More Vancouver restaurants, food businesses are adding frozen foods to their pandemic-era menu

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      Local restaurants keep finding new ways to sustain themselves amid the financial toll of COVID-19.

      From cocktail kits and meal kits to grocery sections and high-end takeout, the pandemic is forcing restaurateurs to innovate.

      Frozen foods are another offering that are becoming more popular. (Vij’s was ahead of the curve with its long-standing boil-in-a-bag line of frozen foods.) Nightingale and Tuc Craft Kitchen introduced frozen meals a little while back.

      Now, other food-based businesses are introducing some fabulously flavourful frozen items.

      Old Bird's frozen dumplings are made by hand daily.
      Old Bird.

      Old Bird—at 3950 Main Street, with the tagline “Chinese Food With Attitude”—is producing hand-made frozen dumplings for you to cook up at home. Free of preservatives and additives, these beauties come in several varieties: Scallop and Prawn; Pork and Prawn; and Vegetarian.

      Check out the video via the Old Bird website for instructions on how to pan fry them perfectly.

      Temper Chocolate and Pastry.

      West Vancouver’s Temper Chocolate and Pastry has launched frozen Butter Croissants, Pain au Chocolat, Almond Croissants, Chocolate Almond Croissants, Scones, and Biscuits. They all come in packs of six, starting at $20.50, and come with come with easy-to-follow instructions for the home baker who wants to take it easy. 

      Then there’s Temper's pizza dough, par-baked baguette, and sourdough starter. Order online at temperpastry.com.

      Chambar Restaurant's Into the Wild line of frozen foods include some of the restaurant's most popular menu items.

      Chambar Restaurant is also getting in on the creative cold.  It has launched a line of frozen products called Into the Wild.

      Some of the items are popular menu dishes: Moroccan Meatballs, Lam Tagine, Braised Short Ribs, and Miso-and-Parsnip Risotto. Bonus: If you’re going camping this summer, these, like other boil-in-a-bag foods, are perfect to plop in a pot of boiling water over a fire after you’ve pitched your tent.

      Other items are staples: Tamarind and Coconut Plant-based Curry Sauce; and mushroom, chicken-bone, and beef-bone broth.

      Chambar co-owner and chef Nico Schuermans hosts a cooking video for each of the items on the restaurant’s website. Into the Wild items are available for pick-up at the restaurant; delivery via FromTo, Spud and Legends Haul; and at Stong’s Markets and Choices Markets. See Chambar for more info.

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