Vancouver Magazine May 2015 by NextHome

240 WINNERS 50 CATEGORIES 1,075 DISHES

A brunch beauty from our big winner, page 58

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TOP PLATES, CARTS, CHEAP EATS, WINE LISTS & MORE

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VOLUME 48

NUMBER 4

MAY

THE 26TH ANNUAL RESTAURANT AWARDS ISSUE F E AT U R E S

Cover: Clinton Hussey; this page: Carlo Ricci

42 Peace, War,

56 And the

and Islam

Winners Are...

In the midst of events that have spawned international controversy, peaceful Muslim communities struggle to foster understanding. Metro Vancouver’s is no exception By Andrew Findlay

Casting their collective net over the region’s vast dining landscape, our judges once again have determined the best of everything there is to eat and drink—and it’s a motherlode

LET’S EAT! Some of our Restaurant Awards winners get down to business at Mr. Red Cafe (see pg. 80)

M AY 2 O 1 5 | VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E

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MAY

***

“THE PROBLEM IS, I WAS A CRIMINAL LAWYER. WHEN YOU WENT INTO COURT, YOU CAME TO PLAY. IT CAN BE VERY OFF-PUTTING”

—pg. 26

THE

22 VANCOUVER LIFE An acclaimed

104 PERSONAL SHOPPER

18 FROM THE EDITOR Whether

exhibit arrives in Vancouver to ask, What is happiness? Plus, the evolution of a contentious human-rights issue, and an entrepreneur’s mission to make plastics greener

Subdued colours, clean details, and flights of fancy define this month’s covetable finds

our Restaurant Awards judges’ or our readers’, opinions from beyond the office walls are a constant source of enlightenment

BRIEF GOODS PLUS

PG.22

26 URBAN FIX

Big ideas and a bigger mouth have helped make Derek Corrigan seemingly immovable as Burnaby’s mayor

106 MODEL CITIZEN Singer

Jill Barber opts for timeless apparel to complement her timeless music 108 MY SPACE

Escaping urban bustle, Jason Bosa created an idiosyncratic oasis in forested West Van

114 SNAP CHATTER Philan-

thropists, musicians, filmmakers, and more have been making the scene around town

34 BLOCK WATCH

The long, slow slog that leads to new towers on our skyline 36 ON THE RECORD Having

PG.41

made a fortune with eyeglasses, Clearly Contacts founder Roger Hardy is now putting his best foot forward 38 THE ESSENTIALS

110 SWEAT EQUIT Y En

garde! A master of swordplay teaches the masses how to sharpen their defences 112 FIELD TRIP

With more places to sup, shop, and sleep than ever, Victoria merits serious consideration as a great (and convenient) weekend getaway

Va n m a g .co m Search over 800 restaurant reviews, now filtered by neighbourhood, cuisine type, awards, and more PG.112

Henry Hargreaves; Deddeda Stemler; Evaan Kheraj

Pop stars young and old, documentaries solemn and silly—and much more to see and do this month

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | M AY 2 O 1 5

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EDITOR-IN- CHIEF

John Burns ART DIRECTOR

Paul Roelofs SENIOR EDITOR

Michael White ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR

Naomi MacDougall TRAVEL & STYLE EDITOR

Amanda Ross ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR

Jenny Reed EVENTS EDITOR

Fiona Morrow CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Frances Bula, Christina Burridge, Mario Canseco, Petti Fong, Kerry Gold, Michael Harris, DJ Kearney, Neal McLennan, Malcolm Parry, Guy Saddy, Jim Sutherland, Timothy Taylor, Daniel Wood CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Tracey Ayton, Clinton Hussey, Evaan Kheraj, Joe McKendry (contributor illustrations), Andrew Querner, Carlo Ricci, John Sinal, Milos Tosic, Luis Valdizon EDITORIAL INTERNS

Ginger Jefferies, Danielle Tsang PHOTO & ART INTERNS

Andrea Fernandez, Max Hirtz PROOFREADER

Ruth Grossman EDITORIAL EMAIL

mail@vancouvermagazine.com PRODUCTION MANAGER

Lee Tidsbury ADVERTISING DESIGNER

Swin Nung Chai

VANCOUVER OFFICE

Suite 560, 2608 Granville St. Vancouver, B.C. V6H 3V3 604-877-7732 ONLINE COORDINATOR

Jennifer Elliott ONLINE ASSISTANT

Rachel Morten VIDEOGRAPHER

Mark Philps

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VANCOUVER MAGAZINE is published 10 times a year by Transcontinental Western Media Group Inc. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without publisherâ€™s written permission. Not responsible for unsolicited editorial material. Privacy Policy: On occasion, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened organizations whose product or service might interest you. If you prefer that we not share your name and address (postal and/or email), you can easily remove your name from our mailing lists by reaching us at any of the listed contact points. You can review our complete Privacy Policy at Vanmag.com. Subscriptions in Canada: one year $39.99. Subscriptions in the United States: one year $59.99. Rates include GST. Back issues $10, including postage and handling. All figures in Canadian funds. For address change, send old and new address to our circulation department. Indexed in the Canadian Magazine Index by Micromedia Ltd. and also in the Canadian Periodical Index. International standard serial no. ISSN 0380-9552. Canadian publications mail product sales agreement #40064924. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Dept., Suite 560, 2608 Granville St., Vancouver, B.C., V6H 3V3. Printed in Canada by Transcontinental Printing G.P. (LGM Graphics), 737 Moray St., Winnipeg, MB, R3J 3S9. All reproduction requests must be made to: COPIBEC (paper reproductions) 800-717-2022, or CEDROM-SNi (electronic reproductions) 800-563-5665. Distributed by Coast to Coast Ltd.

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | M AY 2 O 1 5

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MMM…DELICIOUSNESS IS BREWING

THIS

MONTH

PICK UP THE JUNE ISSUE FOR THE WINNERS OF OUR FIRST ANNUAL VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL CRAFT

FROM THE EDITOR

The Big Picture

BEER AWARDS, PLUS A MICROBREW PRIMER AND MY REPORT FROM MUNICH, GROUND ZERO FOR SUDS

The Restaurant Awards judges have a (very) lively debate, then they blind-vote. Is it high-tech? Nope: it’s Post-its in a box. But they get to have their say, without sway from advertisers

Judgment Day in this job, i’m given so many intriguing glimpses behind the scenes. And I love it: hearing stories that later become the news, meeting power-brokers who operate outside the limelight, touring restaurant kitchens (very occasionally, chefs let me make some of the food…sssh!). One of my annual delights happens right in this office when our Restaurant Awards judges convene to bestow their highest honour: Restaurant of the Year. Here’s how the judging works. Our 17 critics (their names are listed on pg. 57) dine around all year, keeping lists of promising new rooms and deserving favourites. They share their shortlists, then go off once more separately to check out contenders. When it’s time, they fill out their ballots (again, separately) and ship them off to our accountant, Craig Elliott at Crowe MacKay LLP, who tabulates, weighs, and adjudicates the winners. The judges learn the results of that accounting when you do, with one exception: in early March we invite them all into the office, open some wine, and reveal to them the Best Casual and Best Upscale winners. The judges then have a (very) lively debate about the relative merits of each, what the past year meant in terms of dining trends, and the messages they hope their best-ofshow decision will convey. Then they blind-vote. High-tech? Nope: it’s Post-its in a box. But they get to have their say, without sway from advertisers, and I’m proud to present their 9–8 winner, as I’m proud to reveal the whole list (pg. 56) in service to giving you another year of assured great dining. Speaking of high-tech adjudication, we turned the tables last winter, asking our readers and online users to rate their enjoyment of what we do. Thanks to all who answered—your comments were instructive and (mostly) reassuring. Criticisms of our coverage included too much downtown, too much West Side, too few pages in the print edition, and too many “trendy, flashin-the-pan people, places, and things.” Half the positive comments praised our local focus, and many celebrated our food and drink content. (This issue is your reward.) I especially enjoyed “I can read it at work, as I am not allowed to use the internet on the work computer.” I’m going to call that a win? VM

john.burns@vancouvermagazine.com

BENEFITS OF THE NEW VANMAG.COM

847 The number of reviews in our swank new Restaurant Finder. Dine by neighbourhood, cuisine type, cost, and more 2008 The last time we revamped our site. A few things had changed, like… 4 Social media platforms we now frequent. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are all linked in 0 Site comments as of April 1, pre-launch. Come add yours!

Portrait: Evaan Kheraj; styling: Luisa Rino; clothing courtesy Holt Renfrew

JOHN BURNS

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | M AY 2 O 1 5

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SIZES (W X H, SINGLE PAGE)

03/03/15 1:55 10:15 2015-03-10 PM

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VA NC O U V E R L IF E

URBAN FIX

BL OCK WAT CH

ON THE RECORD

THE ESSENTIALS

“I feel like I have turned into a blob with useless limbs. It is a terrible thing to be a mind trapped in a wasted body” PG. 23

T HE The month in politics, real estate, business & culture

Driven to Drink it takes a certain talent to promise the relaxation of wine, beer, and spirit retail that we see in other cities—and ruin it. Yet the BC Liberals have managed to disappoint just about everyone as they approach the April 1 rollout of liquor in grocery stores. Leaving aside the question of what bottles will cost (consensus is more, but who can know?) and what countries they’ll come from (for indie shops: this one), we’re left with the psychogeographical tangle of where food stores may peddle alcohol: at least a kilometre from existing liquor stores, with “fi xed and immovable barriers” separating grog from groceries. Among the few businesses that qualify, those stalwart enough to sign up threw their names into a random lottery that closed March 27, resigned to putting up with the kind of bureaucratic muddle we’ve been enjoying, essentially unchanged, since June 15, 1921, when the provincial government first waded into the liquor business.

Andrea Fernandez

By law, grocery stores must partner with existing private shops, like Olympic Village’s Legacy Liquor Store

M AY 2 O 1 5 | VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E

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SAGMEISTER TAKES A SABBATICAL EVERY

THE

SEVEN YEARS. (SEE HIS TED TALK, “THE POWER OF TIME OFF.”) HIS LAST, TO BALI,

BRIEF

VA N C O U V E R L I F E

INSPIRED THIS SHOW. HAPPINESS FOR HIM? SCOOTERING WITH GOOD TUNES

Tr e n d i n g S t o r i e s

C U LT U R E

Happy Days A travelling exhibition unpacking our drive for contentment offers pointed observations about the values of its visitors and the institutions that host it

Y 22

yellow, the german poet Goethe believed, “is the colour nearest the light.” It equates with goodness, he wrote in 1810’s Theory of Colours, and “in its highest purity it always carries with it the nature of brightness, and has a serene, gay, softly exciting character.” Such beliefs have given rise to a whole school of colour psychology (think pink prisons and blue Facebook); to experience the effect in

person, you might check out Stefan Sagmeister’s just-opened installation at the Museum of Vancouver. The Happy Show, running to September 7, started three years ago in Philadelphia, then moved on to Toronto, L.A., Paris. One constant: in overtaking the spaces that host it, everything turns an unapologetically 100 percent primary yellow. The Museum of Vancouver is no exception; the New York-based Sagmeister has transformed its galleries and corridors with his signature jaunty text walls, infographic panels, and interactive installations. Yellow gumballs are stored in 10 dispensing tubes; assess your current mood and help yourself to a corresponding candy. (As the show progresses, the silos become emotional barometers.) Yellow graphics unpack—through the kind of smartly curated and attention-getting information you’d expect from a successful

midcareer graphic designer—connections between happiness and food, sex, music, exercise, novelty, and more. A yellow dispenser invites you to push a button to get a card. (Happiness is so often about reward.) “Continue enjoying this exhibit with your fly open. If you are not wearing trousers open the top three buttons of your shirt,” reads one. “Go home and have sex,” reminds another. The most moving cards draw on the interplay between happiness and community: “Take a picture of your favorite piece and send it to your best friend.” “Call your mom and talk to her about the show.” That’s the element that most excited Gregory Dreicer, the museum’s director of curatorial and engagement; he saw The Happy Show in Chicago in the summer of 2013, when he had a similar role with the Chicago Architecture

Greenhouse Media LLC

IN MANY CASES, MUSEUMS AND ESPECIALLY ART MUSEUMS HAVE BEEN ABOUT WHAT THE CURATORS LIKE. SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE CONTENT

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Foundation. He was blown away. “It’s probably the most engaging exhibition I’ve ever seen,” he says. “I went back several times, and every time, it was fi lled with people. The exhibition itself was beautifully designed and included all kinds of collaborations with other artists. He created this environment that’s all about what he’s talking about—amusing and engaging at the same time.” Not every show manages to walk this line, he says. “In many cases, museums and especially art museums have been about what the curators like. Sometimes people don’t really understand the content, and curators don’t care that much.” Academic hedging can overlay even a subject as basic as happiness (which Sagmeister came to realize is something we race toward but never reach: “If we did, basically, we would just have spent human history eating all the time and lying around having sex,” he has said). But that remove is changing, says Dreicer. “You’ve got to approach people with what they know, not with what you want them to know.” The show ties into larger themes for the museum, and for Dreicer personally, who arrived last summer to discover the dispiriting “Connections and Engagement” survey results from the Vancouver Foundation. His responses: this show, and a second, planned for 2016, that will “enable and help people to connect. But also get people to understand why connection is important: if an earthquake happens, are you expecting an ambulance just to drive up? If people can come away from interacting with the museum knowing why to connect and how, and having the opportunity to do so, then I really will be happy.”—John Burns

L AW

MEETING DEATH HALFWAY THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS Wanting to be happy is all well and good, but how to increase it if you can’t quantify it? In 1972, the mountain kingdom of Bhutan invented the Gross National Happiness index, which measures a mix of good governance, culture, environment, and development. In the intervening decades, the notion has been adopted by many, including the UN, the province of Ontario, the city of Seattle, and, most recently, the emirate of Dubai

A Vancouver lawyer brought his clients’ dying wishes to the Supreme Court, whose ruling opens the door to aided suicide  Joe Arvay has a way with words, and

Trades and Labour Council [Esquimalt,

over the last quarter-century court

B.C.], et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen),

watchers have heard him use those

drug addicts (Canada [A.G.] v. PHS

words to challenge what is—in his

Community Services Society), and sex

opinion and, more often than not, the

workers (Canada [Attorney General] v.

Supreme Court of Canada’s—a wrong

Downtown Eastside Sex Workers United

that should be righted.

Against Violence Society). In this most

In November 2011, the Farris,

recent case, his clients on behalf of the

Vaughan, Wills & Murphy lawyer

B.C. Civil Liberties Association, Gloria

used the words of a dying man to say

Taylor and Kay Carter, were both long

something about assisted suicide to a

dead when the case went to the coun-

courtroom packed with colleagues and

try’s highest court, which, he says,

interested and biased observers. “ ‘I feel

responded, as it has in his previous

like I have turned into a blob with useless

Charter cases, to the federal govern-

limbs,’ ” he read, quoting the affidavit of

ment’s failures or refusals to deal with

Pete Fenker, a retired logger and ALS

particular problems.

sufferer who had tried to kill himself with

He has learned that when he takes

a shotgun, then lived out his dying days

on a Charter case, he has to relate to

in agony. “ ‘It is a terrible thing to be a

the client’s cause. “Sometimes a lawyer

mind trapped in a wasted body.’ ”

can remain somewhat aloof or indiffer-

In February, the Supreme Court

ent, but when you’re arguing a Charter

finally ruled any competent adult with

case that is so value-laden, in order to

an incurable medical condition causing

be effective you need to be committed.

enduring, intolerable suffering could ask

I’m not indifferent.” That’s why he says

a doctor for help to die. It was a triumph,

one of his abiding passions is to try to

yet the lawyer—speaking from his office

persuade courts to impose positive

on the 25th floor of Vancouver’s TD

duties on government to deal with such

Tower—says the unanimous win remains

unshifting disasters as homelessness,

a complex one with an uncertain future.

child poverty, and addiction.

“I’ve done a lot of cases which

Politicians now have a year to

affect individuals or significant seg-

craft legislation that will decriminalize

ments of the population, but not a case

physician-assisted suicide, a task Arvay

that affects everyone the way this

doesn’t envy, calling the issue the kind

one does,” he says. “I appreciate there

of hot potato that scares all political

are still some people who don’t agree

parties because of its ability to attract

with the court’s decision, but there is

single-issue voters. That’s not his worry.

overwhelming support in the Cana-

What he does care about is the broader

dian population for physician-assisted

certainty the Taylor case achieved

dying in certain circumstances.”

through the courts. “We all know some-

Arvay, 65, has worked with the

one who suffered horribly as a result of

LGBTQ community (Chamberlain v.

illness or trauma. That peace of mind we

Surrey School District No. 36), labour

now have may be the palliative that we

unions (Federal Government Dockyard

all need as we grow older.”—Petti Fong

M AY 2 O 1 5 | VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E

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• •

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BOOKSTORES IN VANCOUVER

100 – 75 –

– 75

POT STORES IN VANCOUVER

50 –

– 50

25 –

– 25

– 100

0–

Tr e n d i n g S t o r i e s

–0 2000

2005

2010

2015

RECYCLING

Junkyard Hero One Vancouver entrepreneur’s search for compostable plastics over a decade ago, toby Reid was working as an e-commerce specialist at Mountain Equipment Co-op. He also loved to surf, but the more time he spent on our coastal beaches, the more he was confronted by an ever-growing abundance of plastic littering the ocean. The unwelcome sight inspired him to take a closer look at MEC’s plastic procurement and supply policies; a light bulb flicked on. In 2006, three years after leaving the co-op, he launched Solegear Bioplastics. “I saw a need for bio-based, fully compostable plastic,” Reid says in his third-floor office on West Hastings Street, in the high-tech incubator corridor near Woodward’s. “I met a chemical engineer, and a day later we were developing tests.” Since founding Solegear nine years ago, Reid has been working to revolutionize the petroleumbased industry through a range of new-age durable plastics derived from plant-based resins and environmentally benign chemicals. These so-called bioplastics, which Solegear has made into packaging trays and smartphone cases, are designed to be as compostable as pizza boxes and carrot peelings. Like many Vancouver entrepreneurs, Reid, 42, originally financed

his start-up by leaning on friends and family, then dipped into government funding. Eventually, he approached the city’s venture capitalists; even today, his conversations are richly sprinkled with investment-pitch aphorisms like, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” To date Solegear has netted $2 million in federal funding and $5 million in private capital from Yaletown Venture Partners and Best Buy Capital. Reid says the next phase is to go public, with an initial offering scheduled for any day now; he hopes the IPO will generate another $3 million. That infusion will allow Solegear to roll out a new range of products including medical supplies and other packaging applications. Reid says he’s also on the cusp of announcing a major partnership with a toy manufacturer. “I believe we have the potential to build a billion-dollar company here in B.C.” Joe Hruska, sustainability consultant with the Ontario-based Canadian Plastics Industry Association, cautions that bioplastics are still in their infancy, accounting for less than four percent of Canadian production. (The industry as a whole is worth $17 billion a year in

THE CARROT OR THE STICK? While Toby Reid invents cleaner plastics to tempt consumers, he’s also lobbying politicians to regulate sustainable packaging. He points to cities like Seattle, which banned singleuse plastic bags as well as noncompostable and non-recyclable packaging in the foodservice sector

this country.) Multinationals like Germany’s BASF, founded in 1865, have begun to test the market, but he believes all firms face significant challenges, including confusion from consumers about where compostable plastics fit alongside recycling and waste disposal. The scale of the problem is vast. The conventional-plastics industry churns out nearly 300 million tonnes of the stuff annually, overrunning landfills and contributing to ghastly continents of trash, like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, floating off the west coast of North America. A study by the Californiabased Association for the Advancement of Science examined more than 190 coastline countries and found that an estimated eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean each year; once there, they photodegrade into ever-smaller particulates, are swallowed by marine animals, and enter the food chain and, ultimately, us. Yet Reid is undaunted. He relishes the David-versus-Goliath nature of the struggle, even as he wishes Solegear were further along in its development. “We’re trying to disrupt a well-entrenched petroleum-based plastics sector,” he says. “It can be frustratingly slow.”—Andrew Findlay

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | M AY 2 O 1 5

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 FR ANCES BUL A

Civic Af fairs

there and be told off for his city’s behaviour. The real question is how mushy liberals like me believe shoving the homeless into shelters will solve anything. “You want to pretend you’re a better person,” he says, leaning into his padded chair. “You’re not. You’re not writing the articles that would hold this government to account.” He doesn’t mean a general “you.” He means me specifically. I’m buying into the right-wing agenda, he says, caving in to a craven wish to remove the unpleasantness of homeless people from my sight. Waves of adrenalin slosh through my system. Yes, but Burnaby has no permanent or winter shelters, just one temporary shelter open only on the worst nights… Eventually, I steer to calmer waters. Before I leave, I ask him if he regrets anything in 30 years of public life. He pauses, looks around his office. “I think sometimes by being as outspoken as I am, I needlessly alienate what could be support. I could be more conciliatory and have a better effect. The problem is, I was a criminal lawyer. When you went into court, you came to play. It can be very off-putting.” I blink.

The Big Buildup How perennial mayor Derek Corrigan reinvented Burnaby photo by ash ta nasiychuk

E 26

everything was going so well. Ensconced in his office, with his jars of candy, Chinese plates, pandas, display of pins, and Best Run City in Canada award, Derek Corrigan—the man some call the king of Burnaby—seemed uncharacteristically affable. We talked about his rough childhood (son of a single

mother, “dirt poor” in the early years), his start in politics, his ability to attract votes even when the electorate disagrees with him. Then I bring up homelessness, and the temperature plummets. That topic has earned him more criticism than any over the years, and Corrigan isn’t going to just sit

corrigan has the look of a rugby forward who’s run over his share of opponents. The most pugnacious mayor the Lower Mainland has seen in 50 years, he defies conventional wisdom. Not for him the conciliatory pleasantries of Mayor Gregor Robertson’s “If I haven’t met your expectations, I am sorry” or former Surrey mayor Dianne Watts’s regal “I’m here to listen to all of you.” He tears strips off fellow politicians, berates reporters, is presiding over an onslaught of condo development and cheap-apartment demolition

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that would set off riots in Vancouver, and has been dinged more than once for pricey junkets, fancy cars, distracted-driving tickets, and his heavy subsidized use of Burnaby’s golf courses. Oh, and he’s an unapologetic socialist. It’s easier to engage in such behaviour when voters have your back. In Burnaby’s last civic election, a new opposition party tried to raise the kinds of issues that nearly toppled Vision Vancouver: lack of affordable housing, rampant development, cozy relationships with unions, lack of public consultation. It went nowhere. In fact, 70 percent of the 40,000 people who bothered to vote chose Corrigan. That kind of blanket approval is unseen outside of, say, Turkmenistan. His praise comes from an unlikely coalition. Developers frequently name him one of the best in the region to do business with. Unions love him—the one representing city employees contributed a quarter of his association’s $490,000 election campaign funds. Environmentalists see him as a hero for his stand on the Kinder Morgan pipeline, especially the city’s substantial (unpublished) outlay to repeatedly take the company to court through the National Energy Board, the B.C. Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the federal court of appeal. And business types, who might look at a socialist askance, can’t help but be impressed with Burnaby’s finances. The city never borrows to fix roads, build community centres and pools, or create parks. At last count, its reserves held $655 million in cash and $100 million in land—plus its parks and city buildings. “He does speak across the political divide that exists in B.C.,” says Patrick Smith, the SFU politicalscience professor who is one of

the province’s closest observers of municipal politics. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him stumble.” the great depression broke Burnaby. Unlike Vancouver, which profited during those rough years by taking over defaulted properties, the City of Burnaby was so poor by 1932 that the province had to step in and run it for 10 years. “There was something in that experience, the trauma of going bankrupt, that shaped Burnaby,” says Smith, who has lived and worked in the municipality for 32 years. As a consequence this big suburb turned into the Saskatchewan of B.C., one of the most reliably leftwing zones in the province—but in its own way. Partly, that’s because it developed as a working-class appendix to Vancouver and partly because it has become home to many union offices. It’s a cautious, moderate leftism that prevails here, the kind that pinches a penny and works hard to keep the bank happy. It’s Corrigan’s kind of leftism. He too passed through poverty. In the 1950s, he lived in a West End boarding house with his mother— a cosmetician who worked at city drugstores—and his younger halfbrother. He didn’t know his father, a military guy who turned into a drunk and took off. By elementary school, little Derek was acting out, and the principal, suspecting he was bright and bored, arranged for him to switch to Queen Elizabeth elementary, deep in Vancouver’s establishment West Side. He stayed there, mixing with the children of doctors and lawyers, until the family moved near Charles Tupper for high school; there, he felt the pressure to toughen up. But he had been told he was smart and carried that as a deep obligation. “When you come from a

middle-class family, you can waste your talents and there’s someone else around to succeed. But in my case, everybody failed if I failed.” So he knuckled down, got into UBC political science, then law school. He graduated a changed man. Married to classmate Kathy (they have four kids), he absorbed the idealism of the ’70s, emerging a civil libertarian. That meant making sure the system treated everyone fairly. His subsequent cases must have tested that belief many times. He practised criminal law for 30 years, defending what some might call the scum of the earth: a drunk driver who killed a family of four (“What I ask is that you not be swayed by emotion,” he said to the jury); a guy who beat a woman on the head with a flashlight and a rock (“He is a normal, respectful Christian young man,” he told

SOMETIMES BY BEING AS OUTSPOKEN AS I AM, I NEEDLESSLY ALIENATE WHAT COULD BE SUPPORT the court); a restaurant owner who sexually assaulted a couple of teenage girls (maybe he touched one of them on the shoulder to help his balance, he argued). It was likely some of those people, along with others he met working summers as a prison guard, he was thinking of when he told a reporter that homeless people are usually hopeless addicts and habitual criminals. If they found you dying on the sidewalk, he told the Burnaby NewsLeader in 2013, they’d pull out your gold fillings.

