Taste of Yaletown is sponsored by the Yaletown Business Improvement Association and is in their 12th year. This year, the event showcases 31 restaurants in the Yaletown area, with price points ranging from $25-45. Menus range from Italian, Vietnamese, Thai and West Coast, something for everyone. And as usual, YBIA will be making a donation to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank; they have raised over $11K since 2004!
Last night, I went for a tasting for the Taste of Yaletown preview at Provence Marinaside. Their menu for the two weeks is $45 with an extra $20 for wine pairings.
Their appetizer features three distinct different textures and flavours. Everything was good in their own way, but if I had to rank them, I'd say the House Smoked Ruby Red Trout was my favourite. It had a good hint of smoke and the trout was tender and smooth.
The Pate was amazing as well, I actually ate my friend's portion, it was that good. So rich and creamy, it was really decadent.
The Tomato and Bocconcini Salad is always a sure winner...I actually prefer bocconcini over burrata...I know, it's almost blasphemous. The Synchromesh Riesling was a refreshing wine to accompany this dish.
For the entrees, we got to try a tasting plate of all three choices. We started with the Dijon and Fresh Herb Crusted Lois Lake Steelhead Filet. This was served with a warm potato salad, some pickled onions and sautéed spinach. The fish itself was done perfectly but I found both the Dijon topping and the pickled onions a bit overpowering, but that's a personal comment. This was paired with the Vin Blanc by Evolve Cellars but it seemed a bit light with the rich flavours of the entree.
Our next entree was the West Coast Bouillabaisse, which I thought was the best dish of the night. There were prawns, scallops, clams and with, all served with a few fingerling potatoes. The best and most interactive part of the night was the crostini with gruyere and la rouille. When you're done with the yummy seafood, you make a little crostini topped with the cheese and the rouille (a reduction of the broth in the bouillabaisse). It's decadent and richly flavoured. Fun and delicious!
Our next dish was the Seared Bavette Steak. I have to admit I was a quite full at this point, but could still enjoy the beef. The little tartlet filled with zucchini and smoked tomato atop of the wilted baby kale was a great accompaniment. The warm mushroom made the dish even more earthy. The wine pairing of the Beau Vantage Cabernet Sauvignon was our only red wine of the night, a perfect pairing.
For dessert, we had a Lemon Tart (my fave!), as well as the Berry and Chocolate Clafoutis. There was also the Chocolate Cake and a Pumpkin Bailey Cheesecake. Disclaimer: This was an amazing dinner, graciously hosted by Taste of Yaletown. All opinions are my own. To make your reservations, please visit Provence Marinaside.
I had the chance to try out the Taste of Yaletown a few weeks ago (it's on until October 29!) at Minami , which has three menus, one for lunch and two for dinner. The Minami Zen Platter, available at lunch, is only $25 and gives you a taste of their legendary dishes as well as some new tastes too. Starting off with the Signature Sushi, you get a nice assortment of Aburi nigiri, a roll as well as the oishi sushi all featuring their renown aburi-style of searing the fish. The platter also includes Aburi Bincho, accompanied by a creamy gomae sauce with a touch of heat from the wasabi-masatake. There is a light salad, the Minami Chopped Salad, with some baby greens, miso tofu, crisps and some chopped chicken. The umami-soy vinaigrette is a light dressing that complements the salad quite nicely.
The Ebi Fritter is light and crispy, with a bit of chili aioli and balanced with a soy-balsamic reduction. Rounding out the plate is a bit of spiced couscous.
And the other item on the platter is the Kurobuta & Kobe Meatball, bathed in miso-chicken jus with a few fingerling potatoes.
And for dessert, you have a choice of ice cream for sorbet. All in all, this is a great deal for $25. Their dinner offering is $45, although they do have a $35 option for vegetarians, which I will review next. The appetizer is the Minami Appetizer Trio, with a serving of the Aburi Sushi Sampler, a light Citrus Salad as well as a Brome Lake Duck Confit Drumette. The Aburi sushi is just tasty as you would expect, and the citrus salad is fresh and light. I loved the Aburi grapes! The Duck Drumette is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, perfectly executed. For the main course, they have a unique Surf and Turf. For the Surf, you get their Sakekasu-Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish, which is melt in your mouth tender. The fish flakes off easily and it has a rich and sweet flavour. I could eat this everyday! Partnered with the sablefish is a serving of marinated Japanese eggplant, I had never had this before but it sure was tasty. For the Turf, you are treated to Fraser Valley Pork done two ways. The first part of the duo is a Braised Pork Cheek, which is super tender. The second part is a complete textural change, with a Crispy Kakuni Pork Belly. The skin is crunchy, not just crispy. There is a bit of salsa on top, with a miso Asahi glaze. Both items rest on a bed of rapini and the greens definitely benefit from the juices of both the sablefish and the pork. It's one of the best Surf and Turf plate I've had. To top this meal off, there is a Mixed Berry Sakekasu Bar. It's a miso pecan-walnut crumble, paired a vanilla-sakekasu & rhubarb-ume ice cream, and with a salted caramel sauce drizzled on top. It is as tasty as it is beautiful.
