The Winners

It was a year of fundamental change in our dining landscape, both in the unprecedented number of rooms that opened their doors in 2006 and in the way local products—more than ever before—starred front and centre on plates across the province.

By Jamie Maw

NEVER IN ONE YEAR have so many new restaurants opened in Vancouver. Fuelled by reasonable rents in satellite locations, cheap money and a thoroughbred roster of locally raised ingredients and chefs, more than 100 serious new dining rooms opened last year.

They run a gamut, from the urgent clangor of izakaya such as Kingyo to serene temples of molecular gastronomy at Gastropod. Many extol our exact locality with zeal: chef Brian Fowke’s local trap lines for prime provender is near religious at Rare. Ditto at the veteran Bishop’s (see our new Green Award), Raincity Grill, West, C and a host of others.

What’s new became old again: in beautiful restorations of historic Gastown buildings, Jules—a remarkable bistro—has been joined by So.Cial, which links together an oyster bar, bistro, as well as butcher and charcuterie shop replete with artisan-raised proteins (including exemplary corned beef) and cheeses.

And now we can also include kitchenless restaurants in what’s new; at another Gastown venue, Salt, only charcuterie, cheeses and condiments (and very good wine) are served—“it’s like an indoor picnic,” said one of our judges.

Another pod of restaurants opened along Fourth Avenue, just west of Burrard Street. Gastropod (see best New Formal), opened to a standing ovation last autumn. It was soon joined—right next door—by Fuel, the brainchild of Rob Belcham and Tom Doughty, both formerly of C. Joining them nearby was The Noodle Box, a pan-Asian wok shop, and just two months ago, Bistrot Bistro. Perhaps more remarkably, Stephan Gagnon, the owner of Jules Bistro, built his own restaurant, Gastropod, Fuel and Bistrot Bistro in a six-month period. Olympic contractors please take note.

British Columbians continue to outpace other Canadians when it comes to dining out—each of us spent $1,400 in restaurants last year, some $200 more than the national average. Our wine consumption, fuelled by the emergent quality of our own vineyards, also leads the country.
But now our dining consumerism threatens to consume us. For never have issues of sustainability challenged our native food industry like today. Inspired by pioneering programs such as the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise and Green Table, in this issue, which celebrates culinary excellence across the province, we also celebrate and explain those individuals and restaurants that lead the way.

You may have heard the insistent mantra: organic, regional, seasonal, sustainable. We’re not here to preach, but rather to explain that food prepared from sources that believe in those words also taste better. And there’s another lesson to be learned: that less is often more. We think that North Americans will have to undergo a major rethink in how they approach the table. Smaller portions of higher quality ingredients is the obvious way forward and, dare we say, healthier.

Welcome to the 18th Annual Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. Throughout the pages that follow, we chronicle, judge and celebrate culinary excellence throughout the province.
This year, resources permitted us to change our judging methodology. For the first time, our judges were divided into teams that specialized both geographically and by type of cuisine to evaluate restaurants in the Lower Mainland, Whistler, Vancouver Island and the Okanagan Wine Country. It’s an enormous undertaking, and we thank them (see page 128 for a complete list of judges) for their time and extraordinary dedication to the task at hand. Their exacting words shape the category commentary that follows.

This new methodology allowed a nomination list of 10 restaurants to be put forward in each category. Then, following revisits and spirited discussion amongst the teams, the finalists were voted upon. And once again, members of the Chefs’ Table Society of British Columbia elected the Best Producer/Supplier Award (see page 99), this year very much in the theme of green. And on page 130, we reveal the results of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival’s Wine List Awards.

We now know that investment in eco-friendly agricultural practices and a sustainable coastal fishery will bear beneficial results. Some of them we’ve seen already in the restaurants that promote their virtues each night and every day. By way of the theme of this issue, we invite others to the table now, especially you.

BACK TO RESTAURANT AWARDS