By Anya Levykh, Westender. Image: Proprietor David Hannay of the long-running Brix & Mortar in Yaletown | Photo: Dan Toulgoet
The crispness of autumn inevitably leads to sharper appetites and the beginning of the busy dine-out season. Helping to launch it all is the 11th annual Taste of Yaletown dining festival. Running Oct. 15-29, with more than 25 restaurants participating, the festival offers diners prix fixe menus of $25, $35 or $45, with a portion of proceeds directly benefitting Greater Vancouver Food Bank. If you’re wondering where to start, here are some newcomers to the neighbourhood, as well as local stalwarts who are always worth revisiting. See the full list of participating restaurants, with all menu details, at YaletownInfo.com
Brix and Mortar
The long-running (15+ years!) Brix Wine Bar and Restaurant has gone through a transformation, and in its place is Brix and Mortar. The new space houses a new concept, although it’s still wine-friendly. Contemporary Canadian might best describe the new menu. Try starting with the lamb bacon salad off the $35 menu. The bacon is cured in-house, and dressed with radishes, pear, local gouda and a bourbon vinaigrette. Local salmon as a main, with warm potato salad and fresh Dungeness crab, is a good choice. Or if you’re fixed on lamb, the shank, with white risotto and grilled asparagus, might be the way to go.
Lime and Moon Pie Co.
This popular Bowen Island bakery just recently expanded onto the mainland (quite literally; they’re located at 1066 Mainland Street). Famous for its organic, high-quality pies, the bakery is offering a special $15 sweet or savoury meal. Choose a classic tourtière with salad and espresso or tea, or just have pie for lunch, along with ice cream and a hot beverage. Be healthy and go with the raw vegan coconut banana cashew cream, or throw caution to the wind and indulge in the apple-raspberry with chocolate crust.
Zend Conscious Lounge
Another newcomer, Zend is a vegan restaurant that serves up organic, plant-based fare and healthy non-alcoholic beverages. Even enthusiastic omnivores can find something agreeable on the $35 menu, such as the spiced corn and “de-fried” bean tacos with guacamole, pico de gallo and gueso fresco. Finish with the triple chocolate torte for something more decadent. As for liquids, the alkaline water is free, but almond milk with red maca and ginseng ($8) might be worth checking out as well.
Provence Marinaside
One of the ‘hood’s oldest inhabitants, Provence Marinaside has been successfully dishing out its trademark southern Mediterranean fare for well over a decade (13 years and counting). Come check out the beautiful new room (and the stunning wine wall) while indulging in the $45 menu. Start with the trio of smoked fish – trout, mackerel and salmon – laid out with green salad, gherkins and pearl onions, or the lovely Caprese salad or spicy merguez sausages. Mains include the famous bouillabaisse or lamb top sirloin, as well as wild mushroom ravioli. Dessert is your choice off the regular menu, but I would heartily recommend the clafoutis.
Minami
Another more established restaurant, Minami serves up contemporary Japanese cuisine and aburi sushi (the latter is usually pressed and lightly seared with French-based sauces). The regular menu is $45, but there is also a $35 vegetarian menu. Both menus also offer optional sake pairings for an additional $12. The appetizer trio includes an aburi sashi sampler, citrus salad with fennel, pine nuts and aburi grapes, and a Brome Lake duck confit drumette. The main is a spin on surf ‘n’ turf, with miso-baked sablefish and pork done two way. Vegetarian options include tofu gyoza, quinoa-avocado rolls, and crispy tempeh with aburi and corn pepper salsa.
Urban Thai Bistro
Cool weather means hot and sour soup, am I right? The $25 at Urban Thai delivers that and a few other gems, like the spicy mango salad with tofu or prawns, and the roasted Long Island duck with egg noodles and vegetables. If three savoury courses aren’t enough, cough up an extra four dollars for the deep-fried banana with ice cream.
Anya Levykh is a freelance food and travel writer who covers all things ingestible. She has a regular segment every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and is a judge for the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. Find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