There is a lot of Sakekasu in this menu, and I didn't really know what it was. It turns out it is the lees which are leftover after all the liquid is removed from the fermented rice used to make sake, and is a key component of the umami taste. The $35 Vegetarian Menu starts off with a Minami Garden Trio. There is the Minami Garden Plate with fresh veggies and a delicate quinoa and avocado roll wrapped in soy paper, and some spinach shira-ae, a crumbled tofu. There is also a Kaiso (seaweed) Salad, which is paired with some frisée and a soy vinaigrette. I loved the little lotus chips on top. And to finish off the trio is the Miso-Tofu Sansai Gyoza, pan-fried to perfection. The entree is a serving of Crispy Tempeh, surrounded by a whole gamut of vegetables, such as a roasted mushroom medley, fingerling potatoes, cipollini onions, haricot verts. The dressing is made with maple-sherry vinegar and soy-balsamic reduction, topped with some Aburi corn and bell pepper salsa. The dessert is the same as the $45 menu above.
So whether you want to stop by just for lunch or a night out, I'd say any of the three menus are worth a try. I've already booked my table for the 24th; dinner before the Canucks versus Red Wings game! Note that not all menu items listed above are available throughout the year, some are just here for Taste of Yaletown 2015. Note: I was hosted for this tasting by the nice folks at Taste of Yaletown.
From now until October 27, Yaletown is hosting their Taste of Yaletown event. With over 20 participants including: Glowbal Grill, George Lounge, New Oxford, Hamilton Street Grill, Society, Yaletown L’Antipasto, Caché Bistro, Killjoy, and Minami, you just know there will be some good eating! They were all packed into one location, MINI Yaletown. As part of the event, you get to take home recipe cards of many of the items offered, as well as have chats with the chef about the dishes they are serving. The first dish I tried was a Crispy Duck Confit from George ($25 menu), complete with crackling. There was also some deep fried vegetables and some truffled brussel sprouts on the plate. The duck was really moist and the skin was extra crispy, quite a feat considering this was laid out buffet style and not made to order. I found some of the vegetable a bit oily, but that is likely due to the dishes sitting out. From Cache Bistro ($35 menu), this was one of my favourites, a little Pulled Pork Cornbread Slider. This was melt in your mouth pulled pork and the bun and almost a brioche feel, definitely not your average corn bread. The sauce was sweet but with a great smokey flavour as well.
The offering from Glowbal Grill ($35) was pretty tasty too. It was a Canadian Prime Rib-Eye Medallion with some roasted root vegetable, and a very (almost overly so) generously pat of cafe de paris butter. The beef was cooked to a perfect medium rare, but I found the veggies a little bland. The pat of butter on top didn't melt as expected and ended up being left on the plate. I'm sure in the proper setting, the butter would have melted onto the steak and probably helped to season the vegetables too. This Bison Flat Iron Steak Crostini is from Hamilton Street Grill ($25 menu), and was really quite tasty. The marinade had some rosemary, juniper berries and black peppercorns. Topped with a bit of pecorino cheese, this was an excellent amuse bouche. The actual menu has this as an entree, sans the crostini. And onto my hands-down, standing ovation favourite of the night, something that involves a torch! This is the famous Salmon Aburi Sushi from Minami ($35 or $45 menu). You've got salmon on top with special miku sauce which gets a great sear after being torched with some charcoal. You see the salmon on top, but there is salmon in the middle too! And all topped off with a sliver of jalapeno for a kick of heat. Folks, this tastes better than it looks, and it looks pretty darn good!