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Politics was an early interest, thanks to an articling stint with Jim Lorimer of the short-lived Dave Barrett government. Former NDP attorney-general Bob Williams would drop in. By 1979, two years out of law school, Corrigan was running for council with the citizens’ association that had started strong in the mid ’50s but had since declined. It would take four tries and a stint as president to rebuild the organization, but he finally won a seat in 1987, at the same time his party swept to power. He and the association, with strong ties to unions, have kept a lock on council ever since. The classic suburban councillor, he was always on the lookout for his people, speaking out about monster houses, crime, lack of protection for renters. He has been mayor since 2002, through five elections, and by all appearances he’ll die in office: he hasn’t strayed beyond his borders since his unhappy three-year foray as chair of BC Transit, at the invitation of Mike Harcourt. He quit in May 1997 after a drubbing in the media over the $1,000-a-month Saab he billed to the government. The resignation wasn’t graceful. He’d given up a lucrative law practice for a public-service job, he pointed out. “I don’t think I deserve this. I deserve thanks.” (In addition to his mayoral salary of $123,000, in 2013 he received $12,750 for a car, $37,000 as a Metro director, and $13,329 for other expenses.) Although Corrigan isn’t seen as a force in the provincial NDP, he is still the ruler of his pond. Anyone wanting to run for the party provincially or federally is advised to make his living room their first stop. Kennedy Stewart did before he made his run for federal office. Carol Baird Ellan got his endorsement as part of seeking the nomination in the new

Burnaby North-Seymour riding. Of course, Kathy Corrigan could stop by anytime she liked. After leaving law to work at the CUPE head office, she served as a schoolboard trustee for several years and is now in her second term as an NDP MLA. It’s a sign of Derek’s equal-opportunity contrarianism that he disagrees with his wife on policy issues: he supported Burnaby’s casino when the city became the first to push to expand those revenues; she didn’t. He was prepared to vote against her equity motion when she was head of the party’s women’s committee. They’re at odds on the current transit plebiscite. (He is voting no.) now 63, he’s focusing on his own backyard—Burnaby first, Metro Vancouver second. Four years ago, it was Corrigan who steered the Regional Growth Strategy to success. Turning on the charm and self-deprecating wit he can display when he wants to, he sold a road map for what the region needs if it’s to accommodate the million people and 600,000 jobs anticipated by 2041. He coaxed skeptical councils to accept one of the more contentious items, a land reserve that would save their industrial districts from becoming Condoland. And he preached the importance of density. Density wasn’t just an abstract idea he tossed out for other municipalities to act on. Burnaby has taken it on with a vengeance, envisioning a 55-percent increase in population (to 345,000) by 2041. That is going to mean big changes. The city is still almost rural. At 90 square kilometres, it’s about 80 percent as big as Vancouver, but with under half the residents, many still living in Ozzie and Harrietstyle big houses on large lots that

A TALE OF TWO CITIES The new Oakridge and Brentwood developments represent 28 acres each, yet the numbers speak to radically different settings Tallest towers O: 47 storeys B: 70 storeys Number of units O: 2,914 B: 4,200 (max) Affordable housing O: 290 socialhousing units ($80M) run by the city, plus 290 rental apartments B: $913,000 to the housing fund; developers to supply some rental apartments Public amenities O: $123M, including a park ($23M), civic centre ($44M), and public art ($8M) B: The developer has given $4.56M for the first tower. About $3.5M is set aside for unspecified amenities. Plus, public art and a central plaza, cost unspecified

sprawl across neighbourhoods from Burrard Inlet to the Fraser River. Burnaby’s solution has been to pile growth into four town centres (Metrotown, Edmonds, Brentwood, Lougheed) and along the Millennium Line with few of the rules that Vancouver, in deference to public pressure, has set down. All around Metrotown, cheap three-storey rental buildings are being pulled down at a ferocious pace, something that is alarming those who monitor housing in the city and region. “People are regularly being displaced. The situation is very serious,” says Wanda Mulholland, head of a Burnaby group trying to tackle the city’s homelessness and housing problems. Corrigan insists the city is preserving what it can through a moratorium on many apartments, but some of the buildings are too old to be saved and the city doesn’t have enough money in its density-bonus account to subsidize something new and make it affordable. Not for his city the Vancouver route of giving developers massive bonuses to create market rentals. So that’s that. In the meantime, buildings are coming down because, as he writes to me later, they sit on land near the SkyTrain that should be used for more density to maximize the transit investment. The density allowed in the town centres is startling. At Brentwood, the City approved a massive redevelopment two years ago that makes Vancouver’s controversial Oakridge one look like a Hobbit village. And throughout Burnaby, developers have been allowed to throw up towers, especially along the Millennium Line, that provide none of the amenities that other cities require (parks, an interesting streetscape, some sense of a neighbourhood plan) when they’re forcing density.

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | M AY 2 O 1 5

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THE Dr. Shannon humphrey, Dr. alaStair CarrutherS & Dr. Jean CarrutherS answer your questions about today’s cosmetic advances & issues

Is there anything you can do to help with cellulite and saddlebags? I’m on the paleo diet and work with a trainer but it’s not doing the trick.

Zoe J, Vancouver

I have good news and bad news, bad news first, there is no lasting treatment for cellulite. There are a number of devices on the market that offer temporary improvement in the appearance of cellulite. Similarly topical application of caffeine containing cream with vigorous massage can offer very temporary improvement however cellulite is caused by dense fibrous connections within the fat itself and we have yet to develop a reproducible long lasting treatment for this problem. (As depicted in popular news magazines even skinny celebrities get cellulite!) There is good news for saddlebags. For patients who have localized unwanted deposits of fat including saddlebags, CoolSculpting® is an option for them. This treatment uses cold temperatures to freeze unwanted bulges of fat. As long as your weight is stable, you pay attention to diet and exercise, and the fat deposits are localized you may be a good candidate for Coolsculpting. There is an advanced and innovative applicator specifically for the saddlebag called the CoolSmooth. Other popular areas to treat include inner thighs, love handles and the belly. Your expert cosmetic physician can determine if this may be a good treatment for you but in the meantime keep up the good work with a healthy diet and exercise, this will keep you looking and feeling great for a lifetime.

– Shannon Humphrey, frcpc – Alastair Carruthers, frcpc – Jean Carruthers, frcsc

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Corrigan says Burnaby hasn’t been able to ask for those things for a long time, but the balance is shifting. “When we did Metrotown and Station Square, at that point the developers had all the cards. Twenty-five years later, the bargaining power has shifted.” Even though Burnaby is now pushing for a bit more, developers say the city is still one of the best to work with. If Corrigan likes something, he says so. If he doesn’t, he tells whoever is in his office flat out that the idea will never fly. “It makes it easier. Then you’re not wasting anyone’s time,” says one applicant who was recently rejected. He’s tight with his planning staff. “There’s no doubt that his city hall is probably the most cohesive in the region in how staff and the politicians work together,” says Michael Geller, a developer and architect who used to oversee SFU’s UniverCity developments in Burnaby. Still, this suburban mayor insists Burnaby can never get what Vancouver does because of an inherent bias at all levels. Vancouver gets art galleries and arenas; “We get the sewage and the garbage and the prisons.” And the municipality continues to be treated like nothing more than a corridor to drive through. “Hastings, Lougheed, the Trans-Canada Highway dividing the community in half, Kingsway, Canada Way, Marine Way—they were built just to move people through here,” he says. That’s why he doesn’t support a Broadway subway. What’s the point of shipping more people from the Valley out to the western end of the Vancouver peninsula, he wants to know. He’d rather support Surrey and Coquitlam in developing their own downtowns. That’s the future, he says. Forget Vancouver and the North Shore. The Fraser Valley will be Burnaby’s salvation. VM

15-03-25 12:41 PM

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THE

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reviewed by council, the Development Permit Board, and the Urban Design Panel, a peerreview group of volunteer architects, landscape Development hasn’t been arrested, architects, and engineers but it’s under surveillance who offer feedback (tone by adrien ne matei down that wacky façade, soften the courtyard) you’d be forgiven are fiercely protected, during the process. “Then for thinking develthe area is still seeing we go to heritage comopments in this city spring plenty of additions, both mittees; in the West End up out of nowhere. Even confirmed and pending, we also go to the LGBTQ if it sometimes feels this including towers by West- community. We notify way, “They do go through bank and Intracorp. “We the neighbourhood, we an extensive level of give advice based on cur- put ads in the newspaper, scrutiny before anything rent policy and whether we have a public hearing. is approved,” says Kevin developers’ proposals fit The Beach Towers had a McNaney, assistant direc- our parameters or not,” four-night public heartor of planning. We’re explains McNaney. ing, The Lauren had five.” talking about the West As for other advisory (McNaney was there the End Plan, launched last elements, projects are whole time.) “Anyone can year after consulting over 7,000 people to establish principles like buildings must include 20 percent social housing, vibe with local character, and cap at 190 feet. The blueprint won the Planning Institute of British Columbia’s 2014 Excellence in Policy Planning Award. While the 121 heritage buildings in the ’hood

West End 101

B U I L D I N G WAT C H

ZONING OUT New towers are coming to the West End. At least, they’re trying to

come speak; everyone’s got five minutes to express their opinion.” If the proposal’s approved, the development process generally calls for more input from the UDP (which keeps tabs on density and height, ensuring the city’s 27 sacrosanct view corridors, five of which sluice through the West End, preserve those heartswelling mountain vistas). Right now, the proposed skyscraper rezoning of 1754 Pendrell has eyebrows raised. “It meets our basic tower guidelines for the West End: it’s rental housing.” Concerned neighbours needn’t fret yet. “Even if there is a rezoning, you still need to go through the development permit process. There’s still a long way before construction—the public can track and respond to how the conditions of rezoning were approved.” It’s as complicated as it needs to be, says McNaney. “We have a highly consultative process.” VM

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Status: Rezoning application Units: 184 (groundlevel commercial space) Storeys: 26 Who: Henriquez Partners Architects & Bosa Properties

Status: Development application under existing zoning Units: 90 (28 social housing) Storeys: 19 Who: NSDA Architects & Intracorp Gutter Credit

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VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | M AY 2 O 1 5

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THE CHEAP SEATS SPEAKING OF THE MLS, HERE’S THE MARKET’S LOWEST LISTING: 633 E. CORDOVA ST. IS A 3,100 SQ. FT. HOME WITH 4 BEDS, 2 BATHS. SAYS THE REALTOR: “BE A PART OF THE FUTURE OF TRENDY VANCOUVER!” ASKING PRICE? $738,000

* Who’s in Charge? FIGURE ONE

HOT BUYS

We asked 1,000 people what influences their neighbourhood. Developers and traffic dominated Q: Who has the

Q: What has

In a sellers’ market, with a glut of houses arrayed for a superglut of buyers, what distinguishes the hidden gems? It can be any little thing

Q: If one thing

most influence on the look and feel of your neighbourhood?

changed in your neighbourhood over the past five years?

could improve the look and feel of your neighbourhood, what would it be?

21%

BEST

“Encourage community-oriented activities, to keep the sense of family— old-fashioned as that might seem. Including block parties, Block Watch, community events such as parades, displays, involve churches, schools”

Community

23%

Government

42%

Developers

Food options

SAME

Entertainment options

WORST

Traffic

MORE THAN THE MARKET CAN BEAR

West Side detached houses on the market—an impressive number, doubly so given that it’s 44 percent higher than last year’s. Such an embarrassment of choices might suggest a slowdown, as buyers graze through ever more offerings, yet realtors are reporting a spring so vigorous it’s in danger of tipping into that sexiest of seasons: a sellrate is approaching zero might also

$289,000 // 554 sq. ft., 1 bed, 1 bath. Is there anything authentically Victorian still in this 1996 condo conversion? Ontology aside, it has a proper bedroom, hardwood floors, and a rooftop patio.

 In February, there were over 400

ers’ market. (That the overnight Results are based on online interviews that Insights West conducted for Vancouver magazine with a representative sample of 1,002 adult residents of Metro Vancouver between March 2 and 4. The margin of error is 3.1%

202–233 ABBOTT ST., GASTOWN

be a factor.) All this hustle has us hitting Refresh on MLS.ca every morning, idly hunting for patterns. Some would look at these charm-

3727 W. 18TH AVE., DUNBAR

$1,798,000 // 2,267 sq. ft., 3 beds, 2 baths. A little old lady only drove this to church and back before the second owner updated windows, wiring, furnace, etc., plus a second-storey great room add-on.

ers, sprinkled across the city but all built in the year 1910, as a trend. We

Gutter Credit

think marketing opportunity…

1754 PENDRELL ST., OFF DENMAN

1401 COMOX ST., AT BROUGHTON

1600 BEACH AVE. & 1651 HARWOOD ST.

Status: Rezoning application received prior to West End Community Plan process Units: 171 Storeys: 21 Who: Henriquez Partners Architects & Westbank

Status: Completed rezoning application Units: 186 (rental) Storeys: 22, plus townhouses and 3,500 sq. ft. queercommunity facility Who: Henriquez Partners Architects & Westbank

Status: Completed rezoning application, adding to existing buildings Units: 133 Storeys: Nine, plus three low-rises and several townhouses Who: PH5 Architecture & Devonshire Properties

2166 E. 41ST AVE., KENSINGTON-CEDAR COTTAGE

$938,000 // 2,480 sq. ft., 6 beds, 4 baths. This multifamily building (two kitchens) is zoned RS-1 to retain the area’s single-family vibe. Marketed as a new build opportunity, it’s unlikely to survive a second century.

