{"id":15602,"date":"2018-09-11T16:53:44","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T23:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/?p=15602"},"modified":"2019-01-05T15:21:07","modified_gmt":"2019-01-05T23:21:07","slug":"great-eat-in-fraserhood-crowbar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/great-eat-in-fraserhood-crowbar\/","title":{"rendered":"Great eat in Fraserhood: Crowbar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Crowbar<\/strong> is not just a bar with a cheeky name and fabulous cocktails, but it’s also known for the chef who runs the entire kitchen and has created one of the most innovative restaurant menus in the city.\u00a0 And I’m glad to share this highly-anticipated tasting experience with my fellow foodie friends,\u00a0Maggi<\/a>,\u00a0Kristina<\/a>, Sherman<\/a> and\u00a0Hanson<\/a>. Based on the availability of organic ingredients from several local farms and producers, the menu items change from time to time. There are options of tasting menus at $40 and $60. Without any hesitation, everyone took the $60 one. We were all in for the adventure.<\/p>\n

Let’s start with the drink menu. It’s such a pity for Dennis the Foodie<\/a> to overlook the list of original cocktails it in his post. Right, he only drinks beer and he’s only interested to mention the only 3 beers on the tap.\u00a0 But the cocktail here are too fabulous to be ignored. From the refreshing Happy Hour Sbagliato<\/strong> ($8), a light version of Negroni using sparkling wine instead of gin,\u00a0 to the smoky Walter Sobchak<\/strong> ($15), for the love of the combination of mezel, aperol, rhubarb, lemon, and ginger,\u00a0 I was satisfied.\u00a0 If you are amused by the cocktail named after Walter Sobchek from The Big Lebowski, there are also the Cher Horowwitz<\/strong> (Clueless)and the Robby Hart<\/strong>\u00a0(The Wedding Singer) to have you and your palate entertained.<\/p>\n

To celebrate a special occasion for one of us, I also ordered a bottle of Summerhill Cipes Brut<\/strong> ($56). This has become my strategy when I go for a tasting menu – a great sparkly wine goes with almost any dish!<\/p>\n

\"Happy<\/a>
Happy Hour Sbagliato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\""Walter<\/a>
“Walter Sobchak”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"Crowbar\"<\/a>
Crowbar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Crowbar\"<\/a>
Crowbar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Summerhill<\/a>
Summerhill Cipes Brut NV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Summerhill<\/a>
Summerhill Cipes Brut NV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Farro<\/strong> Honey Bread<\/b>\u00a0came with shallot oil and black vinegar.\u00a0 The hearty bread has a crunchy exterior but is soft and fluffy underneath.\u00a0 I would almost want to compare shallot oil to scallion oil but its aroma is more subtle and elegant, a nice contrast to the tangy vinegar, making it a great combined effort for complementing the beautiful bread.<\/p>\n

\"Farro<\/a>
Farro Honey Bread<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Farro<\/a>
Farro Honey Bread<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of us might find the\u00a0Roasted Beets<\/b>\u00a0with cuttlefish ink and guajillo look rather simple, but we all agreed that it was delicious.\u00a0 It’s brilliant to coat something sweet and earthy with a layer seafood umami. And for me, I thought the presentation was visually impressive for a minimalist concept.<\/p>\n

\"Roasted<\/a>
Roasted Beets\u00a0with cuttlefish ink<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next two were both brilliant and among my favourites of the evening.\u00a0\u00a0Smoked and Braised Pork Tendon<\/b>\u00a0in hot and sour broth also came with confit potatoes and celtuce, and was surprisingly, delicate with mildly tangy flavour, and just a hint of spiciness. I often eat beef tendon, and find the pork tendon tenderer. Potato and celtuce were also in their most delicate form.\u00a0 This is one of the most elegant ways to enjoy a “meat and potato” dish. And the\u00a0Milk Braised Beef Tongue<\/b>, served with gigande beans and turnip greens in a beef fat vinaigrette has become one of the favourite “meat and beans” dish. The beef tongue was cooked beautifully and the texture was perfect for me.<\/p>\n

\"Smoked<\/a>
Smoked and Braised Pork Tendon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Milk<\/a>
Milk Braised Beef Tongue<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0Heirloom Tomato Salad<\/b>\u00a0was featuring cannellini beans, wild boar nduja, Domenica Fiore olive oil, burrata and herbs.\u00a0 The quality of the tomatoes was just impeccable, and so was the burrata. The seasoning was just just on point of bring out the incredible flavours of the components.<\/p>\n

