{"id":15194,"date":"2018-09-19T11:45:36","date_gmt":"2018-09-19T18:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/?p=15194"},"modified":"2018-10-17T13:17:05","modified_gmt":"2018-10-17T20:17:05","slug":"recap-tasting-plates-south-granville-vancouver-foodster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/recap-tasting-plates-south-granville-vancouver-foodster\/","title":{"rendered":"Recap: Tasting Plates South Granville by Vancouver Foodster"},"content":{"rendered":"

This was Vancouver Foodster<\/a>‘s first Tasting Plates<\/a> event in South Granville,\u00a0one of Vancouver\u2019s most charming districts on the west side. The neighbourhood is known for offering locals an visitors a great number of retail spaces for fine art, home decor, and fashion, as well as numerous gourmet restaurants and outlets of fine food and beverage.\u00a0 And this foodie adventure truly showcased some of the best of the area.<\/p>\n

We were checking in at JAK’s Beer Wine Spirits<\/a>. Since this was a sold-out event with 150+ guests, we definitely need to come up with a good plan to visit all the foodie spots without having to wait too long. And we did a great job.<\/p>\n

\"Tasting<\/a>
Tasting Plates South Granville<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We decided to come back later for the wine tasting at JAK’s and headed straight to Fiore<\/a>, an intimate Italian\u00a0restaurant focusing on simple dishes but with a creative touch.\u00a0 Helmed by\u00a0Chef Alexandrea Fladhamer,\u00a0who has previously worked at formerly Ask for Luigi, Burdock and Co., they offer hand-crafted pasta and sourdough pizzas using regional and seasonal ingredients.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here we were served a tasting plate of their creative special, the Beet & Ricotta Ravioli,<\/strong> topped with a herb beurre\u00a0blanc sauce and finely chopped roasted beets. While the little pasta pillows were soft and delicate, the sauce was incredibly flavourful.<\/p>\n

\"Beet<\/a>
Beet & Ricotta Ravioli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fiore<\/a>
Fiore Restaurant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Besides a well-curated list featuring mostly Italian wines, they provide a list of Italian inspired cocktails, including a Negroni Lounge section, putting different spins on this iconic Italian cocktail. I tried the Ne-straw-groni<\/strong>\u00a0($12) featuring gin, sweet vermouth, St. Germain, Amaro Montenegro, and preserved strawberries. If you are a fan of both negroni and sangria, you would love this drink.<\/p>\n

\"Ne-straw-groni\"<\/a>
Ne-straw-groni, not included in the price of the tasting plates ticket<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next stop we found ourselves at The Rise\u00a0Eatery<\/a>, a fairly new addition\u00a0to the list of fine dining restaurants in the neighbourhood.\u00a0 Founded by husband-and-wife team chef Dan Leung and Wanda Lai,\u00a0the menu is listing flavours from regions in Asia, Europe, the Americas and the kitchen team is determined to bring different world cuisines together ingeniously.<\/p>\n

They served us a trio of their signature creative dishes: the Lo Hay Salad<\/strong>, mixed with smoked salmon, fresh vegetables, pickled ginger, taro, crispy vermicelli, sesame, and peanuts, and finished with an apricot & beet vinaigrette, the Chicken Seoul Good<\/strong>, their version of Korean style fried chicken, enhanced by wild mushroom cream, truffle oil, and grated parmesan, and the Dynamic Duo<\/strong> of rice battered brussel\u00a0sprout and cauliflower bites, dressed with gochujang buffalo\u00a0sauce and blue cheese crumble.\u00a0 As a texture guy, I really enjoy the crunchy texture from\u00a0all the creations. My favourite had to be the fried chicken, which was perfectly executed. The flavours of wile mushroom cream, truffle and parmesan definitely added so much more.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Rise\u00a0Eatery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Chicken<\/a>
Chicken Seoul Good<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We took the advantage of the restaurant offering the amazing local wines for a good price, such as Dirty Laundry Hush Rose 2017<\/strong> (6oz $7, 9oz $10), Joie Farm Noble Blend 2016<\/strong> (6oz $8, 9oz $11), and Dirty Laundry Cab Sauvignon<\/strong>\u00a02015<\/strong> (6oz $9, 9oz $12). At The Rise, you can also find a list of\u00a0 seasonal and classic cocktails.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Rise Eatery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Phoscao Cafe<\/a> was our next stop. While providing freshly brewed coffee and a great\u00a0variety of sandwiches made in-house,\u00a0 the cafe has brought something unique to the neighbourhood, Bingsoo, a Korean inspired shaved ice dessert.<\/p>\n

\"Phoscao<\/a>
Phoscao Cafe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Phoscao<\/a>
Phoscao Cafe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They highlighted the dessert for the tasting event by offering the Mango Bingsoo<\/strong> and the Matcha Bingsoo<\/strong>.\u00a0 The mango one features chunks of fresh mango on top of snow-like shaved ice, and the level sweetness is right on the spot. The matcha one would satisfy the matcha lovers with the aroma and distinct flavour of the refined green tea powder.<\/p>\n

\"Matcha<\/a>
Matcha Bingsoo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Mango<\/a>
Mango Bingsoo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

A seafood fest awaited us at Meinhardt Fine Foods<\/a>, featuring fresh Steelhead Trout<\/strong>, Spicy Tiger Prawns<\/strong> and Panko Crusted Cod Cake<\/strong>, with Beet Risotto<\/strong>, Wild Baby Arugula<\/strong>, and Spicy Aioli<\/strong> on the side, and finished with a freshly baked Meringue Tart<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Established by Linda Meinhardt in South Granville in 1996 as Western Canada’s frist gourmet grocery store, Meinhardt is a local landmark known for providing some of the best olive oils in the city, as well its specialized imported products and ready-to-eat\u00a0gourmet meals. Their 2nd location was opened in 2015 in the heart of downtown at Pacific Centre, and they recently welcomed their newest location in Ambleside, West Vancouver.<\/p>\n

We really enjoy the fine dining approach to their gourmet creations freshly prepared at the store – healthy, delicious, and well representing the high-quality products they sell at the store.<\/p>\n

\"gourmet<\/a>
gourmet seafood meals at Meinhardt Fine Foods<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"meringue<\/a>
meringue tart at Meinhardt Fine Foods<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We also stopped at Le Creuset South Granville<\/a>\u00a0for a coffee and discovered their special offer exclusively available for the Tasting Plates event participants.<\/p>\n

Le Creuset<\/strong> is a prestigious name in the culinary world for high quality.\u00a0It is no surprise they are enhancing the customer experience by adding a new cafe component to the location serving coffee from Parallel 49 and fine pastries from Thierry, both local brands that represent quality.<\/p>\n

We were also offered discounts on various products, especially on their silicone cookware.<\/p>\n

\"Le<\/a>
Le Creuset South Granville<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Le<\/a>
Le Creuset South Granville<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Le<\/a>
Le Creuset South Granville<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Le<\/a>
Le Creuset South Granville<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The last stop was definitely one of the highlights as I’m such a wine lover. We were invited by the wine expert at JAK’s Beer Wine Spirits<\/a> for a wine tasting on some of the beautiful wines that are offered exclusively at their stores.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\"JAK's<\/a>
JAK’s Beer Wine Spirits<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With 14 locations in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, JAK’s separates themselves as a family own business that provides quality service to the customers. Their knowledgeable team of specialists is always keen on helping customers find the ideal products as well as giving great advice on how to pair their products with food.<\/p>\n

We tried the following:<\/p>\n