DINER: Stewart & Durbach’s Little “Sardine Can” Opens Up On Powell Street In Gastown

by Andrew Morrison | Chef Andrey Durbach and Chris Stewart officially (if softly) opened The Sardine Can yesterday after a hectic Monday night dry run that saw three full turns of tables. I’ll go a few more times before I get into lengthy dish descriptions and broad analysis, but suffice it to say here and now that the little 20 seater at 26 Powell Street focuses on simple, unassuming Spanish tapas and pretty much nails both the requisite casual ambiance and bold flavour hooks. Durbach’s albondigas, patatas bravas (with soft fingerlings!), fish toasts, and so on are each represented well and are wholly pairable with Stewart’s select list of wines, beers and sherries. The prices are a little higher than I thought they’d be, but rents in Gastown ain’t cheap anymore, and I left feeling more sated than depleted (having torn through half the menu – doubling down on some items – and finding not a dud in the bunch). They’re open from 3pm until late and don’t accept reservations. If you go this week, and you should, be sure to bring cash. While they do accept credit cards and Interac, customers paying cash get 10% off of everything. Take a look at the before and after… Read more

GOODS: “Fat Dragon Bar-B-Q” Celebrating Local Spot Prawns With A Feast On May 17th

Fat Dragon Bar-B-Q is located at 566 Powell Street in Vancouver BC | 604-558-0880 | www.fatdragonbbq.com

The GOODS from Fat Dragon

Vancouver, BC | Enter the Dragon! BC Spot Prawn season is right around the corner and we are keeping the tradition of our annual BC Spot Prawn Boil alive at Fat Dragon Bar-B-Q, the newest addition to our restaurant family. We are starting with one date – Thursday, May 17. Only 12 seats are available, so gather around a communal table and chow down on local, sustainable BC spot prawns, Sawmill Bay clams and Fat Dragon hot links all simmered in a savoury broth with Asian ingredients including daikon radish, long beans, bok choy, bamboo shoots, ginger, lemongrass and red chilies. Details after the jump… Read more

GOODS: Gastown’s “L’Abattoir” Looking For An Expediter To Join Its Service Crew

L'Abattoir is located at 217 Carrall St in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood | 604-568-1701 | www.labattoir.ca

The GOODS from L’Abattoir

Vancouver, BC | Gastown’s L’Abattoir restaurant is looking for a competent food runner to work 3 to 5 shifts a week on a flexible schedule. The restaurant will prove to be a great training ground for those looking to move up in the trade. Minimum restaurant experience unnecessary, but desired. The lucky candidate will really only need to be intelligent with a great attitude, a driven sensibility, and a yen for learning from some of the best in town. Only the brave need apply to paul [at] labattoir [dot ca]. Learn more after the jump… Read more

GOODS: Win A Double Pass To Glenfiddich’s “Cask of Dreams” Event At The Shebeen

The Shebeen Whisk(e)y House is located in Gastown at 210 Carrall Street | Vancouver, BC | 604-688-9779 | Shebeen.ca

The GOODS from the Shebeen

Vancouver, BC | Glenfiddich has launched its Cask of Dreams series of events in Canada to provide a rare opportunity for whisky lovers to participate in the ‘finishing’ of an exclusive Glenfiddich whisky. The Irish Heather’s Shebeen, home to the largest collection of whisky in BC, is proud to be the host of this event on April 26th. Guests are asked to sign their dream (eg. “One day I will…”) onto the cask that will be used to finish this fine whisky in Scotland. The resulting special bottles will be returned to BC. While this a trade event closed to the general public, we have managed to get our hands on 2 tickets and are giving them away to two lucky people. Simply send an email to info@salttastingroom.com with “Hey, I’m a dreamer’ in the subject line. We will select the winning name at random.

DINER: Ex-Rodney’s Shucker Shawn Chesney Opening His “Oyster Express” In Chinatown

by Andrew Morrison | Former Rodney’s Oyster House super shucker Shawn Chesney is opening a joint of his own called Oyster Express at 296 Keefer in Chinatown (southwest corner of Keefer and Gore). The space was a cheap Chinese import shop that dealt in T-shirts and the like until Chesney and his partner Soran picked it up back in December. They’ve been hard at work ever since, and hope to have it open in the first week of April. I’ll have more details in my Westender column next week. Until then, take a look at the shots below with a squint and behold the wood-clad Aurora Bistro of yore, re-incarnated!

