by Andrew Morrison | After a lovely lunch out on the West Side at La Ghianda the other day, co-owner/chef Lucais Syme invited me across the street to take a look at how the much anticipated L’Officio was coming along. As you can see from the shots below, it looks as if they might actually open ahead of schedule – as in before Christmas – which would rejoicing. I particularly love how deep the bar top is – perfect for amassing dishes – and the back bar wall blackboard, which will list all the plates and wines on offer. Here’s a recap just in case this is the first time you’ve ever heard of the place…

Lucais Syme and Adam Pegg, the chefs/owners of the award-winning La Quercia (inarguably one of the most respected restaurants in Vancouver), have secured the address next door to their location at 4th and Alma with the aim of turning it into an Italian wine and tapas (stuzzichini) bar. Syme and Pegg (who also own the nearby La Ghianda) are calling it “L’Officio”, or “The Office”. It is so named because the new project will finally afford them the square footage for an office. The new – and rather small – restaurant at 3687 West 4th (formerly a shop called “Garden Party”) will have separate frontage from La Quercia (though it may umbilically connect at the rear near the kitchen), fewer than 20 seats, many wines poured by the glass, and what I can only imagine will be a menu card of Italian bar bites that will blow us all away. L’Officio is still in its conceptual stage (ie. construction has yet to begin), so we can only ballpark the date for opening in early 2012. Since these fellows aren’t in the business of doing anything half-assed, I’ll wager it’ll be well worth the wait.

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