My father, Howie Siegel, is continu-
In 2008, Solomon brought his discovery of classic cocktails and the research he’d been
ally involved in the spirit of the place, but he stopped running the business 15 years ago.”
doing into their history to his own business (opened on a shoestring budget). Solomon’s, his
Pagliacci’s had a series of general managers before Howie came to his son looking for a new
cocktail bar on Herald Street, became what he calls “his university.”
general manager. It had been a decade since Solomon had worked at the restaurant, but by
Solomon had lots of ideas about great drinks using old recipes, fresh-squeezed juices and
then he had done every job on the floor at Pag’s, even a little cooking. He had in effect lived
proper glassware, but the market collapsed. Victoria was in bad economic shape, and
his whole life at Pagliacci’s. He’d even met his wife here.
Solomon’s lacked financial backing. It only lasted 18 months but helped inspire Victoria’s
“I got frustrated in my early 20s with working with my father at Pagliacci’s, and I became a
cocktail culture.
paramedic. The joke was that I treated everything like life and death, so I might as well be a
“I learned a lot at Solomon’s,” he explains. “I learned about perceived value, how a smaller,
paramedic,” Solomon laughs.
five-ounce pour of wine at a better price is perceived as value by customers, and I learned
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the importance of proper infrastructure, a proper kitchen and proper bar set-up, lessons I brought to Pagliacci’s renovation in 2018.” He worked at Discovery Coffee for six months after Solomon’s closed, started a serious cocktail program at Veneto, and was head bartender at Catalano for about a year. When his father came looking for a new general manager, he was ready. “In my grandmother’s home, food was love. My Bubby was a real Jewish mother who’d check with me every hour to see if I was hungry. Community, love, happiness, that’s what food is supposed to be. That’s what we try to do here. We try to make the meal a highlight of our customer’s day, and hopefully give people one of the best nights of their life.” There is a lot of tradition at Pagliacci’s, and Solomon’s new vision is to keep that tradition alive while improving the quality of the food and drink the restaurant offers. “When I became general manager, the first thing I did was rip up the wine list—it was uninspired. I bought the same coffee equipment as I was using at Discovery Coffee. The best of the best and our staff is highly trained.” Head waiter Kris Simard has worked at the restaurant since 1982, and kitchen manager Sukh Basra since 1980. Sukh’s mother worked at Pagliacci’s in 1979, and Sukh and Kris are like his older brothers. Three generations of the Basi family have also worked at Pag’s. Amrit Basi currently works here, and Amrit’s grandmother was Pagliacci’s first employee. Amrit’s father, Shinda, also worked at the restaurant for a long time, starting in the 1980s. “The renovation in the spring was like surgery on a living patient,” Solomon continues. “Some parts were 40 years old, stuff that had to be cut so healthy stuff could thrive. I’ll always love the restaurant’s traditional side, but I’ve got an eye towards going forward. There’s so much ahead of us.” PAGLIACCI’S 1011 BROAD ST., 250-386-1662 WWW.PAGLIACCIS.CA
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Masterclass
THINKING LIKE A CHEF RECIPE + ST YLING: DENISE MARCHESSAULT
PHOTOGR APHY: DEB GARLICK
Mise en place is the professional chef’s philosophy of order, but home cooks can also adopt a “mise” mindset and experience the pleasure of a well-run, well-organised kitchen.
ONE OF THE FIRST LESSONS TAUGHT AT CULINARY SCHOOL is mise en place (pronounced meeze-on-plahs). Literally “to set in place,” it refers to the prep work involved before a restaurant opens its doors each day. This includes the preparation of stocks and soups, seasoning and portioning meat, chopping and blanching vegetables, partially cooking risottos—pretty much anything that can be done in advance. A chef’s workstation isn’t complete until it’s armed with squeeze bottles of dressings and infused oils, containers filled with chopped herbs, spice mixes, pickled veggies, chutneys, salts and numerous minced ingredients—all in anticipation of the evening rush. Mise en place is more than just ingredients—it’s a philosophy of order that encompasses all aspects of a professional kitchen, from pantry to walk-in cooler, to maintaining a knife’s sharp edge. Home cooks, too, can adopt a “mise” mindset and experience the satisfaction of a well-run kitchen. Here’s how to get started. The first step to preparing your mise en place begins with a recipe. Read the entire recipe to the end, even if you’re the sort of cook who prefers to improvise. If you’re ploughing through something new for the evening meal, you don’t want to discover halfway through that your chicken needs to be marinated 24 hours before its roasted. One habit I learned at culinary school, and continue to use, is to place all my chopped and measured ingredients (neatly contained in ramekins and bowls) on a baking tray along
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with the recipe. It may sound a little compulsive, but being organized makes cooking much more enjoyable. There’s a rhythm and flow, a pleasant mindfulness, in prepping ingredients, especially when using a sharp knife. (Some chefs admit to preferring the Zen of prep to the mad rush that follows.) In addition, I gather ahead of time all my tools, be it a potato ricer or springform pan lined with parchment paper. You don’t want to be searching for tongs when your expensive tuna loin is searing.
ROASTED CHICKEN STOCK Makes 12–15 cups
You can, of course, prepare all your ingredients one day and cook the following day. There’s nothing like a fridge full of chopped, prepped ingredients to bolster one’s confidence. Cooking, like many endeavours, is chiefly prep, and it helps when tasks are divided into manageable chunks. A well-stocked pantry is another way to get your mise in order. Pantries tend to expand without much thought, resulting in an assortment of stale and fresh, old and new, and questionable food gifts from Christmases past. No matter how modest your pantry (I once converted a sock drawer into a makeshift pantry), there’s deep satisfaction in having everything in its place. Although it’s Instagram chic to store whole grains and legumes in exposed Mason jars, the light, air and heat will compromise their freshness and shelf life. If you don’t have a cool, dark pantry, tuck those beautiful glass jars into a windowless cupboard or drawer away from the heat of the dishwasher, refrigerator and stove. Spices, too, require cool, dark storage. Speaking of which, when’s the last time you checked your spices for freshness? Stale spices are harmless, but they won’t add much flavour to your food. If your spices don’t have a best-before date (and there’s no universal consensus on expiry dates), use your nose. If your cumin smells of dust and little else, it’s time to toss it out. If you don’t know what your spices should smell like, compare the aroma of a just-opened spice container to an old one, and you’ll appreciate the difference. Eventually, all spices deteriorate over time, although whole spices last longer than pre-ground. Consider investing in a dedicated spice grinder, or mortar and pestle, to experience the heady fragrance of just-ground spices anytime. Alternatively, buy spices in small quantities and forgo the false savings of a bargain purchase. To prevent pantry goods from going stale before their time, minimize the air exposure in your storage containers. Squeeze the air from bags before sealing them closed with a food storage clip. Alternatively, transfer ingredients to smaller containers as contents are consumed. If you buy in bulk, like I do, the bags provided in the bulk section are too flimsy to offer protection from moisture and oxygen (and pesky insects). Transfer ingredients to glass jars or sturdy plastic containers. To keep foods fresh, adopt the first-in-first-out mantra. Keep a Sharpie marker and adhesive tape near storage containers and freezer bags as a reminder to label items destined for the pantry, fridge and freezer. Labelling allows you to rotate your stock, just like the pros. Finally, to fully embrace a “mise” mindset, I’ve included a recipe for a roasted chicken stock that will elevate your soups, stews and sauces to restaurant quality. I’ve also included a recipe for quick-pickled carrots and garlic confit, a handy way to prepare (and tame) garlic in advance.
Many of us were taught to make stock by tossing our leftover chicken or turkey carcasses into a pot of
Ingredients
or backs are on sale, it’s a great time to make stock.
5 lb meaty chicken bones, cut into 2"–3" chunks bouquet garni: bundle together a handful of fresh parsley and thyme stems and a couple of bay leaves — tie together with kitchen string. ½ tsp whole peppercorns 2 small onions, peeled and quartered 1 celery rib, coarsely chopped
Once the stock is made, it can be portioned into
Preheat oven to 350°F.
simmering water, along with some chopped onions and celery. While this makes a perfectly acceptable stock, a better way to amp up the flavours is to start with raw, meaty chicken bones and roast them in the oven before simmering in water. When chicken wings
freezer bags (labelled, of course) and stored in the freezer until ready to use. Alternatively, the stock can be reduced and concentrated until it reaches a syruplike consistency, then poured into ice cube moulds. The reduced stock is a great way to add a burst of flavour to everything from sautéed mushrooms to quick pan sauces. Keep salt away from your stock; otherwise, it will be over-salted when it’s reduced.
Scatter the meaty bones in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until browned, turning the bones as necessary to colour them evenly—this can take up to an hour. When the bones are golden, transfer them to a stock pot. Drain the fat from the roasting pan then place the pan directly on the stove, over medium-high heat, straddling two burners if necessary. Add just enough C O N T I N U E D O N T H E N E X T PAG E
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water, about ⅓ cup, to loosen any bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the pan, then scrape the pan clean with a flat-edged wooden spoon or spatula. Pour the liquid into the stockpot, bits and all. Add the bouquet garni, peppercorns and enough cold water to cover the bones by an inch. Bring the stock to a simmer, uncovered, for 3–4 hours, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a bare simmer. Using a ladle or large spoon, skim and discard any foam that rises to the surface of the pot. Add additional water as necessary to keep the bones covered. The stock should not boil, as this tends to cloud the stock. Add the onions and celery to the stock towards the last hour of simmering. To test the stock, ladle a ¼ cup stock into a cup and season with a light pinch of salt, and taste. If the stock needs more flavour, continue to simmer to intensify the flavour. When you are satisfied with the flavour, strain the stock through a colander and discard the bones and vegetables. Pass the liquid again through a strainer lined with cheesecloth into a clean container. Cool the stock quickly by placing the container of stock into a larger bowl filled with ice water. Once cooled, place in the refrigerator overnight or long enough for the fat to solidify and form a layer on top. Remove the solidified fat with a spoon and discard. The stock, now somewhat gelatinous, can be used immediately or portioned into freezer bags and frozen until ready to use. If you wish to reduce the stock, transfer it to a large, wide saucepan, and boil it until it reaches a syrup-like consistency. Pour into flexible muffin moulds or ice cube trays and freeze until ready to use.
