Nude Nu News

[jamiemaw]

Harry Kambolis of C and Raincity Grill has shared the name of his new False Creek casual -- Nu.

Now there's a tricky word. Nu sounds like new in English, but francophones know better--it means naked. And I believe that's where the philosophy of Kambolis and chef Robert Clark will take it--great ingredients then get out of the way--a minimum of intervention. It will be interesting to see the trial menu shortly. Goodness knows there's lots of horsepower behind the sourcing, with the two Roberts at C and Andrea Carlson (ex-C) now returned from Sooke Harbour House to replace Sean Cousins at Raincity. Cousins has decamped for the Vancouver Club where GM Philip Ireland is quickly assembling one of the best kitchens/FOH in the city.

Coincidentally, the topping off of the new and controversy-dogged Kits Beach restaurant was held today. Now they assemble the guts to open this summer under manager David Richards, ex-The Prow et al. It's a product of the Barnett family who began the brassy (and lamentable) Elephant and Castle pub group. Let's hope the new generation gets off on a more solid footing, with much less interest in the deep fryer and much more in what lies right in front of them. The last thing Vancouver needs is another predictable MOR oceanfront seafood house with 26% food costs and $7 pints--the math of the anti-Christ.

There's been next to no mention on these boards of another splashy waterfront restaurant opening--Lift. But here's a complimentary tour; you'll have to pay extra at the newstand to read the review without the typos. Lift cost $6.5 million; summer will spell if it really takes off but certainly the hordes have been finding it so far.

We also review Henry's Kitchen (nifty even if the crowd looks like a Crofton House PTA meeting) and Fiction Wine Bar where we entertained friends (Tim Castle, the coffee broker who supplies Artigiano) from Los Angeles recently. On a three stop night (Baru, Fiction, Lumiere Tasting Bar)--they rated Sean Sherwood's Fiction highest.

Edited March 4, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[Andrew Morrison]

Good on ya Sean!

Great article, Jamie...thanks for sharing.

Edited March 4, 2005 by editor@waiterblog (log)

[jamiemaw]

Good on ya Sean! 

Great article, Jamie...thanks for sharing.

←

With pleasure. PS--the name of the new Kits Beach restaurant is Watermark.

[Andrew Morrison]

Great name.

Let's really hope they don't mess it up.

[canucklehead]

I walked by Lift yesterday at about 2pm and it seemed like it was pretty busy - or at least it sounded busy. I haven't been inside yet - but the hard surfaces seem like they reflect alot of noise. I like the looks of the exterior and the close proxmity to the bayshore should help with business. I am curious to check Lift out and plan to do so soon.

Jamie - I read the magazine version of your article and it was very good. Your review of Henry's makes be anxious to try it out. Sometimes I wonder if when you come across a place like Henry's - if you ever think to yourself "you know - I think that I am going keep to this place to myself."

Edited March 4, 2005 by canucklehead (log)

[Chef Fowke]

Jamie, the Doctrine of the Anti-Christ is a 28% food cost, $8 pint...

[map]

Jamie - I read the magazine version of your article and it was very good. Your review of Henry's makes be anxious to try it out. Sometimes I wonder if when you come across a place like Henry's - if you ever think to yourself "you know - I think that I am going keep to this place to myself."

←

[jamiemaw]

canucklehead

Jamie - I read the magazine version of your article and it was very good.  Your review of Henry's makes be anxious to try it out.  Sometimes I wonder if when you come across a place like Henry's - if you ever think to yourself "you know - I think that I am going keep to this place to myself."

map, Mar 4 2005, 12:18 PM

Tried to get into Henry's Kitchen as a walk in on Wednesday night and they were packed, the menu looked great however we were unable to get a seat. Would suggest as they did that you call ahead. Will try again as it looked very worthwhile.

Well, question answered, although they seemed pretty popular pre-publication too.

Edited March 4, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[barolo]

Thanks for a good read Jamie.

Where in False Creek will Nu be, or is it already there?

[jamiemaw]

Thanks for a good read Jamie.

Where in False Creek will Nu be, or is it already there?

←

Nu will be in the old Riley's space beneath the False Creek Yacht Club -- just a grilled free-range sardine toss from C. One difference between the two locations: while C is oriented to the view across to Granville Island, Nu will look more westward through the bridge and will no doubt be a little breezier.

[Leonard]

Great name.

Let's really hope they don't mess it up. 

←

Don't mess it up?

Leonard

C GM

[jamiemaw]

Great name.

Let's really hope they don't mess it up. 

←

Don't mess it up?

