Q&A With Angus An Of West 4th’s Gastropod

One or twice a week Scout poses 60 questions to a local who has made life in BC that much more interesting. They pick and choose which ones they’d prefer to answer, with a minimum response rate of 20. A Rorschach test, for sure…

Angus An is the owner/chef of Kitsilano’s award-winning Gastropod.

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Scout Q&A

The thing that you eat that is bad for you that you will never stop eating: Butter.

Default drink of choice: Anything with gin.

Drink you’ll never have again: Anything with Fireball.

Favourite wine varietal: Riesling.

The person you can imitate: My son Aidan.

One thing you’d like to change about Vancouver: A denser downtown core, less urban sprawl

Bartender who could sell you anything: Steve Da Cruz.

Cheap place for dinner: Accord on Main St for a good late night MSG fix.

Book you’re reading: Bright Shinny Morning, James Frey.

Last place traveled: Bangkok and Tokyo.

Biggest fear: Death.

Dead film actor you wish was still making pictures: Marlon Brando.

Best sneaker in the world: Converse All Stars.

Place in BC that you love escaping to: Okanagan.

Under what circumstances would you join the army: if they force me.

Best bar stool in the city: Chow or Gastropod.

Dumbest purchase ever: 30 bucks worth of 649 tickets on Saturday.

The thing that makes you the angriest: Bad drivers!

Saddest thing about Vancouver: Too many bad drivers!

Most challenging part of owning a business: Everything, so many little things that all ultimately effect the business on a daily basis.

Best fine dining restaurant in the city: Blue Water Café and Raw Bar.

Food your mom makes better than anyone: Dumplings.

Musical instrument you long to play: A saxophone.

Sport you gave up: Basketball, but retire is the word I would prefer.

Vancouverite you admire most: John Bishop.

Canuck you would trade away in a heartbeat: Taylor Pyatt.

The number of fist fights you’ve been in: 1. When I was in elementary school, I got punched in the nose. Does that count as a fight?

Best concert experience ever: Live 8 Hyde Park.

The thing you wished people cared more about: Eating better.

The thing that makes you the most nervous: Falling behind.

Town you were born in: Taipei.

Old television shows you can tolerate re-runs of: The A-Team.

Quality you admire most in yourself: Honesty.

Default junk food of choice: Pizza.

The career path you considered but never followed: Architect.

Your top 3 films of all time: The Godfather, The Last of the Mohicans, Blade Runner.

The thing you’re addicted to: “24”.

Luckiest moment of your life: 3:45am, November 15th, 2007. The birth of my son.

Favourite book as a child: I had a collection of comic books that were also science encyclopedia. My parents didn’t allow me to buy regular comic books.

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Scout’s Gastropod Gallery

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PR: Gastropod Launching Dine Out Menu Early

From the inbox, courtesy of Gastropod, we learn that the award-winning West 4th eatery is starting its Dine Out Vancouver menu early.

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Direct from the press release:

To help diners on tight post-holiday budgets, Gastropod will be launching its Dine Out Vancouver menu a week early and will be offering a special $38 three-course menu beginning on January 7.

The special menu features some of Gastropod’s signature items, including Oysters with Horseradish Snow, nori-wrapped Pacific Salmon, and Gastropod’s Chocolate Fondant … as well as some exciting new dishes created by Chef Angus An.

STARTERS

Sweet Onion Soup
smoked sweetbread, bacon, croutons

Organic Green Salad
marinated vegetables, shaved fennel, lemon dressing

Painted River Farms Beef Tartare
wild arugula, parmesan crackling, olive powder, sous vide egg yolk

Oysters with Horseradish Snow
fresh royal miyagi oysters, sauternes jelly, shallot reduction
[$3 supplement]

MAINS

Wild Pacific Chum Salmon
nori wrapped, citrus bulgar salad, wasabi sabayon

Sloping Hills Pork Shoulder
36-hour braised, truffle hollandaise, pomme puree, shallot, sesame jus

Painted River Farms Beef Ragu
house made gnocchi, roasted vegetables, shaved parmesan

Barley & Lemon Risotto
roasted vegetables, mascarpone cheese, confit lemons
Add Seared Ahi Tuna [$6 supplement]

DESSERTS

Spiced Mexican Hot Chocolate
Gingersnap pumpkin ice cream sandwich

Goat Cheesecake
Okanagan goat cheese, Pink lady apple sorbet, elderflower syrup

Chocolate Fondant
earl grey syrup, raspberry sorbet

The menu will be available January 7 to the end of the Dine Out Vancouver event, February 1.

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Scout Magazine is dedicated to supporting and promoting cool, interesting, and independent Vancouver businesses through the publication of their press releases and event information. To get your sales, promotions, news and events up on our front page, send us an email here and we’ll do our best to share it with our readers.

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The Best Staff Meal In Town

You can tell a lot about a cook by what they make when it is his or her turn to make the staff meal in a restaurant. If they put the same love into a lasagna for their comrades as they do into a foie gras torchon for the customers, it says a lot about them. Any monkey can follow a recipe, or do what the chef tells them to do, but if they can take a bunch of scraps and conjure up a tasty meal, then they’re really on to something.

In my last eight months at West as the junior sous-chef I was in charge of preparing the staff meal most days. I always loved doing it and found it to be a great way to learn about cooking types of cuisine I would never learn about in a French fine-dining restaurant. If not for the staff meal, I might not know how to make tortilla soup or ma po tofu.