GARLIC CONFIT
Poaching garlic in oil is a handy way to jump-start your cooking and mellow the garlic at the same time. Use the poached garlic as you would raw garlic in soups, stews, omelettes, sauces, dressings and stir-frys. Peel about a week’s worth of garlic cloves, and place them whole, in a small saucepan. Pour enough olive or vegetable oil to cover the garlic completely. Gently poach on very low heat until the garlic is soft enough to easily pierce with a knife. When the garlic and oil have cooled, transfer to a clean jar, add a sprig of thyme and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This slow-poached technique also works for peeled, sliced onions or shallots.
Pantry Round-up A well-stocked pantry can spark your imagination and edge you beyond the boundaries of your current repertoire. Although there’s no one-size-fits-all pantry list, here’s a starting point to adapt to your own tastes.
Cans, jars and bottles:
Grains, pastas and rice
sun-dried tomatoes, ketchup, Tabasco, hoisin sauce, horseradish, pesto, soy sauce
Rice (basmati, arborio, brown and Thai sweet rice), couscous, spelt, quinoa, assorted
and ponzu (citrus seasoned dressing), Worcestershire, Asian fish sauce, pomegran-
dried pasta, including buckwheat and rice stick noodles, oatmeal, lentils, farro,
ate molasses, tamarind, miso, olives, pickled ginger, palm hearts
millet, teff, dried chickpeas
Oils and vinegars: Extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, grapeseed or canola oil, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar and balsamic, cider and white (pickling) vinegars
Nuts and seeds:
Tomatoes, tomato paste, coconut milk, beans (cannellini, garbanzo, kidney, navy), tuna, anchovies, sardines, tahini, capers and caper berries, chili paste, Sriracha powder and sauce; Dijon-style mustard, mayonnaise, chipotle in adobe sauce, pickles,
Baking supplies: Flours (all-purpose, whole wheat, bread, semolina, buckwheat, corn and spelt), dried yeast, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, cream of tartar, sugars (brown, white, palm, confectioner’s, molasses, honey, maple and corn syrups); flaked coconut, poppy seeds, vanilla, chocolate (baker’s and cocoa powder), dried fruits (ginger,
Flax seeds, almonds (whole, ground and sliced), pumpkin seeds, walnuts
raisins, apricots, cranberries, dates, figs, etc.), lard and/or vegetable shortening
Salts:
Sundry:
Table, kosher and a finishing salt, such as fleur de sel
Dried mushrooms, rice and wheat crackers, popcorn, snacks
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CASUALLY ELEGANT FOOD. MADE FOR SHARING.
Outstanding Wines | Cocktails | Craft Beers Located in Cook Street Village 230 Cook St. Victoria, BC For Reservations call (778) 432-2021 www.thecollectivewinebar.ca
QUICK PICKLED CARROTS
Chopped pickled vegetables are great to have on hand for perking up salads and sandwiches. Feel free to tinker with the combination of herbs and spices (Thai chillies, curry powders, and the like) and ratios of sugar and salt to create your own signature pickles. You’ll need a couple of pristine, wide-mouth jars, with secure lids, to get started.
Ingredients
Lively • Fresh • Local
1 pound of peeled raw carrots — or substitute blanched cauliflower or beans* 2 spring of thyme or dill (optional) 1 cup white wine or rice vinegar 1 cup water 1 Tbsp kosher salt 1 Tbsp granulated sugar 2 tsp whole coriander, peppercorns or mustard seeds Place the carrots or blanched vegetables and the thyme or dill in the jar, leaving an inch of space from the rim of the jar. Combine the vinegar, water, salt, sugar and spices in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour this brine mixture over the vegetables, filling each jar to within a half inch of the top. (You may have leftover brine.)
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Remove any air bubbles by gently tapping the jars against the counter. Seal the jars, cool to room temperature and refrigerate.
x
*Raw carrots are fine to use as is, but beans and cauliflower require blanching before pickling. Toss beans or cauliflower into a pot of heavily salted water until slightly softened, then plunge vegetables into to a bowl of ice water.
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Our Changing Dining Landscape Fast casual, counter service, street food, food trucks, pop-ups—the trends are fast and getting faster. A food lover takes in the new view.
cooking/eating is increasingly off-kilter. The concept of sitting down to enjoy a homecooked meal or a meal dining out at a restaurant seems somehow out of reach. Fast food is becoming even faster. The drive-in is now the drive-thru, and apps such as Skip the Dishes and Grub Hub bring restaurant meals to your door, be it at the office or home,
you-can-eat buffet, your favourite deli or a special-occasion place? The word restaurant, from the Latin “restaurare,” literally means to renew or restore to a former state. It has come a long way from its simple beginnings as a place for a bowl of broth or bouillon. In North America, we have the bistro and brasserie, the café, deli and diner, the canteen and cantina, and the current “eatery.” Social trends are driving the popularity of street food, truck food, sharing plates and small plates, all of which make the idea of sustenance easier to swallow. But they’re also making sitting down to eat with a
ingredients thoughtfully sourced and techniques both timeless and modern. But somewhere along the line of culinary history, restaurants became intimidating places, with their relaxed atmosphere, appealing appetizer menus, “Keg-size-it” drinks and know-
AS OUR LIVES BECOME INCREASINGLY BUSIER, the balance of work/life and
What does “restaurant” mean to you? Delivery to your door, an all-
from front to back of house with dishes that are consistently and expertly wrought using
places associated with stuffy experiences and high price tags. Enter the chain restaurants
stor y by: Shelora Sheldan
dished out from a cardboard or Styrofoam container.
it on your bucket list. It’s a transportive experience, a seamless, well-choreographed dance
ing your waiter on a first-name basis. Fast-casual chains—as they are now known—have gone on to successfully straddle the middle ground between fast and fine dining, offering a well-researched something-for-everyone selection of foods, often hiring celebrity chefs to help them develop their menus. When the economic downturn of 2008 reared its ugly head, the reality affected both diner
What does “restaurant” mean to you? Delivery to your door, an all-you-can-eat buffet, your favourite deli or a special-occasion place?
knife and fork almost an anomaly. I am a strong proponent of a leisurely lunch with cloth napkins, exquisite food and gracious service, and I bow down to the Relais & Châteaux model of excellence. In BC, we are blessed with two Relais properties, Tofino’s Wickaninnish Inn and Vancouver’s Wedgewood Hotel.
and restaurant. The chef and the restaurateur had to think differently— and fast—to stay ahead of the curve. And customers no longer had the expendable income to support their favourite establishments. Drinking and driving laws were also affecting bottom lines. At the same time, we’ve become increasingly connected to the Internet and social media platforms, developing more knowledge about food trends. That knowledge and the subsequent cravings that followed have propelled trends so global that burgers and tacos can be enjoyed in cities from Vancouver to Paris to Tokyo, each with their own cultural imprint. It’s been only eight years since food trucks were given the green light in Victoria and Vancouver. The recent phenomenon has transformed the way we eat and enjoy food and has allowed entrepreneurs, and even
established restaurants, a chance to test the waters. Many successes, like Tacofino, have spurred bricks and mortar locations. For others, the reality of logistics—storage, weather, where to park, what to do with grey water—have made the food truck dream a nightmare.
As well, old school dining rooms such as Le Crocodile and Hy’s Steakhouse keep the fine
With lowered profit margins in the traditional restaurant model, entrepreneurs have had to
dining torch alive. But they are few and far between. Faced with the fact that North America
dig deep for creative approaches to turn a profit. Cutting staff and excessive overhead, such
(north of Mexico) is so reliant on fast food and the deep fryer, it’s nothing short of a miracle
as linen, are some of the first things to go.
that fine dining rooms exist at all.
In Victoria, those who have taken the plunge look to the quick-service or counter-service
Miraculously too, hospitality schools still exist, with a European model of vigorous and
model for a chance at success. Restaurateur Sterling Grice, co-owner of Foo, Pang, and Part
exacting training. If you’ve never experienced service of this calibre, I encourage you to put
and Parcel, cut out the bartender, host and waitstaff at his three eateries. All of them have
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counter service only and very minimal seating. But his approach also has an altruistic slant: minimizing the front of house allowed him to put money into the kitchen and give his cooks a living wage—a digestible philosophy that deserves support. To avoid the huge outlay of money for a commercial kitchen, caterers and other food makers look to church kitchens to rent, or a restaurant kitchen space for after-hours use. Collectives and cooperative spaces also address the need for food entrepreneurs to cook and create, with usually a monthly membership to use the facilities and equipment. Pop-ups and underground dining experiences are also allowing budding chefs creative flex without the overhead and offering diners exciting and affordable alternatives. For example, Clark Deutscher of Hanks and Nowhere first started cooking his unique menus in a Ucluelet coffee shop after hours and regularly hosts chef collaborations at his two Victoria restaurants. Collaborations are another recent trend, allowing a culinary exchange between chefs, more creative reach, and yet another way to get “bums in seats.” In Kelowna, self-taught cook Aman Dosanj took to the road as the Paisley Notebook, organizing a pop-up dinner series throughout the Okanagan and beyond. Her goal, after six years in the restaurant industry, was to create her own path with farm-to-table edible adventures, not only making food work for her but creating a dialogue about food and where it comes from. Her success and drive have garnered her a recent accolade from the annual Canadian Tourism Awards. To add another kink to the works, finding kitchen staff to cook the food in our eateries and restaurants is becoming alarmingly difficult. Many establishments have had to decrease their hours of operation to compensate. And any willing cooks are impeded by not being able to find affordable or nearby accommodation. If you’re still thinking of feeding the public, you better be willing and able to do the time. From sustainable, seasonal, farm-to-table, Slow Food, organic, artisanal and authentic, to fusion, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, wild-foraged and clean eating, it’s getting confusing to know what to eat and what to cook. A past episode of Portlandia made fun of the hipsters’ need for local food and the Twitter campaign @WeWantPlates began as a pushback against gimmicky serving dishes. It’s a funny and often stomach-churning chronicle of food being presented on and in such things as a bedroom slipper, a dog’s dish and everything in between. On the other end of the spectrum is an exciting—and serious—movement driven by young, travelled chefs, many with stages at Michelin-starred establishments under their belts. Theirs is a hyper-local, artisan approach to their craft. Fermented foods, farm-to-table and wild-foraged ingredients are at the fore in their destination-driven restaurants. Pilgrimme on Galiano Island and The Willows Inn on Lummi Island are two such popular and successful examples. Through it all, there is a glimpse of a possible return to fine dining as a new trend. Recently, Vancouver’s St. Lawrence and Victoria’s The Courtney Room both won Top 10 spots in enRoute magazine’s Best New Restaurants of 2018. They are elegant rooms with table service, focused menus, smart cocktails and wine lists—with not a takeout box or paper napkin in sight.
