Today we were at the Steveston location of Breakfast Table. As its name suggest, it only deals in morning meals. However, for the month of December, every Saturday starting from December 6th to the 13th they are hosting a festive evening reception with small bites and sips from 5:30 – 8:30pm.
Tickets are $60 per person and it includes a wintery welcome cocktail and 3 food stations with 3 wine tastings from the Unvins & Spirits portfolio.
We started with the Pink Velvet cocktail, as the restaurant’s seasonal take on the French 75. This is a mix of gin, their housemade cranberry-vanilla bean syrup, fresh citrus, winter, herbs, and sparkling wine. It was a bright and fizzy sipper to get you in the mood.
This we pained with a self serve antipasti platter of sharp cheeses, cured meats, and fresh fruit. Served alongside a fruit and nut cracker.
For appetizers there was a made to order Tuna Crudo station where cubed tuna was mixed with diced tomatoes, red onions, olives, anchovies, parsley,, and olive oil. Served on the same cracker as above, this was a lovely light start and a great partner to the wine.
This was paired with Carpineto Dogajolo Bianco. It is a dry, medium-bodied white known for its pleasant fruitiness, agreeable acidity, and soft velvety finish. It is produced by Carpineto and is made from a blend of Chardonnay, Grechetto, and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. I got pear on the nose, crisp grapefruit on the palate, and it reminded me of warm summer nights. Its fruity sweetness did well to balance out the acid in the tuna.
The buffet Main was Porchetta carved under a heat lamp and drizzled with mustard demi-glaze. All this is served over a leak and Parmesan risotto. As a whole the plat was comforting and cheesy, slight salty, with the leeks and crispy pork skin adding a nice fresh crisp and crunch to an otherwise lumpy texture.
You had your choice of wine pairings here. Either the 95 points, James Suckling or the Carpineto Chianti Classico. The latter was recommend with the pork as an elegant, full-bodied Tuscan red wine. It had aromas of black fruit, violets, and leather. It is known for its aging potential and balance. Produced by Casa Vinicola Carpineto, it is primarily made from the Sangiovese grape variety.
Whereas I found the Chianti higher in acidity, with a rich and dense blackberry and blueberry aroma and flavour. This wine is known for its well-crafted tannins and hints of vanilla and ripe fruit to finish. It is a blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon, 30% malbec and 15% cabernet franc.
For dessert it was a self serve troth of banana and chocolate chip bread pudding, with a crème anglaise. I am not big on desserts, but I did like this. It gave me banana bread meets pudding with a fluffy texture and soft finish.
And for its drink pairing it was your choice of either boozy house made eggnog or boozy hot chocolate. The bartenders foam milk, add in spirits, and top with whipped cream. Then you finish it off yourself at the topping bar. You can choose between shaved chocolate and or crushed peppermint, cinnamon sticks or red-white-green sprinkles; or do what we did: and have it all.
Due to the smaller turnout of this inaugural evening, there were no restrictions on how many servings we could go back for. It felt like a buffet, and you definitely left full. However, I don’t believe the menu would be exactly the same for this coming weekend’s event and the Saturday after. So for those who enjoyed this first night, we can come back and try something new and different for the second and third.
Overall, this was a really well organized reception, and a great way to bring more folks down to Steveston Village for the holidays.
Breakfast Table Steveston
12480 No 1 Rd #120, Richmond, BC V7E OA2
(604) 285-6018
breakfasttable.ca
