Today we were at Hydra Mediterranean restaurant to learn more about California ripe olives. In truth, I attended a similar lunch seminar last year and was actually surprised that there was still so much more I didn’t know about one of my favourite ingredients.
This was a private event held in the restaurant’s private annex space. Honestly it was a little loud and echo-y with the chatter from the rest of the second floor restaurant drifting in. However our host did her best to project and capture the attention of the group.
This was a seated multi-course meal, served family style with wine pairings by Clos du Soleil. The wine maker was present to speak to each bottle and the workmanship that went into it. This along with the inspiration for the pairings. Four appetizers, three entrees, and one dessert; all featuring California ripe olives.
This was a sneak peak and expanded taste of the restaurant’s collaborative California Ripe Olive promotional menu. This is being offered from October 15th to December. Regularly a 3 Course Tasting Menu for $99, inclusive of paired wines. Oysters, souvlaki, and a chocolate cake. However, as mentioned above, we would get to try more than the advertised three courses, with the rest available a la carte on Hydra’s regular menu.
Our afternoon began with an olive tasting to remind us of how they taste, and to take note of the differences in their varieties between green and black, stuffed and pitted. We acknowledged their difference in taste and texture based on how each was cured. The greens tend to be more buttery soft and creamy. Whereas the Kalamata olive is mealy and soft due to it being picked late and cured for at least 18 months.
Next, we learned about the history of olives, and what makes California Ripe Olives so special. This was an informal seminar hosted by Emily Lycopolus, a renowned olive oil critic and professional taster. Emily’s passion for olives began in her husband’s family olive grove, and since then, she’s written 8 cookbooks and has become a level-two olive oil sommelier. The following are my biggest take aways.
95% of olives from North America come from California, and it is advised that you eat 6 a day to promote cardio vascular health, as well as for stroke prevention. And this menu is an easy way to complete that task. You do not eat olives raw off the tree, if you do you will discover that they are very bitter. Their ripening and curing process is like turning a cucumber into a pickle.
Each olive tree is mono-tasked, meaning they don’t grow fruit and wood at the same time. Planted close together like hedges, they can only be pollinated by the wind. Olives like dry and sandy soil. Since they need less water than other crops, they are known to be drought resistant. Basically once their roots establish they are indestructible.
To start, our first wine pairing was the 2023 Clos du Soleil Capella Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon, from the Similkameen Valley, B.C. The winery’s goal is to transfer what is unique about the land into their wines using a wild fermentation and old French barrels. This was paired with the entirety of our first course. Crisp and refreshing with citrus, the Sauvignon Blanc was great at opening the appetite.
The Village Salad was their take on a Greek salad with heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, barrel aged feta, and California Ripe Olives. The presentation with its large slab of feta clearly spoke to the intention of it being shared. Here, you can chip away at the brick and take as much as you desired, with plenty left for everyone else. Its saltiness counter balancing the sweetness of the tomatoes and neutralizing any additional brine from the olives. This was a great side and palate refresher for the rest of the appetizers.
The Fresh Oysters with Olive-Cucumber Mignonette is what is included in the three course meal. Each oyster is pre-dressd with a tapenade of California Ripe Olives, Cucumber, Shallot, and White Balsamic. The entire table was impressed that the topping was not over powering, and that it married well with the natural brine of the oyster. This was so unexpected and well received.
Whereas I found the Grilled Octopus with Charred Olive Relish a little much on its own. I was left looking for a bread or starch to cut into all its bold and sweet flavours, like a base. Fava puree, charred California Ripe Olives, capers, and tomato. The pieces of octopus were a little on the tough side, but forgivable considering how tasty the flavour combination was. Once again this dish was unexpected given how sweet it came out, but this makes it a lighter dish overall.
The Hydra Spreads Platter is a little harder to share across a longer table. There are a lot of elements and you want to get in to sample them all. A collection of toasted pita and fresh vegetables for dipping with tarama, tzatziki, hummus, and/or California Ripe Olive tapenade. The salmon spread was lovely and light in contrast to the salty tapenade. The hummus served as a good neutralizer and the tzatziki offered a nice acidity that cleanses.
Our second course was paired with the 2021 Clos du Soleil Celestiale. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot from the Similkameen Valley, B.C. Each grape hand harvested for crushing and fermentation in concrete tanks. This is done for one month, before being aged for 1.5 years in French oak barrels. The result a soft, lush, and juicy red with plum and subtle, soft sweetness. This help to cut into the short rib below. Most of us saved some white from before of the fish.
The Ripe Olive-Glazed Short Rib Souvlaki with California Ripe Olive glaze, lemon, and oregano is the entree for the three course olive meal. Stacked high, we each got a skewer. I liked the flavour, but the meat was a little hard and a tad dry, and I didn’t immediately get the olives coming through in this. The meat was specially tasty accompanied by one of the herbed nugget potatoes to chase.
The Kritharoto with Prawns & Black Olives was our starch dish. Orzo, Saffron Broth, prawns, and California Ripe Olives Lavraki with Olive and Citrus Salad. I loved the soft and smooth rounded edges of the orzo for its mouthfeel, but overall the dish was on the saltier side. I found myself reaching for red blend to cut into it, and it helped.
Hydra is known for their whole baked fish carved table side. The Whole Sea Bass was a crowd pleaser dressed in California Ripe Olives, citrus, and fennel. I don’t normally like or would order white fish, but would make the exception for this one any day. It was beautifully done and elegant seasoning. I especially loved the pageantry of being able to dress the splayed fish ourselves, with the herb rub, using the provided crafty thyme and rosemary brush.
Dessert was served with the 2022 Clos du Soleil Saturn from the Similkameen Valley, B.C. This was a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc dessert wine. Its grapes hang later on the vines, allowing the sugars to concentrate and the acid to sweeten. It is intense, but balanced. It leaves the mouth clean and watering for a second sip.
The only dessert and the end to the California Ripe Olive promotional menu is this Dark Chocolate Olive Cake. Olive Oil Sponge, Candied Citrus, and Sugared California Ripe Olives. I thought this was a very clever way of incorporating olives into the mix. Although, you barely got any, but a whisper from the thin layer of sponge, toppled by a thick brick of dense chocolate ganache. However, there is no way you could miss the candied olives sitting atop of the mini cake like garnish. I was amazed by how the chef was able to make the normally salty and briney olive sweet like this. It was the highlight and I wish I had more to balance out all the slightly bitter dark chocolate. Or better yet, just a bag of it to munch on.
In closing, this was an excellent showcase on the versatility of California olives. Be sure to check out this limited time only menu available from October 15th to December. Three olive centred courses for $89, or $99 with wine pairings.
Hydra Estiatorio
475 Howe St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2B3
(604) 416-0880
hydravancouver.com