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J
Staff Meal
UST GOT SEXIER RECIPE + ST YLING: JENNIFER DANTER
PHOTOGR APHY: JACQUELINE DOWNEY
Back in the day (we’re talking early 2000’s), cooking staff meal was considered the worst chore in the restaurant world, and everybody on both sides of the house, front and back, loudly complained. Every day at 4:45 pm sharp, the evening serving staff assembled at the bar rail in front of the open kitchen. They’d quickly pick at whatever we put out while the managers gave the low down on that night’s tasting menu, specials and wine pairings. Cooking staff meal was on a rotating schedule, so everyone in the kitchen took a turn. Trying to keep food costs at bay and working against the clock, it was a scrounge-fest of using up odds ‘n ends that often walked the expiry date line. That’s when I discovered breakfast for dinner. Eggs rule and everybody loves them! When it came to my turn, I lovingly dished up savoury pancakes with scrambled eggs, frittatas loaded with pasta and veggies, toad in the hole and my very favourite egg dish: Turkish eggs (aka Cilbur) which is basically poached eggs nestled in garlicky dilly yogurt drizzled with fiery Aleppo pepper brown butter.
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Alright. Let’s cook! Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk or swirl often until butter starts to foam and brown specks form. You’ll know it’s working because it should smell nutty! Remove pan from heat and whisk in olive oil, then Aleppo pepper. Set aside in a warm place. In a metal bowl over double-boiler, whisk together yogurt, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
TURKISH EGGS
While I no longer have to make staff meal, I can’t resist making this for dinner or an easy Sunday brunch at home. This makes two servings, but the recipe is easy enough to double or triple. ¼ cup unsalted butter 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or chili flakes 2 cups thick Greek yogurt 2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp sea salt Cracked black pepper, to taste 4 large eggs (be sure they’re cold - see tip) 4 tsp white vinegar 2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill Warm bagels or toast This comes together rather quickly - my best advice is to have all your prep ready before you start cooking. Prepare a double boiler. I use a metal bowl that snugly fits into a medium saucepan. You want to fill the saucepan with just enough water, so there’s a decent gap under the bottom of the bowl. Bring to a gentle simmer; keep it at medium-low heat. Prepare your egg pan. I like to use my Dutch oven - it’s deep and roomy. Fill with water and bring to a simmer; keep the heat at medium. Have a kitchen towel and a large slotted spoon nearby.
Crack eggs into separate ramekins. Add 1 tsp white vinegar to each. Working with one ramekin at a time, dip into the water, and let the water cook the egg for 10 sec before you let it gently drop right in. Repeat with remaining ramekins. Turn off heat. Let sit for 3 min. While eggs are sitting, re-whisk yogurt so it’s silky and fluffy; spoon onto plates and sprinkle with dill. Grab the bagels or toast from the oven. Using a slotted spoon, gently remove eggs and pat dry. Nestle eggs in yogurt; top with brown butter and generously season with more salt and pepper.
Best Egg Tip in the World: Fresh eggs are ideal for keeping their shape when they poach. As eggs sit and age, the whites turn watery. For best results, gently crack each egg (straight from the fridge) into a fine mesh strainer. Let the watery bits drip away, then turn into a ramekin.
3 EGG DISHES WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF: Little June Baked Eggs - a happy trio of runny yolked eggs melting and melding with swiss cheese and ham.
Agrius Classic Breakfast - sounds standard, but the quality and simplicity = pure perfection.
The Root Cellar’s Black Quinoa Brunch Bowls - this one you have to make yourself! Find the recipe in Rebecca Wellman’s First, We Brunch. 23
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A FIRST LOOK AT
SUNDAY’S CHILD
This little bistro in Estevan Village is aiming for that sweet spot between classy and casual, elegance and ease. stor y by: Adrian Paradis
G
photography by: Rebecca Wellman
etting a “first look” at a restaurant rarely lives up to the name. Often it is only after weeks or months of soft openings, workshopping menus, and responding to customer feedback that journalists come in to enjoy the “first look” of what is now a well-pol-
ished machine. At Sunday’s Child, however, the curtain was pulled back for Rebecca Wellman and I to sit down with the owners on menu development day. Owners Susannah Ruth Bryan (who you may know from her famous cakes at Ruth and Dean) and Jesse and Jamie Owens (of the equally renowned Hide and Seek Coffee) have known each other for years. Their respective businesses opened roughly the same time, and Susannah has since been supplying baked goods for Hide and Seek. Speaking to them as they try their menu for the first time feels like catching up with old friends. “We don’t want it to be cliquey. We want it to be open and welcoming here,” says Jesse. In the former location of Crumsby’s Café in Estevan Village, the team is days away from their opening date of early December. While floors are covered in construction dust and the patio is still occupied by pieces of the previous café, there is no doubt this veteran all-star team will be warmly welcoming the public in a handful of hours. The room has already been dramatically transformed from its previous incarnation. The old walls, scuffed with crayon and pastel colours, have been replaced with clean, white ones with blue trim and elegant hanging lamp fixtures. Decorative plaster tiles line the back wall behind a polished new espresso machine, and the large open dining room is spotted with wood chairs reminiscent of a vintage schoolhouse.
From left to right: Jesse and Jamie Owens and Susannah Ruth Bryan “We are trying to hit right in that sweet spot,” says Jesse. “When you come in you should feel a little bit fancy, but you’re not put off. We want people leaning over the tables laughing and enjoying themselves.” Their food—championed by Susannah—matches that point of middle ground between classy and casual. “For breakfast, it’s all very French/Pacific Northwestern,” she says. “It’s our ingredients but French techniques.” The breakfast sandwich here comes spread with a classic French rouille sauce—which has a base of red pepper along with bread crumbs and big notes of saffron and garlic—Virginia ham, tomatoes and egg served on a baguette. The softness of the bread and the side of fresh greens gives this meal a lightness not seen too Classic Nicoise with steelhead, potatoes, hard-boiled egg and olive tapenade
often at breakfast.
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Assortment of pastries
Mushroom toast - brouillade d'oeuf , mushroom duxelles, scrambled eggs, shallot
The brouillade d’oeuf—mushrooms and egg toast made with a duxelle, a mixture of minced,
child works hard for a living / And the child that is born on the Sabbath Day / Is bonny
cooked mushrooms—includes scrambled eggs, shallots, butter, and more chanterelle mush-
and blithe and good and gay.” Some versions of the poem say, “good in every way,” but the
rooms on top. It hits that perfect note of feeling classy but tasting like comfort food. “We’re
message is the same.
not throwing all our money into showing off,” says Susannah, “but we can still have a few chanterelles on toast.”
While we may not be able to control our natural temperaments or the day of the week we were born, we can all strive to be like Sunday’s child. Rather than toiling our lives away, we
In addition to the sit-down menu, the team is keeping to their roots with traditional café
could be enjoying what is good. Sunday’s Child, the restaurant, seems to fall in line with
fare. Even though Susannah is known for her cakes at Ruth and Dean, she says her first love
this way of thinking. Being at once casual yet indulgent, classy yet friendly, it is the temper-
was always savoury baking. It shows at Sunday’s Child too in their viennoiserie (French
ament many of us strive for, and I’m sure many of us look forward to spending time at this
bread pastries) program and their fresh-made croissants. She also still does the usual coffee
sweet little spot in Estevan Village.
shop staples such as pastries, muffins, cookies, scones and bars. Unlike Hide and Seek,
SUNDAY’S CHILD, 2509 ESTEVAN AVENUE SUNDAYSCHILD.CA
where Jesse and Jamie have a rotating list of coffee roasters, here they are working with a single supplier that they have a previous relationship with called Monogram. “They are roasting out of Calgary and are very good at what they do,” says Jesse. The team is opening just for breakfast and lunch to start off, but come summer, they plan to expand their hours and open their patio. Their casual semi-service style will give way to a relaxed dinner ambiance come five o’clock. In the meantime, they’re planning on hosting a supper series to test the waters of the neighbourhood, as well as the limits of their staff. “We’re working to be smarter and take the pressure off ourselves,” says Susannah. “It’s not a fashion show. We need to build a business that lasts and stands the test of time and remains within the community. We want the kids that grow up around here to remember us. So it’s important to us that our menu grows as our stability grows.” For those who may still be wondering about the name Sunday’s Child, cast your memory back to the days of English nursery rhymes. Monday’s Child is a poem that predicts a child’s temperament based on the day of the week they were born. As it happens, Susannah is one of seven children who were each born on a different day of the week. Susannah is the Sunday child of the family. According to the poem, “Friday’s child is loving and giving / Saturday’s
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Lounge Acts Local brewery “lounges” are jumping through bureaucratic hoops to give beer drinkers that by-the-tank brewery experience. stor y by: Daniel Murphy
photography by: Johann Vincent
ANYONE WHO HAS EVER MADE THEIR LIVING through brewery labour will tell you: there is something otherworldly about beer in its unadulterated state. Pouring off a foamy glass directly from the brite-tank is a spiritual experience. Like honey from the hive or warm milk from the cow’s udder—it can’t be reproduced or imitated. Knowing that this practice would bring all the beer snobs to their respective yards, production breweries (i.e., not brewpubs) in BC have long attempted to recreate this experience for their patrons. Until now, they’ve been met with opposition by the governing liquor enforcement agencies. But the recent introduction of the “lounge endorsement” to a manufacturer’s licence entitles a production brewery to shed the restrictions of the “tasting room” (12 ounces of beer per customer, per day). By converting from tasting room to “lounge,” a facility is allowed similar treatment to a bar—responsible service of more than 12 ounces of beer per day, but their beverage offerings must be accompanied by a somewhat substantial food menu. It’s a win/win proposition for their enthusiastic customers. But just when it seems that the governing agencies are on the right track, in reality attaining said lounge endorsement requires the performance of various tall feats and sometimes miracles: consideration of any local complaints, upgrades to overbearingly strict building code compliance, and adherence to the sometimes draconian municipal mandates for toilets, exits, and parking. Especially for start-ups and smaller, family-owned operations, any one of these requirements can spiral into a budget-blowout, bankruptcy-inducing nightmare. Luckily for us, some of our local breweries were brave enough to enter that bureaucratic fray and emerge scarred by lashings of red tape but victorious. So when you next sip the golden (or amber, orange, or black) nectar from as close to the sources as you can physically be, know that the battle to get you there was not easily won. Great risks were taken, and much investment made. But that’s really what every brewery goes through to bring you their wares. They are a strange type, that way.
