Méli-Mélo is an edible hodgepodge to help you stay on top of the hits and happenings in Vancouver and
beyond. Get the latest — from the this-just-opened, events, new bites and libations.
Vancouver is the Culinary Capital
Canadian Culinary Champion Alex Kim of Five Sails Restaurant spent several months just refining the texture for the dish that won him the title in Ottawa in February.
“From the regionals to the nationals, I was just really focusing on defining the textures,” Kim says of his winning dish, which featured Haida Gwaii sablefish loin and Cortes Island scallop terrine, sidetripe shrimp ‘mandu’ with Okanagan apple and Dungeness crab and seared Kusshi oyster, salsify and doehjang on crispy sea lettuce tartlet. He and sommelier Sarah McCauley paired it with a Blanc de Blanc Sparkling 2019 from Tinhorn Creek Vineyards.
Kim’s oyster was served on what looked like an oyster shell, but was actually edible.
“That took six to seven months,” Kim says. “I started by mixing different types of starch with different levels of hydration. I wanted it to be closer to tempura.” In the end, the crisp was made of three layers, two baked and one fried.
At the championships, regional event winners from across the country converge on Ottawa. On the Thursday evening, the chefs were presented with the “mystery wine,” which is unidentified in any way. They take that home and taste it and then come up with a dish to pair with it. In Kim’s case, they ordered room service to start brainstorming.
At 6 a.m. Friday, they can start shopping with their $700 budget. Friday evening, they must feed 350 people and submit receipts proving they didn’t overspend. At the Black Box competition Saturday morning, each chef is given seven unlabeled ingredients. The chef must produce two dishes, using all ingredients between them. At the grand finale Saturday night, the chefs produce what they hope will be their winning dish. They accumulate points from each competition and the winner is announced at the end of the evening.
Kim gives much credit to his sous-chef, Jitin Kapoor, with whom he’s worked since 2021. “He’s always been my right-hand person.”
It’s About Connection at Nero Tondo
After working together at The Acorn Restaurant for five years, chefs Devon Latté and Lucas Johnston are bringing their shared culinary vision to life with the opening of Nero Tondo — a hyper-local, seasonal restaurant located off Powell Street and Victoria Drive in Vancouver.
The duo is committed to building a menu around traceable, sustainable ingredients sourced from local and Canadian farms, including Cropthorne, Vive le Veg and North Arm Farm, Local Harvest, Klippers Organics and Fraser Valley Hazelnuts. And of course, the restaurant’s curated drink program features B.C. wines, spirits and ciders.
“It’s a privilege to shake hands with producers face-to-face… To know where everything comes from makes it much more personable,” Johnston explains. Supporting small-scale farms that produce organic foods is key to Nero Tondo’s dining experience.
There is no set menu here. Instead, the availability of local goods leads the way with a menu that rotates daily, offering guests an element of surprise.
The small open-concept space comprises 18 seats. And with 10 of those seats surrounding the kitchen and bar, the space is designed for an immersive dining experience that allows guests to interact with staff.
“We want people to feel like we are sitting in our kitchen with constant guest interaction — kind of like a big dinner party,” Latté says.
This culinary concept includes a “let us cook for you” prix fixe menu that allows guests to book a special dining experience in advance. By prioritizing relationships with local producers and offering dishes highlighting the importance of seasonal eating, Nero Tondo is redefining Vancouver’s dining scene with a hyper-local twist.
Nero Tondo
1879 Powell St, East Vancouver, BC
nerotondo.com | @ nerotondoyvr
Mission’s Sunflower Lodge
After three successful seasons, Sunflower Café has expanded its reach with a second location, the Sunflower Lodge. Located at the Fraser River Heritage Park in Mission, the Sunflower Lodge has taken over the space previously known as the Blackberry Kitchen.
“We still have our deep commitment and unrelenting focus on quality, hospitality and the connection to our farm, but the menu at the Lodge and the Café have their own unique character,” explains Rayne Beveridge, director of Sunflower Lodge.
At the lodge, chef Chris Janowski’s heritage and earliest food memories with his Polish and Ukrainian family inspire the menu. And both locations share the same philosophy of unique table-to-farm dining, where Janowski and Beveridge grow their own ingredients at Yellow House Farm.
Sunflower Lodge
7494 Mary St. Mission
sunflowerlodge.ca | @ sunflowerlodgebc | yellowhousefarm.ca