Leonard

C GM

←

Leonard,

I believe that Andrew was referring to the chequered food reputation of the developers of the Watermark property on Kits Beach They also run the Elephant annd Castle pubs.

[nwyles]

Great name.

Let's really hope they don't mess it up. 

←

Don't mess it up?

Leonard

C GM

←

Leonard,

I believe that Andrew was referring to the chequered food reputation of the developers of the Watermark property on Kits Beach They also run the Elephant annd Castle pubs.

←

Jamie, you really hit it on the mark about their attention to the deep fryer. I think that habit carried over to the sons and their restaurants. I am a little shocked that a restaurant group with their pedigree was able to get the Kits Beach location. I honestly thought it would have gone to Brent Davies, given his entrenchment in the City's parks already. I look forward to seeing how this will shake out.

[jamiemaw]

Great name.

Let's really hope they don't mess it up. 

←

Don't mess it up?

Leonard

C GM

←

Leonard,

I believe that Andrew was referring to the chequered food reputation of the developers of the Watermark property on Kits Beach They also run the Elephant annd Castle pubs.

←

Jamie, you really hit it on the mark about their attention to the deep fryer. I think that habit carried over to the sons and their restaurants. I am a little shocked that a restaurant group with their pedigree was able to get the Kits Beach location. I honestly thought it would have gone to Brent Davies, given his entrenchment in the City's parks already. I look forward to seeing how this will shake out.

←

I'm speculating, Neil, but perhaps it didn't go to Brent (Cardero's, Sequoia Grill, Seasons in the Park) because he has cornered the market on city leases, and on GI with the Sandbar, a federal lease.

And I certainly don't want to speculate any further on the Watermark. But I sincerely hope that it becomes a waterfront asset, with lots of local ingredients and over 30% food costs. After all the fuss and bother at City Hall, anything less will not only let down the location, but look politically foolish as well.

Edited March 6, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[Andrew Morrison]

Great name.

Let's really hope they don't mess it up.

Don't mess it up?

Leonard

C GM

Just to clarify, I was talking about Watermark, not Nu (which is also a great name). I doubt Mr. Kambolis could mess anything up.

[Leonard]

Great name.

Let's really hope they don't mess it up. 

←

Don't mess it up?

Leonard

C GM

←

Leonard,

I believe that Andrew was referring to the chequered food reputation of the developers of the Watermark property on Kits Beach They also run the Elephant annd Castle pubs.

OH! Thank you. I thought that it was an odd remark.

Thank you,

Leonard

C GM

←

[Leonard]

Great name.

Let's really hope they don't mess it up.

Don't mess it up?

Leonard

C GM

Just to clarify, I was talking about Watermark, not Nu (which is also a great name). I doubt Mr. Kambolis could mess anything up.

←

Leonard

C GM

[FannyBay]

Harry Kambolis of C and Raincity Grill has shared the name of his new False Creek casual -- Nu.

Now there's a tricky word. Nu sounds like new in English, but francophones know better--it means naked. And I believe that's where the philosophy of Kambolis and chef Robert Clark will take it--great ingredients then get out of the way--a minimum of intervention. It will be interesting to see the trial menu shortly. Goodness knows there's  lots of horsepower behind the sourcing, with the two Roberts at C and Andrea Carlson (ex-C) now returned from Sooke Harbour House to replace Sean Cousins at Raincity. Cousins has decamped for the Vancouver Club where GM Philip Ireland is quickly assembling one of the best kitchens/FOH in the city.

Coincidentally, the topping off of the new and controversy-dogged Kits Beach restaurant was held today. Now they assemble the guts to open this summer under manager David Richards, ex-The Prow et al. It's a product of the Barnett family who began the brassy (and lamentable) Elephant and Castle pub group. Let's hope the new generation gets off on a more solid footing, with much less interest in the deep fryer and much more in what lies right in front of them. The last thing Vancouver needs is another predictable MOR oceanfront seafood house with 26% food costs and $7 pints--the math of the anti-Christ.

There's been next to no mention on these boards of another splashy waterfront restaurant opening--Lift. But here's a complimentary tour; you'll have to pay extra at the newstand to read the review without the typos. Lift cost $6.5 million; summer will spell if it really takes off but certainly the hordes have been finding it so far.

We also review Henry's Kitchen (nifty even if the crowd looks like a Crofton House PTA meeting) and Fiction Wine Bar where we entertained friends (Tim Castle, the coffee broker who supplies Artigiano) from Los Angeles recently. On a three stop night (Baru, Fiction, Lumiere Tasting Bar)--they rated Sean Sherwood's Fiction highest.