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Phillips Tasting Room (technically a “lounge”) is designed to pull you into the brewing experience—well, as close as a civilian can get, short of pulling on the gumboots and gloves. With an open view into their actual packaging facility and beer served from horizontal stainless tanks above the bar, this is an invitation down the rabbit hole and into the belly of the beer-beast, without getting covered in yeasty slime and the stink of old beer in your hair. The room is a mix of warm wood and cool steel and concrete, simple and refined, with shots of vivid colour on the beer lists behind the twin bars. Sixteen beers on tap, encompassing enduring favourites and experimental batches. The room is also an outlet for Phillips’s distilled line of beverages: their Stump Gin and Hop Drop elixir (distilled honey and hops). Rounding out their extensive in-house beverage program are house-made tonics and sodas for the youngsters or those keeping it dry. Beer-infused cured sausage, traditional bready pretzels and mustard, and a cheese board provide support for the centre-stage beverage program, all sourced locally (except for a couple of classic cheeses)—an extension of Phillips’s “do it ourselves, or find it next door” approach.
Phillips tasting room
Ile Sauvage is the newest brewery on the Rock Bay block, and although their rough edges are still showing, it’s wholly intentional. Unapologetic in their reverence for sour beer styles, they’ve focused on melding experimentation with drinkability. (For those yet to acquire a taste for the sour side, they have a selection of more mainstream choices courtesy of their many neighbouring breweries.) As they grow into the ex-Prima Strada location on Bridge Street near Gorge Road E., they’ve added some polished aesthetic features while retaining the industrial chic inherent to the site. A sparkling white herringboned tile wall provides a catchy backdrop to the dozens of taps that will soon be available—at time of writing, there are seven unique house beers available, with many more on the horizon. The cosy, bustling bar is surrounded by oak barrels housing future beer releases as they age in the very ambience in which they will eventually be consumed. There’s something intriguingly full circle about that. In keeping with the industrial-chic theme, Lighthouse Brewing Co. has created an oasis with reclaimed-pallet furniture and beer-keg planters squarely in the heart of Esquimalt Industrial Park. A welcome burst of colour in the concrete-dominated landscape, there is a
Ile Sauvage in Rock Bay
gritty authenticity to sampling beer in a brewery’s disused loading dock. Inside is a bright, nautically themed bar with seating for about 20. Although still processing their lounge application, they expect to be endorsed by early 2019 and will operate under their manufacturer’s licence until then: flights of four beer samples, from eight beers total on tap, all of which are also available for growler fills. Light, pre-packaged snacks—chips, jerky, trail mix—round out the menu. A little off the beaten path, but worth the short trip into the depths of “Squampton,” especially in the warmer months, to experience their urban, utilitarian, parking-lot beer garden.
Lighthouse Brewery tasting room
Outdoor seating at Lighthouse Brewing
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Twa Dogs Brewery, located just off the Quadra Street exit from the Pat Bay Highway, is an easy addition to an extended brewery crawl. Offering both a Twa Dogs beer line-up and a range of guest and in-house distilled whiskies, their admiration/pining for Scottish tradition is displayed in the regalia adorning both their walls and their kilted servers, who proffer 20-ounce pints from a Robbie Burns-inspired beer catalogue, along with wee drams of single-malt whisky. There’s a heavy focus on sharing knowledge about the brewing/distillation process, with comprehensive tours operating twice daily—bookings are accepted through their website. The room is a small, inviting space packed with an extensive merchandise range and a jovial atmosphere, upholding the Scottish ideal of the pub as a daily exercise in conversation and camaraderie. Cured sausage and bags of crisps serve as sustenance with your tasting.
Bar seating at Twa Dogs With more breweries slated to open this style of casual lounge, low-key tasting experience, it’s a strong indicator that the public is embracing the niche of small, self-service, brewedonsite establishments. It appears that the gospel of the Holy Pint is spreading—go forth, ye Beer flight at Twa Dogs Brewery
faithful, and imbibe.
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CHORIZO AND CO. After several months of renovations, the new folks at this popular Fort Street eatery report: “We’re here, we’re open, and we’re ready for you.” stor y and photography by: Rebecca Wellman WE WERE ALL CURIOUS WHEN CHORIZO AND CO. was boarded up for a few months this summer. A routine of coffee and a breakfast bocata sandwich, a quick and delicious lunch or a lovely traditional paella on a Friday night was what I was used to getting from the small Spanish eatery since it opened in late 2012. When the paper was torn from the windows in October, however, there was a lovely sight to see: some new (though familiar) faces, a little makeover, a new menu and an intimate and welcoming space once again. Chorizo and Co. 2.0 is here, brought to you by two new owners: ex-Stage general manager Stephen Quigley and fellow Stage alumni Dave Brooks. They’ve kept the name, Ferdinand the bull still adorns the wall, and the Bocata sandwich remains for the die-hard fans. But make no mistake—this is a new place, and the two have definitely brought their own feel and vibe to the space.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: CO-OWNER STEPHEN QUIGLEY, CHEF CAM WHEELER, CO-OWNER DAVE BROOKS The new Chorizo has made its focus the evening scene rather than the morning, and the Fort Common area offers lots of options for coffee, so we don’t need to mind. As mentioned, the Bocata breakfast sandwich lives on, available between 11am, when the eatery opens for lunch and 4pm, when happy hour begins. The evening atmosphere is warm, welcoming and intimately lit, with great music and a small but flavourful menu. This 35-seat tapas, cocktail and wine bar is definitely in the running for that place where “everybody knows your name,” and that’s one of the things I love most about it. The cozy surroundings, personal service and good music make it an easy stop for a drink or two from the BC/Spain focused wine list and a few tapas. Seasonal ingredients are offered in dishes such as pork belly with mojo verde, fennel and belly sauce; a roasted vegetable salad with squash purée and goat cheese; and a unique twist on paella with saffron rice balls, chorizo, mussels, prawns and a deliciously rich and lemony broth. For all of this and more, we can thank chef Cameron Wheeler, a classically French-trained chef, originally from Canmore, who has donned his chef’s apron at such Victoria institutions as Clay Pigeon, Jam Café and Brasserie L’Ecole. He brings a Spanish touch to the menu but will extend it beyond just those flavours. I get the idea that Wheeler likes to mix it up a bit, and I think we will see some great variety in the menus to come. Speaking of mixing it up, the cocktail menu on offer is small but classic, but don’t let that stop you from making a request. Have a seat at the new 10-ish-seat bar for a good chat with Stephen Quigley and let him know what you’re in the mood for. There’s a good chance he can shake it up for you. The team’s philosophy is primarily to keep things simple, let the quality ingredients shine and don’t mess with what’s already good! In the vein of the ever-growing community mindedness in Victoria’s food industry, they aim to complement, not compete, with the surrounding establishments. “Stop in for a drink at The Livet, go see a show at the theatre, then head to Chorizo for a nightcap,” Wheeler suggests. Sounds like a perfect idea. I look forward to spending some time here. CHORIZO’S SLANT ON PAELLA
CHORIZO AND CO., 807 FORT ST. 250-384-6066 CHORIZOANDCO.COM
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TOFINO 2.0
Welcome to the new wave of artisan foods and unique accommodations at Tuff City. Winter storm watching just got even better. stor y and photography by: Cinda Chavich
CALL IT TOFINO 2.0—THIS ECLECTIC ENCLAVE AT THE END OF THE ROAD seems to be experiencing a generational shift. There’s been a flurry of new investment, old properties re-imagined or expanded, and a new generation of entrepreneurs putting down roots. Though many Tofitians can link their arrival on the rugged west coast with a seasonal summer job and a serious surfing habit, they’re now catching the wave of small business ownership, feeding Tofino’s reputation as the place on the island to eat, and adding a layer of permanence to small town life. “I think Tofino has gone from a budding culinary destination to a real culinary destination,” says Lynda Kaye, who runs a local B&B and represents Tourism Tofino. The excitement has been building for a while. Two local restaurants—SoBo and Wolf in the Fog—have hit enRoute magazine’s Top 10 list, with SoBo (in its previous incarnation as a food truck) winning a spot on the list in 2003 and Wolf in the Fog named best new restaurant in Canada in 2014. Well-heeled food lovers began flying in for dinner. Star chefs arrived to make guest appearances at the annual FEAST celebration of “boat-to-table culture.” And then our PM photobombed a wedding in a wetsuit, sending this oh-so-Instagrammable destination viral again. It’s a good time to revisit. INCUBATE BABY Whether it’s crusty loaves and croissants from artisan bakers, craft beverages from small brewers and distillers, cheese mongers and charcutiers curing spicy sausages, Italian wood-fired pizzas or takeout Texas BBQ at the beach, Tuff City residents have plenty of tasty new choices. “We’re seeing a lot of newer culinary businesses run by highly entrepreneurial 30-somethings,” says Kaye, touring me through the town’s tiny industrial park, a collection of steel buildings on the way into town that’s become ground zero for Tofino’s food and drink lovers. Step inside Tina Windsor’s Picnic Charcuterie and you’ll find a sleek little deli, the kind you might see in the big city, complete with a well-stocked cheese case, her own house-made salami and rillettes, jars of pickled bulk kelp and sea asparagus, plus a variety of soups, sauces and prepared meals to take home. When Windsor arrived in Tofino, she had no plans to open a business but soon turned her education and experience in sustainable livestock and cheese production into a new job.
