Since returning to school I have taken a hiatus from international gourmand organization La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. However, now that I have graduated I am entertaining the idea of returning, and if there is a good day to do it, it would be tonight.
This is Gothic Glamour, Chaîne Vancouver’s October Formal Dinner, celebrating the spooky season and new members as a part of Intronisation. This line up would include Warren Chow, the Executive Chef of Wildlight Restaurant, the winner of the Michelin Young Chef award, and the Culinary World Cup Luxembourg 2022 Gold Medalist. And now he is taking over the professional title of Grand Officier Maître Rôtisseur from the now retired Chef Bruno Marti.
For those unfamiliar, Chaîne des Rôtisseursbis is an international association that celebrates the art of fine dining and culinary excellence. Membership is by invitation only and reserved for those who exemplify the highest standard of gastronomy.
This night’s dinner took place in one of the elegant ballroom of the Terminal City Club. A five-course dinner with wine pairings custom created by Executive Chef Dan Creyke and his brigade, all set amidst a Victorian-inspired setting.
The room was bathed in a red glow and included black candles with red wax, black and red rose floral arrangements, and a pianist playing Halloween-esque tunes made classical.
Members were invited to dress for the occasion by accessorizing formal wear with Gothic touches. There were flowing capes, masquerade masks, opera gloves, and plenty of lace.
As guests trickled in we enjoyed a sparkling reception with passed canapés. Like the rest of the menu the three available bites had fun names. These were referred to as “The Devil’s Hour Hors D’Oeuvres”.
The Sunseeker Oyster were torched ahi tuna, salmon roe, and toyomansi wakame.
The Beef Tartare Cone included black truffle and cured egg yolk.
And the Beet & Chēvre Tart was topped with candied pecan and blackcurrant pearls.
This was all paired with the Champagne Drappier Carte d’Or Brut NV from Champagne, France. A Pinot Gris dominant sparkling wine served in a wine glass. Here, we learned from the Terminal City Club’s sommelier that flutes are like straight jackets for wine and it is best to use a regular white wine glass, in order to open a sparkling instead. In doing so we found the wine wonderfully effervescent. It helped to whet the appetite and add some light citrus notes to the seafood, and acid to cut into the heavier and more savoury flavours above.
Our first course was titled “Harvest Haunting”, a vegetarian salad. This was created as a tribute to farmers, with everything sourced from local and organic farm:. The selection of produce was a swing between summer and winter. Spice roast squash, beet glazed beets, and pumpkin seed gremolata. All topped with a sungold tomato black garlic dressing, using the last batch of tomatoes of the season. It had warm spice notes like curry and was filling with the squash.
For our wine pairing we were given choices of two different whites to find our favourite between the two. The Gabriel Meffre Gigondas Sainte-Catherine 2010, Southern Rhône, France and Domaine de Fondrèche Persia Ventoux Blanc 2023, Southern Rhône, France. The former was barrel-aged and finished in concrete for a salty tail.
Our second course was confit mackerel with a uni risotto and squid ink chip. They called this “Sleeps with the Fishes”. I found the mackerel naturally salty with nothing but the wine to help cut into it. I didn’t get any uni in the risotto and thought it heavy for such a rich fish anyways. The cracker was a nice break in salt and softened textures, but the wine was what was the most helpful in balancing out this plate.
We got just the single wine pairing here. Forjas del Salnés Albariño Leirana 2023 from Rías Bails, Spain. This is Grenache and Syrah blend that has been double decanted to allow the wine to breathe and stretch out. The grapes were grown in granite soil and were prepared using classic wine making techniques, with no oak influence.
Our meat course was the “Hunter’s Moon Venison” which is a cherry glazed leg, venison sweet pepper ragu, celeriac fondant, charred onion, braised leek, pickled garlic scape, and cherry jus. A little tough, this was a lean cut with roasted flavour and a berry sweetness from the fruit. I was not a fan of the sides, as I found them just has heavy as the meat and was looking for freshness as a break. Some carrot or crispy green beans would have been a nice contrast here.
This was paired with Château d’Agassac Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel 2000 from Bordeaux, France. Our sommelier described this as, “What the venison needs and wants”. 60% Cabernet and 40% merlot aged a year in oak. Given the age of the wine the bottle was decanted three times? in consideration of all the sediment. It drinks more like a classic growth with powerful structures. I found that the wine came across as cheesy and umami.
Our fourth course was a “Curses & Cultures” cheese course. Kootenay Meadows alpindon, Shropshire blue apricot mostarda, and grilled ciabatta crostini. I especially liked the blue cheese from England, finding it nutty. The second block was like an umami parmesan, it had a similar texture, but more waxy.
This cheese taster was paired with a wine so rich that it coats the mouth and balances out the indulgent nature of the aged cheeses. Corcelettes Estate Winery Talus 2022, Similkameen Valley, BC.
Our final dessert course was my favourite for its pageantry. This was a playful way to give a nod to Halloween. “Wings in the Dark Chocolate” with dark chocolate mousse, crunchy raspberry praline, and cocoa crumble. Eaten like a lollipop with the stick being too heavy to carry the dense mousse. Definitely for the chocolate lovers.
Once again we were given an options with our wine pairing. The first from M. Chapoutier Bila-Haut Banyuls Rimage 2022 in Roussillon, France. This wine includes all four of the Bordeaux grapes, and drinks like Port without being as rich.
In contrast, the Elephant Island Framboise 2023 from Okanagan Valley, BC has an essence of raspberry, which is great with chocolate.
In short, this was an incredible event with plenty of embellishments, and even more wine; because in gothic times wine was safer to drink than water.
Terminal City Club
837 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1B6
(604) 681-4121
tcclub.com