←

I seem to recall, correct me if I'm wrong as I can't be bothered to do research on a Sunday morning, that NU is a Greek letter, I think for the letter G? Anyway, Kambolis is Greek, C is just the letter C, but it really means Sea as in fish, so the play on words here seems as clever as the first restaurant C.

[jamiemaw]

Harry Kambolis of C and Raincity Grill has shared the name of his new False Creek casual -- Nu.

Now there's a tricky word. Nu sounds like new in English, but francophones know better--it means naked. And I believe that's where the philosophy of Kambolis and chef Robert Clark will take it--great ingredients then get out of the way--a minimum of intervention. It will be interesting to see the trial menu shortly. Goodness knows there's  lots of horsepower behind the sourcing, with the two Roberts at C and Andrea Carlson (ex-C) now returned from Sooke Harbour House to replace Sean Cousins at Raincity. Cousins has decamped for the Vancouver Club where GM Philip Ireland is quickly assembling one of the best kitchens/FOH in the city.

←

I seem to recall, correct me if I'm wrong as I can't be bothered to do research on a Sunday morning, that NU is a Greek letter, I think for the letter G? Anyway, Kambolis is Greek, C is just the letter C, but it really means Sea as in fish, so the play on words here seems as clever as the first restaurant C.

←

Nice work, Fanny Bay, although I think it's Greek for the letter 'N'. The other good news is that there are 24 more 'letter' opporunities remaining for Harry Kambolis. Perhaps Gamma will come next, and X, (Chi), is already taken, although H would work as it's pronounced 'a-tuh'. Then there's an opportunity for an all-beef restaurant called 'M' as that one's pronounced Mu. A restaurant serving an exclusively very small plates menu could be I, wich is pronounced iota. The all-dessert restaurant would be Pi, I suppose, or one that was just really good would be Psi.

Incidentally, Harry's mother Georgia's annual Easter dinner (with two lambs aspin, swathed with olive oil laden rosemary brushes, on the rotisserie) might single-handedly revive Greek cooking in Vancouver.

[*Deborah*]

I wsa thinking of Mu when this thread was originally posted, as the suffix -mu in Greek means dear or some comparable term of endearment: someone named Christo, you would say Christo-mu...I don't know if it means anything on its own though, and I'm not working with any Greeks right now so I don't have a Greek-speaking resource!

[Leonard]

I wsa thinking of Mu when this thread was originally posted, as the suffix -mu in Greek means dear or some comparable term of endearment: someone named Christo, you would say Christo-mu...I don't know if it means anything on its own though, and I'm not working with any Greeks right now so I don't have a Greek-speaking resource!

←

Mu means "my" in Greek. For example, "my Deborah".

Leonard

C General Manager

[*Deborah*]

I wsa thinking of Mu when this thread was originally posted, as the suffix -mu in Greek means dear or some comparable term of endearment: someone named Christo, you would say Christo-mu...I don't know if it means anything on its own though, and I'm not working with any Greeks right now so I don't have a Greek-speaking resource!

←

Mu means "my" in Greek. For example, "my Deborah".

Leonard

C General Manager

←

Oh, so even sweeter than I thought!

Thanks for the clarification

[jamiemaw]

I wsa thinking of Mu when this thread was originally posted, as the suffix -mu in Greek means dear or some comparable term of endearment: someone named Christo, you would say Christo-mu...I don't know if it means anything on its own though, and I'm not working with any Greeks right now so I don't have a Greek-speaking resource!

←

Mu means "my" in Greek. For example, "my Deborah".

Leonard

C General Manager

←

Oh, so even sweeter than I thought!

Thanks for the clarification

←

Mu Moo might be a fetching name for Neal's next venture, meaning: "My cow in a very large dress". Quite to fairly catchy, although the cow might be a little nervous.

[Leonard]

I wsa thinking of Mu when this thread was originally posted, as the suffix -mu in Greek means dear or some comparable term of endearment: someone named Christo, you would say Christo-mu...I don't know if it means anything on its own though, and I'm not working with any Greeks right now so I don't have a Greek-speaking resource!

←

Mu means "my" in Greek. For example, "my Deborah".

Leonard

C General Manager

←

Oh, so even sweeter than I thought!

Thanks for the clarification

←

Mu Moo might be a fetching name for Neal's next venture, meaning: "My cow in a very large dress". Quite to fairly catchy, although the cow might be a little nervous.

←

I will back that venture. I just want to see Neil in a Mu Moo!

Leonard

C Restaurant GM

[Vancouver]

Leonard -

When is Nu slated to open?

Cheers!