Today, Elettra helped its client, GWL Realty Advisors, celebrate the completion of a deal for Amazon’s new Metro Vancouver Fulfillment Facility. It was a great event with a great turnout. Thank you to Tsawwassen First Nation for the warm welcome.
Dynasty Seafood accepting the Restaurant of the Year award from the Vancouver Magazine editorial team Dee Dhaliwal, Anicka Quin, and Neal McLennan.
Awards show celebrates first-ever Chinese Restaurant of the Year; Joël Watanabe named Chef of the Year
At yesterday’s Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, Dynasty Seafood became the first-ever Chinese restaurant to win the coveted Restaurant of the Year title. During the 28th annual addition of the awards show, 41 gold awards were handed out, as the industry’s top talent gathered to celebrate their own.
“Though Vancouver is renowned for having the best Chinese food outside of China, there has often been a disconnect between Chinese restaurants and non-Chinese diners. Dynasty Seafood has changed all that,” said Neal McLennan, Food Editor, Vancouver Magazine. “Chef Sam Leung has bridged the gap like no other, by reaching out to non-Chinese diners without compromising the integrity of his traditional dishes. We are thrilled to celebrate Dynasty Seafood, and all the talented teams who took home Restaurant Awards this year.”
Chef of the Year honours went to Joël Watanabe. The award recognizes the triumph of Watanabe’s refined fusion style which Vancouverites have come know, first through his modernized Chinese-French menu at Bao Bei, and now through his Japanese-Italian menu at Kissa Tanto. “Humming with clarity,” “honesty,” and “elegance,” is how the judges described Watanabe’s food. Kissa Tanto also picked up gold in the Best Pan-Asian and Best Design categories.
Fraserhood favourite, Savio Volpe, celebrated top honours in the Best New Restaurant category. This year’s show saw the addition of several new categories, including Best Brunch (Café Medina), Best Sushi (Zest), Best Vegan/Vegetarian (The Acorn), Best Bakery (Thomas Haas), and Best Pacific Northwest (Royal Dinette).
There were surprise upsets in some categories, with CinCin taking Best Italian and My Shanti winning Best Indian. Meanwhile, Hawksworth once again defended its Best Upscale Restaurant title, and Le Crocodile and Maenam repeated for Best French and Best Thai respectively. Best Latin saw La Mezcaleria and newcomer, El Santo, tie for first place. Around the province, Araxi took Best Whistler, Agrius won Best Victoria, and Waterfront Wines was named Best Okanagan.
Uva’s Sabrine Dhaliwal took home Bartender of the Year; L’Abattoir’s Lisa Haley was named Sommelier of the Year; Pemberton’s North Arm Farm won the Producer/Supplier Award; and Sid and Joan Cross were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. For five decades, Sid, an oenophile, and Joan, a cookbook editor, have sought out and celebrated the local culinary pioneers who have changed the way we eat and drink. Together, they’ve promoted the region’s up-and-coming city talent to chefs, winemakers, and producers throughout the world.
Bob Lindsay, Owner, Lift Bar and Grill, Soojin Park, Lift Executive Chef, and Damon Wong, General Manager, SSP Canada
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) welcomed a new full-service restaurant, Lift Bar & Grill, in January. Inspired by the original location in downtown Vancouver, passengers are now able to enjoy Lift’s well-known selection of seasonal cuisine with a focus on local seafood offerings.
Centrally located in the international terminal, the restaurant is wrapped around the airport’s iconic aquarium (with more than 850 indigenous sea animals), and is designed to draw on a coastal waters theme. This is evident in both the interior detailing with tones of warm oak, steel blue and charcoal greys as well as the menu, featuring Oceanwise certified seafood.
Scott Norris, Vice President, Commercial Development, Vancouver Airport Authority said, “YVR provides the first and last impression of British Columbia, so we are delighted to welcome Lift Bar & Grill to bring our passengers a unique West Coast dining experience.”
In partnership with YVR, Elettra invited food media, bloggers and influencers to the launch event, where they were treated to Lift Executive Chef Soojin Park’s incredible tasting menu. Before becoming a chef, Soojin studied Inorganic Chemistry, which now fuels her passion for molecular gastronomy and understanding of food composition.
Soojin’s beautifully plated bite-sized portions were well received by attending media, served with New Zealand wine from the Marlborough Sounds region.
Lift’s location post-security means that travelers can take advantage of YVR Food on the Fly – any YVR restaurant provides fresh food and snacks packaged especially for your flight in a travel-friendly bag.
Be sure to check out Lift next time you’re flying internationally through YVR.
Vancouver film buffs will have the opportunity to catch a number of critically acclaimed international films over the next fortnight at the 34th annual Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF), which kicks off on Thursday.
As a former film journalist and self-confessed film fanatic, I am really excited about this year’s selection of films. It is chock-full of features and documentaries I have been looking forward to seeing.
I’m also excited to be volunteering in the VIFF media office where I get to combine my passion for communications and my love of cinema!
One of the perks of volunteering is that I get a pass granting me access into most screenings so have eagerly scoured the VIFF schedule and selected the movies I most want to watch.
Here are the top five movies I intend to check out:
Room
Lenny Abrahamson’s adaptation of Emma Donaghue’s powerful bestseller is at the very top of my list.
While the subject matter may not be for everyone (it’s inspired by the horrendous Josef Fritzel case) the film generated rave reviews at Telluride and Toronto – even winning the People’s Choice Award at the latter.
Brand: A Second Coming
Documentarian Ondi Timoner’s film about British comedian and activist Russell Brand is screening in the documentary section of the festival.
This promises to be a revealing and intimate portrait of Brand’s life over the last few years and his struggle with addiction.
Beeba Boys
I’m a sucker for a gangster film so when I saw the trailer for Beeba Boys, a film about a ruthless mobster loosely based on “Bindy” Johal, I was very intrigued. A gangster film set in Vancouver and directed by a woman no less!
I love seeing this city on the big screen and it’s especially nice to enjoy it for itself and not as a stand-in for a US location.
London Road
Received enthusiastically at TIFF, this unorthodox musical recounts the chaos that followed the murders of five prostitutes in Ipswich, England in 2006.
Evolving from the stage musical of the same name it is based on actual taped interviews conducted with inhabitants of London Road, the quiet residential street from where the victims were picked up.
45 Years
This drama generated glowing reviews from critics and earned Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay best actor awards at the Berlin Film festival earlier this year.
It tells the story of an older couple whose lives are rocked when the husband receives a letter revealing that his past love’s frozen body has been recovered from the Alps five decades after she fell to her death.
By Lorna Allen