Terroir Kitchen, West Vancouver

Terroir is a true gem of West Vancouver! As soon as you are seated in their modern, sleek restaurant a sense of serenity flows over you. Whether you're seated inside or on their lovely deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean there is a place for everyone at Terroir!

Our adventure started with a lovely Rotari Trento Brut Rosé which went perfectly with a couple appetizers recommended by our lovely hosts: Zucchini Parmesan Carpaccio and a Seared Albacore Tuna. I rarely eat zucchini, but the combination of it with the cheese and a light smattering of oil and I ate almost the whole plate. Much to the chagrin of my zucchini loving dining partner. The tuna was fresh and delicious, lightly kissed with the perfect sear job.  

Rotari Trento Brut Rose | Mezzacorona | Trentino, Alto adagio

Zucchini Parmasen Carpaccio

Seared Albacore Tuna | Warm fennel salad, cipollinni onions, olives, crispy artichokes, roast garlic & parsley sauce

We cleansed our palates between courses with a lovely Pineau des Charest from Chateau de Monifaud. It's a delightful French aperitif and did the job perfectly and then the fun really started! Out comes, unbeknownst to us as we left everything up to Chef Kassan's, one of my favourite dishes: bone marrow! Expertly prepared and so flavourful. We always enjoyed a delicious pork belly, think bacon's overweight, delicious cousin, and paired beautifully with a robust Pinot Noir from the Meyer winery in BC's beautiful Okanagan Valley. Rounding out the dishes was a sublime Potato Gnocchi, the best over had in my life, with venison ragu and paired with a Barbera d'Alba, one of favourite Italian wines!

Pineau des Charentes | Chateau de Monifaud Vieux Pineau | France

Bone Marrow

Pork Belly paired with Pinot Noir | Meyer | Okanagan Valley

Potato Gnocchi | Venison Ragu, Crispy Sage, Saffron Pecorino, Cocoa Nibs, paired with Barbera d'Alba

Already wobbly as we sat back in our chairs, dessert would be next. Can we handle it? Ought we? We didn't get a chance to answer as a dessert platter glided silently to our table: Dulce de Leche, Chocolate Tart, Poached Pear, Biscotti and a lovely Chateau de Bourgogne. We ate almost all of it even given our now food pregnant frames and thanked Chef Faizal Kassam on our way out and had a lovely conversation about the direction of the relatively new Terroir, had a nice tour and some behind the scenes tidbits. Terroir is divine and we will definitely be back!

Dessert Platter

Pot de Creme | dulce de leche

Chocolate Tart | Pistachio Brittle, Rosewater Cream

Chateeau de Bourgogne | Cassis Poached Pear, Burnt Almond Biscotti

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Fanny Bay Oyster Bar & Shellfish Market

If you know me, you would know that I'm a huge Shellfish fan, specifically Raw Oysters! It made me extremely happy to see Fanny Bay Oysters have opened up a Restaurant in Downtown! The Bar is beautifully decorated, and have photos of their Oyster Farm all over their walls. I find them to be very interesting! There's something about ordering Oysters from a Restaurant that started off with have many years of Oyster Farming under its belt, it's like ordering wine straight from a winery!

Our server, Emilia, gave us many suggestions, such as this - Oyster Shooters! I'm not typically a shot type of girl, but these were delicious!  There are 2 different ways you can take a shot: Slurp the Oyster, lick the rim, shoot it, then bite on the lime OR lick the rim, squish lime into the shot, do the shot, then slurp the oyster. The shot is basically a mini-Caesar and it was an absolute delight!

Oyster Shooters

Of course, we ordered a dozen Oysters.  We had a Variety of them: Kumamoto, Kusshi, Raspberry Point, Fanny Bay & Shigoku, from the Pacific, to the East Coast - they all tasted amazing and went well with the Apple Cider Mignonette

We were curious about trying the Geoduck on their menu and to our excitement, Emilia took us over to the tank and showed us a live geoduck. I got to say, it was not what I expected! It looked like an elephant trunk with nostrils at the end of it and was rough to the touch, it made me second guess my decision to order the Geoduck Sashimi. We decided to order it anyway, since there wasn't many restaurants that served geoduck. The dish was beautifully plated, chopped up and served in its shell, in watermelon radish, complemented with pickled ginger & horseradish. To our surprise, the texture of the sashimi, when it came out to our table, was great! It wasn't at all rough, and tasted like raw scallops to me. If you have never tried geoduck before, I highly implore you to try it!