M AY 2 O 1 5 | VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E

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THE

BRIEF

ON THE RECORD

 PET TI FONG

Newsmakers

Pumped Up Kicks

I really believe Canadians, like everyone else, want to be able to buy shoes online and not have to pay duty. Roger Hardy used to buy two pairs of shoes a year. In the last PF Sounds like the Zappos model. nine months, the Clearly Contacts founder has bought several Is your goal to be bought out by online-footwear sites and has plans for an IPO later this year. Amazon too? Now he’s a 10-pairs-a-month guy RH We don’t spend a lot of time thinking about those companies. Shoes are a $195 billion business, PETTI FONG I tell my journalism and 70 percent of that is comfort students to always declare posathletics and casual footwear. We sible conflicts of interest, so here’s want to be in that category. If we’re mine: two years ago, I complained following a model, it’s the Chip about the customer service at Wilson one of comfort and casual. PF Name three things you can’t sell Coastal Contacts, which you online. hadn’t yet sold to Essilor for that impressive $430 million. And you RH It used to be that it was big, heavy items, but everything is going shipped me a free pair of glasses. What’s the business case for giving more and more online. There’s nothing you can’t buy online now. someone free glasses? ROGER HARDY We were trying to PF Then what’s the next barrier for reshape people’s perceptions. Eye- online shopping? RH Instant gratification is where glasses used to be thought of as a

medical product. Our method was telling people that instead of paying $400 to $500, you could have this product for $99—that made eyeglasses not just something they needed but something they could enjoy wearing. PF What’s been the transition to selling shoes through your merged ShoeMe.ca/OnlineShoes.com? RH On average, people buy 12 pairs of shoes a year. Glasses you may change once every three or four years. There are some unique Canadian brands of shoes out there—Sorel, Wolverine—and

the web is going. We’re working on offering a one-hour service in Toronto and also a same-day service, so you can get your shoes an hour after ordering them. PF One hour? Aren’t you encouraging instant regret? RH There’s no regret when it comes to buying shoes. You wake up the next day eager to wear them for the first time. PF One-hour service still seems kinda lofty. Wait, lofty… RH I can’t give away all my secrets, but yes, high-speed drones could be key. VM

John Sinal

INSTANT GRATIFICATION IS WHERE THE WEB IS GOING. WE’RE WORKING ON OFFERING A ONE-HOUR SERVICE

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | M AY 2 O 1 5

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B A K E R . M C G U I R E . M I TC H E L L G O L D . LE E . B OL I E R . D EL L A R O B B I A . S A N G I A C OM O . S A B A . G A M M A

itâ€™s b e a u t i f u l i n s i d e

1855 Fir Street at West 3rd Armoury District Vancouver 604.736.8822 Monday - Saturday 10-5:30 pm broughaminteriors.com

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VANCOUVER BIRD WEEK (MAY 2 TO 9) FETES

THE

BRIEF

OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS WITH WALKS AND LECTURES. IN ONLINE POLLS, THE BLACK-

THE ESSENTIALS

CAPPED CHICKADEE WON THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE WITH 277, 924 VOTES. VANCOUVER.CA

S t u f f You Should Do

FILM

A Whale of a Tale Nonfiction films change the world—or commemorate hot rods, distant wars, and Elvis

FIVE EASY PIECES More standouts from the DOXA lineup

recollections of the main players, illustrating the story with a trove of 16mm archival footage. But for Vancouver, How to Change the World is more than just the charting of a counterculture movement; it’s a reminder of a city before the city of glass, when thousands marched through downtown to protect the planet and when this pristine coast was a gateway to more than global markets. The faces on-screen are part of this city’s DNA: charismatic, uncompromising Paul Watson; his archrival (and, some say, traitor to the movement) Patrick

CENSORED VOICES (Israel/Germany) After 1967’s SixDay War, Amos Oz grabbed a recorder and schlepped around kibbutzim asking the soldiers how they felt about their experiences. Revisiting those young men a half-century later, Mor Loushy’s film provides insight into the moment Israel became a force to be reckoned with.

TELL SPRING NOT TO COME THIS YEAR (U.K./Afghanistan) Twelve months on patrol with local forces following the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan lay a hopeless situation bare. Stunning photography and subtle direction make for compelling viewing of life through the eyes of both an offi cer and a regular.

ORION: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (U.K./USA) Brit Jeanie Finlay picked up an album at a yard sale, intrigued by who the masked man on the cover might have been. Recorded in 1979, the disc turned out to be by Orion, a man who sang so like Elvis he struggled to find work—until the King died and there was a myth to exploit…

Moore; and the journalist-turned-activist who managed to keep them working to a common goal, the late Bob Hunter. A writer for the Vancouver Sun, Hunter understood the importance of press and the need for a visual record to cement the movement in the public eye (a boon, too, for Rothwell). As a historical document, How to Change the World is fascinating; as a portrait of our radical past, it raises many questions, not least the prism through which we see ourselves as a global city today. Doxafestival.ca

I THINK YOU’RE TOTALLY WRONG: A QUARREL (USA) James Franco’s fi lm version of David Shields and Caleb Powell’s hit book follows the two friends around as they disagree on life, sex, art, drugs, and everything in between.



WORLD PREMIERE

HIT 2 PASS (Canada) Kurt Walker’s Indiegogo-funded doc follows Tyson Storozinski as he enters the annual metal fest that is Prince George’s Hit to Pass full-contact car race and looks at the community from which this 24year event was born. For showtimes and more details, visit Doxafestival.ca

Gutter Credit

there was only ever one film that could open this year’s DOXA: How to Change the World begins in Vancouver in 1971—“hippie ground zero,” as one subject recalls. Richard Nixon had expressed the intention to turn Alaska’s Amchitka Island into a nuclear-testing site, and a small group of impassioned peaceniks jumped in a boat to try and stop the might of the U.S. war machine. Jerry Rothwell’s compelling account of the founding of Greenpeace—its highs, internal rivalries, and complex legacy—takes its cues from the

Robert Keziere; inset: Rex Weyler

DOXA DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL, VARIOUS LOCATIONS, TO MAY 10

VA N C O U V E R M A G A Z I N E | M AY 2 O 1 5

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SPONSORED REPORT

Sooner Rather than Later Nestled on Hawthorne Mountain in the charming town of Okanagan Falls, See Ya Later Ranch is known for more than its award-winning wines. A legacy of humour and a love of canines compose a history that won’t be soon forgotten.

urchased by Major Hugh Fraser in 1919, the ranch borrows its name from his wife’s curt farewell upon seeing the rustic valley property. See Ya Later represents an understanding of what’s really important (good wine and furry friends included) and an ability to take the rest in stride. Today SYL continues to prioritize the colourful side of life—as reflected in 2014’s refreshed label. The new look pays tribute to Major Fraser’s own colourful self and the history of the ranch, promising to carry the same values into the future. More than capable of the task at hand is Senior Winemaker, Dave Carson. Carson claims an impressive history in his own right, having worked in the wine industry since long before his own legal age. Coming to SYL with a long list of awards and accolades, Carson finds nothing more rewarding than his daily view of Skaha Lake—though it’s still worth noting that SYL’s 2014 ROVER (a Shiraz Viognier blend) won the Platinum and Premier Awards at the 2014 British Columbia Wine Awards. “I’m proud to be part of a team so totally committed to producing wines of the highest quality,” says Carson. Next time this colourful label catches your eye at the liquor store, be sure to take a bottle home with you. We have a good feeling your response will be more along the lines of “see you again soon.”

THE GRAPE DIVIDE 20,000 Number of visitors to SYL each season 400 Approximate number of

barrels used each year for SYL products

12 Age at which Dave started working in vineyards

9 Number of different varietals or blends produced by SYL in 2014 3 Minimum number of dogs typically found at SYL 2 Number of months until the Summer Okanagan Wine Festival

2575 Green Lake Road (Just 5 km off Highway 97) Okanagan Falls, B.C. 250-497-8267 | sylranch.com Created by the Vancouver advertising department in partnership with See Ya Later Ranch.

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Best New

RESTAUR ANT ★

of the year

★

ASK FOR LUIGI

★★★

★★

★

ASK FOR LUIGI

CINARA

CHAMBAR

350 W. Pender St. 604-428-9694 Cinara.ca

568 Beatty St. 604-879-7119 Chambar.com

305 Alexander St. 604-428-2544 Askforluigi.com

➾

our judges—and the masses—have been emphatic in their praise of Ask for Luigi, the Little Restaurant That Could. Despite a low profile, strong word of mouth resulted in flocks from near and far for this diminutive, unpretentious trattoria’s house-made pastas, accessible wines (served in tumblers rather than stemware), and antipasti such as anchovy-topped eggs and stellar meatballs. “I’ve never had a dish there I wouldn’t order again,” one judge enthuses, echoing many of his colleagues. (See also Restaurant of the Year, Best Casual, and Best Italian Casual.) A very different interpretation of Italian cuisine, at Silver winner Cinara, also made an impressive debut. Chef/owners Lucais Syme and Gill Book have worked in many of the city’s top pasta-forward kitchens, but here their concise, frequently changing menu of “modern European cuisine” favours proteins whose fuss-free presentations belie “their underlying intelligence, precise technique, and explorations of ingredients not generally found elsewhere.” Although not new, Belgian-themed Chambar took Bronze for reinventing itself just enough in its 10th year: a new, larger location and an expanded menu, but the same standards of excellence in food and service that have made it a perennial darling. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: My Shanti, Café Medina ★

BEST JAPANESE UPSCALE FIRST PLACE TIE

★★★

TOJO’S 1133 W. Broadway, 604-872-8050 Tojos.com

★★★

ZEST 2775 W. 16th Ave., 604-731-9378 Zestjapanese.com

★

MIKU 70-200 Granville St., 604-568-3900 Mikurestaurant.com

BEST JAPANESE UPSCALE There were gasps of surprise last year when Zest liberated this category’s Gold title from Tojo’s for the first time in the history of our awards. This year, we declare a tie, our judges evenly split in their preference for chef Yoshiaki Maniwa’s “contemporary, cerebral” Japanese cuisine at Zest and Hidekazu Tojo’s legendary Tojo’s, which is “easy to take for granted, but is a world-famous restaurant we’re lucky to have.” Zest once again drew special-mention raves for its $90 omakase menu (24 hours’ notice required), which, says one judge, “will convince you that Maniwa and Tatsuya Katagiri are among the best chefs in the city.” Tojo’s, meanwhile, never fails to offer a flawless

(and deservedly costly) dining experience: whether raw or cooked, the unwavering freshness and invention of every plate make it a gastronomic shrine every local and visitor needs to experience at least once. Miku (Bronze), which introduced the city to aburi-style (flame-seared) sushi, impressed with its “grand, sophisticated” new waterfront room as much as with its sprawling menu of sea-and-land temptations. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar, Kiriri ★ The charitable beneficiary of this year’s Restaurant Awards is Mealshare, which collaborates with local eateries to provide meals to those in need. Mealshare.ca

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27 years and still cooking !

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Lunch rush at Tacofino Commissary

best of the AMERICAS ★★★

Tacofino Commissary 2327 E. Hastings St., 604-253-8226 Tacofino.com

★★

La Taqueria Various locations. Lataqueria.com

★

Re-Up BBQ 810 Quayside Dr., New Westminster, 604-553-3997 Reupbbq.com

best KOREAN ★★★

Hanwoori 5740 Imperial St., Burnaby, 604-439-0815

★★

Damso Modern Korean 867 Denman St., 604-632-0022

★

Seoul Doogbaegi 1031 Kingsway, 604-879-1515

Best of the Americas Tacofino Commissary, the first bricks-and-mortar progeny of the much-loved food truck, claimed Gold from our judges for offering “authentic flavours without being held back by tradition.” This means tacos filled with skirt steak and jalapeño, but also chicken karaage and Brussels sprout kimchee; or a take on poutine that teams tater tots with “chorizo verde” and salsa fresca. La Taqueria (Silver), which recently expanded to a third location in North Vancouver, continues to be a model of simplicity: a tight selection of meat and vegetable tacos, each a perfect balance of flavours. (Carnivores would be remiss in overlooking the vegan tinga de hongos, with sautéd mushrooms and chipotle.) Re-Up BBQ, at New Westminster’s River Market, loads up its customers with heaps of southern-inspired proteins: pulled pork, brisket, and fried chicken come on a bun or as a platter. Don’t forget the heavenly buttermilk biscuits. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: El Camino’s, Los Cuervos Taqueria & Cantina ★ best korean Opposite a car dealership, in the sort of grim strip mall that propels people to leave the suburbs forever, Hanwoori may be the most deceptive-looking restaurant ever to serially dominate a Gold prize in

these awards. Look past the doors and survey the clientele in the dining room: bona fide Koreans, far from the mother cuisine, who know this is real-deal cooking. It isn’t always cheap (beef and seafood dishes can scale upwards of $30), but in both quality and quantity, you get what you pay for. Damso Modern Korean (Silver) telegraphs its siren’s call to the late-night masses: this is where you want to stuff your face as either a prelude or coda to the evening’s indulgences. You will come to believe in the allure of a kimcheestuffed bulgogi burger. Seoul Doogbaegi (Bronze) offers zero in terms of ambience or attentive service, but if you want filling portions of bulgogi, beef tendon soup, and steamed or fried dumplings, just order to your heart’s content and shut up. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Ma Dang Coul, Dai Jang Kum ★ best thai Chef Angus An once again dominates this category. His Maenam (Gold) has single-handedly elevated diners’ knowledge and appreciation of Thai cuisine, as well as its relationship to wine: “For those weaned on pad Thai bastardized with ketchup, the mouth-popping sensation of bitterly brittle pea eggplants”—his devotion to sourcing ingredients is part of his success—“and the uncompromising heat

