LIQUOR

GOLDEN PLATES Approachability is key for the great Sabrine Dhaliwal

The Chickadee Room’s resident star honoured and thankful to be named best bartender in Vancouver

by Mike Usinger

Being consistently recognized as one of the greats is something Sabrine Dhaliwal is used to by now, but that doesn’t make the gold-star mixologist her own biggest fan. Informed that she’s been voted Best Bartender in the Georgia Straight’s annual Golden Plates awards, the veteran Vancouver mixologist’s rst reaction is a telling one.

“I’m very honoured and very thankful for that recognition,” Dhaliwal says in an interview with the Straight. “We live in a city where we’re spoiled with bartenders. So to be recognized as one of the—I don’t want to say ‘elite’, because that’s not the right word—but one of the leaders, I guess you could say, is humbling. I don’t think that I’m doing anything different than anyone else. I’m just kind of doing my thing—trying to make cocktails approachable, and trying to make bar experiences approachable and welcome for everybody.”

Raised in Ontario and rst arriving in Vancouver around the 2010 Olympics, Dhaliwal quickly began making a name for herself. A chance move behind the bar at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia’s Re ections was followed by celebrated stints at West and Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar. For the past year she’s been busy establishing the Chickadee Room at Juke in Chinatown as one of the best new drink destinations in the city. e cocktail program getting all the attention at Chickadee appeals to forward-thinking adventurists without forgetting that some folks are unrepentant traditionalists. Dhaliwal and her team explore new terrain with drinks like Return of the Sumac (sumac-infused blanco tequila, cynar, Amontilado sherry, and lemmerrakech bitters) and Super Amaro Bros

Sabrine Dhaliwal and her ace team at the Chickadee Room balance adventurous cocktails with traditional ones. Photo by Lachlan McAdam.

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READERS’ f CHOICES

NEW BREWERY

1. Superflux Beer Company 505 Clark Drive 2. Container Brewing 1216 Franklin Street 3. La Cerveceria Astilleros 226 Esplanade East,

North Vancouver

LOCAL BREWERY

1. 33 Acres Brewing

Company 15 West 8th Avenue 2. Parallel 49 Brewing 1950 Triumph Street 3. Strange Fellows Brewing 1345 Clark Drive

RESTAURANT BEER SELECTION

1. CRAFT Beer Market 85 West 1st Avenue 2. Tap & Barrel

Various locations 3. Alibi Room 157 Alexander Street

PUB

1. Sawbuck’s Neighbourhood Pub 1626 152 Street, Surrey 2. Colony Bar (tie)

Various locations 2. Darby’s Public House (tie) 2001 Macdonald Street 3. Pemberton Station Pub (tie) 135 Pemberton Avenue, North

Vancouver 3. Fountainhead Pub (tie) 1025 Davie Street

LOCAL DISTILLERY

1. Odd Society Spirits 1725 Powell Street 2. Long Table Distillery 1451 Hornby Street 3. The Liberty Distillery 1494 Old Bridge Road, Granville Island

CANADIAN BEER

1. Molson Canadian 2. 33 Acres of Sunshine 3. Steam Whistle

BREWPUB RESTAURANT

1. Brewhall 97 East 2nd Avenue 2. CRAFT Beer Market 85 West 1st Avenue 3. Steamworks Brewing Co. 375 Water Street

LOCAL BREWERY FLIGHT

1. Brewhall, 97 East 2nd Avenue 2. 33 Acres Brewing Company (tie) 15 West 8th Avenue 2. Strange Fellows Brewing (tie) 1345 Clark Drive 3. Parallel 49 Brewing 1950 Triumph Street

BEER STORE

1. Brewery Creek Craft Beer & Wine

Store 3045 Main Street 2. Legacy Liquor Store 1633 Manitoba Street 3. Granville Island Brewing 1441 Cartwright Street

LOCALLY BREWED BEER

1. 33 Scres of

Sunshine (33 Acres Brewing

Company) (tie) 1. Ruby Tears (Parallel 49 Brewing) (tie) 2. Lions Winter Ale (Granville Island Brewing) (tie) 2. Goldilocks (Strange Fellows Brewing( (tie) 3. Play Dead (Yellow Dog Brewing Co.)