Geoduck Sashimi

We ended our dinner with splitting a Bouillabaisse, another dish that was suggested by Emilia. I'm glad we listened to her since this dish was absolutely amazing! Mussels, Clams, Prawns, Ling Cod, and Scallops bathe in a fragrant white wine saffron butter broth. The broth was slurped up, and the dish disappeared quickly! I highly recommend ordering this when you visit Fanny Bay Oyster Bar!

Bouillabaisse

Words & Photos: Jenn Chan

Bodega on Main

In the restaurant business mistakes are made; it is as inevitable as death and taxes. Hair falls into food, women lose, on average, 50-100 strands per day, orders get mixed up, loud patrons disturb us convivial customers and things get dropped. Smart managers know these happenstances can actually be a chance to make a lifelong customer. Food was cold so the food is free and here's a gift certificate for next time. A beer was dumped in your lap by the usually stalwart waitress so all the drinks at the table are on the house and the first bottle of wine is on us next time. Both of those customers will be back and chances are very good they'll tell someone how well they were treated!

While it is less fun to be the cause of another patron's stress, cameras and lighting are a lifestyle blogger's constant companion and can apparently sometimes annoy neighbouring tables, it was refreshing to watch how the situation was discretely handled; meals comped, drinks comped and a GC for their next visit. A common sense courtesy in a world where common sense is far from commonplace!

Our culinary adventure started with a couple of cocktails while we perused the menu. The Santi is a gin and sherry based cocktail with a refreshing cucumber garnish. It is a nice light, easy-sipping offering and worth a second visit. The Smoke on the Water is Laphroig and Aperol mixed with lemon juice and orange bitters. A definite smoky taste accented by the sharp orange bitters. You might breath a bit of fire after this one so make sure you have a safe ride home!

Santi - Oloroso Sherry, Gin, Simple Syrup, Cava, Basil, Cucumber Garnish, topped with Pimento Bitters

Smoke on the Water - Quarter Cask Laphroig, Aperol, Lemon Juice, Gomme, Orange Bitters, Lemon Twist

The Membrillo y Queso is an absolute homerun! Aged Manchego cheese with a decadent Quince Jelly on top. I could have eaten 50; no joke. The hyperbole police aren't coming after me, I could have. Our second appetizer was the Pulpo a la Parilla. Expertly grilled octopus with a Piquillo Romesco. The Piquillo is a robust pepper found mostly in northern Spain. It's got a kick and paired very well with the fresh, soft octopus. 

Membrillo Y Queso - Aged Manchego Cheese, and Quince Jelly

Pulpo A La Parilla - Grilled Octopus, Piquillo Romesco

With preliminary snacking over we moved onto the Paella Mixta. Have you ever had Paella? Good Paella? It's generally a melange of meats over rice. Thats oversimplified, but that's the general idea. Bodega wasn't satisfied with traditional Paella and elevated it starting with an incredible Saffron rice and tossing in prawns, clams, chicken, chorizo and pork. Worth a trip all on its own I give the dish a solid 8 1/2 / 10! And I never give 10's.

Paella Mixta - Saffron Rice with Seafood, Chicken, Chorizo and Pork

Followed close behind was their Pincho Moruno and Conejo Riojana; beef skewers and slow cooked rabbit. The beef skewers were lovely cuts of AAA beef and were tender and flavourful and the rabbit was yet another homerun! Swimming in a tangy Tomato and Wine sauce and hunched beside a small mount of roasted potatoes Bugs Bunny made his last stand. Yosemite Sam must have finally got his man and I got my favourite dish of the night! I'm a spice guy, I love Sriracha, I love curry and I loved this dish. Nowhere near the heat of the aforementioned weapons of mass deliciousness, but holding its own was the tomato and wine sauce. I am a little ashamed to admit it, but we ordered all our plates to share and I was unable to let this incredible rabbit out of my sight! I would walk an hour and a half to get it. In the rain. Uphill. Both ways. A near perfect 9/10! 

