Jim Pattison Food Group Is Opening a Restaurant That Serves Pescetarian Charcuterie

There’s a new restaurant coming to town—er, really, to the edge of town—this February. Wildlight Kitchen and Bar will be serving up West Coast cuisine at 5380 University Boulevard, to the Lelem neighbourhood just outside of UBC Campus (to my fellow UBC alum, it’s on that stretch of road between McDonald’s and the golf course).

It’s an area that’s swelled with new housing development over the past few years, and also is rather isolated from both UBC and Vancouver itself, so it stands to reason that this will be a go-to spot for residents of the area… or anyone who is really into the idea of pescetarian charcuterie.

Local chef Warren Chow, who just won the ExpoGast 2022 Culinary World Cup with team Canada in November, is steering the ship—an apt metaphor for a restaurant that is so seafood-focused. The aforementioned pescetarian charcuterie includes housemade salmon pastrami, beet-cured ling cod, marinated Salt Spring Island Mussels, smoked albacore tuna tataki and cod rillette as well as other ocean-focused takes on classic accoutrements (pickled sea asparagus, nori crackers). There are seared Hokkaido scallops with truffle risotto and miso koji Gindara Sablefish with soba noodles. And for the “Fish are friends, not food” gang, there’s a burger made with Two Rivers beef, a tomahawk steak and more.

Wildlight is owned by the Pattison Food Group (of Save on Foods, Buy-Low, Nesters, Pricesmart, Choices… it might be easier to name the grocers Jim Pattison doesn’t own, at this point), and it’s actually the first restaurant venture from the local giant. When you’re a 94-year-old billionaire… why not?

Wildlight is slated to open February 2023.