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“C” Wins Seachoice Competition

"C" chef de cuisine Quang Dang's winning dish of proscuitto wrapped Qualicum Beach scallops
"C" chef de cuisine Quang Dang's winning dish of proscuitto wrapped Qualicum Beach scallops

The dish pictured above tasted better than it looks (and it looks pretty damn fine!). This was a fun, if a little tense culinary competition in a stunning location (Jericho is Vancouver’s left nipple): one that was particularly tough to judge considering the high degree of expertise exhibited by an excellent and highly motivated field. The name of the game was sustainable seafood, and the competing chefs rocked out with the good stuff.

My one regret? Drinking the wine pairings as prescribed. In my closing speech when I announced the winner I think I actually said something along the lines of “fish is only good when it tastes like something it isn’t.” Er…polite laughter. Bogey for the course.

Press release below:

Vancouver, BC | Blazing a trail for our troubled seas, C Restaurant Chef de Cuisine Quang Dang proudly presents another competition winning plate – this time, at the 2nd Annual Sea Choice ‘For the Love of Fish’ Challenge held on November 15 at the Jericho Tennis Club in Vancouver. No stranger to working with sustainable seafood ingredients like BC Albacore tuna, sablefish, Dungeness crab, Pacific sardines, farmed mussels and oysters, Dang skilfully demonstrated the versatility and obvious quality of our local, sustainably harvested seafood products in fine style. Reviewed by an auspicious panel of judges namely, Hidekazu Tojo (Tojo’s), Karen Barnaby (The Fish House in Stanley Park), and Vancouver food writer, Andrew Morrison (West Ender, scoutmagazine.ca), Dang prepared a dish of Oyama Prosciutto wrapped sablefish and Dungeness crab.

The event was an opportunity for Vancouver’s top culinary masters to showcase their talents as well as support healthy oceans and demonstrate how delicious sustainability can be. In the student tier, Dylan Foss and Jiro Suzuki from Vancouver Community College took first and second place, while Dean McGregor of the Art Institute came in third. Foss is currently employed part time at C’s sister restaurant NU Restaurant + Lounge, garnering experience as a line cook. In the professional tier, Quang Dang from C Restaurant took top prize with Colman Herrington of Bluewater Café + Raw Bar coming in second and Aramark Canada’s Jasper Cruickshank in third place.

SeaChoice is a comprehensive seafood markets program with the primary goal of realizing sustainable fisheries in Canada and abroad to which Harry Kambolis’ three restaurants have been an avid supporter of. SeaChoice has seen a tremendous increase in support over the last year, and the positive momentum that the sustainable seafood movement has gained is invaluable for our oceans. For more information, visit www.seachoice.org.

An exquisite waterfront setting and graceful, choreographed service compliment the top-quality seafood served at C, making for an unforgettable dining experience. C Restaurant is located at 1600 Howe Street, one block south of Beach Avenue on False Creek. For more information or to book your reservation, please call 604.681.1164 or visit www.crestaurant.com.