Accompanying the aburi sushi was a Beet Salad with some Figs and Creme Fraiche. The salad was refreshing and was nice and light. I am not normally a fan of beets but the this little portion was just right for me. The fig was very sweet and I liked the mixture of the two together. A close up of the Salad and Aburi Salmon. What a great couple! And my final dish of the night was also from Minami. Served as two courses on their Taste of Yaletown menu, this was the ultimate surf and turf on a plate. On the left is the Soy Braised Angus Short Rib, ontop of a Yukon potato puree. On the right, is a piece of Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish, cooked to a perfect doneness. Saikyo miso is a white miso that is more rice based than soy based, so the saltiness factor is lessened, making it a perfect marinade for delicate fish such as sablefish. The potato puree was butter smooth and the greens on top helped give the dish flavour. Of the 9 restaurants that participated, I enjoyed Minami the most. However, there were many restaurants that didn't take part in this premiere event, so be sure to browse iYaletown's website for all participating restaurants. With these prices, it's a good time to try something new or revisit an old favourite.
Take note:
Taste of Yaletown on now until October 27
Images shown are for sample sizes and not indicative of real portions served
Their dinner offering is $45, although they do have a $35 option for vegetarians, which I will review next. The appetizer is the Minami Appetizer Trio, with a serving of the Aburi Sushi Sampler, a light Citrus Salad as well as a Brome Lake Duck Confit Drumette. The Aburi sushi is just tasty as you would expect, and the citrus salad is fresh and light. I loved the Aburi grapes! The Duck Drumette is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, perfectly executed. 
For the main course, they have a unique Surf and Turf. For the Surf, you get their Sakekasu-Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish, which is melt in your mouth tender. The fish flakes off easily and it has a rich and sweet flavour. I could eat this everyday! Partnered with the sablefish is a serving of marinated Japanese eggplant, I had never had this before but it sure was tasty. 
To top this meal off, there is a Mixed Berry Sakekasu Bar. It's a miso pecan-walnut crumble, paired a vanilla-sakekasu & rhubarb-ume ice cream, and with a salted caramel sauce drizzled on top. It is as tasty as it is beautiful.
There is a lot of Sakekasu in this menu, and I didn't really know what it was. It turns out it is the lees which are leftover after all the liquid is removed from the fermented rice used to make sake, and is a key component of the umami taste. 
The $35 Vegetarian Menu starts off with a Minami Garden Trio. There is the Minami Garden Plate with fresh veggies and a delicate quinoa and avocado roll wrapped in soy paper, and some spinach shira-ae, a crumbled tofu. There is also a Kaiso (seaweed) Salad, which is paired with some frisée and a soy vinaigrette. I loved the little lotus chips on top. And to finish off the trio is the Miso-Tofu Sansai Gyoza, pan-fried to perfection. 
The entree is a serving of Crispy Tempeh, surrounded by a whole gamut of vegetables, such as a roasted mushroom medley, fingerling potatoes, cipollini onions, haricot verts. The dressing is made with maple-sherry vinegar and soy-balsamic reduction, topped with some Aburi corn and bell pepper salsa. The dessert is the same as the $45 menu above.
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As part of the event, you get to take home recipe cards of many of the items offered, as well as have chats with the chef about the dishes they are serving. 
The first dish I tried was a Crispy Duck Confit from George ($25 menu), complete with crackling. There was also some deep fried vegetables and some truffled brussel sprouts on the plate. The duck was really moist and the skin was extra crispy, quite a feat considering this was laid out buffet style and not made to order. I found some of the vegetable a bit oily, but that is likely due to the dishes sitting out. 
From Cache Bistro ($35 menu), this was one of my favourites, a little Pulled Pork Cornbread Slider. This was melt in your mouth pulled pork and the bun and almost a brioche feel, definitely not your average corn bread. The sauce was sweet but with a great smokey flavour as well. 
This Bison Flat Iron Steak Crostini is from Hamilton Street Grill ($25 menu), and was really quite tasty. The marinade had some rosemary, juniper berries and black peppercorns. Topped with a bit of pecorino cheese, this was an excellent amuse bouche. The actual menu has this as an entree, sans the crostini. 
And onto my hands-down, standing ovation favourite of the night, something that involves a torch! 
This is the famous Salmon Aburi Sushi from Minami ($35 or $45 menu). You've got salmon on top with special miku sauce which gets a great sear after being torched with some charcoal. 
A close up of the Salad and Aburi Salmon. What a great couple! 
And my final dish of the night was also from Minami. Served as two courses on their Taste of Yaletown menu, this was the ultimate surf and turf on a plate. On the left is the Soy Braised Angus Short Rib, ontop of a Yukon potato puree. On the right, is a piece of Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish, cooked to a perfect doneness. Saikyo miso is a white miso that is more rice based than soy based, so the saltiness factor is lessened, making it a perfect marinade for delicate fish such as sablefish. The potato puree was butter smooth and the greens on top helped give the dish flavour.