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“Tofino is growing at such an exponential rate—and this was just one of those voids to be filled,” she says. “The first few years it was an experiment, and I did it on a really small scale, but now I have a dedicated group of local customers.” Her charcuterie is even making its way to Victoria retailers. Windsor says Tofino is good for that kind of business incubation because “anything goes” for creative entrepreneurs. “Tofino has become a real food destination and that’s really legitimized businesses like mine,” she adds. “I now see people coming to Tofino with ‘food agendas.’ They’re coming to Tofino to eat and are allowing a lot of food-related businesses to flourish.” Windsor will pack a picnic of her smoky duck sausage, air-dried beef and Catalan salami for you to take to the beach or across the road to the expanded tasting room at Tofino Brewing Company to enjoy with a coppery Tuff Session Ale or a smoky kelp-infused stout. One bay over, you’ll find partners Adam Warry, John Gilmour and Neil Campbell and their shiny column stills at the new Tofino Distillery. “We’re all transplants here and met as volunteer firefighters,” says Warry, the paramedic-turned-publican. “We’ve all been here for 10-plus years. The Distillery represents our commitment to the community.” It also represents a new career for the former bartender, and another local product to add to cocktail lists around town. The small-batch, artisan spirits appeal to locals and visitors alike, says Warry, offering tastes of their latest boozy bottlings, including cedar, blackberry and lavender-infused gins and vodka made with organic BC grain. The transition from employees to employers—while offering their community access to fresh artisan bread and killer croissants—inspired Cassidy McCaughan and Brendan Foell to open Summit Bread Co. I caught up with McCaughan as she was laminating the buttery pastry for her flakey croissants and cream-filled “cruffins” (croissant muffins) while Foell formed dozens of crusty loaves, many destined for restaurants in town. The former Wickaninnish baker and her chef partner opened the organic bakery because they wanted to share their baking expertise. The new addition to Tofino’s culinary scene has been a game changer. “It’s hard for smaller cafés and restaurants to find bakers, so we are doing a lot of wholesaling in town,” says McCaughan. “We made a lot of bread in hotel bakeries and we wanted to bring it to the people.”
A take-out box of cheese and charcuterie from Picnic Charcuterie
A flight of beers at Tofino Brewing
A “cruffin” filled with pastry cream and fresh raspberry purée from Summit Bread Co.
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“Our daughter is now 11, and we wanted this to be our forever home,” says Riddick, who has renovated the former Matterson House restaurant with an open kitchen and chef’s table for family-style menus. This summer, he hopes to add a crab shack in the adjoining garden, featuring casual Dungeness crab dinners and takeout. Riddick says he will keep the restaurant open year round, catering to locals and visitors staying in Ucluelet’s small inns and B&Bs in winter storm season. He’s also planning to host a series of Deep Roots pop-up dinners, featuring local cooks preparing family-style favourites. “This area was always our favourite place to visit, our decompression zone,” says Riddick, “and when you have a chance to move to your Disneyland, it’s an easy decision.” Riddick says the calibre of restaurant talent continues to improve in the area, and the isolation makes chefs more creative. “We’re remote enough that we are absolutely creating our own local and regional cuisine,” he says. “It’s just what you do when you care, and the lifestyle here has created an incubator for us to do that. There’s a good balance of lifestyle and work—chefs are happy living here.” Chef Warren Barr is happy to report he’s staying put, too. After six years as executive chef at The Pointe Restaurant at the prestigious Wickaninnish Inn, Barr is poised to open his own restaurant just down the street from Riddick in Ukee. Barr purchased Norwood’s Restaurant and will re-open as Pluvio this spring, adding four elegant guest rooms to the property. “This is really beyond the middle of nowhere, it’s on the edge of nowhere—and I never thought I’d be one to stay,” admits Barr, “but the blend of wild ingredients and Pacific Rim culture and influences really works for me.” Today, the TUCG (Tofino Ucluelet Culinary Guild) supplies 30 restaurants and nearly 200 Slivers of crisp daikon radish cradle fresh albacore tuna with nuac cham and shiso for an amuse to start dinner at 1909 Kitchen LOCAL FOOD, LOCAL CHEFS Tofino may be an isolated resort town, but the stunning surroundings have long been a magnet to creative chefs, especially those interested in outdoor pursuits like surfing, fishing
families with fresh, Vancouver Island food products every week, and Barr says that’s made it far easier to cook—and live—here. “The food culture here has become huge in the last decade, and the bounty of local food has really opened up,” he says. “In this style of cooking, we’re really far ahead of the world.”
and foraging. With fresh Dungeness crab, salmon and halibut delivered to their door, and wild gooseneck barnacles, sea asparagus, chanterelle mushrooms and bull kelp at hand, chefs have plenty of coastal inspiration. Paul Moran is the latest storied young chef to land in Tofino. An avid forager and fisher, Moran came to open 1909 Kitchen and The Hatch waterfront pub at the newly renovated Tofino Resort + Marina. With a direct line to top mainland suppliers via the floatplanes that land at their dock, and fishers delivering freshly caught seafood daily, Moran says it’s an inspiring place for a young chef. “My favourite thing is to get out on the water,” says Moran, who will also take guests free diving for their supper and cook their catch. “Tofino is truly a unique place to cook.” With its 62 stylishly updated motel rooms, late-night bar and inspired new menu, it’s the new downtown hotspot. “That albacore was dropped off at 5:30 tonight,” says sous chef Tyrone Tutt, delivering a tiny amuse of fresh albacore tuna with nuac cham and shiso, corn tostadas with nori aioli and fresh sidestripe shrimp. “Paul goes out foraging for chanterelles,” he adds as the main course of miso-marinated sablefish arrives on a plank of smoking red cedar, alongside a plate of toasted rosemary bread topped with the earthy mushrooms and softly cooked quail eggs. Chef Ian Riddick worked for hotels across western Canada before taking over the kitchen at the Long Beach Lodge more than six years ago. Now Riddick and his wife, Heather, have taken the plunge into restaurant ownership, opening Heartwood Kitchen, a rustic, casual eatery with an ever-changing seasonal menu 40 kilometres from Tofino in Ucluelet.
Dessert from Ian Riddick at Heartwood Kitchen
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INVESTING IN THE FUTURE There’s been a flurry of new investment in the hospitality community, from hotels to new independent restaurants. It was former NHL hockey players Willie Mitchell and Dan Hamhuis who brought the aging Weigh West motel and marina into the 21st century with a big renovation in 2017, relaunching it as the Tofino Resort + Marina, with modernized rooms and a commitment to quality food and drink. Jaimie’s Rainforest Inn is in for a makeover, too. Recently purchased by Victoria-based Accent Inns, plans are to add the playful persona of the company’s Hotel Zed properties. Jay Gildenhuys, owner of Tofino’s popular Shelter restaurant, recently opened Shed, a casual spot for a hearty breakfast, a burger or a healthy bowl of greens and grains, complete with a takeout window and big street-side patio. Locals are also raving about the smoky ribs, pulled pork and brisket to takeout from L’il Ronnie’s BBQ, now open year-round at the Mackenzie Beach Resort. Kim and Cam Shaw of Chocolate Tofino have added natural, hand-churned gelato and sorbet to their line of artisan chocolates (think Island lavender and honey gelato or wild blackberry buttercreams). And there are now fish burgers, fish tacos and catch-of-the-day dinners at the Surfside Grill at Pacific Sands Resort. Even the iconic Wickaninnish Inn recently unveiled an impressive upgrade. The Pointe Restaurant, with its circular space of floor-to-ceiling windows, is perched on a rocky
At the Wickaninnish Inn, you can enjoy the chef’s cured and smoked BC salmon and cream cheese appetizer (garnished with pickled sea asparagus) in your room while watching winter storms
outcrop overlooking the wild Pacific Ocean and is arguably the best place to watch winter storms while you dine. When constructed in 1996, it was “designed for the highest waves,” explains Clair
residents compared with a decade ago. The median age of the population is dropping, too, with a shift from singles to families with kids.
Macdonald as we tour the latest renovations to the building, including a new wine cellar
And so beyond the funky, hippie, surfer lifestyle, young Tofitians are busy making this land
that was recently blasted out of the rock below the bar.
of lush rainforests and pounding surf a real place to call home.
“It was all done without changing the footprint of the building,” says Macdonald, showing
They’re still making their own fun, but they’re also making their own jobs. And, like Chef
off the hotel’s new temperature-controlled wine storage and hand-hewn cedar slab table for
Barr, I’d bet they’re pluviophiles—“people who are most at peace in the rain.”
18 special guests in an area that was once just a crawl space. “Geologists and engineers spent two years surveying it before we actually blasted out this rock—and managing director, Charles McDiarmid, pressed the button for the final charge.” That might be considered as symbolic as it was pragmatic. McDiarmid’s family has a deep connection to Tofino and has long been a force for positive change here. Charles’s father Howard was the community’s only doctor back in the 1950s and, as the local MLA in the 1970s, pushed for the creation of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, a magnet for surfers and tourists alike. For years the family spent summers at their cottage on Chesterman Beach and, like many residents, Charles returned to Tofino after a career away from this tiny town, bringing his international hotel management expertise to the Relais & Château property. “Our goal was to create a destination that would allow others to discover the remarkable beauty of this part of the world,” he writes in the introduction to the newly published Wickaninnish Cookbook, a tribute to the hotel’s fine food service and chefs of the past 20 years. “To have our guests mesmerized by the rolling waves, meet the fascinating characters we call our neighbours and revel in the taste of local salmon and crab,” he adds, “we wanted to create a place of quiet serenity on nature’s edge.” It seems to be working. Tofino earned its nickname Tuff City when it was just loggers and fishers who braved the rough roads to work on this wild, western edge of the island. Though it’s still a winding, four-hour drive from the capital, the road is paved and there’s excellent food and accommodation at the end of it. More than 800,000 visitors pass through town every year. And though the permanent population of Tofino barely nudges 2,000, there are about 400 additional full-time
Crispy nori and bok choy with fresh tuna poke at Wolf in the Fog
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Bangers and Mash This British Way RECIPE • ST YLING: ISABELLE BULOTA PHOTOGR APHY: REBECCA WELLMAN
In my twenties, I spent four years in Bournemouth, England. One of the regular activities for my friends and I was to go to the family pub on Sundays and socialise. I remember those times when we all gathered, shared food and drink, and created great memories. The British have incredibly comforting elevated pub menus. My favourite dish was the Bangers and Mash with caramelised onions, and brown sauce with, of course, a side of Yorkshire pudding and a crisp lager!
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Bangers and Mash
Serves 4 Time these recipes so everything is ready to serve once the sausages are cooked.
Caramelised onion sauce and sausages 2 Tbsp butter 1 large yellow onion, sliced 1 Tbsp thyme leaves ½ tsp sea salt 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 ½ Tbsp flour 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 cup veal or chicken stock 8 sausages of your choice In a skillet, heat the butter over medium heat, add the onions, thyme and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are transparent, but do not brown, about10 mins. Add the garlic at the end of cooking.