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A PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE, NATURALLY. IT’S IN OUR DNA For over three decades, Toptable Goup has defned elegant yet approachable dining. The fnest regional ingredients – crafted by extraordinary culinary talent and delivered with an unparalleled level of hospitality – is what continues to set Toptable Group apart. But it is you, our guest, who continues to inspire us in our ongoing pursuit of excellence.

toptable group

araxi

blue water cafe

cincin

west

thierry

toptable.ca

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R A ★ 2015

BEST THAI

Ingredient of t h e y e a r

★★★

MAENAM 1928 W. Fourth Ave., 604-730-5579 Maenam.ca

★★

LONGTAIL KITCHEN 116-810 Quayside Dr., New Westminster, 604-553-3855 Longtailkitchen.com

★

BOB LIKES THAI FOOD 1521 W. Broadway, 604-558-3320 3755 Main St., 604-568-8538 Boblikesthaifood.com

OCTOPUS ➾

given Vancouver diners’ devotion to local seafood, the only surprise in octopus’s appearance on so many menus of late is that it didn’t happen sooner. The delicious mollusc made the leap in the past year from ethnicrestaurant specialty to full-blown Ocean Wise-approved locavore hero. L’Abattoir’s starter—pressed and slowpoached, then crowned with grilled tentacles and squid-ink crumb—highlights the creature’s range of textures, which can be snappily fresh or luxuriantly tender. With surf-and-turf cheekiness, Cibo Trattoria recently served it with a sprinkle of bone-marrow bread crumbs, while at Tacofino Gastown, it’s simply grilled and brought to the table on a tostado with jalapeño-avocado crema. Add it to your home repertoire with Fresh Sheet columnist Murray Bancroft’s simple recipe: pick up some sustainable trap-caught octopus from the Fish Counter on Main Street, braise slowly for an hour or so with a bit of salted water, then marinate overnight with olive oil, lemon juice, chili, and oregano. The next day, grill to a lovely char, slice thinly, and enjoy!—Lee Man ★

BEST VIETNAMESE ★★★

PHNOM PENH 244 E. Georgia St., 604-682-5777 SECOND PLACE TIE

★★

MR. RED CAFE 2234 E. Hastings St., 604-710-9515

★★

AU PETIT CAFE 4815 Main St., 604-873-3328

BEST OTHER ASIAN ★★★

AMAY’S HOUSE 5076 Victoria Dr., 604-327-2629

★★

PENANG DELIGHT CAFE 3885 Rupert St., 604-566-9898 Penangdelight.com

★

BANANA LEAF Various locations Bananaleaf-vancouver.com

of green curry halibut, effectively tamed with semi-sweet Alsatian riesling, will be revelatory.” Longtail Kitchen (Silver) is another An masterstroke, making humble Thai street food—chicken wings and satays, fried rice with sausage—deserving of a special commute to the River Market. The two locations of Bob Likes Thai Food (Bronze) offer a more conventionally Western take on Thai standards, but their kitchens show uncommon attention to preparation and presentation, and a few tradition-defying dishes (Thai-style “poutine” with deepfried taro root, lime leaf, lemongrass, and green-curry sauce) are just crazy enough to work. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Thai Cuisine by Montri, Sawasdee Thai ★ BEST VIETNAMESE The bulletin board inside its front door won’t let us forget that Anthony Bourdain and Donald Sutherland, among other luminaries, love Phnom Penh (Gold), but their endorsements only confirm what many of us already knew: that this long-running Chinatown holein-the-wall is in a league of its own. The reputations of the chicken wings and butter beef are well established, but be adventurous when exploring the vast menu: at these prices, you can afford to, and the likelihood of disappointment is virtually nil. (Read our tingling lips: spicy garlic squid.) Mr. Red Cafe (Silver) dropped from nowhere into the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood last year and, at a stroke, raised the bar for Northern Vietnamese cuisine in the city; let wonderful co-owner/host Rose Nguyen (see Premier Crew, pg. 80) guide you through the menu, and the kitchen will reward your trust. Tied for Silver, Au Petit Café is a proudly modest family enterprise, but its pho, banh mi, and curries are as outsize and assertive as the room is not. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: BaoQi, Pho Tan ★ BEST OTHER ASIAN Burmese cuisine is still a relative rarity in Greater Vancouver. Amay’s House (Gold) will leave anyone who experiences chef/co-owner Hihaa Kyaw’s fragrant, palate-stunning efforts asking why. A simple salad of fermented tea leaves, tomato, and cabbage is a taste revelation,

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discover something new

concept store | thought-provoking food and fashion under one roof | one water street | secretlocation.ca reservations 604 685 0090 ext 2

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boutique appointments 604 685 0090 ext 1

2015-03-25 11:19 AM

The dim sum crowd at Chef Tony Seafood

while soups and noodle and rice dishes explode with variously bracing and soothing notes brought forth by the judicious use of basil leaves, lemongrass, coconut oil, and shrimp powder. The two outlets of Penang Delight Cafe (Silver) are reliably busy, the hordes drawn in by complex Malaysian curries and fun fried snacks like chicken wings and fabulously crunchy squid. Banana Leaf (Bronze) has grown from a single outlet in 1995 to five today; its success is just reward for delivering accessible Malaysian fare with unwavering consistency, and introducing the now ubiquitous likes of lettuce wraps, papaya salad, and sambal green beans to a previously unfamiliar populace. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Café Kathmandu, Dunlevy Snackbar ★

best DIM SUM ★★★

Chef Tony Seafood 101-4600 No. 3 Rd., Richmond, 604-279-0083 Cheftonycanada.com

★★

Golden Paramount 8071 Park Rd., Richmond, 604-278-0873

★

Dynasty Seafood 777 W. Broadway, 604-876-8388 Dynasty-restaurant.ca

The resulting egg-white buns, mushroom tarts, and steamed Malay cakes are ethereal. As well, the succulent hand-chopped black truffle siu mai, wild-rice-inflected chicken sticky rice, and puffy baked pork buns keep the crowd levels vigorously high—reservations are mandatory 76

Best Dim Sum The first thing the kitchen staff at Chef Tony Seafood (Gold) do every morning is prepare delicate doughs, batters, and crusts using finely milled imported flour. The resulting egg-white buns, mushroom tarts, and steamed Malay cakes are ethereal. As well, the succulent hand-chopped black truffle siu mai, wild-rice-inflected chicken sticky rice, and puffy baked pork buns keep the crowd levels vigorously high—reservations are mandatory. Golden Paramount (Silver) eschews pretension, focusing on unerring classic technique and restrained natural flavours best reflected in its famous crab-and-pork dumplings, startlingly earthy sweet-daikon spring rolls, and creamy char siu and preserved-egg pastries. Dynasty Seafood (Bronze) confidently incorporates West Coast influences with an emphasis on clean vegetarian dishes (mushroom dumplings and stir-fried Buddha’s feast) and smartly measured bursts of spice and sharpness (such as the lemon in those char siu pastries). HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Kirin, Neptune Seafood ★

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Award Winning Neapolitan Pizza

CELEBRATING Simple beautiful FOOD

with local and seasonal ingredients 68 East Cordova Street Vancouver BC • 604 669 6985

62 East Cordova Street, Vancouver BC 604 669 6985 niclipizzeria.ca

N IC L ISN E X T D O OR .C OM

A Rare Winery Experience Okanagan Crush Pad is home to Haywire and Narrative, two unique wines that celebrate the diversity of our vineyards. Come and discover why our wines are being celebrated as the new Okanagan. Open April to October. Check www.okanagancrushpad.com for hours. 250.494.4445 Ext 1 • 16576 Fosbery Road, Summerland, BC OKCrushPad

2015 03 Mar Van Mag Restaurant Awards-OCP.indd 1 MergedFullPages.indd 1

@OKCrushPad

OKCrushPad

3/12/2015 9:34:03 AM 2015-03-27 12:08 PM

r a ★ 2015

best noodle House Given the long, intimate relationship between ramen noodles and pork stock, it speaks to the strong impression made by Marutama Ra-men that it handily claimed Gold this year. The first North American outpost of a Japanese chainlet (located in a former house at Bidwell and Robson), it builds its soup’s mild yet complex flavour from the feet and abdominal meat of chicken, with added saline punch from aosa seaweed. Pile on some cha-shu and a soft-boiled egg for a deeply satisfying meal that costs a hair over $10. Tied for Silver, Motomachi Shokudo and Hokkaido Ramen Santouka impressed with consistent quality and habit-forming house specialties, such as the former’s heady charcoal-miso ramen and the latter’s pork-cheek ramen, its generous toppings served on the side. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Harvest Community Foods, Chef Hung’s Taiwanese Beef Noodle ★

Marutama Ra-men

best NOODLE HOUSE

Best iNDIAN

★★★

Vij’s

Marutama Ra-men

1480 W. 11th Ave., 604-736-6664 Vijsrestaurant.ca

★★

780 Bidwell St., 604-688-8837 Japanesenoodle.com second place tie

★★

Motomachi Shokudo 740 Denman St., 604-609-0310

★★

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka 1690 Robson St., 604-681-8121

★★★

My Shanti 15869 Croydon Dr., Surrey, 604-560-4416 Myshanti.com

★

Rangoli 1488 W. 11th Ave., 604-736-3701 Vijsrangoli.ca

best indian Our Chef of the Year, Vikram Vij, has long been assured at least two wins in this category, but the opening last year of his third bricks-and-mortar establishment (not including his acclaimed Railway Express truck; see pg. 84) brought him an unprecedented hat trick. Vij’s (Gold) is still the crown jewel, no one complaining about its no-reservations policy when food, wine, and service remain so consistently flawless. (“ ‘Lamb popsicles’ are now part of the Vancouver vernacular,” says one judge, affectionately referencing the signature dish.) When My Shanti (Silver) arrived last summer in, of all places, a Surrey strip mall, it instantly acquired destination status for food that is “bolder and deeper than Vij’s,” “a culinary travel diary of visits to his homeland that glories in the diversity and originality of regional Indian cuisine, both high and low”—including “insane” oyster pakoras and “vegetables that pay proper tribute to their importance in most of India.” Meanwhile, next-door neighbour Rangoli (Bronze) continues to offer lunchtime crowds the same delicious standards as its sibling restaurants, the considerably lower price points compensating for “pintsize chairs and tables” we’re still learning to settle into. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Dosa Corner, Sachdeva Sweets ★

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Best New design

au comptoir ➾ what do we expect from a room that claims this year’s Best New Design title? Foremost is that surge of excitement as you walk through the door and realize you’ve stumbled upon something great. Au Comptoir managed to make an unassuming patch of West Fourth look and feel like it had been transported straight from the cobblestone streets of Paris. If it seems authentic, that’s because it is: the tables and pressed-tin bar were imported direct from the City of Love. And the beauty is in the details: vintage sewing machines were refurbished with bespoke wooden tabletops; a pass-through to the kitchen is framed in warm reclaimed wood; a mosaic tile pattern on the floor has been rubbed raw, as though decades of visitors have already worn it down. “It feels understated enough to be casual,” says judge Chad Falkenberg of Falken Reynolds Interiors, “and smartly appointed to speak to the quality of the food.” Honourable mentions go to two rooms that relocated last year to grander digs: at Chambar, co-owner Karri Schuermans has managed to expand and elevate the former room’s design while maintaining the welcoming vibe that made the first location so successful; and Café Medina’s white, bright space (including a huge replica ghost sign) feels as though it’s always been part of its new neighbourhood.—Anicka Quin ★ Aucomptoir.ca

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r a ★ 2015

➾

when Rose Nguyen arrived in Vancouver from Vietnam, she noticed a lack of Northern Vietnamese cuisine. For 10 years, she and her husband, chef Hong, “worked hard and saved every dollar possible,” finally opening the instantly acclaimed Mr. Red Cafe (Best Vietnamese, pg. 76) in 2014. There, she charms all comers with her gracious service. In her role as food and beverage director for Edible Canada, at Granville Island Public Market, Courtney Buryta excels at service and food-and-wine pairing. “People never remember the things you said or did, but they remember how you made them feel,” she says. “The best part of my job is the people.” Originally aspiring to be a professional cyclist, Marc Morrison says that restaurant jobs during university not only allowed him to earn extra income, they led him back to his roots: “Restaurant work was one of the first options growing up in Jasper.” In 2001, he opened Brasserie L’École (Best Victoria, pg. 94), where diners savour classic French dishes. Starting as a waiter, Wallace Chan climbed the industry ladder. His flair for leadership now flourishes in his role as general manager at Chef Tony Seafood (Best Chinese Upscale, pg. 66; Best Dim Sum, pg. 76), where he focuses on “honesty, observing, respecting, understanding, sincerity, and effort” in all matters.—Ginger Jefferies ★

best PIZZERIA ★★★

Nicli Antica Pizzeria 62 E. Cordova St., 604-669-6985 Niclipizzeria.ca second place tie

