EAT! Harvest 2017
EAT! Harvest is part of the EAT! Vancouver festival that's comprised of several events between November 6-11. Harvest was held at the Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel in downtown Vancouver, where several well-renowned chefs (including at least 3 Top Chef Canada contestants) gathered to present delicious eats for a good cause. For a full list of the chefs, click HERE.
Each chef/restaurant had a station, alongside several wineries. Desserts were set up outside the main area on your way out to end your evening on a sweet note. The event ran from 7pm-10pm; we arrived shortly after 7pm, but left before 9pm primarily because most of the stations had run out of food by then. That was disappointing, as stations were running out before we were even an hour in! Given the price per ticket was expensive at $115/ticket, I expected to try at least one bite from each station. The ones we missed were:
Fable (Trevor Bird) - Charred Beet and Soy Truffle with Creme Fraiche
Burdock & Co (Andrea Carlson) - Chanterelle Mushrooms with Potato Cream & Smoked Shoyu
deer+almond (Mandel Hitzer) - The website doesn't list what he was presenting and we didn't have a chance to have any so... ???
LOKA (Dave Mottershall) - Nduja Sausage
AnnaLena (Michael Robbins) - Duck Liver Pate, Apple Gel, and Pickled Mustard Seeds on Sourdough
Six stations shutting down approximately an hour into the event is a major downer, even if it is for charity. Another issue I have with the event is how difficult it was to eat. As a Brewery and the Beast veteran, B&B is so smart to provide wooden boards with cut-outs to hold your drink (here's an example - not my photo), along with ample tables scattered throughout, some even with seats. The boards don't have the most real estate, but there's enough to load up approximately 3 different offerings. At EAT! Harvest, you were stuck holding a wine glass, then either you would pick up a [supposed] one-biter directly off the station's serving plate and try to eat it in one go, or you'd have to grab a fork/spoon and then the plated dish. There were a few cocktail tables around but it was difficult to find one that was free (until people started leaving when food ran out). Now I understand why food competition judges dock points when the chef makes something difficult to eat in one bite for a cocktail party challenge. So many of the "one-biters" were not actually doable in one bite, rendering it even more difficult to eat. On the flip side, most of what we ate was absolutely amazing - even mind opening a couple cases. With the menu released slightly in advance, my husband was not thrilled to learn most of the offerings were not down his alley; this event turned out to be a game changer in that it has now opened his mind to the delicious possibilities of ceviche and liver mousses, both of which he never would have eaten before. I also commend the chefs for making do with the location, which was absolutely not conducive to preparing or serving food.
Thai Prawn Cake - Nicole Gomes (recent winner of Top Chef Canada All Stars)
Our first stop of the night was the Thai Prawn Cake. We had just gotten some wine into our glasses and noticed a line-up building near us, so naturally we fell into it, waiting for the prawns to come out of the little toaster oven that Nicole had going. Cilantro aside (hate that stuff), the prawn "cake" was a very generous piece of prawn that packed a lot of flavour into a single bite. The flavour was so aggressive (in a good way) that the accompanying pickled slaw was necessary to refresh the palate. It was so balanced!
Coconut Scallop Ceviche - Chica
Up next was the coconut scallop ceviche, which we both agreed was our #1 favourite bite of the evening. The super fresh scallops in creamy coconut was served on top of what I believe are yucca chips (I could be wrong though). The variation in textures was perfect and the flavour was so clean. Never in a million years did we think my husband would enjoy ceviche, and this turned out to be his fave!
[not pictured: Prosciutto and Green Tomato Chutney - Campagnolo]
I found Campagnolo to be the most interesting. One of the chefs was very informative; the pig from which they make the prosciutto was from Vancouver Island and it had been aged for 3 years! The prosciutto was served on top of a super crispy piece of bread, which was a bit too large (definitely not a one-biter). As a result, you had to actually bite off a piece, and that's not the easiest feat with prosciutto. I found myself awkwardly and unsuccessfully trying to pin the prosciutto to the second half of the bread as I bit, but eventually gave up and just ate the prosciutto in one go, leaving me with just a piece of bread.
Cod Cheek Escabeche - Mallard Cottage
I won't say too much about this one because cold fish is really not my kind of thing. The fish was cooked nicely (moist, not dried out) and there were nuts on top that provided some needed crunch. Originally I thought the thing on top might be a sea bean, but looking back it definitely wasn't; however, I do believe whatever's on top was there to provide an element of salt/seasoning, which wasn't very effective for someone like me who doesn't want to eat it.
Vegan Chorizo Taco - Nextjen
The other line-up we found ourselves in was for the vegan chorizo taco. Had you told me I would be lining up for something vegan at any point in my life, I would have laughed. I found the presentation to be very appealing with all the colours. Unfortunately, I also found this to be extremely spicy! Too spicy, actually, and I love heat... but that's all I could taste. Any flavours that may have been there got lost in the spiciness.
Taste U.S. - Pate
Sadly I can't quite remember what this was, except it was some sort of pate with a fruity gelee to cut through the richness. However, this was another dish that my husband reluctantly ate (not a fan of pate) but found himself enjoying!