Mash potatoes
Yorkshire Pudding
1 kg Yukon gold potatoes, parsnips or celeriac, cut in quarters 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil 6 to 8 or more green onions, sliced Butter Milk Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Makes 12
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in enough cold water to cover them completely. Season with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 to 20 minutes until tender. In a small frying pan, heat the oil over medium-low heat and add the green onions, cook for 3 minutes, do not let them turn brown. Drain and return the potatoes to the pan over low heat to dry.
Stir in flour and continue cooking, stirring, 2 mins. Pour in the vinegar and reduce by half over medium-high heat.
Remove the pan from the heat. Crush the potatoes with a potato masher.
Add the stock and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 mins. Continue stirring.
Generously add butter and milk until the desired texture is obtained. Stir in the green onions and check the seasoning.
Check the seasoning and keep warm. Cook the sausages in a frying pan or on the barbecue. Serve as soon as the sausages are ready.
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts – a great side dish 8 oz Brussels sprouts, sliced 2 shallots, sliced 1 Tbsp olive oil ¼ cup dry white wine or chicken stock 2 Tbsp whole grain mustard Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Follow these steps, and it will happen for you! 3 eggs 7/8 cup (115 g) flour 1 cup + 3 Tbsp (285 ml) milk Pinch of salt ¾ cup vegetable oil Whisk eggs, flour, milk and salt together until well combined. Place batter in a container with a spout and put in the fridge for 30 mins. Place muffin pan in the cold oven and preheat at 475°F (245°C). When the oven is up to temperature, carefully remove the tray and close the oven door. Add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil into each muffin hole (1 Tbsp per hole). Put the pan back in the oven for 5 minutes, until the oil is smoking hot. Open the oven door and slide the shelf with the pan on it halfway out. Quickly fill each hole with the prepared batter then carefully slide the shelf back in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes and, very importantly, DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR before the time is up. Remove the pan from the oven and serve as soon as possible.
Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté for about 1 min. Add the Brussels sprouts and shallots and continue to sauté for 2 mins., just until they begin to tenderize. Add the wine and cook 1–2 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the mustard and remove the skillet from the heat. Season to taste.
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THE SPANISH ROAD TO POCO Nearly a quarter century after opening the Tapa Bar, the Tapa team has opened this tiny, authentic tapa bar serving traditional small plates. stor y by: Adrien Sala
photography by: Sherri Mar tin
WHEN TAPA BAR FIRST OPENED ITS DOORS
The addition of those menu items had the consequence of
nearly 25 years ago, it had been in response to a deafening
solidifying a customer base that would come back again
trend of restaurants deeply steeped in masculine bluster.
and again to enjoy the room and the dishes they trusted
It was 1995, the American dollar was trading at 30 per-
and loved. It was an outrageous success, and so Lee
cent more than the lowly loonie, and steakhouses with
stayed the course, more or less for the next 20 years.
big wine menus, big plates, and big prices dominated the scene. It wasn’t a terrible time exactly, but it also wasn’t a time for everyone.
“We try to change the menu a little every season, but we’ve learned there are things we just can’t mess with.”
Recognizing a potential opportunity, Dano Lee opened
VENTURING OUT
The Tapa Bar — a place he felt would be attractive to
Years after finding success with Tapa Bar, the urge to
female clientele. The plan was to serve Spanish tapas,
create something new bubbled to the surface. Along with
cocktails, and wine. It was to be a departure from the
Henderson, Dano Lee and company went to work design-
deep burgundy and low light of a steakhouse, with bright
ing the next venture: Bodega, a Spanish-style restaurant
colours, lively ambience, and a more European approach
with small plates.
to dining, which is to say affordable small plates that could be enjoyed over the course of an evening. It was a restaurant designed to be inviting, one that encouraged patrons to relax into their conversations. As with many great ideas, however, it arrived a bit early. “The idea of tapas didn’t totally fly out of the gate,” says Emily Henderson, long-time GM and now part owner of
Bodega shares a wall and a staff-only hallway with Tapa, where employees can bounce between restaurants for any number of reasons. And while it isn’t too distant a concept from the original restaurant, it is focused on a unique-to-Victoria sherry program and a much smaller menu — one they’d hoped wouldn’t have to change once the doors opened.
The Tapa Bar and its adjacent location, Bodega. “Dano
As it happens, Bodega was also an outrageous success.
had to add some pastas and pizzas and small steaks to the
Within months of opening, it had become a bustling
menu — and then people got crazy about those items.”
place and what was initially designed to be a simple menu
A sampling of what to expect: cream cheese, Serrano ham & mushroom stuffed piquillo pepper, mushroom & chorizo sausage skewer, schinkenspeck charcuterie made by Four Quarters, poached almonds, mixed olives
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evolved. Not in the same way that Tapa’s menu had to evolve, with the addition of food that was decidedly un-Spanish. No, at Bodega, they just had to make more of it. “We realized we needed a prep space for the amount of food we were selling,” says Henderson. “So we took over the space on the other side of Tapa, which had an adjacent kitchen.”
POCO OPPORTUNITY The clandestine kitchen that served as a prep space for Bodega over the past few years had another secret offering: an office in a loft above, where Henderson and other managers can get the boring stuff done. Until recently, they had been doing the paperwork and other duties in an office they rented nearby, so the loft office had remained vacant. It didn’t take long to realize the little kitchen they were using, with its office upstairs and windows onto Trounce Alley, had another benefit: it could be turned into a proper tapa bar. And so nearly a quarter century after first opening with the intention of serving traditional tapas, the Tapa team has opened Poco: a Spanish-style restaurant with small plates. In the same way that Bodega is very different from Tapa, Poco (it means “little” in Spanish) is different from both, with its own identity and energy. It is indeed a small restaurant, with room for what would be a sufficiently attended dinner party in just about anyone’s house. Six seats at the bar and a handful of stand-up-height tables for the rest. It is designed to operate with only one or two people during service. The menu is comprised of pinchos — little plates similar in style to what can be found at restaurants and cafés throughout Spain. “There will be go-to dishes, but we’ll have a rotating list that we will sell until we run out, then move on to other things,” says Henderson. “Things like papas bravas, warm olives, grilled vegetables, and other daily creations. Probably we’ll add some cheese and meat.” As for drinks, just a few reds and a few whites are available. Again, of the Spanish style. Poco is not focusing on spirits but does have some beer and, of course, non-alcoholic drinks. “When Tapa started, we had to keep everyone happy, but with Poco we can be super niche. It’s what we want to do,” says Henderson. “We won’t be all things to all people, but some people will like it. Its beauty is in its simplicity.” While all three restaurants are connected by a labyrinth of hallways and kitchen staff, Poco definitely feels like its own place — an idea whose time has finally arrived. POCO, 620-B TROUNCE ALLEY
250.590.7424 VISAVISOAKBAY.COM @VISAVISOAKBAY Small plates at the bar in Poco
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Rebecca Wellman’s
CHICKEN CURRY
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Fragrant Rice and Chicken Curry RECIPE • ST YLING • PHOTOGR APHY: REBECCA WELLMAN Serves 6-8 A combination of spicy, salty and savoury with just a touch of sweet, a good curry is one of my favourite things. I grew up on a version that my Grandmother used to make, remembering it as great comfort food when the family gathered for a special occasion. My grandparents were missionaries in the Rajasthan area of India in the thirties and forties and brought home some incredible recipes and flavours when they returned to Canada in the 1950s. Typically, my grandmother’s curry was a thin but very flavourful broth with lots of onions, chicken, and sometimes potatoes. It was served over basmati rice that was studded with peppercorns, cloves, cardamom and currants. On top was a simple chutney of sweet onion and tomatoes with white vinegar. Peanuts were sprinkled over top, and a banana was served on the side to counter the heat. It is a meal that I crave to this day. The curries of India are vast in terms of flavour and regional ingredients. This curry is a combination of some of my favourite recipes that I’ve cooked over the years. It is not traditional to any particular part of India but does include all of the defining elements. You can use your favourite curry powder or paste, though I highly recommend making your own from scratch, which will last in the pantry for about 6 months.
Ingredients: Curry powder Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add to the pan: 3 Tbsp coriander seed 2 Tbsp cumin seed 1 tsp mustard seed 1 tsp whole cloves 2 tsp whole peppercorn 1 tsp fenugreek ½ tsp chili flakes 2 Tbsp unsweetened coconut Toast over dry heat, shaking constantly until fragrant and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl and let cool completely. Grind to a fine powder in a spice or coffee grinder or use a mortar and pestle. Add to spice mixture and mix thoroughly: 1 Tbsp ground turmeric 1 tsp sweet paprika 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground coriander Store in a clean, dry jar for up to 4 months.
Chutney 1 medium white onion, diced 1 ½ cups tomatoes, diced (about 2 large tomatoes) 4 Tbsp white vinegar salt and pepper
Chicken 10–12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 2 tsp garam masala 2 tsp ground coriander 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger, divided 6 cloves garlic, minced, divided 2 Tbsp white vinegar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground pepper 4 Tbsp ghee or olive oil, divided ¼ cup tomato paste ½ cup full-fat plain yogurt 2 medium onions, julienned 6 Tbsp homemade curry powder (or your favourite store-bought powder or paste, such as Patak’s, if preferred) 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade 1 lb baby white potatoes, halved 1 796ml can diced tomatoes 4 cups baby spinach juice of one lime fresh cilantro and roasted peanuts to serve
Rice 1 Tbsp coconut oil 1 tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp salt ½ cup currants 2 cups jasmine rice
Method: In a large bowl, combine garam masala, coriander, 1 Tbsp of the grated fresh ginger, 3 cloves of the minced garlic, white vinegar, salt, pepper, 2 Tbsp of the ghee or olive oil, tomato paste, and yogurt. Add chicken thighs and coat well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over mediumhigh heat. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp ghee or olive oil. Stir in onions, allowing to cook and brown for about 15 minutes. Add remaining 3 cloves minced garlic and 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger and cook for another minute, stirring. Add curry powder, stir in, and let it sit for about 30 seconds, letting it cook in the oil. Give the mixture a stir, and then add the chicken with the yogurt mixture, stirring well to combine. Add chicken stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and let cook at a low simmer for another hour or so, letting all of the flavours combine. Just before serving, add the spinach and the lime juice. Heat until spinach is wilted. While the curry simmers, make the chutney. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. To make the rice, melt the coconut oil in a medium to large, heavy-bottomed pot. (do not let it smoke). Add the cardamom, salt and currants, giving it a swirl to cook for about 30 seconds. Add the rice, stirring to coat it well in the oil mixture. Add 3 ¾ cup water (be careful, it will steam aggressively!) Stir once. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook for 15 minutes. When the rice is cooked, take off the heat and let rest for 15 minutes before removing the lid, then fluff with a fork. Serve the rice and curry topped with the chutney and fresh cilantro and peanuts.