★★

Pizzeria Farina 915 Main St., 604-681-9334 Pizzeriafarina.com

★★

via tevere 1190 Victoria Dr., 604-336-1803 Viateverepizzeria.com

This year’s front-of-house honourees, photographed at Mr. Red Cafe

premier crew Rose Nguyen, co-owner Mr. Red Cafe

Wallace Chan, general manager, Chef Tony Seafood

Marc Morrison, owner and maître d’, Brasserie L’École

best Pizzeria Remember when “New Yorkstyle” represented the height of this city’s pizza pizzazz? We aren’t that many years into the Neapolitan revolution, yet there’s no going back to the naive belief that thin-crust is enough to cut it. Speaking of cutting, pies come whole, and gloriously charred, at Gold winner Nicli Antica Pizzeria, our standardbearer for new-school pizza. The Gastown room is ground zero for casual, unrestrained hedonism, be it the Bianca with gorgonzola, arugula, and roasted red onion or the wonderfully spicy Diavola with fior di latte softening the bite of soppressata and chili. An open kitchen and a pleasant bar mean this room, with its old brick and modern, white-arched open kitchen, is nearly always packed. (Hence the new sib next door.) At Pizzeria Farina (Silver), brainchild of Ask for

Luigi author J-C Poirier, loaded pies, dripping with sauce and bubbling at their cracking edges, announce their pleasures from the door with a yeasty shout. One white wine, one red—and the warm, cozy place shuts down once the dough is gone. Via Tevere claims a tie for Silver, thanks to its welcoming (for kids and first dates both) room ranged around that wood-fired oven, plus its Campari cocktails. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Bufala; Bella Gelateria, Nook (tie) ★ best steak house This category produced a top-to-bottom replay of last year’s champions, underlining the notion that steak houses are an invention for which adherence to tradition is expected and rewarded. Hy’s Encore (Gold) is so traditional, seemingly nothing within its dark-wood-panelled walls has changed since

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bryant mao Bryant Mao, sommelier, Hawksworth Courtney Buryta, food & beverage director, Edible Canada

Sommelier

of t h e y e a r

best sTEAK HOUSE ★★★

Hy’s Encore 637 Hornby St., 604-683-7671 Hyssteakhouse.com

★★

Gotham Steakhouse & cocktail bar 615 Seymour St., 604-605-8282 Gothamsteakhouse.com

★

The Roof at Black + Blue 1032 Alberni St., 604-637-0777 The-roof.ca

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the ’60s. Young or old, everyone comes here for what they always have: Prime Grade beef, wedge salad, good wine, supremely deferential service, and—praise the heavens!—a quiet room. Think of Gotham (Silver) as the swaggering younger brother of Hy’s: a modern iteration of its forebear that hits many of the same decadent notes. Yes, the porterhouse is $70; no, this is neither the time nor place to care. (Plus, it’s huge.) The Roof at Black + Blue (Bronze) liberates the steak house from its acrophobic heritage, transporting it from a red-velvet bunker to a high-flying penthouse party. Yet while its look and feel (and newfangled appetizers like mac-and-cheese sticks) might scream sacrilege, your New York strip has been prepared with decidedly oldfashioned reverence. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: The Keg, Hamilton Street Grill ★

➾

brya nt mao’s wine odyssey began when he arrived on the West Coast from Taiwan in his teens. Funding sommelier studies working as a bar-back at Brix and George, he did what all passionate wine geeks eventually do and headed for Europe. Landing at London’s renowned Chez Bruce in 2008, he honed his craft under another Vancouver legend, head sommelier Terry Threlfall, immersing himself in every facet of pairing a great cellar with Michelin-starred cuisine. At Hawksworth, Mao’s approach to wine service is caring, personal, and calm; he’ll consider your menu choices for a moment, then suggest the perfect bottle or two, his eyes flashing with the pleasure he finds in all he does. Your wine will appear minutes later, presented in an exquisite glass and at an impeccable temperature. Mao curates an ever-evolving list of close to 800 labels; long-established icons, esoteric rarities, and new discoveries from the Cowichan, Okanagan, and Similkameen Valley are served with an equal sense of delight. And when the workday is done, he’ll head out with his wine friends for late-night dumplings or noodles before doing it all again the next day. —DJ Kearney ★ Hawksworthrestaurant.com

Watch coverage of last year’s Restaurant Awards ceremony (its sIlver anniversary, held on April 21, 2014, at the Sheraton Wall Centre) at Vanmag.com. There, you can also find dozens of chef interviews, tips from top city kitchens, and bartenders’ best-kept secrets.

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best seafood Seemingly no other seafoodfocused room can unseat Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar from its Gold throne. Our judges praised its “exceptional consistency,” owing in large part to chef Frank Pabst, who “still works the line and constantly adjusts the menu to combine old favourites—sometimes in a slightly different guise—and new dishes.” Cooked dishes are ingeniously composed, but the sheer freshness of Blue Water’s fish means simplicity wins out: a plate of oysters or a seafood tower offers literal raw pleasure. Yew Seafood + Bar (Silver) has continued to improve by leaps and bounds under the direction of chef Ned Bell, whose commitment to sustainable practices (see Green Award, pg. 87) doesn’t negate commitments to “never compromising quality and being continuously innovative.” Vegan lunch and dinner menus, plus one of the city’s most comfortable bars, with a revamped cocktail list, make Yew extra inclusive and a prime spot for unwinding post-work. Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar (Bronze) opened with much fanfare last year and was judged to be “a hotel restaurant with a difference”—an impressively sprawling room, a something-for-everyone menu, and a superlative selection of organic, sustainable, and local wines. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Landmark Hot Pot House, Zest ★

Gooseneck barnacles from the Unsung Heroes menu at Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar

best SEAFOOD ★★★

Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar 1095 Hamilton St., 604-688-8078 Bluewatercafe.net

★★

Yew Seafood + Bar 791 W. Georgia St., 604-692-4939 Yewseafood.com

★

Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar 845 Burrard St., 604-642-2900 Boulevardvancouver.ca

best CASUAL CHAIN ★★★

Cactus Club Cafe Various locations Cactusclubcafe.com

★★

Hapa Izakaya Various locations Hapaizakaya.com

★

Earls Various locations Earls.ca

best casual Chain Ambitious expansion plans (including a debut Toronto location this year) haven’t robbed Cactus Club Cafe (Gold) of its leading edge; it remains “head and shoulders above” in its category, say our judges, thanks to executive chef Rob Feenie and sommelier Sebastien Le Goff, who see no reason why the masses shouldn’t have the chance to eat and drink like urban sophisticates. The short-rib sandwich is an exquisite mess, made to feel highfalutin with an accompanying glass of B.C. cab franc. Hapa Izakaya’s (Silver) four Vancouver locations are as consistent as can be, and the chainlet’s stunningly generous happy hour menu (scores of half-price dishes, plus discounted wine and draft beer) makes it ultra-affordable to get one’s fill of ebi mayo and agedashi tofu. The Test Kitchen program at Earls (Bronze) has played no small

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OLD WORLD ELEGANCE... NEW WORLD EDGE!

Revolver Coffee

Look for our wines at your favourite wine shop or restaurant. Buy from our OnLine store: closdusoleil.ca Visit our tasting room: 2568 Upper Bench Rd, Keremeos, BC Open 7 days a week (250) 499-2831 @Closdusoleil

best FOOD CART ★★★

Tacofino @tacofinocantina

★★

Vij’s Railway Express @vijsrailway

★

Yolk’s @yolksbreakfast

Proudly Family Owned Since 1906.

best COFFEEHOUSE ★★★

Revolver Coffee 325 Cambie St., 604-558-4444 Revolvercoffee.ca

★★

Offering the best in quality from our family to yours. Taste the difference in our conventional and organic products. Make us a staple in your kitchen!

Timbertrain Coffee Roasters 311 W. Cordova St., 604-360-0068 Timbertraincoffeeroasters.com

★

Forty Ninth Parallel Various locations 49thparallelroasters.com

part in improving its game, although the results are only available at select locations right now. Once service standards catch up to the menu, it could be unstoppable. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Joey, Guu ★ Best Food Cart New four-wheeled competitors have taken to the streets with alarming frequency of late, but last year’s top two winners held their own in this category. Our judges still consider Tacofino (Gold)— one of the first regional food carts to set tongues wagging and bloggers blogging—a case study of first-rate mobile food purveyance. “From a gravel lot in Tofino, it’s come a long way,” commends a judge. The Vancouver-based truck retains the focus that made it famous: tacos, of course, with crispy ling cod or tender pork al pastor, plus a few bulging burritos and crave-worthy banana churros. Vij’s Railway Express (Silver) offers downtown office workers portable variations of the trail-blazing flavour combinations that have made our Chef of the Year’s restaurants world-famous; panko-crusted butter chicken schnitzel paired with an iced chai makes a rote weekday lunch break sublime. Yolk’s (Bronze) proves that anytime can be breakfast time when all the components of a top-notch eggs Benny are mounded onto a sturdy ciabatta bun (be careful biting down) and served with organic coffee or—swoon!—icecold milk blended with Callebaut chocolate. HONOURABLE MENTIONs: Le Tigre, Soho Road Naan Kebab ★ BEST COFFEEHOUSE In the caffeine arms race, nobody has stockpiled better roasts, more knowledgeable baristas, or more opinionated and invested customers than

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★★★

Cactus Club Cafe Coal Harbour 1085 Canada Pl., 604-620-7410 Cactusclubcafe.com

★★

Cafe Medina 780 Richards St., 604-879-3114 Medinacafe.com

★

Tableau Bar Bistro 1181 Melville St., 604-639-8692 Tableaubarbistro.com

Best Downtown Its postcard-perfect views would grant it an unfair advantage no matter the food quality, but Cactus Club Cafe Coal Harbour (Gold) doesn’t take its privileged podium for granted. A sprawling “design marvel,” the largest and busiest of the chain’s growing number of locations is a “clever showcase for the magical ideas of executive chef Rob Feenie,” from burgers and pizzas to signature items such as Thai red curry to Pacific ling cod that’s “arguably the best in the city.” Breakfast and brunch mecca Café Medina (Silver) relocated to larger digs but maintained both its lofty standards and long lineups; the likely wait is worth it, however, when your patience is rewarded with chef Jonathan Chovancek’s “otherworldly” egg dishes, crisp Liège waffles with to-die-for milk chocolate/lavender sauce, and coffee good enough to make you linger despite the new room’s frenzied din. The Loden Hotel’s Tableau Bar Bistro (Bronze) feels just removed enough from the downtown core to mollify the workday’s stresses; a cheese-and-charcuterie plate and a generously poured cocktail at this Best French Casual spot (see pg. 64) will send you on your way a happier person than when you walked in. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Kirin, BaoQi ★

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Carlo Ricci

best DOWNTOWN

Gastown’s Revolver Coffee (Gold), which jumps from last year’s bridesmaid berth. Excellence is all about choice: select from a rotating roster of roasts from Berlin, Portland, San Francisco, and more; sample flights, including vertical brewings of one bean three ways. With added room next door, the spot’s only problem (limited seating) has been solved. Timbertrain Coffee Roasters (Silver) kills it with creamy nitro’d cold brews and home-roasted beans served fast (for those on the clock) or handpoured slow. Bonus: delish pastries. (Don’t think—just order the maple waffle.) In all the hoopla, let’s not forget original Forty Ninth Parallel (Bronze), consistent especially in its beautifully rendered espressos to be drunk standing amid all those beautiful shades of blue. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Milano Coffee, Lear Faye Espresso Kitchen (closed) ★

Open Daily 10am to 6pm www.tinhorn.com

RESTAURANT AT TINHORN CREEK

Open for Lunch, Tapas, & Dinner 7 days a week www.miradoro.ca

Sales Ends June 30, 2015 | 5% Cash & Carry Sales Ends June 30, 2015

Carry Sales Ends June 30, 2015 |5% 5% Cash Cash &&Carry

Russell Food Equipment Ltd. 1255 Venables St., Vancouver 604-253-6611 or 800-663-0707 russellfood.ca | dudson.com

green ned bell award

Carlo Ricci

➾

four years ago, Ned Bell was on a beach in Halifax one night with a bunch of colleagues. They were unwinding after a day of Canadian Chefs Congress meetings, shooting the breeze and watching the stars, when the aha moment hit. “We’re all about what’s growing in our own regions and provinces, but we didn’t have a national conversation around sustainable seafood,” says the Okanagan-born chef. He’d just taken a job with the Vancouver Four Seasons, rebranding its storied Yew restaurant into a standard-bearer for environmental responsibility. It became the first luxury hotel in the country to sign on as 100 percent Ocean Wise, and Bell has seen that hyperfocus pay off with his bosses (revenues have jumped from $6 million a year to $9 million), with his customers (“If you give them a choice between cheaper, non-sustainable seafood and premium seafood from a well-managed fishery, even if it’s a few bucks more, they’ll choose the latter”), and with Mother Nature. Last summer, he put his feet where his mouth was, biking from St. John’s back home, running 24 sustainable-seafood events en route. It was 150 kilometres a day, all to educate his peers on halting the strip-mining of our oceans, managing our fisheries through inland farming, and eating down the food chain to preserve rivers, lakes, and oceans. For the chef, a fit 41 and infectiously passionate about his nascent foundation, the challenges (Prairie headwinds, bedbug motels) paled beside the payoff. “I feel so fortunate to have this wobbly soapbox to stand on. This is my life now. I have found my calling.”—John Burns ★ Chefsforoceans.com

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Russell Food Equipment Ltd.

