Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Forage Vancouver’

Forage [Dine Out Vancouver 2014]

Posted in Bistro, Canadian, Culinary Events, Dessert, Dine Out Vancouver, Dinner, Joyce, Meat, Neighbourhood Gem, Restaurants, Seafood, Vancouver, West Coast, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on February 3, 2014| 5 Comments »

The one Dine Out that I most looked forward to this year was at Forage. Since the menu was released, there has been a lot of buzz about it. And people had been raving about it since the event kicked off on January 17. Finally my day has come to give it a try.

Dine Out at Forage

Food

Forage has been a two-time champion of the Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown so obviously I had to order its Seafood Chowder. While it’s thick and creamy, it wasn’t overly rich; and there was no shortage of ingredients (and lots of salmon and shrimp) in the chowder, which I loved. I was hoping that the quail egg was soft poached and the yolk would ooze out, but it didn’t. I liked the addition of chicharron as a crunchy element but it became soft and a bit chewy after sitting in the soup for a bit.

Forage Award Winning Seafood Chowder

My friend CP ordered the Bison Carpaccio and she said it tasted very good. Unfortunately I’m still off red meat so I didn’t try any. I thought the presentation was pretty good despite the rustic feel.

Spruce Tip Smoked Bison Carpaccio

For entree, I went for the most-raved about Pork Belly. It looked and tasted like the Chinese-style Roast Pig. Skin was super crispy and meat was tender. The apple chutney/slaw had a bit of acidity that rounded out the richness/fattiness from the pork belly. (more…)

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

[Wines] ChefmeetsBCGrape – A Recap [Photos]

Posted in Cheese, Chocolate, Culinary Events, Dessert, Joyce, Seafood, Snacks, Tapas, Vancouver, Wine Pairing, Wine Series, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We were invited to the ChefmeetsBCGrape event back in June. Co-produced with the Wines of British Columbia, it’s a wine and food fundraiser for the Arts Club Theatre, celebrating the finest offerings of wine and food from across BC. I had a backlog of photos and posts to go through, and finally here I am to show you some mouth-watering photos from the event. Better late than never, right?

It was a sold out event with more than 500 wine lovers. Each of us went from station to station to taste dishes put on by 15 local restaurants, and sample wines from close to 100 BC wineries. You know there would be no shortage of good food and good wines.

A sold out event featuring close to 100 BC wineries

A sold out event featuring close to 100 BC wineries

Each of us was given an event guide, with a slot for the wine glass. What a great idea to free up our hands from juggling plates and glasses!

Event guide with wine glass holder

Event guide with wine glass holder

Participating restaurants included: (more…)

Read Full Post »

Dishcrawl West End – Eating My Way Along Robson Street Part 2

Posted in Bistro, Cafe, Chocolate, Culinary Events, Dessert, Dinner, Food Bloggers, Group Dinner, Joyce, Neighbourhood Gem, Pizza, Restaurants, Tea, Vancouver, West Coast, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 4, 2013| 2 Comments »

Continuing our journey from Part 1 of the Dishcrawl West End tour, we kept on heading eastward from Hida Takayama Ramen and arrived at the door of Forage Restaurant. You would remember my interview with its Executive Chef, Chris Whittaker, a couple of weeks ago, so yes, I did know ahead of time that we would be coming here for a tasting trio. I was quite looking forward to this stop.

Forage Restaurant

Forage Restaurant

Forage Restaurant (1300 Robson Street)

Once again, each table is given three full-size plates to share. First of all, the Nettle Gnocchi with Brown Butter was very good. It’s slightly crispy on the outside, and pillowy inside. The brown butter added extra richness, savouriness and nutty taste to the dish. I don’t eat gnocchi often, but other ones I’ve had tend to be more doughy, whereas this one seemed to have more potato content. It’s almost like pan-fried mashed potato balls.

Nettle gnocchi with brown butter

Nettle gnocchi with brown butter

True to its Farm-to-Table and seasonal concept, the next dish features the Foraged Mushrooms that are currently in season. This is a very simple dish, but that’s also the best way to let the ingredients shine in their own light. (more…)

Read Full Post »

An Interview with Chris Whittaker, Executive Chef of Forage

Posted in Eat Local, Interviews, Joyce, Restaurants, Sustainable, Vancouver, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 14, 2013| 1 Comment »

Through the organizer of Dishcrawl‘s “A Taste of Vancouver’s West End” on June 19, I had a chance to meet and interview Chris Whittaker, the executive chef of Forage at the Listel Hotel.

Forage Vancouver

Forage Vancouver

Originally from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Chef Chris Whittaker has been in the industry for 22 years. Starting as a dishwasher at 14, Chris worked his way up and really enjoyed his journey growing as a chef. His experience working at the largest convention hotel in northwest Ontario allowed him to learn making everything from scratch, building a great foundation for what he has become to be.

Chris moved to the west coast in 1999 and worked for several large hotels and restaurants. In 2007, he landed a job at the Listel Hotel, a boutique hotel on the West End which strives to be the greenest hotel. Chris has been there ever since.

“I hunt, I fish, I garden; we keep two honey bee hives at home. We compost all food waste and we recycle. That’s also how I operate my kitchen. The progression of my career and the shift to local cuisine 8 or 10 years ago just made this a natural fit,” says Chris. (more…)

Read Full Post »

%d bloggers like this: