Pairing perfection
S P O N S O R E D
“If it’s just good, you’re not winning,” says JP Potters, Boulevard’s executive general manager and sommelier.
AT B O U L E VA R D K I T C H E N & O Y S T E R B A R , W I N E I S M AT C H E D T O T H E M E N U ’ S S E A S O N A L I T Y A N D T H E C H E F S ’ C R E AT I V I T Y
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hen it opened its doors in summer 2014, Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar was Vancouver’s most anticipated new restaurant of the season, the year, possibly the decade thus far. Following a half-year, multi-million-dollar renovation of its predecessor, Fleuri, Boulevard revealed itself to be among the most luxuriously appointed (and, given its 200-plus seats, largest) dining rooms in the city. Of course, these factors would count for nothing if its food and beverage offerings weren’t the primary attraction. Fortunately, the kitchen was—and continues to be—helmed by executive chef Alex Chen (2018’s Canadian Culinary Championships’ gold medalist), recently promoted to executive chef – signature restaurants for the Sutton Place Hotels’ Luxury Brand and chef de cuisine, now executive chef, Roger Ma, both of whom brought to Boulevard years of achievement in acclaimed restaurants spanning from Toronto to Beverly Hills.
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Despite its location in the Sutton Place Hotel—at the nexus of Vancouver’s urban centre, Burrard and Robson streets—it was key to Chen and Ma that Boulevard not be a “hotel restaurant,” but a great restaurant that happens to be in a hotel, appealing equally to visitors from around the globe and local guests who are attuned to the unique cultural eclecticism of Vancouver dining. The duo’s menus deftly walk the tightrope between broad appeal and a deeply personal culinary vision that draws influence from the West Coast, Asia, classic French bistro fare, the American steakhouse tradition, and more. Meanwhile, Boulevard’s titular oyster bar is a model of sumptuous simplicity, plating impeccably sourced raw seafood that requires only the sparest of embellishments to taste its best. JP Potters, Boulevard’s executive general manager and sommelier, says of the dining experience he and his colleagues aim to deliver: “If it’s just good, you’re not
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