Russell Food Equipment Ltd. 1255 Venables St., Vancouver 1255 Venables St., Vancouver 604 800-663-0707 604253 253 6611 6611 or or 800-663-0707 russellfood.ca dudson.com russellfood.ca dudson.com

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trimpac.net | 604.688.2508

Congratulations to all of the 2015 Van Mag Award Winners and Nominees!

PRODUCER/ SUPPLIER of t h e y e a r

Canadian fleur de sel

freshpoint.com

Smoked sea salt

Balsamic vinegar sea salt Blue cheese sea salt

1132 Hamilton Street, Vancouver. 604-669-2266

Roasted garlic sea salt

VANCOUVER ISLAND SALT CO.

➾

POINTS

PINOT NOIR Available at your local BC Liquor Store, $29.99

for local disciples of the 100-Mile Diet, certain staples remain maddeningly taboo. Coffee, say, is roasted in every suburb of Metro Vancouver, but none is grown here. Olive oil. Sea salt. That last one made the Cowichan Valley’s Andrew Sheppard question why there was no domestic producer when he himself lived on an island surrounded by some of the most pristine salt water in the world. On a beer bet, he boiled down a batch of ocean and in the five pounds of salt left in his kettle, he glimpsed a future not just for himself but for a Canadian industry he has willed into being. With a $100,000 win in the 2014 Telus Small Business Challenge contest, Sheppard’s five-year-old company is stepping up its game, expanding into global distribution and greening its production method. (Heat used to come from wood, but now it’s oil recycled from the restaurant industry; the company sells its carbon credits.) Green is great, but for chefs the deciding factor is flavour. Forage’s Chris Whittaker uses the salt for finishing meats and to give sweets (like his house-made Nutella) a tangy kick. “I love it. I love that it’s local; I love the minerality of it. We’re serving it with fish that’s caught in the same water it comes from. Now that’s terroir.” —Peter Weir ★ Visaltco.com

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Best WEST END ★★★

Kingyo 871 Denman St., 604-608-1677 Kingyo-izakaya.ca

★★

Nook 781 Denman St., 604-568-4554 Nookrestaurant.ca

★

BuckStop 833 Denman St., 604-428-2528 Buckstop.ca

best YALETOWN ★★★

Homer St. Cafe and Bar 898 Homer St., 604-428-4299 Homerstreetcafebar.com

★★

Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca 1133 Hamilton St., 604-688-7466 Cioppinos.wordpress.com

★

Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar 1095 Hamilton St., 604-688-8076 Bluewatercafe.net

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Best West End Several years into its happily brisk operation, Kingyo (Gold) still manages to feel like the liveliest spot in which to spend a Friday night. Bring a crowd to sample lots of the $10-and-under dishes, and don’t leave without an order of the self-proclaimed “invincible and undefeated” tantan noodles in an elevated pork and shrimp broth. Insiders choose a seat at the bar at Nook (Silver), where, over a dish of creamy burrata paired with salty prosciutto, you can watch the prep master fly through orders of charcuterie and antipasto. Pastas and pizzas are perfectly sauced and perfectly fresh, the wine list short but smart. Buckstop (Bronze) is just the kind of spot locals wish for more of in this ’hood: a narrow, bustling room that keeps the menu simple (you’re here for barbecue and bourbon) and the hours late. Come back to chase down last night’s outing with the (also meatforward) brunch: eggs Benny sees pulled pork piled high over homemade cornbread with a side of hash. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: España, Damso Modern Korean ★ Best Yaletown Lively but rarely loud, perfect for an intimate first date but also for a relaxed dinner with visiting in-laws, Homer St. Café and Bar (Gold) arrived in late 2013 with a mission to be all things to all locals (and beyond), and damned if it didn’t succeed from the off. Despite its newness, the expansive, elaborately appointed space feels authentically lived-in, all the better to appreciate golden rotisserie chicken and decently priced wines while forgetting for a moment about the world outside. Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca (Silver) is, by Yaletown standards, virtually antique, its legendary excellence having ensured it carried on while the neighbourhood changed around it; tourists and celebrities make a point of bigging it up here, but there are few better ways to while away an hour or two than settling in at the bar and nonchalantly enjoying a plate of pasta. Likewise, Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar (Bronze) leaves trend-chasing to its younger neighbours—its reputation for wine, service, and all manner of seafood is unrivalled, and the reliably full dining room proves it. HONOURABLE MeNTIONS: The Flying Pig, Lupo ★

A Proud Sponsor of the 26th Annual Restaurant Awards ponderosa-mushrooms.com Local farm fresh meats and produce. Specializing in hormone-free beef. Dry-aged a minimum of 28 days.

Know your farmer. Know your food.

18385 Old Dewdney Trunk Rd. Pitt Meadows, BC hopcottmeats.ca @Hopcottfarms

@Hopcottfarms

AWARD WINNING ADDITIVE-FREE AND GLUTEN-FREE H E R K I M E R D I A M O N D F I LT E R E D

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R A ★ 2015

BEST GASTOWN/ CHINATOWN ★★★

BAO BEI CHINESE BRASSERIE

163 Keefer St., 604-688-0876 Bao-bei.ca

★★

L’ABATTOIR

217 Carrall St., 604-568-1701 Labattoir.ca

★

WILDEBEEST 120 W. Hastings St., 604-687-6880 Wildebeest.ca

BEST WEST SIDE ★★★

BUFALA

5395 West Blvd., 604-267-7499 Bufala.ca

★★

FARMER’S APPRENTICE

PROVIDING RESTAURANTS DIRECT ACCESS TO TERROIR-DRIVEN WINES, CIDERS, SPIRITS AND MEADS

rich@masseywines.com 604.454.4046 masseywines.com @masseywines 90

1535 W. Sixth Ave. 604-620-2070 Farmersapprentice.ca

★

MAENAM

1928 W. Fourth Ave., 604-730-5579 Maenam.ca

BEST GASTOWN/CHINATOWN Bao Bei Chi nese Brasserie (Gold) kicked off Chinatown’s entrepreneurial renaissance half a decade ago, and our judges still consider it the neighbourhood’s top dining destination—a singular establishment where “true Chinese cooking meets with modern notions of organic and sustainably sourced ingredients.” Witty cocktails (Ba Ba’s Root Beer mixes pisco with the soda-fountain favourite) in the lounge make waiting for a table a pleasure. Chef Lee Cooper’s endlessly inventive cooking and Shaun Layton’s unflappable cool behind the wood are why L’Abattoir (Silver) is Gastown’s most refined hangout. Dining solo at the bar is not only acceptable, it’s coveted. Wilde beest (Bronze) continues to put its best hoof forward with a meat-focused menu whose simplicity belies its ingenuity. This is not light eating, for the most part, but it doesn’t pretend to be otherwise. Order another microbrew and worry about the consequences tomorrow. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Nicli Antica Pizzeria, Bestie ★ BEST WEST SIDE Bufala (Gold) swooped into Kerrisdale last year—long a no man’s land in terms of attractive dining options—and instantly became “what every neighbourhood wishes it had,” couples and families piling through its door for beautifully blistered stone-oven-baked pizzas with toppings that range from classic (a punchy margherita) to eccentric (braised oxtail and kale). Farmer’s Apprentice (Silver) survived the deafening buzz of its first year and kept crowds coming back for David Gunawan’s ever-changing menu of market-driven creations; his weekend brunch is the best solution we know of for eggs-and-mimosa fatigue. At Maenam (Bronze), Angus An’s “bold yet balanced” Thai dishes remain some of the best eating to be had in Kits— too few people seem to consider it for lunch, but what could be better as a midday nosh than authentic, snappily fresh pad Thai and a Singha lager? HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Bishop’s, La Buca ★ BEST EAST SIDE As on the West Side, offer your community excellent pizza and its

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gratitude will be generous. Via Tevere’s (Gold) Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletanacertified pies arrive at the table after a mere 90 seconds in a 900-degree wood oven, ready to be nobly consumed with a knife and fork or ripped by hand and greedily stuffed into one’s face. (Both methods are acceptable.) The “simple, honest French comfort food” and “tight, well-priced wine list” at Bistro Wagon Rouge (Silver) are a delight, particularly given that they can be enjoyed in a room that is the polar opposite of stereotypical Gallic pretension— arrive in jeans, leave with a cassoulet stain on your shirt, no one will care. Tied for Bronze, Campagnolo Roma and Mr. Red Cafe—mere steps from each other on East Hastings—offer handsomely portioned, senses-filling Italian and Northern Vietnamese fare, respectively. There is no wrong choice. HONOURABLE MENTION: Chicha ★ Yes, Virginia, there is a small but vital food scene at the snowy end of the Lions Gate Bridge, starting with consistent champ La Régalade (Gold), where French authenticity—it’s small, it’s bustling, and French is the staff’s first language— resonates. The food may not be adventurous and you won’t find surprises on the menu or in the service, but steak frites doesn’t need sizzle to sing. This is French bistro delivered to perfection. Scott Kidd earned restaurant cred having cooked over three decades at Sooke Harbour House, Le Gavroche, William Tell, Raincity Grill, and Araxi, among others. At Canyon (Silver), he’s decelerating. Come on a weeknight and let him take care of you out front while Top Chef Canada contender Caitlin Hall does an elegant West Coast rendition of bistro food in the small peekaboo kitchen. With its beautiful open room, Bowen Island transplant Blue Eyed Marys (Bronze) is a welcome, calm presence. Its well-curated menu never disappoints, at least for one judge from the ’hood: “From fresh, well-manicured salads to the perfectly cooked flatiron bison steak and their innovative sides, this husband-and-wife team has created the ideal environment for this North Shore foodie.” HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Olive and Anchor, Trattoria at Park Royal ★ Best North Shore

best EAST SIDE ★★★

Via Tevere 1190 Victoria Dr., 604-336-1803 Viateverepizzeria.com

★★

Bistro Wagon Rouge 1869 Powell St., 604-251-4070 Bistrowagonrouge.com third place tie

★

Campagnolo Roma 2297 E. Hastings St., 604-569-0456 Campagnoloroma.com

★

Mr. Red Cafe 2234 E. Hastings St., 604-710-9515

best NORTH SHORE ★★★

La Regalade 2232 Marine Dr., West Vancouver, 604-921-2228 Laregalade.com

★★

Canyon 3135 Edgemont Blvd., North Vancouver, 604-987-8812 Thecanyon.ca

Introducing our new Heritage Sourdough Levain crafted with a blend of organic whole grain Red Fife wheat from Armstrong, BC

★

Blue Eyed Marys 1735 Marine Dr., West Vancouver, 604-921-2583 Blueeyedmarys.com

terrabreads.com

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Gudrun

2013 VANCOUVER MAGAZINE RESTAURANT AWARD WINNER

best RICHMOND ★★★

Gudrun 3500 Moncton St., 604-272-1991 Gudrun.ca

★★

Vancouver’s ORIGINAL Italian Neighbourhood

Kiriri 8780 Blundell Rd., 778-297-4430

★

Hoi Tong Seafood 8191 Westminster Hwy., 604-276-9229

best WHISTLER ★★★

Araxi 4222 Village Sq., 604-932-4540 Araxi.com

AWARD-winning restaurants

★★

22 amazing blocks to explore with over 100 restaurants, cafes and bars featuring authentic ﬂavours and fresh twists on a diverse culinary culture from 27 countries. thedrive.ca

4121 Village Gr., 604-932-3433 Bearfootbistro.com

Bearfoot Bistro ★

Alta Bistro 4319 Main St., 604-932-2582 Altabistro.com

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THAI RESTAU RANT ( on Burrard)

Immerse yourself in the great tradition of classic and authentic Thai dining. Catering, Take-out and Delivery orders available. Fully Licensed. Semi-Private & Private Room Booking Options. Best Richmond In a city blessed with overwhelming choice and considerable standards, our judges were especially taken with Gudrun (Gold), a wee room in wee Steveston whose daily fresh sheet of market-inspired dishes reliably rewards the trust of diners. But if you must play it safe, the rotating cheese and charcuterie selections are guaranteed to please, as is the wine list. Kiriri’s (Silver) bland storefront doesn’t inspire confidence, but once through its doors, you’ll find kind service and marvellously fresh sushi that defy expectations in the best possible way. And your server didn’t miscalculate—the bill really is that cheap. Hoi Tong Seafood (Bronze) similarly underplays its virtues until you’ve tasted the food, at which time you’re transported by humbly presented but stealthily complex dishes like bitter-squash egg pancake and baked salt chicken. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Top Shanghai, Chef Tony Seafood ★ Best Whistler Araxi (Gold) has long been considered by people of average means to be a restaurant exclusively for special occasions or a reckless splurge. But in terms of prices, its menu is now in line with many of the region’s better “casual” rooms—without a titch of compromise to be found. We remain in awe of chef James Walt’s

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102-888 Burrard Street 604.683.7999 www.salathai.ca Friday-Saturday 11:30am-10:30pm Sunday-Thursday 11:30am-10:00pm

There is always room at our Success stories start here. table. Crowe MacKay, ofcial accountants of the 2015 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, congratulates all the nominees and winners of this year’s awards.