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Good for You
PAM DURKIN
TICKER TALK
These healthy foods and practices go to the heart of the matter. February is Heart Month in Canada. Why is that noteworthy? According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, someone dies from heart disease or stroke every seven minutes in Canada. Despite this grim statistic, there is good news—cardiovascular disease is largely preventable. In addition to getting regular exercise and reducing dietary saturated fat, there are some key culinary habits we can all adopt to reduce our risk for CVD dramatically. Engaging in the following practices will help ensure your pump is primed.
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If you want to reduce your risk for heart disease, one of the sanest things you can do is to “go nuts.” Once vilified for their high caloric content, nuts are now universally heralded by cardiologists as heart-healthy superfoods. There’s good reason for their enthusiasm. Compelling evidence suggests eating nuts four times a week can reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 25 percent. What’s more, eating them at least five times a week can slash that risk by a whopping 50 percent! Nuts perform this feat by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and helping the body produce nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes constricted blood vessels and eases blood flow. Thankfully, you don’t need to blow the calorie bank to protect your ticker—researchers found just a handful of nuts per day does the job.
Limit Your Exposure to BPA
A growing body of research suggests Bisphenol A (aka BPA), a chemical found in many plastics and the lining of tin cans, is hazardous to human health. Findings from the Metabolomics and Genomics Coronary Artery Disease Study concur. In the study, scientists discovered that patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease had significantly higher levels of BPA than patients with healthy arteries. While scientists aren’t exactly sure how BPA increases the risk for CVD, a recent study from Nanchang University in China suggests it may do so by raising blood pressure and slowing electrical conduction in the heart. The take-home message—be proactive and reduce your intake of canned goods, buy BPA-free products and store leftovers in steel or glass containers.
Ditch Low-carb Diets
If you’re eschewing carbohydrates in favour of a high-protein, Atkins-type diet, you may want to reconsider your decision—for your heart’s sake. In a study involving 44,000 Swedish women, researchers found that women who followed a low-carb/high-protein diet were at a higher risk of CVD than those who regularly included carbohydrates in their diet. In fact, the more whole grains and other healthy carbohydrates were reduced in the diet, the greater the risk for cardiovascular disease.
Get Enough D
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Handmade in Victoria BC
Vitamin D’s role in bone health is renowned. New research suggests it may also be crucial for heart health. Danish researchers recently compared the serum Vitamin-D levels of more than 10,000 Danes and found people whose Vitamin-D levels were in the lowest percentile had a whopping 81 percent increased risk of death from all forms of cardiovascular disease, compared to those with the highest levels. So how much Vitamin D is necessary to achieve optimal heart health? Experts aren’t certain yet but suggest 1,000 to 2,000 IUs per day is a safe bet for most adults. One last tip—break bread together. Research has revealed that social isolation can have deleterious effects on the heart and that when we eat solo, we tend to make less than healthy food choices. So share your meals with loved ones; you’ll benefit your heart AND your soul!
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MATTICK’S FARM
Adrienne’s Restaurant & Tea Garden Visit us for breakfast to try our famous eggs benedict and omelettes, for lunch to enjoy our daily changing feature menu and for the afternoon to experience our High Tea, European desserts, and a variety of drinks. Happy New Year from our family to your family! Thank you for your patronage, Your Adrienne's Team
LOCAL FLAVOUR
Open daily, book your reservations, 250-658-1535 Open daily! 5325 Cordova Bay Road, Victoria, BC, 250-658-1535 AdriennesTeaGarden.com
ADRIENNE’S RESTAURANT & TEA GARDEN
SOOKE
M AT T I C K ’S FA R M
The Stick in the Mud Coffee House
Adrienne’s Restaurant & Tea Garden
It’s a New Year. Is it time for New Coffee?
High Tea - Come and visit our Bakery, Deli and Restaurant for Breakfast, Lunch and Afternoon High Tea, we also offer Afternoon Tea plate and Kid’s Tea plate! Book your reservations for Christmas High tea, try our Linzer and Mocha torte, Christmas Stollen and GF Fruitcake.Happy Holidays!
Freshly roasted coffee is available at our cafe in Sooke and at a number of cafes, restaurants, hotels and offices in the region.
Open daily! 5325 Cordova Bay Road, Victoria, BC, 250-658-1535 AdriennesTeaGarden.com
We sell wholesale to the trade with free weekly delivery to Victoria. To find Stick coffee, call for details: 778-352-0077
DUNCAN
Duncan Garage Café & Bakery Cooking up real food 7 days a week. Healthy beverages, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free specialties. Start the New Year the right way…with us. Committed to serving local, organic and healthy vegetarian food and baking for over 15 years. 330 Duncan St., Downtown Duncan (across from the railway station), 250-748-6223
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VIC WEST rhubarb too
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UNCOMMON GOODS
The Gary Hynes Foundation The Gary Hynes Foundation was established to continue Gary’s lifelong goal of helping others become the best they can be in the culinary, journalism and music disciplines. This foundation will continue Gary’s work of giving chances, mentoring, supporting the food and beverage industry, believing in the power of the printed word, and loving a good bass line in a song. All donations will go to scholarships for students studying in these disciplines. Please donate to keep his dream going using the URL link below. www.vancouverfoundation.ca/hynes
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Q AT THE EMPRESS stor y by: Rebecca Wellman
PHOTO COURTESY OF FAIRMONT EMPRESS
THE FAIRMONT EMPRESS. Undeniably one of the grandest of landmarks towering over Victoria’s Inner Harbour since 1908. Anyone who knew it before 2014 remembers her by her clinging ivy-covered face, green-copper turrets and fairy-tale feel. She was grand all right, but let’s be honest. She was getting tired. Enter the Bosa family. Four years ago, we watched in wonder (and some in fury) at the changes that began to unfold. Major restorations including the removal of said ivy, room renovations that relieved us of the thick red carpet and
Q AT THE EMPRESS
heavy drapes, and, as no one shall forget, the closure of the evidently beloved Bengal Lounge. While I could go on about the architecture, the gardens and all the many ways the Empress has moved enthusiastically into the 21st century, I am here to talk about its major restaurant overhaul and to introduce you, a little more intimately, to Q at the Empress.
creators here on Vancouver Island and the surrounding
you really need to see to appreciate. At the very least, head
Gulf Islands. Each month, a different maker is featured in
to Q Bar, a spectacular quartzite bar providing a view of
their kitchen. My camera and I have been lucky enough to
the Inner Harbour and a cocktail menu boasting such in-
accompany restaurant chef Ken Hookham on a number
novations as a Salish Sea negroni made with Sheringham
of excursions to document his visits to such places as
Seaside Gin, champagne foam and pickled sea asparagus.
Saanich Organics, Sunwing Farms, The Root Cellar,
Executive chef Morgan Wilson and restaurant chef
Deerholme Farms (where chef Bill Jones took us on a
Hookham spoiled us with a multitude of locally sourced
It isn’t often anymore that you hear the term “newlywed
foraging tour) and to capture the haul on a Finest at Sea
and nearly dead” when referring to Victoria. I’ve lived here
prawn boat. The chefs choose and gather ingredients, then
for 14 years, and in that time, I’ve seen it grow into a city
go back to the kitchen to create the dishes that feature
that draws a creative, entrepreneurial crowd who loves
them. They are beautiful and well-thought-out dishes that
good food and innovative cocktails and needs more than
reflect our PNW bounty perfectly.
just afternoon tea (though you should know—tea at the Empress rocks). We needed a cool new place to hang. The Empress needed to catch up. Over the past four years, we have seen them do just that.
ole; and the famous Empress torte—a chocolate hazelnut
chefs served us hors-d’oeuvres, in-
salmon from Finest at Sea. We drank
tasted all of the breakfast items on the menu. It was then
gin cocktails, of course, Victoria
I realized what I, and likely many others, were missing
Distillers’ Empress 1908 Gin being
about the Empress: their focus on good food revolves
the star that it is, and rubbed shoul-
around local. Around supporting island makers, produ-
ders with some of the producers for
cers and farmers. That morning, they featured dishes
our much-anticipated dinner.
ity-oriented their kitchen was. Not a typical feature of a large hotel group.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FAIRMONT EMPRESS
and elegant little mouthful with
me, and I admit I was surprised at how local and commun-
with charred leek, Sea Cider and Salt Spring Island Sea
Lounge for cocktails. There, the
in Victoria. I sat down with the Empress team, and we
farm in the North Park area of Victoria. This impressed
mustard seed and braised cabbage; BC honey mussels
dinner at the Q. Before dinner, we gathered in the Lobby
part of. First, We Brunch profiles the best breakfast joints
fresh produce from Mason Street Farms, a small urban
and Pacific octopus crudo; wild boar belly with pickled
Salt; Gindara sablefish with sprouted quinoa and escar-
cluding Salmon Mi Cuit, a beautiful
since switched to Nanaimo’s GoodLife organic juices) and
their own rooftop garden. To name but a few: pink scallop
At the end of October last year, I was part of a long-table
Back in 2017, I was writing a book I wanted The Q to be a
using The Whole Beast charcuterie, K and I juice (they’ve
and expertly executed dishes from local suppliers as well as
From there we moved into The Q. If you haven’t been to this room, I encourage you to check it out. A stunning combination of old meets new, modern meets classic, heritage meets present day, the restaurant decor features incredible art
The chefs at Q at the Empress are sincerely passionate
nouveau lighting and a twist on a
about shining a light on all of the outstanding farmers and
portrait series of Queen Victoria that
PINK SCALLOPS AND PACIFIC OCTOPUS CRUDO WITH CRACKED PEPPER, MEYER LEMON, NASTURTIUMS
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Liquid Assets
LARRY ARNOLD
Pour Sip Repeat
These are wines to try … again and again. Mionetto Treviso Prosecco Brut NV Italy $19.00-22.00 Winner of the Chairman Trophy and an impressive 96-point score in the Ultimate Wine Challenge, this delicious bottle of fizz from the hills of Valdobbiadene in northern Italy is hard to beat for under 20 bucks. Very tasty with tiny bubbles, ripe peach and apple aromas and zesty citrus flavours. Clean and crisp with a dry, fruity finish. Zinck Crémant d’Alsace Brut NV France $24.00-27.00 This Alsatian fizz is a great alternative to Champagne at a price that won’t leave you speechless. Made in the Traditional Method, with the second fermentation in the bottle, this little brut is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc aged in the bottle for about two years before release. Light gold with fine, small bubbles and citrus notes on the nose. The palate is very creamy with juicy citrus flavours and fine acidity.