ALL ANTICIPATED OPENINGS

DINER: The First Look Inside The Next “NU” Restaurant, Opening In Gastown In 2 Weeks

by Andrew Morrison | I took a look inside the upcoming NU micro-restaurant in Gastown yesterday. It’s coming to us from restaurateur Harry Kambolis (see also “C” and Raincity Grill), and is located in the old sandwich shop off Cordova at the back of the House Guest in the old Le Magasin building (the official address is 332 Water). Foodies may remember this space as the former playground of Vancouver Club chef Sean Cousins, back when he was getting meaty with butchery in the early days of So.cial at Le Magasin (circa 2006). There are two other locations of NU – one on Robson and the other on Broadway. I like them both, but the third is shaping up to be the prettiest. I’m digging the new branding and the heavy use of wood, and as you can see in one of the shots below, the old pressed tin ceilings have been restored to their original brilliance (they had been painted black). We can expect quick and simple Greek fare: flavoured pitas, filos in different shapes, open faced souvlakis (everything from octopus to lamb), and maybe…if we’re lucky…booze (Harry is gunning for a liquor licence). Service will be day only, but he’s entertaining the idea of opening of weekend evenings as well. There are 16 seats altogether, most of them communal.  Best case scenario: open in under two weeks.

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On A Mission: Searching For Vancouver’s Best Gyozas (And Finding Them At Santouka)

by Claire Lassam | Having spent many years working late nights in Vancouver kitchens, it would follow that I’d be pretty familiar with the venerable institution that is The Gyoza King. I’ve succumbed to its pull many, many times.  The food is good and simple enough for tired kitchen staff, the booze is cheap, and it’s open late. “The King” is a wonderful staple, but it only recently occurred to me that I’d never eaten there before midnight. Nor had I ever eaten there sober.

It wasn’t what I was hoping for. The prawn stuffing was chewy, overcooked and a little fishy-tasting, and the pork was under-seasoned (although the sauce was good). It was not the epic gyoza I had been hoping for, the ones I’d often looked forward to on late, boozy nights of yore.

So with Gyoza King not living up to my expectations, I had a new mission: find a suitable replacement. I started in East Van, near my home on The Drive. The closest to me was Kishimoto Izakaya, but their’s were too bland. I moved on to Toshi’s (on Main), but found their sauce nowhere near acidic enough. And so I returned to the West End, where within just a few short blocks at the base of Robson there have got to be at least a couple dozen izakayas and ramen joints. One among them had to offer perfect Japanese dumplings!

I found some wonderful ones at Hapa Izakaya; stuffed with pork, wrapped in lotus root, and tempura-ed so they were crunchy and flavourful. They were, however, hardly traditional, so I headed across the street to the cult-like Santouka, hoping it might be the restaurant I was looking for (1690 Robson). That it was incredibly crowded boded well, as did the fact that I was the only non-Japanese person in the room. With everyone yelling, slurping, and chewing around me, I felt confident that I’d come to the right spot on just my fourth go.

It turned out that I had. Santouka’s gyozas came with a trio of sauce dispensers so I could mix my own, which I loved (you can take the cook out of the kitchen…). The dumplings themselves were meltingly tender but for their undersides, which had been pan-fried to perfection (the sesame oil still bubbling on the surface upon delivery). The fillings were mild, as Japanese food so often is, and seasoned gently but evenly with ginger, garlic and chives. These were the real deal.

By the time we’d devoured our fill of them and drank ourselves a little silly with sake, the line up that had been 5 bodies long when we’d arrived was now closer to 15 deep, all with eager faces betraying a shared thought: what we’re waiting for is worth it.

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Claire Lassam is a baker, blogger, and freelance writer based in East Van. She has been cooking and baking her way through the city for nearly five years, working in restaurants ranging from Cioppino’s to Meat & Bread. She currently toils at Beta 5 Chocolates and runs the baking blog Just Something Pretty.