When I worked for a brief spell at Gastropod this past summer, I was exposed to some great staff meals made by Chef Angus An. He would often make the Thai dishes that he was exposed to while working at Nahm in London, the only Michelin-starred Thai restaurant in Europe. Last week I returned to get the recipe for one of those dishes: the Massaman Curry.

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Thai cooking is a cuisine based on a balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet flavours. During my visit, Angus told me about one of the great lessons in his cooking career, and it came while he was working at Nahm. He had over-salted a dish and Chef David Thompson took him aside and said, “If you take anything out of working here, I hope it is this”. Thompson then proceeded to fix the dish, adding sweetness, acid and spice to bring the dish back into balance. This is a lesson all cooks, professional or not, should take to heart – seasoning a dish is not just about adding salt and pepper. It’s about attaining a balance of flavours.

So without further ado, here is one of the great dishes that Angus makes for the lucky staff of Gastropod.

Massaman Curry

Serving: the entire restaurant staff!

1 pound yellow curry paste
1/2 pound peanuts peeled and roasted
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon cardamom pods
1 stick cassia bark
3 sheath of mace
2 star anise
1 nutmeg
1 tablespoons fennel seeds
1/2 cup palm sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 cans of longans (like a lychee)
3 pounds chicken meat
6 litres coconut cream
2 cups fried shallots
2 cups fried garlic
2 tablespoons tamarind

Crack the coconut cream by letting the milk sit still in the can to settle. The cream that sits on the top is what you want to crack. Ladle out the cream and bring it to a high simmer in a pot. Stir occasionally for about an hour and a half hours, or until the curd separates from the clear coconut oil.

Toast the spices until aromatic. Grind in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Add the roasted peanuts to the mix and blend or pound until fine. Fold in the curry paste.

Fry the curry paste with the coconut oil that you separated from the cream. The clear oil will fry the curry, while the curd lets out the curry and gives it moisture. When the curry is aromatic (3-5 minutes) add the palm sugar and fish sauce. Let out with the remaining coconut milk and cook. Fry the chicken in oil and add to the curry. Add 1 cup each of fried garlic and shallots. Check the seasoning, using tamarind to give acidity.

In the end, garnish with the sweet longans, and the rest of the fried garlic and shallots. Eat with lots of rice!

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Owen Lightly is a boy from a small island in the Gulf of Georgia. After attending cooking school, he moved to Vancouver in 2002 to start a career in the restaurant “biz”. His website, Butter On the Endive, was created for sharing and caring.

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Two Years Of Gastropod

Gastropod threw their 2nd birthday party tonight, held late to accommodate post-shift fellows in the industry. I checked in for drinks and hellos after dinner down the street. Took a bundle of not very good photographs, too. Heartening turn out. Nice to see so many younger restaurateurs, managers, cooks, and waitstaff paying their respects to the An family.

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Gastropod

1938 W. 4th Avenue, Vancouver BC | MAP
604-730-5579 | RESERVE
www.gastropod.ca

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The People Who Make It Happen

Executive Chef: Angus An
Manager: Tara Thom

Read Reviews

Angus An mixes it up for flavour’s sake at Gastropod – Angela Murrils, Georgia Straight
So smooth — that’s Gastropod – Mia Stainsby, Vancouver Sun
Perfect present for a foodie – Alexandra Gill, Globe and Mail

Awards Earned

Gold – Best New Fine Dining, 18th Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards
Silver – Best New Design, 18th Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards
Silver – Best New Restaurant, 10th Annual Golden Plates

About Gastropod

Gastropod offers chef Angus An’s modern-European cuisine, served in an intimate and chic setting. An’s dishes are innovative, but with the focus always on flavor. Every element on the plate serves a purpose; every technique is used only to enhance the diner’s experience; and the result is a collection of modern and unique dishes with flavors, textures and aromas in perfect harmony.

Heavily influenced by his classical French training, as well as his Asian heritage, each dish is a reflection of Chef An’s desire to present flavors and textures in playful and newly delectable ways.Gastropod combines Chef An’s distinctive style, with seasonal, top-quality, locally sourced ingredients from respected purveyors, including Polderside Farms, Sloping Hill Farm and Nicola Valley Ranch, among others.

Diners at Gastropod can choose from an a-la-carte menu, or select a 3, 5 or 9-course tasting menu – all offered with optional pairings of local and international wines. All tasting menus also include a complimentary amuse bouche as well as a pre-dessert. At $49.50 for three courses, Gastropod makes a truly memorable dining affordable, striking the perfect balance between “fine” and “neighborhood” dining.

Maenam

Details

1938 W. 4th Ave Vancouver, BC V6J 1M5 | MAP
Telephone: 604-730-5579
Fax: 604-730-5675
Web: www.maenam.ca
Email: info@maenam.ca

Gallery

People

Angus An – Executive Chef
Emily Waters – Sous Chef
Brooke Delves – General Manager

About Maenam

The cuisine at Maenam is rooted in balancing intense fresh flavours with seasonal ingredients and locally sourced products, while always considering the context within which these dishes would traditionally be enjoyed. Simplicity, innovation and balance are the key ingredients in chef Angus An’s philosophy behind the authentic Thai dishes served at Maenam. With inspiration found in continuous travel, the menu at Maenam is ever-changing but always served with Thai flare and enjoyed in its traditional context, be it family style dining or riffs on Thai street food.

Reviews

Thai One On – Alexandra Gill – Globe & Mail

Maenam Rocks Thai in Kitsilano – Anya Levykh – Metro News

“10 Restaurants Worth Leaving the Ship For” – Sara Dickerman | The New York Times

“The Best Restaurants in Vancouver” – Neal McLennan | Cooking Light

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