Canada's 100 Best Restaurants 2017: Vancouver's Kissa Tanto named top new spot, Hawksworth makes top 10
When it comes to the national culinary scene, the top restaurants are primarily in Toronto and Montreal, according to the third annual Canada's 100 Best Restaurants. But Vancouver has the top new restaurant.
In the third annual rankings announced in Toronto on February 28, the top 10 restaurants consisted of five establishments in Toronto, three in Montreal, one in Vancouver, and one in Calgary.
Top honours went to French restaurant Alo in Toronto, which unseated Montreal's two-time winner Toqué from the number one position.
Those were followed by Joe Beef (Montreal), Le Vin Papillon (Montreal), and Edulis (Toronto).
Vancouver's Hawksworth Restaurant (801 West Georgia Street) at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia came in at number six. Chef David Hawksworth's second restaurant, Nightingale (which opened in May), also appeared on the list, coming in at number 34.
After Hawksworth, the next Vancouver restaurant to make the list was Kissa Tanto (263 East Pender Street), in at number 14.
This Japanese-Italian supper club was opened by Bao Bei owner Tannis Ling, executive chef Joël Watanabe, and sous-chef Alain Chow, who drew upon 1960s Tokyo jazz cafés as inspiration.
This house of plenty, located on the second floor of a Chinatown building, was also named the best new restaurant in Canada.
"Kissa Tanto derives its nouveau inspiration from a couple of old-school cuisines, which actually share an awful lot of common ground in their mutual love of seasonality, simplicity, exquisite noodles and earthy umami," the description of the restaurant states. "Like many an unexpected love story, none of it sounds like it will work, and yet it does. Brilliantly."
In a letter from the editor, Jacob Richler stated "I want to single out our best new restaurant of 2017, Kissa Tanto. This second restaurant from Tannis Ling and chef Joël Watanabe...represents Canada’s first look at the unlikely but popular Japanese trend of Japanese-Italian fusion. Their take on this three-decade-old trend is fresh, stylish, and unique. You must check it out."
It's not the first time the critically acclaimed restaurant has won this title. In October, enRoute magazine also named Kissa Tanto the best new restaurant in Canada.
Other Vancouver restaurants that made the list were:
24. L'Abbatoir
26. Vij's Restaurant
31. Nightingale
32. Maenam
33. Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill
40. Savio Volpe
51. Masayoshi Sushi Bar tied Toronto's Canis
69. Cinara tied Calgary's Deane House
71. Ancora Waterfront Dining tied Toronto's Peoples Eatery and Ottawa's Riviera
78. Blue Water Café
83. AnnaLena
90. Ask for Luigi
93.La Quercia tied Halifax's Highwayman
96. Le Crocodile
Other British Columbian restaurants that made the top 100 included Tofino's Wolf in the Fog (41), Victoria's Agrius (48), Galiano Island's Pilgrimme (84), and Whistler's Bearfoot Bistro (97).
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