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mentorship award

bruno marti

➾

he began his culinary career as a teenaged apprentice in his native Switzerland. After emigrating and working for, among others, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, he opened the superb French restaurant La Belle Auberge in Ladner. There, for more than three decades, in a converted Victorian house, Bruno Marti drew discerning diners from far and wide, as well as young chefs eager to learn from a master. As a member, manager, or coach of dozens of national and international teams, Marti helped shape Canada’s culinary presence abroad. At the 1984 World Culinary Olympics, competing against 32 countries, his team became the first Canadian one to win a world championship. Those competitions not only imbued scores of young chefs with the work ethic and exacting standards Marti embodies; they also helped advance a distinctively Canadian approach to food. The chefs Marti has influenced through the years are a culinary all-star team: Michael Noble, Scott Jaeger, Jenny Shearman, Matt Batey, Constance Hysuik, Alex Chen, Tobias MacDonald, and many others. All speak of him with admiration and respect. “It’s amazing,” says MacDonald. “When you ask chefs, ‘Who was your mentor?’ how many say, ‘Bruno’s my guy.’?” Adds Jaeger: “I am who I am, as a chef and a person, because of Bruno.” “Thirty-five years into this business,” says Noble, who recently opened his second restaurant in Calgary, “what I’m most proud of is my ability to mentor young cooks. Bruno taught me about cooking, but the most important thing he teaches you is about nurturing others. You gain all this knowledge over the years, and you pass it on.”—Gary Stephen Ross ★

plates and the efforts of his crew, which “command the attention not only of Village Square, but of all food and wine enthusiasts.” “Luxury, extravagance, and flamboyance,” says one of our judges, sum up Bearfoot Bistro (Silver), from chef Melissa Craig’s spectacularly composed dishes (the $98 three-course tasting menu is worth every penny) to the Ketel One Ice Room, reputedly the coldest vodka-tasting environment in the world. Alta Bistro collects Bronze and commendation for “modern French cuisine committed to seasonality and sustainability”—which here means everything from cooking with renewable hydro-electric power to using natural, locally made hand soap throughout the premises. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Aura, The Mexican Corner ★

best VICTORIA ★★★

Stage 1307 Gladstone Ave., 250-388-4222 Stagewinebar.com

★★

Brasserie L’ecole 1715 Government St., 250-475-6260 Lecole.ca

★

Camille’s 45 Bastion Sq., 250-381-3433 Camillesrestaurant.com

Best Victoria Small-plates hot spot Stage (Gold) has only improved under the direction of new owner Graham Meckling and chef Sam Harris. Affordable wines and a tremendous cocktail selection (half a dozen different Manhattans!) accompany an array of plates—most under $15—that thrill with their simple charms; our judges were especially enamoured of a salad in which grilled halloumi mingles with Israeli couscous, cucumber, radish, and greens. Don’t bypass the house-made sausages either. Brasserie L’École (Silver) keeps its customers faithful with a menu that changes nightly but always includes traditional French bistro fare like oysters on the half-shell and frites of both the moules and steak variety. At Camille’s (Bronze), chef Stephan Drolet “creates gorgeous culinary landscapes for the eye and

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A gathering place serving locally sourced & traditionally crafted food & drinks

r a ★ 2015

Dinner – Lunch – Brunch

best OTHER VANCOUVER ISLAND

tuc craft kitchen @tuccraftkitchen tuc craft kitchen

60 West Cordova St. Vancouver 604-559-8999 info@tucrestaurant.com

★★★

Wolf in the Fog 150 Fourth St., Tofino, 250-725-9653 Wolfinthefog.com

★★

The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn 500 Osprey Lane, Tofino, 250-725-3106 Wickinn.com/pointe-restaurant

★

Unsworth Restaurant 2915 Cameron Taggart Rd., Mill Bay, 250-929-2292 Unsworthvineyards.com/restaurant

2011 HYpotHEsis

profound flavours for the palate,” which he conceives in response to seasonality and availability. The freshness of, say, a local-beet salad or Lois Lake steelhead is beyond reproach. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Pizzeria Prima Strada; Cafe Brio and Little Jumbo (tie) ★ Best Other Vancouver Island Wolf in the Fog (Gold) has been the recipient of so many honours—not only locally, but nationally—since opening last year, its only apparent drawback is the difficulty in securing a table. (And, being in Tofino, it’s a bit of a drive…) It looks like the mess hall of an upscale summer camp, and many of the staff appear to be surfers just back from the beach (because they are), but there’s nothing kitsch or hipster about chef Nick Nutting’s “lusty, generous, and creative cooking,” whether you drop in alone for a burger and fries or with a group for the Szechuan Surf & Turf share

“the best first release i can remember from a local winery... An impressive first edition with a Right Bank Bordeaux styling.” ~ Anthony Gismondi, May 2014 The Vancouver Sun

90 points

noW AVAiLABLE At BCLDB siGnAtURE stoRE LoCAtions

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r a ★ 2015

best OKANAGAN ★★★

Waterfront Wines French-inspired West Coast cuisine elegantly served in one of the city’s most historic buildings in the heart of Gastown. New stylish private dining space ideal for parties up to 70 people. Now serving weekend brunch and dinner daily. Group lunch bookings are available Monday to Friday.

217 Carrall Street | 604.568.1701 | labattoir.ca @labattoir_van | labattoir.van

104-1180 Sunset Dr., Kelowna, 250-979-1222 Waterfrontrestaurant.ca

★★

Salted Brick 243 Bernard Ave., Kelowna, 778-484-3234 Saltedbrick.com

★

Bouchons 105-1180 Sunset Dr., Kelowna, 250-763-6595 Bouchonsbistro.com

plate, filled with fabulously seasoned braised short rib and grilled octopus. Just down the beach, The Pointe at the Wickaninnish Inn collects Silver in this category but is “the gold standard for waterfront fine dining in Canada,” says a lovestruck judge. Its serious commitment to local ingredients extends from scallops harvested from the Georgia Strait to a Wine Spectator-approved cellar bursting with B.C. bottles. Unsworth Restaurant (Bronze), at the samenamed vineyard in the Cowichan Valley, complements its 1900s farmhouse venue with trend-resistant classics like seafood paella and crème caramel. Naturally, the wine pairings are bang-on. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Hudson’s on First, SoBo ★ Best Ok anagan Kelowna reigns supreme. The judges love Waterfront Wines (Gold) for many reasons, all born of chef Mark Filatow, one of Canada’s top competing talents and the originator of dishes that sing of their Okanagan birthplace. His menus run

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deep in both modern and classic directions. From spending time in Italy mastering salumi-making (sample his coppa, salsiccia, and headcheese) to three weeks in India gleaning a deeper understanding of spices, he thinks globally and cooks locally, with exceptionally sourced regional ingredients, including the wildforaged. Extra marks for drawing local wines and spirits into the menu. In a slip of a deli downtown, chef Jason Leizert is following his dream with new arrival Salted Brick (Silver). A charcuterie and cheese board served with smokedcherry syrup and house-pickled pattypan squash; a chef ’s salad of blue cheese and hard-boiled eggs served with house maple bacon— all is handcrafted, stunning, and affordable. Top marks also to his deli counter, with pickles, bacons, and other meaty treats for the road. Bouchons (Bronze) turned 11 this year, a decade of delivering consistent Gallic service and food in the Valley; nothing exemplifies this duality better than its wellchosen cellar of wines from both the motherland and the benches of its adopted home. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Theo’s, Bacaro ★

WINNERS OF THE CANADIAN EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN COMPETITION 1457 Bellevue Avenue, West Vancouver | 604.925.8333 Tuesday to Saturday 10 - 5 or by appointment | www.stittgen.com

Best Winery/Vineyard Dining

There’s something wonderfully clever about winery dining. When food and drink pair perfectly, each course harmonizing flawlessly, plate and glass share intention and outlook (and, hopefully, the same soil birthplace). At Miradoro Restaurant (Gold) at Tinhorn Creek, Vancouver survivor Jeff Van Geest has dug himself deep into South Okanagan terroir, delivering authentically wholesome, unpretentious comfort food that mirrors the Tinhorn cellar uncannily. Anything from the wood-fired oven (starting with the locally topped

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801 west georgia st | reservations 604.673.7000

hawksworthrestaurant.com |

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Craft Beer Showcase Provided by:

r a ★ 2015

best WINERY/ VINEYARD DINING ★★★ Take me to the river... bigriverbrewingcompany.com

Specializing in premium, specialty beer bravobeerco.com

Miradoro RESTAURANT 537 Tinhorn Creek Rd., Oliver, 250-498-3742 Tinhorn.com/restaurant

★★

Joy Road Catering Vineyard Kitchen 250-493-8657 Joyroadcatering.com

★

Old Vines Restaurant Bridge your thirst! bridgebrewing.com

We brew the beers we love, no gimmicks, no flashy ads. Just inspired, lovingly crafted beer styles. driftwoodbeer.com

The freshest beer on four wheels! redtruckbeer.com

Importers of Fine Beers from Around the World mcclellandbeers.ca

Organically Scandalous scandalbrewing.ca

Crafting Quality Beer for the Enjoyment of All stanleyparkbrewery.ca

Visit these and other fine craft beers at Vancouver Craft Beer Week

3303 Boucherie Rd., Kelowna, 250-769-2500 Quailsgate.com/restaurant

pizzas) is a win. You’d be crazy to overlook Joy Road Catering Vineyard Kitchen (Silver) at Black Hills Winery, say our Okanagan judges, because chef partners and caterers extraordinaire Cameron Smith and Dana Ewart have transformed a shipping-container kitchen in the middle of a Black Sage Bench vineyard into an on-the-rise mecca for lovingly prepared, seasonally fresh small bites that truly come to life with a bottle at their side. A visit to Old Vines Restaurant (Bronze) at Quails’ Gate Winery is a no-brainer in summer, but the real trick is to return in the off-season, when the fireside lounge becomes one of the area’s few, best refuges, and proteins like Rocky Mountain elk and Fraser Valley game hen stand up to the house’s deep pinot noirs and chardonnays. HONOURABLE MENTIONS: The Vanilla Pod, Terrace Restaurant ★ VM

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DISHING UP A THRIVING NATION very day, there are 2.7 million visits to restaurants in British Columbia— and, those businesses employ more than 170,000 people! E Restaurants are a key ingredient for vibrant, healthy neighbourhoods.

From coast to coast, the people who own and operate restaurants, bars and caterers have come together as Restaurants Canada, a community of business owners who share a passion for hospitality and all things culinary. President and CEO Donna Dooher, who built a successful career as a chef and restaurateur, shares some thoughts about the restaurant industry and what it means to our city, our province and our country.

Why is the restaurant industry important?

Our industry nourishes the body, the soul and the community. We bring people together and help them reconnect, celebrate or just get through a busy day. We also employ 1.2 million people across Canada, and provide more first-time job training to young people than any other industry. These are responsibilities we take very seriously.

What are the hot trends in the industry?

Our Canadian Chef Survey puts craft beer, locally sourced foods, and leafy greens in the top three spots. Chefs and consumers share a keen interest in knowing where their food comes from and making that farm-to-table connection. Family-style or communal dining is another trend that’s all about connection. We’re an industry where people connect face-to-face instead of screen-to-screen.

What three words would you use to describe the Vancouver restaurant scene? Trend-setting. Global. Fun!

A FUNDRAISER FOR

SPECIAL THANKS

Follow @VanWineFest on    #VIWF | VanWineFest.ca

GREAT FOOD. GREAT WINE LISTS. GREAT PEOPLE. The 37th Vancouver International Wine Festival proudly honours the people and places that make a signifcant contribution to our vibrant wine and food culture. Winners were honoured at Celebrating Excellence: 12th Annual Awards Lunch Featuring Award-Winning Australian Wines on February 27. Spirited Industry Professional Howard Soon, Master Winemaker, Sandhill Howard Soon has been a trailblazer in the wine industry for 35 years. Currently head winemaker at Sandhill Estate Wines, Howard is an enthusiastic mentor to other winemakers and has selfessly shared countless nuggets of knowledge with others in the industry.

Sommelier of the Year Jason Yamasaki, Sommelier, Chambar This award recognizes working sommeliers who consistently demonstrate an outstanding passion for marrying wine with food and exceptional service. Jason was selected via a hands-on competition by the BC Chapter of CAPS. In partnership with

Wine Program Excellence The Wine Program Excellence awards recognize restaurants for creating a wine program that complements their establishment’s unique menu and concept. Expert judges were Tom Doughty, DJ Kearney, Iain Philip, Treve Ring and Terry Threlfall. See the complete list at VanWineFest.ca/page694.htm and in this fall’s Eating & Drinking Guide by Vancouver Magazine.

Vintners Brunch Food and Wine Pairing Competition Chef/owner Nicolas Hipperson Farm 2 Fork Laksa with poached prawns and local chicken, cilantro shoots and pickled chili, crispy wonton Paired with Hardys William Hardy Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2013 Sponsored by BY