Pincho Moruno - Grilled Skewers of Marinated AAA Beef

Conejo Riojana - Slow Cooked Rabbit, Tomato and Wine Sauce

A friendly battle erupted when the freshly made Churros with hot dipping chocolate and vanilla marscapone came to the table. 2 guests and 3 Churros... Whomever eats their first churro first will, by social convention, have first right of refusal to the third and final remaining delicious stick of dough and cinnamon. Usually. I was outranked and outgunned. The venerable Jenn Chan decided she needed that Churro in her life and who am I to deny her pleasure! Better than you'll find a the PNE or amusement park by a country mile!

Churros - served with Hot Dipping Chocolate and Vanilla Mascarpone

Each dish came paired with a lovely white wine, most from the divine Okanagan Valley. Each was carefully considered and proffered by our incredibly lovely waitress who was the picture of decorum even as seat after seat started being snapped up and soon everyone was elbow to elbow as Bodega reached capacity. Happy faces, laughter and a lot of oooo's and ahhhh's. This room is electric, good for a drink after work or an anniversary meal; it is simply not to be missed!

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Netherlands kicks off 2016 Honda Celebration of Light

The Honda Celebration of Light is happening in Vancouver, and Team Netherlands has kicked off this year's celebration with a bang! Here are some of the highlights from the light-show this past Saturday.

Pre-fireworks crowd as the sun sets

Heart-shaped fireworks took the sky as the Beatles song was on

There are 2 more Firework shows this summer - Australia is set to take the stage this upcoming Wednesday, and the much-anticipated USA show on Saturday, put on by Disney!

Words & Photos: Jenn Chan

French Cuisine in Vancouver: The Truffle House

Mission statements. New age, business buzzwords akin to 'synergy' or 'vertical integration'. Popular movies satirize them, memes abound and yet no one realizes that every Fortune 500 company has one. Here's the lovely owners of The Truffle House's, Fabienne and Philippe Chaber, charming, honest offering:

Our goal at The Truffle House & Café is to provide an amazing MEAL experience, and we always do our best to use the freshest, local and organic ingredients which are delivered every week. We know where our food comes from, and we avoid anything pre-made or processed including our desserts. Be assured our food is of top quality and made with care.

I believe them. After you go, and I know you will, you'll believe them too! Our experience started with Fabienne's beaming face welcoming us and giving us a look around. A wonderfully laid out, intimate space highlighted by a feature wall filled with artist Paul Ge's wonderfully whimsical photographs. A tiny downhill skier figurine descending a lovely tranche of Havarta sat directly across from me. As an art lover and a foodie these photos are a perfect fit. Give Mr. Ge a quick Google. Go ahead, I'll wait.

You know those people you meet and instantly like? Fabienne is one of those! Her genuine smile rarely left her congenial visage and her manner is light and good hearted. She recommended their special, a delicious Crab and Avacado salad, and, after she mimed a crab pinching so we could discern the word 'crab' given her heavy Parisienne accent, we all had a good laugh and ordered it and a Truffle Mac & Cheese to start. We left wine pairings up to her discretion and she expertly paired a pair of nice French Chardonnays with our appetizers. We could have left after the first course and still give The Truffle House a glowing review!

Crab & Avocado Salad

Truffle Mac and Cheese

For our main courses we order the Truffle and Wild Mushroom Risotto, divine, and the French staple Coq au Vin. The risotto was sublime, fresh and flavourful and the shaved truffle and white truffle oil accompaniment complimented it perfectly. The Coq au Vin, which translate roughly to chicken in wine though it sounds much classier en français, was the best I have ever had. Elevating the dish they use a Cornish Game Hen in lieu of chicken. There's only one bird in the world more delicious than game hen and it's rarely eaten more than once a year and tends to make you very sleepy. They laid the tender, decadent poultry on a bed of incredible asparagus and baby potatoes. If you know me well you will know that "incredible asparagus" is not a phrase I spout often, or ever really, but is absolutely apt in this instance. Fresh and fragrant and expertly prepared I devoured all of it! The baby potatoes were also far above average and the dish was deeply satisfying. Again we left the pairing up to Fabienne and she hit it out of the park yet again!