B.C. CIDERY

1. Fraser Valley

Cider Company 22128 16 Avenue, Langley 2. Merridale Cidery & Distillery 1230 Merridale Road, Cobble Hill 3. Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse 2487 Mt St. Michael Road, Saanichton

B.C. CIDER

1. Lonetree Authentic

Dry Cider (Lonetree Cider) 2. Sea Cider Temperance Roxie (Sea Cider) 3. Sunday Rosé (Sunday Cider)

The Chickadee Room at Juke did a successful job of navigating a stressful 2020 pandemic year.

(Hennessy, blended vermouth, Averna, apricot liqueur, tamarind, and co ee bitters). But they also o er the familiar with classics such as the Brown Derby, Bourbon Sour, and Caipirinha. e past year has of course been something of a challenging one, with the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on the service industry, especially in the late spring and early summer of 2020. Dhaliwal steered the Chickadee Room, which launched in the middle of the insanity, through some turbulent times with clever initiatives like takeaway cocktail kits.

Having fun while not being afraid to experiment is important to Dhaliwal, who at one point in her life studied microbiology with plans to go into dentistry.

“I’ve always been interested in food and avours,” she recalls. “Even as a little kid my mom would nd me in front of the TV in the living room or in the kitchen with a giant mess in front of me. It was the early ’90s so I’d be trying to follow what James Barber was making on TV.

“I guess I could have been a very good baker if I’d wanted to because I have a thing for precision,” Dhaliwal continues. “It’s always been about paying attention to flavours and combinations—does this work with this, and does that work with that?”

That curiosity has kept Dhaliwal passionate about bartending as she’s gone from new kid on the scene to decorated veteran. (Blue-chip accomplishments include taking Best Bartender in the 2017 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, and top-spot finishes in England’s Global Belvedere Challenge and the first Vancouver Molinari Sambuca Cocktail Competition.)

“I started studying wine, going ‘Do these flavours in this wine pair with this food?’” Dhaliwal remembers. “Then an opportunity came up to step behind the bar, working under [Vancouver legend] David Wolowidnyk, and it was like ‘Oh wow, this is a whole other realm. And I’m way out of my element.’ It was a slow ascent—a slow, continuous process—but I was always learning, always tasting, and always learning new things. At home, you can get stuck on what you know and enjoy. But in a professional setting you’re always pushed to step outside your comfort zone.”

Guests can do just that at the Chickadee Room by checking out items on what’s dubbed the “Secret Menu”, or taking a chance with the Dealer’s Choice, where the customer selects a spirit and style, and then Dhaliwal and her team take over.

“Sometimes it’s a drink that we’ve been thinking about or trying to work out,” Dhaliwal says. “Don’t get me wrong—they are always delicious. It’s just that they may not be list-ready, if that makes any sense. A Dealer’s Choice is o en very esoteric and designed to that individual’s palate. But they also usually end up, in one way or another, as a listed cocktail.”

As for how Dhaliwal knows she’s hit gold with a new creation, that’s usually easy to tell from the reaction of the person on the barstool. Just as, if not even more gratifying, is the feedback from her peers. If the last person Dhaliwal is interested in impressing is herself, that’s because she sees herself lucky to be working in a city with no shortage of bartending rock stars.

“ ere’s not one telltale sign when you’ve made something great, but there are times when I’m like ‘Well, that was spectacular,’” she says. “It does happen, where you’re like ‘Holy shit!’ I work with Lily Duong as well, as she’s been bartending for 20 years now. She has incredible experience and an incredible palate as well. When she tastes something and her eyes light, that’s when I go ‘I nailed it.’ She’s one of the most underrated bartenders in the city. And she’s someone that I really look up to.” g

READERS’ f CHOICES

CHINESE

1. Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie 163 Keefer Street 2. Kirin Restaurant, Various locations 3. Peaceful Restaurant

Various locations

DUMPLINGS

1. Dinesty Dumpling House

Various locations 2. Shanghai River Restaurant #110–7831 Westminster Highway,

Richmond 3. Ugly Dumpling, 1590 Commercial Drive

JAPANESE

1. Miku Vancouver 70–200 Granville Street 2. Minami, 1118 Mainland Street 3. Tojo’s Restaurant 1133 West Broadway

KOREAN

1. Sura Korean

Various locations 2. WOO Korean BBQ 110–16070 24th Avenue, Surrey 3. So Hyang Korean Cuisine 6345 Fraser Street

POKE

1. Pacific Poke

Various locations 2. Westcoast Poké

Various locations 3. Pokérrito

Various locations

RAMEN

1. JINYA Ramen Bar 541 Robson Street 2. Marutama

Ra-men

Various locations 3. Ramen Danbo

Various locations

SUSHI

1. Miku

Vancouver 70–200 Granville Street 2. Minami 1118 Mainland Street 3. Toshi Sushi 181 East 16th Avenue

VISIT GOLDEN PLATES ONLINE AT STRAIGHT.COM

GOLDEN PLATES New Chinese eateries join Vancouver’s dining scene

by Craig Takeuchi

Deservedly, Metro Vancouver has garnered an international reputation for serving some of the best Chinese cuisine outside of China, and the pandemic hasn’t deterred new establishments from contributing to this renown.

