Local Dining, Part 2

Photos: clockwise from the left – Smoked sablefish and quinoa salad at Commune Café, sabayon with local strawberries and Five-hour braised oxtail at Kitsilano Daily Kitchen. Floating Dining Room. by Anya Levykh

It’s been another busy week of local feasting (hey, the season only lasts so long) and, despite the approach of monsoon season, there is still plenty of bounty for you to enjoy. Here’s a look at what’s going on.

Commune Café

From the multi-talented consulting team of Annette Rawlinson and Tina Fineza comes Commune Café, a bright, open, cafeteria-style restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a focus on healthy meals using natural, free-range meats and eggs, organic produce and milk products, and 100% sustainable local seafood. My first visit included smoked sablefish and quinoa salad with cucumber, currants, fresh mint and lime, as well as a heavenly aged prosciutto panini with mozza and basil. Definitely one to try: “Food of the Gods”—a butterscotch-based “brownie” with dates and nuts, recipe courtesy of Chef Fineza’s mom. I first thought the name was a little over the top, but the taste more than lives up to the title. Also worth checking out are the Iranian flatbreads.

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Kitsilano Daily Kitchen

I’ve always been a fan of Chef Brian Fowke, so I was hugely disappointed when Mon Bella closed several months back. Lucky me, I didn’t have to stay disappointed for long. Chef Fowke took over the lease at the former Mon Bella space in Kits, and Kitsilano Daily Kitchen was recently born. Chef goes daily to the markets to see what’s fresh, available, in season, and then posts a menu by 4pm each day. The other night we decided to try the $39 tasting menu, which allows you to try all four of the daily mains. Five-hour braised oxtail with Chilliwack corn, purple potatoes and a sweet serrano glaze was a huge favourite, as were the crispy veal sweetbreads with lobster over a bed of lemon risotto and herb salad. Everyone was served an appetizer-sized amuse of lamb curry, made from scratch, and we made room for a fresh sabayon with local strawberries, even though we were a little stuffed, because, hey, it’s sabayon.

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REMINDER: Floating Dining Room ends September 23!

If you’ve been meaning to make a reservation, now is the time. The School of Fish Foundation’s Floating Dining Room will close shop after September 23, so this is your last chance to experience the ultimate six-course, wine-paired, sustainable seafood extravaganza created by SOFF Founder Shannon Ronalds. Email contact@schooloffishfoundation.org to make your reservation.

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Note: Vancouver Views will be on Vacation next week returning September 15th.