\"Heirloom<\/a>
Heirloom Tomato Salad<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the must-have on the menu is Dealer’s Choice Pasta, and we were glad to see it on the tasting menu. Today we were having the\u00a0Cheese Tajarin<\/b>.\u00a0 The house-made egg pasta, has an incredible flavour from the hight quality local organic eggs.\u00a0 Another amazing dish that’s so simple but is extremely elegant and delicious.<\/p>\n

\"Cheese<\/a>
Cheese Tajarin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ready for some meat?<\/p>\n

If size matters to your, the\u00a0Smoked Bone-In 18 oz Pork Belly<\/b>\u00a0is going to rock your world.\u00a0 Glazed in Korean hyssop and squid ink,\u00a0 the pork belly has a smokiness that’s counter balanced with the sweet and tangy coating. Although never everyone at the table agreed with me liking the sauce, we all enjoyed how well the pork cooked with a tender texture.<\/p>\n

\"Smoked<\/a>
Smoked Bone-In 18 oz Pork Belly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Smoked<\/a>
Smoked Bone-In 18 oz Pork Belly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Okay the next dish gets even bigger!<\/p>\n

They wow’d us with the\u00a0Whole Roast Duck,<\/b>\u00a0which was absolutely gorgeous.\u00a0 The duck was dark soy-brined and aged, giving it a beautiful colour.\u00a0 And it has slightly smokey flavour, which might due to the dark soy reacting to the high heat. The meat was succulent and skin was perfectly crispy. This requires immaculate technique of precision. The duck also came with\u00a0Duck Heart Sticky Rice<\/b>, which has a luscious appearance but is subtly flavoured. For a condiment, the rice served its purpose.<\/p>\n

\"Whole<\/a>
Whole Roast Duck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Whole<\/a>
Whole Roast Duck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Duck<\/a>
Duck Heart Sticky Rice<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The restaurant is also known for their off-menu burger.\u00a0 \u00a0So just had to add this\u00a067-Day Aged Burger<\/b>\u00a0on top of our tasting menu.\u00a0 The burger was good, but I think at the point, when we only could finish half of the duck, our fullness might affect our assessment of it. The beef patty was thick, meaty and slightly crunchy due to the leaner beef used. Despite of having blue cheese incorporated to the patty, and having the\u00a0taleggio and beef fat mayo on the buns, somehow it seemed to need more fat and richness to complete a juicy burger.<\/p>\n

\"67-Day<\/a>
67-Day Aged Burger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even the desserts keep the surprising use of the ingredient coming here. I would never know the cooked blood in the\u00a0\u00a0Blood Almond Nougat\u00a0<\/b>if\u00a0I was never told.\u00a0 Served with whipped sea salt espresso the nougat has a perfect level of sweetness to please.\u00a0 firmly crunchy nuts and the chewy nougat.\u00a0 The\u00a0Caramelized Rice Panna Cotta<\/b>\u00a0with Sylvia’s lavender, olive oil, cashew, roasted melon and herbs made a delicate, creamy and subtly sweet conclusion to our dinner at Crowbar.<\/p>\n

\"Blood<\/a>
Blood Almond Nougat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Caramelized<\/a>
Caramelized Rice Panna Cotta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Crowbar<\/a>
Crowbar Restaurant Food Menu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Chef<\/a>
Chef Justin Ell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Final thought<\/h3>\n

I was impressed with the food, especially knowing that this is all done in a one-man show in the kitchen. The chef is like a mad scientist in cooking. Dish by dish, despite the rustic concept, the minimalist presentation looks almost too sleek to me, and hit me with surprise after surprise of sophisticated flavours. It is no easy task to keep a group of bloggers like us pleased throughout the entire tasting menu. The $60 tasting menu here is a heck of the deal! For a person who has tasted the farm-to-table menu at Michelin starred restaurants, the cooking here is definitely Michelin quality. The drink menu has been carefully curated as well. From beautifully crafted cocktails to charming wines, ciders, and beers picked from a wide range of regions.<\/p>\n

Although I adored all the dishes I tried, I would encourage you to be more adventurous for the dishes like the Milk Braised Beef Tongue, the Smoked and Braised Pork Tendon, and the Smoked Bone-in 18oz Pork Belly. And Don’t get intimidated by the $120 Whole Roast Duck. If you have a company of 4 or more, it is totally worth it as it tastes nothing like any roast duck you have tasted before.<\/p>\n

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*** Note: the menu at Crowbar changes due to the seasonal ingredients from local farms. Please look at their website for the current menu<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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$$ – $$$<\/strong><\/p>\n

rating: 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

Crowbar Restaurant<\/em><\/h3>\n

646 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5T 3K4<\/em>
\n(604) 336-2769 or crowbareastvan.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n