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You Need To Try This West Side

Every Damn Thing So Far At Kitsilano’s Excellent Annalena

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by Andrew Morrison | I’m digging just about everything about Annalena, the 65 seat eatery recently arrived in Kitsilano. Well, everything except that it’s a little too far from my house.

I say that because it’s one of those restaurants that anyone would want to live next to. It hits that very rare sweet spot, the one that sees killer cooking and quality bartending combined inside a neighbourhood joint that expresses itself – both in static design and service posture – as casually as it can. It has the fun sensibilities of a youthfully-managed hangout but the culinary chops of a champ. Chambar, L’Abattoir, and Wildebeest all mine a similar seam.

Everything I tried on my first pass last week – from the seared trout with charred onion cups filled with chive butter sauce to the buttermilk fried chicken with horseradish-maple aioli – was straight up superb, not to mention beautifully presented. Top marks to co-owner/chef Mike Robbins and his crew.

The cocktails I sampled were also delicious. The wine list could be deeper, but I imagine it’ll grow as these guys recoup their investment, which I trust won’t take that long if they keep the awesome up. Take a look…

Annalena | 778-379-4052 | 1809 West 1st Ave. | Kitsilano | www.annalena.ca

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