Tonight I was attending the grand reopening on Earls Test Kitchen on Howe Street. It recently has undergone a facelift, which has given it a new contemporary design to better align with its food and drink program. This we saw firsthand at this mix and mingler.
The restaurant was closed to the public for this private industry event, so we had the run of the space. I especially loved being able to take it all in from the second floor mezzanine, enroute to the washrooms, passing its view.
The two hour plus open house was an enjoy at your leisure sort of thing. Where guests could order from the bar at will. Either one of their signature coffee martinis or a salted lime margarita. And if that didn’t tickle your fancy, the restaurant’s bartenders were able to mix up your favourite cocktail including the likes of a Caesar, French 75, or a lovely purple number featuring the butterfly pea flower dyed Empress gin.
There was also a Photo Booth that we spent a few rounds in front of. Here, we had the ability to remember the event with a keepsake print out.
As this was not a traditional sit down dinner I won’t be able to give an accurate depiction of the service, other than to note how warm and courteous everyone was from the hosts that took our coat to the bar staff that mixed our verbal drink orders. From the attendants at the free-standing help yourself appetizer tables to the servers that roamed the floor passing out small bites. There was an excess of food and drink, and no one went without either.
The following are some tasting notes of all that I tried in bite sized morsels, so take it with a grain of salt. This Test Kitchen location is also known for having a slightly different menu, as they get creative with ingredients and play with their food, trying to put forth something different and new for their public.
I, however, will be visiting the new Brentwood Town location in Burnaby soon, and plan on having a more regular meal there. So will reporting back on that in the future, as I expect the setting, menu, and service to be on par with tonight’s festivities.
But I digress, for now and here, the following are the seafood heavy and pizza friendly options we had at the Earls Test Kitchen Grand Reopening.
We were able to watch Chefs behind the pass shuck oysters and plate them over ice. This was a self serve buffet where you could dress your raw oyster in shell with either a squeeze of lemon, a drizzled of mignonette, a dab of hot sauce, and/or horseradish.
There was also a tower of juicy cocktail shrimp ready for dipping into the classic tangy cocktail sauce.
Their Yuzu Tuna Tataki was delicately presented as a small morsel in an easy to serve and eat spoon. Lightly chilled fish accompanied by pickled shimeji mushrooms and avocado purée.
But their modern take on sushi and sushi tacos is what won us and the room over. The Crispy Prawn Roll featured warm and soft sushi rice rolled with avocado, cucumber, and mango. Then dressed with unagi sauce and sriracha mayo. Then each piece is crowned by a segment of crispy fried prawn. Not authentic, but delicious as an approachable take for those who don’t like their seafood raw. Basically a portable fried shrimp rice bowl.
The sushi tacos had a similar flavour and textural build, but with the addition of a black and white sesame rice wrapper, holding together the sleeve of warm sushi rice and each roll’s listed ingredients. Each was carefully perched in its own uniquely built wooden riser for each grabbing and staging. Naturally the Crispy Prawn Sushi Tacos tasted the same as the sushi above with mango, sriracha mayo, shiso, and soy wrapper.
The Spicy Tuna Sushi Tacos were the freshest highlighted by some of the most ruby red coloured tuna I have ever seen. Also accompanied by mango, sriracha mayo, shiso, and soy wrapper.
And surprisingly the Crispy Tofu Sushi Tacos were our favourites. The fried tube of tofu was the perfect base to carry all the flavour from its companions of mango, sriracha mayo, shiso, soy wrapper. And all together, all 3 types of sushi tacos were a great assembly of similar yet different flavour combination, and one I will order again the next time I am at Earls.
The Street Corn + Avocado Dip was like a canape of chips and dip, made mingling food on a single dressed corn tortillas with Valentina crema, tajin, and feta. This was a tasty vegetarian option that was brought around the room.
Next came the pizzas with a Margherita prepared traditionally with Mozzarella, basil, and Grana Padano. A classic, for those who love the simplicity of clean, quality flavours.
Their Hawaiian pizza is dressed up and named Tropic Thunder. Made with ham, marinated pineapple, and white cheddar, the thin and crispy crust was a great receptacle for my favourite mix of salty meat and sweet fruit.
The West Coast Prawn was a lighter white sauce pizza and the most elevated option of the 4 roaming the room. It tasted like it would also go great over a plate of fresh pasta with prawns, peppers, scallions, and Grana Padano.
The most popular yet again was their meat-free option. This is the vegan-friendly Kale + Mushroom Pizza with Mushrooms, kale, caramelized onion, and a vegan white cheddar cheese. A delicious pizza that did not having me missing meat or dairy.
In closing, this was a great event with great small bites, from a popular chain restaurant that has endured for this long in the ever-evolving Vancouver restaurant scene for a reason.
Earls Kitchen + Bar
905 Hornby St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1V3
(604) 682-6700
earls.ca/locations/test-kitchen