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DINER: Gastown’s Cobre To Close At The End Of March To Re-Open Next Door In Summer

Cobre is on the move. From the inbox…

After five years at 52 Powell the much beloved and critically acclaimed Cobre Restaurant is moving! This means the successful venture brought to you by owners Tyson Reimer, Chef Stu Irving and Jason Kelly can expand in order to tempt your palate even further!

However just when you thought you’d have to drive miles for those incredible taquitos rest assured, you won’t have to travel far at all. In fact Cobre is moving to a bigger space right next door to its current location; literally two feet away!

“Our lease came to an end and we have an opportunity to get into a space with more seats and all on one level,” says Reimer, “While we have really enjoyed the feel and the different levels of the room at Cobre, the new space will allow us to expand with a more defined lounge section.” Reimer adds, “The bonus of moving next door means we don’t have to alienate the local and devoted clientele we’ve built up over the past five years.”

The new Cobre will maintain all the character of the previous room with exposed brick and copper accents. Those in the lounge will be able to people watch from two massive bay windows at the front of the building.

Now the bad news. Cobre will be closing at the end of March for a few months as crews work on the fantastic new space.

“Lots of work goes into these old Gastown buildings to make them useable,” adds Kelly, “Whole new venting systems need to be put in and more without destroying the integrity and the unique history of the space; it was a challenge the first time and we’re looking forward to the finished product this time!”

Cobre’s new home will have a similar open concept feel with Chef Irving overseeing the delectable tapas plates as they head out to Vancouver’s watering mouths! Between closing Cobre and opening the new space, Chef Irving will be trekking to Mexico and Central America in search of new flavours for you to explore!

Stay tuned for the grand re-opening of Cobre Restaurant!

ALL ANTICIPATED OPENINGS

DINER: Sneak Peek At The Gastown Space The Will Soon Become “The Sardine Can”

I swung by the location of The Sardine Can in Gastown (26 Powell St.) over the weekend to have a closer look. A refresher…

The concept sounds like a proper Spanish tapas bar; the hole in the wall kind that Vancouver’s most hopeful food lovers have long been waiting for. Durbach and Stewart want to make it the most casual and accessible restaurant in their stable. That means no molecular gastronomy, no El Bullish artistry, no high falutin’ anything. Instead, Durbach tells us that we can expect some 12 raciones (small plates) alongside Spanish wines served in tumblers, a decent selection of sherries and Spanish beers, as well as a couple of Cavas.

There wil be 10 seats at the bar (which will double as a kitchen), plus three tables that can be configured to fit groups both small (4) and large (10). As befitting the casual, no nonsense intent of the concept, they will only be serving walk-ins. They’re also toying with the idea of opening as early as 3pm, which is pretty damn awesome, as Gastown is pretty dry before 5:30pm. Expect midnight as their nightly close, perhaps later on weekends.

They’ve only just taken possession, but you can see the potential…

GOODS: Coal Harbour’s Hapa Umi Set To Become 4th Hapa Izakaya This Wednesday

The new Hapa Izakaya will be located at 110-909 West Cordova in Vancouver, BC | 604.420.4272 | www.HapaIzakaya.com

The GOODS from Hapa Izakaya

Vancouver, BC | Lea and Justin Ault of Vancouver’s Hapa Izakaya restaurant group are pleased to announce the opening of a Hapa Izakaya in the Coal Harbour neighbourhood, on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. The transformation is already under way at 909 West Cordova (Waterfront Centre), at their former Hapa Umi restaurant location, across the street from the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Hapa Umi opened as a higher-end “sister” restaurant to Vancouver’s famed Hapa Izakayas in March of 2011. Over the past year, critics and guests alike have praised Hapa Umi for its wide range of exceptional Japanese and Japanese-inspired dishes including a large selection of Ocean WiseÔ sustainable sashimi and sushi favorites. After listening to a great deal of guest feedback, however, the Aults felt there was an even greater, un-met demand for an izakaya-style restaurant in the Coal Harbour area. Read more

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