Andrew Morrison

That's the Mighty Quentin, who took over the GM pin from Andre (now ops manager for Feenies/Lumiere). Consummate host. Happy anniversary BTW. 21 years!

A Shaky Start for Gorgeous Marmalade By Andrew Morrison If you’re like me, you might share my impulse to douse passing speed walkers on the seawall with the occasional martini. Thankfully, the folks at the new, Brit-centric Marmalade Kitchen and Bar have provided us with the perfect venue from which to commence operations in style. Not only can you easily pick off joggers with expertly flung olives (at $3 a bowl, this is awesome fun), but you can also blame the patrons next door at Fiddlehead Joe’s as you innocently scan the cocktail list for new ammunition. But the 30 seat patio can only provide us with seasonal sport and is hardly a reflection of Marlamade‘s interior which, though small (57 seats), remains a modern stunner with chairs of steel and black leather surrounding tables topped with sand-blasted glass. London ex-pat owners Ash Sharifaie and sister Alaleh show their hands as capable aesthetes, appointing the room with fresh flowers of exotic types, excellent art, and swanky candle holders. Every sexy motif fits seamlessly to create an atmosphere suggesting the place has game. Rising up from the dark, hardwood floors is a knockout bar right out of the London lounge scene, and with the gentle thump of music radiating warmth, the hipness is palpable and the promise of insobriety surrounds all. Indeed, I saw great potential (despite the paper napkins). But ambience and cocktails, as they say, do not a restaurant make. Upon opening the menu, my hopes for the place were sucker-punched. I saw another pedestrian selection of ho-hum dishes (again with the calamari, the wings, and the nachos!). Granted, there were a few interesting flourishes, but with no definable food concept nothing leapt out as a must-have (though the “tea time“ selection of fruit scones with jam, marmalade, and clotted cream struck me as rather cool). On my second visit (the first was only a late cocktail), I settled in on the banquette that runs the length of the room and ordered bruschetta ($6), a pasta in cream with smoked salmon and asparagus ($17.95), their signature chicken dish ($16), and a side of fries ($5). Knowing full well that chicken takes a long time to prepare and that my son has the patience of a moth, I asked not to stand on ceremony but to have each dish delivered when ready. The server acquiesced with a knowing nod, but 40 minutes later my plates arrived together without explanation. Consequently, the bruschetta was lukewarm and soggy (likely languishing under a heatlamp) and the pasta was just a whisper of what it could have been had it been served hot. In contrast, the chicken with parma ham, melted mozzarella, basil, and a sun-dried tomato hollandaise was superb. The fries may have been perfectly cooked and crispy, but they came without any dipping sauce (we had to ask our server, who wasn’t in the weeds, for ketchup). These days, if you serve fries and describe your menu as “up-market“, they should be accompanied by something, especially if they cost $5. There were other avoidable service slips that caught my attention, too, causing me to wonder at the owners’ concern for their training. For example, when a server sees an empty drink it’s really in their best interest to ask if I’d like to have another one. It pads the bill, quenches my thirst, and causes me to be loose with my money. Further, if a noticeably pregnant woman asks if you can do a half order of pasta, don’t flatly refuse. You should at least go through the motions of asking the chef. Above all, communicate. If I’m going to have to wait, give me the courtesy of an update, and after the food arrives, check back to see how things are coming along. Service, especially during the first month, must be up to snuff to mask the other kinks that still need ironing out. As both owners are usually present and working the floor, I would expect better discipline. But then again, when was the last time you received great service in London? But all things come in time and there are already major changes in the works. As often happens in the first month, the chef has already left. David Alsop (formerly of Aphrodites, Mad About Food, and the Tomato Fresh Food Café) split the day after my last visit. While it’s clear his abilities would not have been tested by Marmalade’s menu, the move affords the owners an opportunity to re-work and re-define just weeks out of the gate, and I‘m glad I have an excuse to return. Until then I hope Marmalade starts demanding more from itself. If they are ever going to become a destination spot instead of a good looking blur in the corner of a joggers eye, they must breathe new life into their menu and hammer down on service standards until they both trump a room that will otherwise stay lost in the mirror like a doomed Narcissus.

Baak! I just had a crapload of beer come out of my nose, courtesy of Neil. Thanks, buddy. Can I use that line?

Including the extraneous, non food related details? Awesome!

Ah, Ling.

I believe in coffee. It is my buddy.

Sounds like you've got the right restaurants (I still haven't made it over to check out Rosemeade or Lure but I trust Shelora!). Fire and Water chef Jeff Keenliside (and our own Matt R.) have left for the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, so that's definitely an option, too. Personally, I'd skip the hotels and try Isabella's (My wife and I love it). It's very private, very central, and the breakfasts at the bakery are always inventive. Wild Saffron is just a block away, and Il Terrazzo (rather romantic Italian) is right next to your suite (the wafting aromas of balsamic and foccaccia!). Also, make sure you get an ice cream from the Beacon Hill Drive-In on Douglas (a block from the ocean) and then go for a stroll through the park. Best of luck, Bon Appetit, and Bon Romance!

If I opened up a place and called it Ring Around the Collar.... But I think the reference they're going for is Watermark. You can probably imagine the naming process involved a search for something with the words "water", "beach", or "sand" in it. Watermark seems an original, though meaningless solution.

Wow. Zero responses in a month is hard to believe! No one has stopped in at all? Northeast corner of Avenue and Bloor, behind the church? Owner Michael Carlevale? It's been like listening to a dial tone....

Powdered mashed potatoes, mechanically separated turkey, cubed squash substitute and some cold Ponsardins at the Maternity Bistro. Alexander Innes Morrison has joined our table finally, all 8 pounds 5 ounces of him.

Chef Metcalf! Check out her website here.

In defence of Araxi, their early prix fix menu looks outstanding. Just a thought.

Anything to put bums in seats and pay off the kitchen, right? The geeks gotta eat, too. Right?

Again, Trafiq. Anyone been?

Anyone try Traffiq yet in West Vancouver (old Torrefatz space on Marine)?

Who says glistening torrents of animal fat aren't a primal pleasure?! Happy belated, Jenn.

I'm at Hapa on Monday. Anyone who has been recently have any suggestions for must-haves?

Top man. Thanks.

I've tried to locate their web address. No luck. If anyone knows it, please post it.

14 for me. Question: what other worthy restaurants remain "under the radar"?

This is a clear attempt to out myself as a cart user, which I am (generations of kilted Morrisons groan). I keep the half bottle cozy in the cupholder and dole out tots at each tee.

Are you intimating that I'm a madman because I'm not drinking beer? If so, you're mistaken. The front nine is always about beer. Wine only makes an appearance on the back nine. There's something to be said for clarity.

I can see Vera's from my office window at home and the smells waft in and seduce my family on a daily basis. That being said (and with my sad BBQ within earshot), I'd want to have boerewors incisioned and soaked in a mix of ale, chilies, and honey and plated with wasabi mango mashed potatoes and sauteed (and spiced) sea asparagus. Damn you Vera's (I'm shutting this stupid window).

I know this might seem OT, but I just can't afford the time to go play golf and have dinner afterwards, so I usually stock up on food and drinks beforehand and smuggle them onto the course in my golf bag. And this is really where half bottles of wine really shine. There is nothing quite like pairing a grassy New Zealnd Sauvignon Blanch with the 10th tee. For food, I tend to favour biltong from Serengeti Foods in North Van. It keeps you going like Yemeni qaat.

At last!