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

David Chang Shuts Two Eateries, Says Vancouver’s Momofuku Noodle Bar Still on Track

When it was announced last Fall that celebrity polymath/chef David Chang was committed to opening an outpost of his Momofuku Noodle Bar concept in the upcoming Vancouver House development, there was much rejoicing. But what happens now with the Covid-19 pandemic strangling the hospitality industry?

I would not have been shocked to learn that David Chang, founder of over a dozen restaurants around the world, including three in Toronto (Milk Bar, Kojin, Noodle Bar), had somehow figured out how to retreat from out west to retool/rebuild his empire back east. It would have been a bummer for our food scene, which is already reeling, but we would have totally understood. The times suck. We know. Namaste.

Just yesterday he let it be known that he was closing two restaurants (Nishi in New York City and CCDC in Washington, DC) and moving a third (Ssäm, also in NYC). It was a long and sincere statement, but buried in it was this particularly uplifting passage (italics mine):

We are not giving up on growth. We have faith in the future of our industry and believe in creating more opportunities for our employees. That said, growth needs to be carried out sustainably. We’ve made the hard decisions with this in mind: we had no plans to open another restaurant on the East Coast outside of New York. And with New York as the epicenter of this crisis, we need to consolidate our resources there to strengthen our most stable restaurants.

As we streamline our businesses on the East Coast, we are excited to continue working with partners on the West Coast and Canada to create growth opportunities for the teams we have built there.

We will also continue to develop more Noodle Bars. As our concept most fit for standardization, we believe Noodle Bar has the ability to succeed in a world where more stringent procedures are the norm. We are looking forward to our next location in Vancouver.

So hang in there, awaiting further noodles.

UPDATE: Plans for a Vancouver Momofuku location have been shelved.


Momofuku Noodle Bar
Neighbourhood: False Creek
1480 Howe St.
(Closed)

Osteria Elio Volpe Officially Opens In Cambie Street Village

The time has finally come: Osteria Elio Volpe will open at 540 West 17th Avenue this Thursday, March 14th - take a look at what you can expect...

New Chinatown Bar, Meo, Set to Officially Open March 13th

The highly anticipated retro-inspired cocktail bar brought to us by the team behind Bao Bei and Kissa Tanto (Tannis Ling, Joël Watanabe and Alain Chow) is on track to open doors next week.

Good Thief is Coming to Main Street

Scout has toured Good Thief, a new concept by Amélie and Vincent Nguyễn, the sibling duo behind the celebrated Anh and Chi. Although we're sworn to secrecy on the finer points, we can confirm that the "thrilling extension of their vision" will be very, very cool.

Slo Coffee Aiming to Bring a New Pace to the Fraserhood by Summertime

By late spring or early summer, Fraser Street is expected to welcome the new café inspired by the Japanese idea of wabi-sabi and the universal desire to just slow the fuck down.