REBECCA WELLMAN
Rivera Marese Bombino Bianco 2016 Italy $18.00-20.00 Those in the know will tell you: “If you want to find good wine at great prices, look to places where others aren’t looking!” Well, not being one to quibble with wisdom, that is exactly what I did and what did I find? Bombino Bianco from the Castel del Monte region on the heel of Italy. Very fresh with a nose reminiscent of a bouquet of spring flowers, ripe peaches and citrus fruit. There is some weight on the palate with gobs of lush, ripe fruit flavours. Absolutely delicious and surprisingly dry with a long soft finish. Mer Soleil Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay 2016 California $27.00-30.00 Concentrated and intense with powerful citrus, vanilla and pineapple aromas. Round and creamy with tropical fruit flavours and nicely integrated oak. If you enjoy big, old-style California Chardonnay with all the trimmings, this wine is for you. CHEF KEN HOOKHAM concoction with cassis coulis and hazelnut croquant. The torte, by the way, is 100 percent shippable if you care to share. The evening was elegant, yet casual, two words that can describe Q at the Empress as a whole. We enjoyed cocktails such as the Empress Sour and Café Noche to end the evening. Overall, it confirmed my admiration of Chef Hookham and the Empress’ new facelift. I think we can agree that the Empress has always been impressive, no matter its age or condition. The Q kitchen, the proverbial “heart of the home,” is an integral part of that. Q AT THE EMPRESS, 721 GOVERNMENT ST -250-389-2727 QATTHEEMPRESS.COM
Wente Riva Ranch Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2016 California $27.00-30.00 If you are looking for something crisp, with rapier-like acidity to wash down a bucket of oysters, keep on looking, this baby’s a monster! Very expressive, with tropical fruit, hot buttered toast and vanilla on the nose. The palate is thick and unctuous with lush fruit flavours and a lovely creamy finish. Crios Susana Balbo Mendoza Malbec 2017 Argentina $18.00-20.00 Argentine Malbec just seems to get better and better with each passing harvest. Sourcing fruit from the high-altitude vineyards of Mendoza’s Uco Valley, winemaker Susana Balbo has crafted an easy-to-like Malbec at a hard-to-resist price. A real zinger with plenty of ripe blueberry, cherry and blackberry aromas on the nose. On the palate, this hearty red is oozing with sweet red fruit flavours nicely balanced with more than a hint of expensive French oak. Fresh and balanced. Bodegas Beronia Tempranillo Rioja 2015 Spain $20.00-22.00 Balanced and supple with ripe strawberry and spice flavours. Medium-bodied and elegant, this delicious Rioja is packed with flavour but is not over the top. Silky smooth with a long spicy finish. Trivento Mendoza Malbec Reserve 2017 Argentina $14.00-16.00 Across the board, Argentine Malbec have become a dominant force on the world market and it is wines such as this that are the reason why. Powerful aromas of ripe strawberries, cherries and coffee assail the senses with juicy fruit flavours and a finish that just keeps going.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FAIRMONT EMPRESS
Luccarelli Puglia Primitivo 2016 Italy $14.00-16.00 This hearty Primitivo from the flat, dusty plains of southern Italy is an alluring mélange of concentrated plum, cherry, spice and herb aromas and flavours. Nicely balanced with a patina of fine-grained tannins and a firm, persistent finish. Pico Maccario Lavignone Barbera D’Asti 2016 Italy $24.00-26.00 This is a classic example of the fruit-forward style of Barbera D’Asti. Bright and lively with aromas of red cherries, violets and wild herbs. Lavignone is medium- bodied with sweet red berry flavours and soft tannins.
WILD BOAR BELLY WITH PICKLED MUSTARD SEEDS AND BRAISED CABBAGE
Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato D’Asti 2017 (375 mL) Italy $18.00-21.00 This lovely, sweet wine from the north of Italy is as fresh as a spring morning. Delicate with an incredibly fruity nose, splendid balance and a slight effervescence that enhances the sweet fruit flavours. Sublime!
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Winter Wheat RECIPE + ST YLING: MEVE
PHOTOGR APHY: ANDRÉ ROZON
The idea is to put the spotlight on vegetables. Tomorrow’s kitchen is 100% local, people-oriented. Vegetables are the stars of the meal, and we eat less and less meat!
Wheat
375 ml (1 ½ cup) of whole-wheat grains 500 ml (2 cups) of demi-glace sauce (available at many food stores and speciality shops) Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a saucepan of salted boiling water, cook wheat for 35 minutes. Strain and return wheat to the saucepan. Add the demi-glace and simmer 10 minutes over low heat. Season to taste.
Put all vegetables, except pearl onions, on a sheet pan lined with foil paper. Drizzle with olive oil, season, and mix. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn and mix veggies. Bake for another 10 minutes and add the onions and again turn and mix veggies. Bake another 10 minutes till cooked. Total bake time of 30 minutes.
Roasted Veg
Garnishes
12 carrots with top, peeled 6 sunchokes or Jerusalem artichokes, washed, halved 8 little red beets 12 small white turnips, washed 4 green onions 60 ml (4 tbsp.) of olive oil Salt and pepper 4 red pearl onions, peeled and halved
60 ml (4 tbsp.) of Crème fraiche Sunflower seeds, roasted Sprouts or sorrel leaves
Assembly
Divide wheat and vegetables among four plates. Top with a dollop of Crème fraiche, and finish with sunflower seeds and sorrel leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste
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TABLE FOR ONE There is no one more deserving of your company than you. stor y by: Jill Van Gyn
D
ining out can be an ordeal. It begins with a decision no one in the group really wants to make. “Where should we go?” they ask. “I don’t know. What do you feel like?” “How about pasta?” “Hm, no. I’m trying to cut back on carbs right now.” “OK, well, what do
you suggest?” “I dunno, what do you feel like?” We have now entered what I like to call The Snake Eating its Own Tail But Jenny is Vegan So I Dunno What Do You Feel Like Circle of Dining Out Death. It’s laborious if you are in charge of this process of finding a place that makes everyone happy. You have to be on top of it enough to make a reservation in advance because good luck finding a seat on the fly if you’re more than four people. Oh, and have fun splitting that cheque because Karen didn’t drink, Jesse and Beth split an appy but didn’t eat any of the ones the group ordered, and Carl ducked out early, so get cracking! I say NO THANK YOU. I have a select number of people I can confidently dine out with. My rules are you must be in a position to eat anything, and if you can’t eat it, I need you to be flexible, versatile and creative (shout out to my celiac friend Alexis, who, like a champ, just says, “I’ll make it work”). I must also love you and want to talk to you all the time because nothing ruins a stellar meal more than flat conversation, or no conversation at all. As such, my dining-out guest list is small, but they are a lovable bunch.
been robbed of one of its dainty little chairs for a larger party. I watched as a woman decked
I do, however, have one guest that I would always prefer to dine with. She is a great listener, she eats anything I want to order, I always get her leftovers, she arrives on time and leaves when I am ready and, above all, she always picks up the cheque. That person is me. Dining alone is often frowned upon. It tends to make people uncomfortable, and if you are a highly anxious or paranoid person, this is not the adventure for you. You must care little for sideways glances and be prepared to be asked multiple times if you are waiting for someone. If you can get past these minor inconveniences, then let me open up to you the glorious world of solo dining. I often have to travel solo for business, which has afforded me the opportunity to stretch into my solo dining experience, and with a few years under my belt I can confidently say that I am an expert. Yes, the first time I sidled up to a bar, book in hand, on a busy
out in white velvet literally clutched her pearls when she was asked to make way for me as she stood in line for a table with the rest of her party. It was more delicious than the gnocchi I ate that night. Travelling alone, while also a thrill, can get lonely. This is where
Yes, the first time I sidled up to a
a seat at the bar can really come in handy. Bartenders are natural
bar, book in hand, on a busy Friday
tic conversations about travel, business and life in general with
conversationalists—it’s kind of their job. I have had many fantas-
night at a popular restaurant, it
a charismatic bartender who somehow feels obligated to take
felt odd, but there was an extreme
ever say “let’s do this again” and not mean it. Alternatively, there
pleasure in being solely in control of my dining experience.
Friday night at a popular restaurant, it felt odd, but there was an extreme pleasure in being solely in control of my dining experience. One of the best features of dining alone is there is literally no wait time. Doesn’t matter how
care of you. It can lead to a great night out with no obligation to are your barstool companions: the couples you will inevitably and awkwardly get sandwiched in between. Let me tell you, it can really unsettle them, and I love it. But it’s also a great way to strike up a conversation. I have had a number of lively dinners starring me, the uninvited dinner guest, by sidling up next to
an unassuming diner and opening with a “So, where are you guys from?” Who cares if you make them uncomfortable? You’ll never see them again!
fancy or in-demand the spot, I have always been able to snag a bar seat. When I travelled to
But here is the true perk of solo dining: you’ll get to know yourself. Can you be independent?
New York, I walked into David Chang’s flagship noodle bar on a Saturday night at 8pm and
Can you learn to enjoy your own company? Can you just sit, enjoy your food and appreciate
was ushered passed roughly 50 people to a sweet little bar spot that looked directly into the
the solitude? There are immense pleasures and a particular type of peace I find in dining
kitchen. Last year when I was in Venice, California, I sauntered down to Felix—recently
alone. It feels risky and comfortable all at the same time and trust me there is no one more
touted by Eater LA as the hottest new Italian restaurant—and squeezed into a table that had
deserving of your company than you.
46 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
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2018-12-16 12:00:27 PM
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