A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

In The Forest Hunting Mushrooms With The “Acorn” Crew

15479572542_6abbdf9ee0_b

by Michelle Sproule | Mushroom Season is upon us. The warm wet days of Autumn bring with them the perfect conditions for fungal growth and the little buggers are popping up everywhere right now. I tagged along with the crew from Main Street’s Acorn restaurant (chef Rob Clarke, sous chef Brian Luptak, kitchen staffers Heather Dosman, Matt Gostelow, Peter Warszycki, Dylan Williams, and owner Shira Blustein, plus Jared Blustein and Christina Paradun from the FOH) as they followed professional mushroom forager Alexander McNaughton on a recent hunt/hike through the North Shore mountains.

Being familiar with the area and knowing likely hiding places, Alexander marched us through some serious terrain to uncover yellow chanterelles, puff balls, angel wings, and cauliflower shrooms. It was an arduous and rewarding adventure, but it should be remembered that going off-trail and eating mushrooms without proper identification are both very dangerous activities. Don’t fuck around. Be a pro or go with a pro.

Back at the restaurant, the kitchen crew crafted a rich and beautifully balanced foraged mushroom tart with sorel emulsion, goat’s cheese, watercress, cured egg yolk, and reindeer lichen — amazing. If you’re stoked on mushrooms but not interested in the bushwhacking, Acorn has a bunch of tasty shroom dishes on their menu this week. Starting Saturday there will be Hen of the Woods mushroom pasta with sunchoke purée, pickled shallots, and pepper hazelnuts as well as a vegan portobello and walnut pate with preserved lemon gel, pickled walnuts and caraway taro crisps. Take a look…

  • Acorn
    Acorn
  • North Shore mushroom foraging field trip with Acorn Staff
    North Shore mushroom foraging field trip with Acorn Staff
  • Mt. Seymour forest for mushroom foraging field trip with Acorn staff
    Mt. Seymour forest for mushroom foraging field trip with Acorn staff
  • Wild foraged mushrooms, Acorn
    Wild foraged mushrooms, Acorn
  • Chef de Cuisine, Rob Clarke  foraging mushrooms
    Chef de Cuisine, Rob Clarke foraging mushrooms
  • Mushroom foraging field trip with Acorn staff
    Mushroom foraging field trip with Acorn staff
  • Alexander (Mushroom foraging expert) and Heather (Acorn) compare notes
    Alexander (Mushroom foraging expert) and Heather (Acorn) compare notes
  • Chanterelle's
    Chanterelle's
  • Christina Paradun (Acorn) pictured with a non-edible mushroom
    Christina Paradun (Acorn) pictured with a non-edible mushroom
  • Acorn | 3995 Main St. | Mount Pleasant | 604-566-9001 | www.theacornrestaurant.ca
    Acorn | 3995 Main St. | Mount Pleasant | 604-566-9001 | www.theacornrestaurant.ca
  • Foraged Mushroom Tart at Acorn
    Foraged Mushroom Tart at Acorn
  • Foraged Mushroom Tart, Acorn
    Foraged Mushroom Tart, Acorn
  • Jared Blustein, Acorn mushroom forager
    Jared Blustein, Acorn mushroom forager
  • Gathering yellow chanterelles
    Gathering yellow chanterelles
  • Yellow Chanterelle Mushrooms
    Yellow Chanterelle Mushrooms
  • A Perfect Chanterelle
    A Perfect Chanterelle
  • Cauliflower mushrooms
    Cauliflower mushrooms
  • Angel wing mushroom
    Angel wing mushroom
  • Rob and Shira talking shrooms
    Rob and Shira talking shrooms
  • Foraging
    Foraging
  • Shroom hunting with Acorn staff
    Shroom hunting with Acorn staff
  • Shira and Rob post foraging
    Shira and Rob post foraging
  • Acorn Sous Chef – Brian Luptak
    Acorn Sous Chef – Brian Luptak
  • Acorn | 3995 Main St. | Mount Pleasant | 604-566-9001 | www.theacornrestaurant.ca
    Acorn | 3995 Main St. | Mount Pleasant | 604-566-9001 | www.theacornrestaurant.ca
  • Acorn Sous Chef – Brian Luptak
    Acorn Sous Chef – Brian Luptak
  • Mushroom cooking, Acorn
    Mushroom cooking, Acorn
  • Mushroom cooking, Acorn
    Mushroom cooking, Acorn
  • From forest to pan, mushroom season
    From forest to pan, mushroom season
  • Acorn Owner, Shira Blustein and Chef de Cuisine, Rob Clarke
    Acorn Owner, Shira Blustein and Chef de Cuisine, Rob Clarke
  • Sharing mushroom tart Acorn
    Sharing mushroom tart Acorn
  • It's always a wise to take along a good looking dog
    It's always a wise to take along a good looking dog
  • Guide and mushroom wizard, Alexander McNaughton
    Guide and mushroom wizard, Alexander McNaughton

EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER

There are 2 comments

  1. You mean chef Brian Skinner? Rob Clark is up the street a bit making fish and chips.

  2. Brian Skinner isn’t at the Acorn any more, and this is a different Rob Clark.

Scenes from Last Night’s Dine Out World Chef Exchange at The Acorn

The event saw a special collaboration between The Acorn and Wilsons from Bristol, UK. Although I wasn’t among the lucky ones to score a spot at either of the sold out seatings, I was invited to slip by pre-service for a glimpse of what was to come.

Yes Shef: An Evening In Images

A lineup of BC's most talented women working in the hospitality sector come together in in the Star Sapphire Ballroom at the Fairmont Pacific Rim for an exceptional cause at the WORTH (Women of Recreation, Tourism & Hospitality) Association's Yes Shef event...

Why Did Vancouver Make Front Yard Businesses Illegal?

In the latest video from the Vancouver-curious YouTube channel 'About Here', we learn of a terrible NIMBY move of yore.

This Mt. Pleasant Restaurant Features ‘Sadio’, the ‘World’s Saddest Patio’

Most nearby restaurants were allowed temporary patio permits. Wallflower was denied theirs, but it hasn't broken their spirit.