With that noted, here’s a quick look at some of the most recent entries to the city’s stellar and ever-growing Chinese food and beverage scene.

CHINA MEETS ITALY Historians have disputed the legend that pasta arose from Chinese noodles introduced to Italy by explorer Marco Polo. What is unarguable is that Chinese and Italian cuisines share this common culinary element, and a recently launched establishment in Vancouver celebrates the union of the twain.

Miantiao, named a er the Mandarin word for noodle, had its grand opening on June 17 on the third oor of the Shangri-La Vancouver hotel (1115 Alberni Street).

With a kitchen led by Kitchen Table Restaurant Group culinary director Alex Tung, its menu spans breakfast to dinner and east to west, including pasta, risotto, congee, salads, sandwiches, snacks, entrées, and more. For instance, for breakfast, there’s either frittata (broccolini or porchetta) or house congee, the latter served with so egg, XO sauce, crispy shallots, green onions, and youtiao (deep-fried doughnut sticks).

Other o erings include cold poached chicken with radicchio, ginger dressing, breadcrumb, and parmigiana; merluzzo nero, with sable sh, cured pork, olive, and borlotti bean; and a four-course aged whole duck. Meanwhile, the dessert list includes milk-tea tiramisu, with mascarpone, roasted tea, and cocoa; and coconut panna cotta, with mango sorbet, lychee, and sago.

Drinks include B.C. wines, cocktails, and zero-proof beverages re ecting European and Asian in uences, such as Kun-Mi-To, made with Campari, sweet vermouth, carbonated white tea, and bitters; and Bamboolvardier, with bourbon, herbal bamboo liquor, white bitters, and forti ed wine.

CHINATOWN DUMPLINGS Head over to Chinatown to nd Blnd Tger Dumplings, which launched on July 17 in the former Keefer Bakery space at 251 East Georgia Street. is cozy spot, which emulates food stands in longtangs (alleys) in Shanghai, offers a menu from chef Phong Vo of six housemade dumplings, with llings from Chinatown businesses and local suppliers. e pork used in the Single Malt Xiao Long Bao and Zhong Dumplings, for example, is from the neighbouring Carley BBQ & Hot Pot Supply. Eggplant, shiitake, cumin, Sichuan peppercorns, and more all come from nearby Ga Cheong Herbal Medicine Co. on Gore Avenue while premium teas are from Treasure Green Tea Company, only a few doors down.

Orders can be enjoyed on its patios, as takeout, or in another very special way, as the next entry reveals.

Laowai is a retro-glam speakeasy tucked away behind a dumpling shop. Photo by Josh Neufeld.

SHANGHAI SECRETS Order the Number 7 at Blnd Tger and you’ll gain access to a hidden art deco lounge. Behind a faux freezer door lies a Prohibition-era speakeasy, infused with 1920s glamour and in uences from Shanghai and Hong Kong cocktail scenes. Laowai (or “old outsiders”) is a 60-seater space with an avian theme, emerald-green velvet walls, and semicircular leather banquettes.

Bar manager Alex Black curates a cocktail program with both classic and contemporary in uences, including avours and touches from Chinatown. Each of the 12 cocktails on the menu are linked to a historical gure, including the bold, smoky Behind Blue Eyes, from a legend of a foreign Buddhist monk who created the rst tea bush; the adventurous Red Flag Fleet, inspired by a woman who was the world’s most powerful pirate; and the bitter but oral Snakes on a Crane, based upon a woman who invented a martial art to fend o unwanted male advances. e bar boasts one of the largest lists of the Chinese liquor baijiu in Canada, comprised of 11 brands, as well as wine, single malts, and more.

Guests can order from Blnd Tger’s dumpling menu as well as sharing plates. Among the selections are Hong Kong–style pork belly bourbon char sui, featuring slowroasted pork with an American whisky marinade; Guangdong-inspired sweet and sour ling cod, with sh from neighbourhood shmonger Gar-lok; and the spicy Smoking Tofu Noodles, with biang biang noodles from Shaanxi. g