Truffle and Wild Mushroom Risotto - Wild Mushroom Ragout, fresh herbs, shaved black truffle, grated parmesan, white truffle oil

Coq Au Vin - Roasted Cornish Game Hen, baby potatoes, spring vegetables, bacon & pearl onion demi glaze

We tried to politely decline dessert. We really tried. But when freshly baked apple pie is mentioned I am powerless. I realized then, as happens often, that I am a weak, weak man. The pie came out accompanied by a luscious vanilla bean ice cream. I could have eaten the entire pie. Easily. It's worth a trip all on its own.

Apple Pie with Vanilla Bean Icecream

A jewel of Dundarave Village, a must-see, a can't-miss, a hotspot. These are just a few of the reviews you'll see online. They're all true! Do yourself a favour and head over to the Truffle House!

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

French Cuisine in Vancouver: Tableau Bar Bistro

Tableau Bar & Bistro wins awards. That's just what Tableau does; best of the city, best of Vancouver, diner's choice, reader's choice, etc, etc... I know why they win awards, do you? It'll take you all of 4 minutes to understand why once you walk through the doors. The aroma, the ambience and the bubbly staff make you feel like cozy and taken care and king for a day.

We were seated by a bright, airy window and ordered, being brunch, a couple of mimosas. The level of detail at Tableau caught my palette with the first sip. This was no $5 bottle of champagne sweeten with orange juice, this was a Blancs de Blanc Brut from the Jean-Louis Winery in the Burgundy Region of France. Simply exquisite! 

Now full disclosure: I do not care for mushrooms. I am generally not a fan of the consistency and I don't care for the flavour. In my early 20's I was delivering pizzas to put myself through university and I had a delivery to a mushroom farm and had to search through a vast warehouse of row upon row, shelves up to the ceiling, of manure growing fungus on it, aka the art of growing mushrooms, to find my customer. I don't think they tipped great either. The maitre' d suggested the mushrooms on toast, the waiter recommended the mushrooms on toast, the manager recommended it as well and Jenn remembered when Tableau was on CTV News and made, what else, mushrooms on toast. But I stuck to my guns and said 'no, thank you' with flashbacks of that awful warehouse flashing in my mind. 

Jenn, however, wanted to try it so out it came. It was accompanied by a steak tartare and French onion soup, but back to the mushrooms on toast bathed in a veal reduction sauce on bakery fresh brioche bread. It was exceptional! Poignant, well-balanced and fragrant with the wild mushrooms dominating the taste and texture. The French onion soup was rich and delicious and the melted cheese bubbled over the rim and cascaded down onto the plate. Steak tartare is not for everyone. If you were unaware, it is raw beef. Uncooked cow, but when done correctly a culinary marvel and Tableau, no big surprise here, does it right! Served with a quail egg on top that you whip I to the mixture of raw and beef and the chef's secret concoction it is the best I've tried and was devoured in record time. To go with our appetizers, we switched over to a bacon-infused vodka Caesar. A solid 7/10 on the patented JCP Caesar meter.

Mushrooms on Toast - Creamy Mushrooms on Brioche

Steak Tartare & French Onion Soup

Steak Tartare - Quail Egg, Pomme Gaufrette

Our entrees followed quick on the heels of our appetizers. Garganelli pasta with beef and pork meatballs, tomato sauce and kale. I ordered the chicken and waffles. I'll admit to being a little hesitant to do so as this is a beautiful French restaurant, but it was recommended by the waiter so Supreme be Poulet be damned! Light, fluffy perfectly prepared waffles, very crisp chicken lightly and tastefully deep fried. Add in the real maple syrup, the good stuff tapped from trees with hammers and buckets, and you have a near perfect chicken and waffles and worth a visit all on its own.

Garganelli Pasta - Beef & Pork Meatballs, Tomato Sauce, Kale

Chicken & Waffles - Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Maple Syrup & Gravy

There was no room for dessert, it couldn't physically be done, so we finished our drinks and slowly sauntered out the elegant entryway. We looked back adoringly at Tableau and the prestigious, boutique Loden Hotel beside it and looked at our calendars to plan our return trip. We'll probably see you there!

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan