Photos: Dine Out Vancouver gets crafty with interactive dining experiences

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      The 14th annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival, which runs from January 15 to 31, has released its lengthy list of menus and calendar of events, and reservations are filling up quick.

      But if you’re still looking for a spot to secure a reso at—or just interested in something a little different—you’re in luck.

      This past Thursday, I had the chance to take part in Dine Out Vancouver’s annual Dine Around preview, where I, along with a group of hungry media personnel, was whisked to three participating restaurants, sampling more than 10 menu courses in the span of just three hours.

      Considering my group’s theme for the evening was “Dinner and a Show: Interactive Dining”, we were left not only satisfied, but thoroughly entertained by our dining experiences.

      Scroll through the images (and video) below for a preview of the three menus we sampled and the interactive elements that come with each.

      Our first stop of the night was the Fairmont Pacific Rim, where we were taken into the hotel’s multimedia theatre.

      With a cocktail and popcorn at our side, we were treated to a viewing of an episode from Netflix’s original documentary series, Chef’s Table, which follows the workings of some of the world’s most innovative chefs. Watch a short teaser above.

      Lucy Lau

      Afterward, we were led to the Fairmont’s Oru restaurant—with refreshments still in hand—where executive chef Nathan Brown had prepared a special four-course menu inspired by the modern, Nordic-style cooking of Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson, who we had just watched on-screen.

      Together, the viewing and dinner make up an installment of Dine Out Vancouver’s Film Feast series, which takes place on January 26 and 27 at the Fairmont Pacific Rim.

      Lucy Lau

      Nilsson’s earthy, unadulterated approach to cooking—and penchant for extremely minimal plating—is reflected in each of Brown’s dishes. The second course, “eggs”, consists of an egg yolk cured in simple syrup brine and placed atop a bed of edible soil made from dehydrated B.C. apples and pumpernickel.

      The yolk is served with an ash-crusted quail egg, salmon, white sturgeon, and nasturtium cream. I liked the slick texture of the cured yolk and it was fun to dig into the soil, which added a soft sweetness to the dish.

      Lucy Lau

      The third course is a smoked elk jerky—which was as chewy as you can imagine—presented with heirloom carrots, chicken liver mousse, and a flaxseed crisp. The jerky rests on a layer of house-made beer vinegar.

      Lucy Lau

      Our main course was bison, which is cooked rare and served with smoked rainbow chard, chard stem oil, and fermented oats “miso”. The bison is nice and succulent—qualities that are magnified by the simplicity of its surrounding flavours.

      Lucy Lau

      We wrapped up our Nordic-inspired dinner with dessert: layers of ice cream and Brie cheese on a sweet pine nut wafer. The textures of the ice cream and Brie blend together so beautifully that it’s difficult to tell the two apart without tasting them.

      It was super cool—and kind of surreal—to see the culinary style and techniques we witnessed on-screen from Nilsson simulated in front of us only a few minutes later. The chefs at Oru did a great job of capturing the essence of Nilsson’s cooking, while maintaining their own West Coast flair.

      Lucy Lau

      Our second stop of the night was Gyu-Kaku’s downtown location, which is part of an international chain of Japanese BBQ joints.

      The restaurant has three platter options in its $30 prix fixe menu: the Surf and Turf, the Meat Lovers, and the classic Gyu-Kaku. Each option comes with three BBQ items, plus your choice of vegetables and dessert.

      Lucy Lau

      We sampled the Surf and Turf menu, which consists of filet mignon ponzu, shrimp garlic, and salmon miso. I was pretty taken aback when I realized that that this portion is meant for one person—talk about bang for your buck.

      Lucy Lau

      The interactive part here, of course, is that you can grill the meats to whatever temperature you like. The items were all fresh, packed with flavour, and kept us going back for more.

      Lucy Lau

      Part of our group opted to sample the Meat Lovers menu, which includes premium sirloin ponzu, kalbi chuck tare, and New York steak miso.

      For vegetables, you can choose from zucchini, garlic spinach, broccoli, and eryngii or king oyster mushrooms, all of which you can grill at the table, too.

      Lucy Lau

      After receiving a fresh grill plate, we roasted marshmallows to make s’mores for dessert. No complaints here.

      Lucy Lau

      We were also given a portion of banana chocolate ice cream, another dessert option. You grill the bananas before topping your ice cream with them, followed by a thick, chocolatey sauce.

      For an added price, you can opt for taiyaki—a Japanese fish-shaped cake that’s typically filled with red bean paste—or macaron ice cream.

      Lucy Lau

      Our last stop of the night proved to be the most interactive yet—though the location has to be kept under wraps for now.

      The restaurant is part of this year’s Secret Supper Soiree, a 1930s speakeasy-style dinner tour that takes you to a number of restaurants via trolley. The locations are kept secret until the night of the event, so diners are surprised at each destination.

      Lucy Lau

      Attendees are encouraged to dress in 1930s attire for the event, and, in case you’re not feeling up to par, you can dive into the on-site dress-up trunk like we did. In it, you'll find everything from sequined headbands to bowler hats to fake moustaches.

      Lucy Lau

      The multi-course meal, which consists of canapés, a main, and a dessert, is usually spread out between each location, but we were able to sample the entire menu at one spot.

      Pictured above are two canapés: candied salmon and sunchokes with hazelnuts and a winter vegetable curry.

      Lucy Lau

      We were then given a cooking demo of the third canapé: grilled beef tongue with a smoked oyster emulsion, cabbage apple slaw, and yakiniku sauce.

      Lucy Lau

      The finished product: the tongue has a tougher consistency, which is balanced by the more manageable slaw beneath it. The yakiniku sauce—used in Japanese BBQ—adds a slight, unexpected sweetness.

      In the spirit of maintaining a sense of mystery around the event, we won’t reveal details about the main and dessert courses from this year’s Secret Supper Soiree just yet, though we will say that both were just as locally inspired and satisfying as the canapés—even after a marathon of dining.

      Each course from the tour also includes wine pairings from B.C.’s Lake Breeze Winery.

      If you’re curious about the Secret Supper Soiree, you can learn more about the event here. It runs on January 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, and 30.

      For more information about Dine Out Vancouver or to make reservations or purchase event tickets, visit the festival’s website.

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