In the latest edition of the Vancouver Foodster’s Tasting Plates, we were getting a tour of Commercial Drive. This is as told through the lens of Richard, one of the city’s longest reigning guides to Vancouver’s food scene. As per all his pre-arranged, self-guided tours he has organized it so that attendees visit a handful of the new and noteworthy restaurants in the area, all within walking distance.
He stays abreast of food trends and new dining options and delivers them to his consumers them via such tastings. The goal, to visit each restaurant within the 4 hours allotted time and try everything they have prepared. The number of restaurants varies from event to event. Todays had 4, 2 of which were also serving cocktails, which was the first at any Tastings Plate for me.
To help organize the flow of traffic, you are assigned your first location and from there it is a free-for-all for where you go next. We were assigned to Caffe Soccavo, a European themed Italian cafe where they were serving Aperol spritzs and 2 slices of their Gramma Pies, aka square pizza slices.
All diners were impressed by the size of the drink, the amount of liquor within it, and the fact that it was served in proper glassware. From the perspective of the restaurant: The purpose of this tour is to gain exposure and tap into an audience that might not otherwise consider dining with them. And here, Caffe Soccavo did it right, we were all impressed by the consideration above, and the quality of the pizza to come.
You were able to choose 2 out of 3 varieties of pizza, premade, precut and only in need of a reheating. Margherita, pepperoni, and capricciosa. Between myself and my guest, we tried each. Each was a classic heavily salted pizza with an airy crust. There were plenty of mini pepperoni slices and you could taste the quality of the mozzarella used in the margarita. The most flavorful and the most memorable was the capricciosa for its punchier toppings like black olives, ham, and mushroom.
This “taste”, left a positive impression of Caffe Soccavo in my mouth.
Geographically, our next stop was South China Seas, a spice shoppe I have often driven past, but not yet visited. And Tasting Plates Commerical Drive gave me an opportunity and reason to, today.
Located on a residential street, you would have to know about this corner store before, to know to go. But once you do, you can’t miss it with their red awning. They specialize in spices that they import, make, or mix themselves. So today were showcasing an assortment in their offering of a cocktail and soup.
They served the trendy, colour changing butterfly pea flower as a gin cocktail to start. A stiff drink with plenty of kick, wrapped up in this blue to purple package.
It was paired with the very different Smoked Paprika Gazpacho with Dukkha. “Dukkah” is a nut and spice blend from Egypt, it was used as a sprinkle over topping for their tomato based chilled soup. An ingredient you mix in, alongside a generous drizzle of olive oil.
At South China Seas, they were not so much selling the dishes/drinks we had, but more calling attention to their spice store. They are a wonderful resource for chefs, and a great spot to pick up giftable goods for your favourite foodie. It certainly worked here.
And where the first 2 stops left glowing impressions, our tour turned sour at our next; which was sadly the one I was most excited about. New to the block, Osita looked promising. I liked their restaurant front with its all-glass exterior that made the space approachable, and their cute teddy bear blowing petals off of a flower logo; plus all the love-forward quotes that decorated the dining room walls.
The service is where I found them lacking, the staff were not well informed on the event or their own promotions. And once again, the tour is meant as a first impression, a teaser in hopes of bringing you back in for a full dinner, and/or to inspire you to recommend their establishment to your coworkers and friends.
We were seated by the hostess, only to be told to move by one server, and yet told we were able to stay where we were by another. The resulting yo-yo had us freezing on the spot, leading against the table we were told could not be ours. When we were finally attended to, and referred to yet another table, we were asked to be seated with another twosome. As we were left waiting with no sense of urgency, I declined, as I did not feel like sharing. And a good thing too, as if I didn’t, we would have been left lingering on an extended wait with strangers.
We did not know beforehand what we would be served. Osita listed their offering as a “Surprise Tasting Menu”. This would end up being small bites of dishes on their regular dinner service menu. To their credit, this was the best-looking plate of the night, and came to our table by the Chefs who prepared it, taking the time to point out what each element was.
The Prosciutto Croquettes were little balls of potato that were warm and soft at the centre. I was unable to make out any prosciutto, especially under the mask of the fresh béchamel, pickled onions, and salsa verde. The latter of which overwhelms everything else, if not used sparingly.
From what I can tell the Tuna tartare on a tempura nori chip was a play on their Black Tuna Ceviche with Jicama, cucumber, red onions, fried leeks & ponzu sauce. But served on a seaweed crisp, instead of the regularly corn tostadas. This was a more muted morsel, familiar asian seasonings accented with wasabi heat.
The Beetroot Ceviche is a vegan option from off on their menu. Prepared with cucumber, red onions & coriander, served on a tortilla corn chip. I liked the idea and the presentation, just wished they were seasoned more like the tuna, with a lot more salt and flavour to carry the more bland chip.
Their 24h Roasted Tomato Salsa is a vegetarian option due to the use of goat cheese, paired with a balsamic reduction. On the regular menu it is served with arugula and freshly baked sourdough. Both of which would have helped to balance out this very bold spread, that left you wanting bread. As is on this sample plate, it was too mushy, and felt like it was missing something.
Had the entire experience been more favourable, so would have been the food. We were seated irate and now were left judging whether the wait and trouble were worth it. We were going to order some drinks to help buy the time, but after being told that the listed Wednesday drink specials were essentially highballs at $12+, and double checking that the server understood what she was suggesting, we passed. A highball is typically $6 on special, $10 regularly.
Luckily, we saved the best stop for last. JamJar is one of my favorite restaurants for Lebanese simplified. In fact, I visited them a few days prior, knowing full-well I will be attending this tasting plate, but craving Lebanese nonetheless. And as of this date, they remain as my current go-to for hummus. Plus, with such a large menu, I made sure to order what we would not be having here today.
At JamJar Canteen event goers were seated in the back. The drink we missed out on at our last stop, we doubled up on here. Ordering a bottle of orange wine as we waited for our tasting plates. Although these came fast, and like the last stop: 4 elements that spoke to their regular menu. Although here, it only strengthened my fondness for the place, and introduced my guest to a new on one to visit and recommend.
It all ate like 4 courses, with everything on the plate jibing together so well . And I really appreciated having a dessert to round the meal off on.
The Mini Lamb Kafta Balls with sumac onions, and zaatar labneh was my favourite bite. A zesty and smokey lamb patty given a refreshing tang from the creamy spread. The latter of which, I would also use on the other elements below, to pull everything together.
The Burghul Salad with onion, tomatoes, 7spice, fresh basil, cucumber, feta and olives ate like a cous cous quinoa salad. Light yet hearty, it helped to build up the appetite as the starting course.
The Deconstructed Baba Ghanouj was a fun twist. Instead of a chunky paste-like dip, you got mini eggplant steaks, topped with fresh mint, tomato & green pepper salsa. It went well with the lamb as its vegetable side.
And to end, we had an Orange Blossom & Apricot Trifle with crushed baklava as a topping for crunch. It reminded me of cottage cheese and mint, finished off with hints of the orange blossom for sweetness. This was a really clever play on flavours as a unique palatte refresher.
In conclusion, this was a fun and easy to traverse Vancouver Foodster’s Tasting Plate. Great to be able to visit restaurants I didn’t know was there, a shop I have always wanted to, a new restaurant to the neighborhood, and one that I am a fan of to be able to end on a high note. For the next Tasting Plate and how you can attend, visit the link below and subscribe to the email alerts.
