{"id":9714,"date":"2016-12-24T13:12:58","date_gmt":"2016-12-24T21:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/?p=9714"},"modified":"2017-05-19T10:46:39","modified_gmt":"2017-05-19T18:46:39","slug":"cacao-kitsilano-fine-taste-progressive-latin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/cacao-kitsilano-fine-taste-progressive-latin\/","title":{"rendered":"Cacao in Kitsilano – A Fine Taste of Progressive Latin"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was a little disappointed that I forgot to bring my camera to\u00a0Cacao<\/a>. The Kitsilano eatery is one of the highly anticipated new restaurants in the city last year. Their take on Progressive Latin cuisine does sounds like a\u00a0refreshing addition\u00a0to the diverse local food\u00a0scene.<\/p>\n

The dining room of Cacao\u00a0was dim and cozy, boasting a similar warm and comforting ambiance with their competitor, AnnaLena<\/a> right across the street.<\/p>\n

\"Cacao<\/a>
Cacao in Kitsilano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Still slightly annoyed by the missing camera and trying to improve my mood, I wasted\u00a0no time to order a bottle of white wine to share with my \u00a03 buddies. Normally I would like to have\u00a0dry white wine to start. But tonight, our pick of the Torres Vina Esmeraldo<\/strong> ($38) seemed to\u00a0have a slightly sweeter taste similar to Moscato, but was not too too sweet. The pleasant\u00a0aroma kind of made up for it.<\/p>\n

\"vina<\/a>
vina esmeraldo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Venezuelan-born chef, Jefferson Alvarez<\/strong> <\/em>was at the house tonight. He prepared and served us some amuse bouche inspired by his Venezuelan root. The Aprea<\/strong> was a set of mini slider-looking corn flour sandwiches filled with finely chopped fresh ingredients with tangy appetizing\u00a0flavours. I could clearly taste the sweetness from corn and the acidity from tomato.<\/p>\n

\"Aprepa<\/a>
Aprepa corn flour sandwich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For appetizer, I felt like hitting the jack pot with my\u00a0Sturgeon Chicharron<\/strong> ($14), a dish packed with different textures and beautiful flavours. \u00a0The deep fried sturgeon skin was crunchy but firmer than pork rind, and complemented by a smooth and creamy sturgeon mousse underneath. And the fish flavour was enhanced by the smokiness from the paprika aioli, as well as\u00a0the\u00a0ingenious ashes made from sturgeon skin sprinkled all over\u00a0the plate. \u00a0I could imagine all the\u00a0fun the chef was having while deconstructing a piece of Sturgeon fillet, transforming it into such a spectacular dish.<\/p>\n

\""sturgeon<\/a>
“sturgeon chicharron”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My buddies were\u00a0enjoying their starter dishes as well. The Foie Gras & Guava<\/strong> ($17) was a showcase of molecular gastronomy, in which guava was transformed into a gel form, covered with finely shaved frozen foie gras, resulting in different unexpected\u00a0textures. \u00a0The Albacore Ceviche<\/strong> ($15) was light and delicate with\u00a0leche de tigre, mint oil and arepa crisps. The thinly sliced lotus root was a nice\u00a0touch for the visual and texture – something that I use a lot in my cooking as well. The Chayote Salad<\/strong> ($12) tasted a lot better than it looked, and it was my first time trying pickled chayote.<\/p>\n

\""foie<\/a>
“foie gras & guava”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\""albacore<\/a>
“albacore ceviche”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\""chayote<\/a>
“chayote salad”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The main buy diovan <\/a> dishes were full of surprises as well.<\/p>\n

The Bransino & Pico de gallo<\/strong> ($22) definitely would please\u00a0any fish lover. The bransino skin was perfectly crispy, and the pico de gallo flavour is pronounced. Visually the dish is stunning. \u00a0But\u00a0it reminded me that I didn’t have camera with me and it was quite upsetting!<\/p>\n

\"bransino<\/a>
bransino & pico de gallo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The rest of the dishes showed us why cacao was important in Latin cuisine – it was used to create the sexy\u00a0dark colour in the Bison Asado Negro<\/strong> ($35), \u00a0and to be incorporated in sauces (similar to Mole) for the rich and smoky flavours in the Duck Confit<\/strong> ($28) or the Braised Lamb Leg<\/strong> ($28). I also enjoyed\u00a0bits of brilliance in the tasty duck confit\u00a0baked in filo pastry, and hints of cumin in the potatoes that came with the bison dish.<\/p>\n

\""bison<\/a>
“bison asado negro”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"duck<\/a>
duck confit & papaya in filo pastry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"braised<\/a>
braised lamb leg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s dessert time! However some of us\u00a0were more keen on trying their house-made drinks and cocktails. Besides the house cocktail list ($10\/each), they have a list of house-made latin inspired drinks for $5 each, and each\u00a0only costs $2 more if you want to add alcohol. \u00a0The Pisco Sour<\/strong>\u00a0($10) was delicious. I found the use aquafaba, a vegetarian replacement of egg white quite interesting, and I liked the touch of blueberry float on top. The El Negroni Favorito<\/strong> ($10) here took a pretty classic approach with a bit extra aroma from rosemary infused gin. We also tried one of the house made drinks, the Ginger & Basil and added gin<\/strong> ($7), which was rather\u00a0refreshing.<\/p>\n

\"pisco<\/a>
pisco sour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\""ginger<\/a>
“ginger & basil” with gin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"el<\/a>
el negroni favorito<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And finally we had a taste of their dessert dish, the Cacao<\/strong> ($9). \u00a0How could you miss out the namesake dish of the restaurant? We found cacao nibs incorporated in a foam on top of dark chocolate ganache and acai berries. It such was a whimsical and flavourful treat.<\/p>\n

\""cacao"\"<\/a>
“cacao”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dinner here was great, as none of the 9 dishes we tried disappointed. The chef has captured both the essence of \u201cLatin\u201d and the meaning of \u201cProgressive\u201d, by incorporating the ingredients form the Latin world, as well as using modern techniques from different world cuisines. The flavours are\u00a0bold and the presentation is\u00a0refined. I was particularly impressed with the Sturgeon Chicharron<\/strong>, created on deconstructing a piece of fish fillet, which definitely screams Michelin quality.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Website and menu:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.cacaovancouver.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

More reviews:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Location:<\/strong><\/p>\n