Why the Michelin Guide Gave AnnaLena a Well-Deserved Star

AnnaLena was one of eight restaurants to receive a Michelin star in late October, but from day one, the restaurant has been a deeply personal expression of chef and owner Michael Robbins’ passions for art, design, and of course, food. The gorgeous Kitsilano room could be right out of a Stanley Kubrick movie: quiet elegance edged with curated pops of street art and collectables, all reflecting a cosmopolitan if slightly subversive sensibility.    

The monthly tasting menus (or ‘chapters,’—the 59th chapter launching in late November) are carefully constructed with a focus on local artisanal products: beets from Pemberton’s North Arm Farm, walla walla onions from Klippers Organics in Cawston, and steelhead trout from Lois Lake.  But what the menus lack in market-day spontaneity is more than compensated by carefully constructed flavours and meal progressions that unfold effortlessly.   

 

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And that is perhaps the biggest plot twist here: despite the incredible amount of thought and cutting-edge techniques like fermentation, sous vide and gelification, the dining experience feels remarkably easygoing. Certainly there is text and subtext on the plate, but the overarching theme is respect for ingredients and bringing delicious balance to the fore with imagination and razor-sharp execution. 

Chapter 58 standout dishes included a seemingly simple bowl of plump poached mussels, but the natural saline sweetness was deepened and lengthened by a Popular Grove blue cheese white wine broth, a graceful echo of the briny waters of Salt Spring Island.  In another, bountiful lavishness is anchored by a shared minerality threading through a plate of A5 Wagyu steak, 63 Acres pastrami croquette, and grilled Hannah Farms kale—neatly linking the animal with the vegetable 

 

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Every ingredient on the plate is an idealized version of itself–the toasty softness of torn bread, the sharp herbal kick of Barnston Island tarragon enveloped in an ethereal aerated béarnaise, the trembling succulence of perfectly grilled beef.  Luxury items such as truffles or caviar were deployed subtly to amplify flavours and textures, not for oligarch swagger, but instead each element coalescing together into a flawless whole.  

 In granting it a coveted star, Michelin recognized that AnnaLena “aims to impress—sans the fuss.”  Though Chef Robbins has a maverick’s edge, his focus is squarely on the diner.  Every detailed has been considered—it’s a joy to let the soulful generosity of AnnaLena surprise you.   

 

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