Pork & Rabbit Pate - Richmond Station
I've eaten at Carl Heinrich's Richmond Station restaurant in Toronto and must say it was a really great experience, so I had high expectations for this one. It ended up being OK, the mustard was really helpful in balancing out the pate, but I thought it was otherwise one-noted. Also, with how hard it was to juggle the wine glass and grab a piece of pate to place onto a napkin, the top part of the crust fell onto the floor which was sad. It's not a good feeling when you accidentally drop food from a top chef onto the ground.
Spiced Persimmon Ice Cream - Kin's Farm Market
I was super surprised to see Kin's Farm Market with an actual tasting station. Back in the day, I just thought of them as a place to get fresh produce, but it appears they've really stepped up their game. This persimmon ice cream was super creamy, not too sweet, and had a hint of spice to remind you of the seasonality. There were also thin pieces of bacon, as well as dried persimmon on the bottom. SO good.
[not pictured: Carbonated Mandarin Oranges - Kin's Farm Market]
This is exactly as the title sounds, and yet I still found myself like what??? They were handing out mandarin orange slices that were carbonated on the inside!!!! Seriously, you bit into it and it was like you were drinking pop. So clever - I hope they start selling these in-store because my husband won't stop raving about them. How do they do that??
[not pictured: Cured Tuna Tarte - Canis]
Finally - an actual one-biter! The tuna had a nice texture to it and the crisp on the bottom was the perfect size and shape to hold the tuna for your one bite. I think it could have used more seasoning/flavour though, as it tasted quite mild.
Shrimp & Lamb Sausage - Cinara
This dish seemed very similar to the pork & rabbit pate (see above) from Carl Heinrich. Sure, the flavours were a bit different, especially with the gaminess coming from the lamb, but it wasn't that exciting. On the EAT! website, it lists this as shrimp & salmon sausage. I'm sure if they were actually able to use salmon, that would have helped set this apart from other offerings that evening.
Ling Cod Cheek with Pine Mushroom & Wild Rice - Wolf in the Fog
Growing up, my mom would often steam cod fish and serve it with the classic Chinese mixture of soy sauce, ginger, and scallions; I would always be given the super tender piece of cheek and this was the only preparation I've ever had it in until now. Having a childhood favourite presented in two different preparations at this festival was pretty cool. Even cooler is that everything in this dish from Wolf in the Fog is local. We ate at Wolf in the Fog during our mini-honeymoon in Tofino and absolutely loved the ambience and food that we had there. Naturally, the cook of the cod cheek was perfect and I appreciated the puffed wild rice for crunch.
[not pictured: Chicken Liver Mousse on a Savoury Cake - Mak n Ming]
This was the second favourite bite of the night, and also something that has opened my husband's mind; there's no way he would have eaten liver anything - let alone mousse - before this night. Somehow, the bite got better and better with each chew. It was so good, I'm pretty sure my husband snuck in seconds or thirds while I wasn't looking. Looking at Mak n Ming's menu, I had sadly accepted that this was probably somewhere my husband wouldn't be interested in going, but now I have hope!
Mussel and Coconut Soup - Maenam
This soup was very pleasant; the broth was flavourful and had a nice hint of heat to it. There was also a large, meaty mussel (you can't see it above, but it's there!). My only issue was you kind of needed a spoon, which they offered, to get that mussel out (or just stand there elegantly trying to jiggle it out of the glass into your mouth like I did). The problem with that is, you've got a glass of wine in one hand and it was not easy finding a vacant cocktail table.
Celeriac.. something something (??)
I'm gonna be totally honest here... I have no idea who presented this, and what exactly it was. All I remember was the chunk in the middle there is celeriac and it was presented in a way that was supposed to showcase vegetables in place of meat. I also remember it had a very earthy flavour to it, with something that reminded me of a savoury brittle, crushed over top.
Shanghai Shoots with Fermented Black Bean Bagna Cauda - Dirt Candy
I really liked the flavours from this - it was deceivingly bold, and I am a big fan of fermented black beans. The only issue I had with this was it wasn't clear how I was supposed to eat it. Thankfully I asked what bagna cuada was in the first place and learned that it's similar to a fondue, typically made with garlic, olive oil, butter, and anchovies (replaced with the fermented black bean here), so it gave me a hint to simulate dipping a piece of vegetable (ie. the stalk) into the fondue. Still, it was a bit confusing and difficult to eat; thankfully we were able to find a vacant cocktail table which was the saving grace that allowed me to get this into my mouth.
Chocolate Impulse - Nadege Patisserie
As mentioned above, a couple dessert stations (presented by Nadege Nourian of Nadege Patisserie) were set up just outside of the main room so that you could get something sweet as you headed out. This was a nice way to end the evening. The Chocolate Impulse pictured above was delicious, with the smooth and creamy top! The only negative thing is that had I not taken a closer look under the dim lights, I could have easily eaten that "N" sign, which is made of paper and is not meant to be eaten. I wonder how many people ended up eating it by accident.
Pot du Creme - Nadege Patisserie
I don't think I've ever eaten anything this smooth in my life. I never wanted this to end. That pretty thing sticking upwards? That's chocolate! And damn good chocolate too. A perfect end to the night - I would gladly devour a large bowl of this pot du creme.