Sustainable Caviar Comes to C and a Passionate Preview

Clockwise from left to right: Northern Divine caviar, C Restaurant smoked Hawkshaw salmon and scrambled egg with Northern Divine caviar and duck-fat fried brioche, CP Rail's Royal Canadian luxury train, CP Rail duck breast, porcini risotto, white asparagus, green and yellow cauliflower, C Restaurant pan-seared sablefish with lobster-caviar hollandaise and potato fondant over creamed leeks

Caviar has been the bad boy of the sustainable seafood world for quite some time, but, as we all know, it is every bad boy’s destiny to eventually pull a prodigal hat trick out of the womb of destiny. Such was the fate of caviar when Target Marine Hatcheries decided to create Northern Divine, their sustainable and Ocean Wise-approved caviar cultivated from farmed, land-based white sturgeon (a native B.C. species).

The caviar has some subtle differences from the typical wild and mass-produced variety. The taste is slightly sweeter, considerably less salty, and has a light pop on the tongue. Currently, it’s only available at C Restaurant, as part of grand tasting menu that runs $235 per person or $400 per couple. I got to sample the menu at a recent preview, and there is certainly enough lightly-salty pop for your buck.

Soft-scrambled egg mixed with smoked Hawkshaw salmon is served in the shell and topped by the caviar. Brioche cooked in duck fat come with, and make excellent vessels for the egg-on-egg combo that you will scoop out with your mother-of-pearl spoons.

Another winner was the pan-seared sablefish with potato fondant, tempura prawn, creamed leeks and caviar-lobster hollandaise, all paired perfectly with a glass of Saint-Aubin’s “Cuvee Thomas.” Reservations recommended.

A Passionate Preview

The best food and wine event of the year is back, and tickets are now available for Passions, the annual fundraising gala for the Dr. Peter Centre. In addition to the 24 top restaurants participating this year—including the likes of Cibo, Chambar, Ensemble, Hawksworth, Le Gavroche, Oru, Provence and West—the event will also include a cocktail and canapé pairing station courtesy of Kale & Nori and The Keefer Bar, a street food cart (Fresh Local Wild) greeting guests as they arrive, and a pre-event champagne reception catered by The Lazy Gourmet.

In addition, the silent auction this year is offering up some extra fine goodies, like a dinner aboard CP Rail’s Royal Canadian Pacific luxury train, the same train that hosted Queen Elizabeth II on her journey across Canada over 50 years ago. A preview of the multi-course dinner up for bid was held on the train, and it was very impressive to see what two talented chefs could come up with out of a kitchen that was about the size of my closet.

Braised Berkshire pork belly came over a sweet pea coulis and was topped with arctic char caviar. Scallop ceviche with marinated chive contrasted perfectly with a tomato sorbet. Glazed duck breast was served with porcini risotto, star anise, green and yellow cauliflower, and shaved white asparagus, and dessert was an apple-pear compote with cinnamon and goat cheese ice cream.

Passions will take place September 11. Tickets.

Story and photography by Anya Levykh