#hawksworth

S.Pellegrino® Chef Collective June 30 – July 4

S.Pellegrino® Announces Chef Collective Initiative in Support of Canadian Restaurants and the Future of Canada’s Culinary Community We got a sneak peak of a couple menu items on offer at Hawksworth and L’Abattoir this weekend and encourage you to choose to dine out to support the culinary community from June 30-July 4. Hawksworth, L’Abattior, Say Mercy, Boulevard, Mackenzie Room and Como Taperia…

Nightingale : A Revisit

It’s been just a little over 2.5 years since David Hawksworth’s third venture graced Vancouver’s financial district. The concept is to introduce a cozy, more casual (compared to Hawksworth, at least) eatery, perfect for power lunches, after-work happy hour and business dinners. With a menu big enough to accommodate all sorts of preferences and dietary restrictions, the restaurant strives to consistently deliver dishes that feature fresh, seasonal ingredients. They also make it easy for guests to maneuver through the menu by listing the dishes in order of small to large, light to heavy. The dishes are served as they’re ready and meant to be shared, family style.  

Mijune and I got the chance to revisit the restaurant last night and got the tour of the menu from literally top to bottom.

I started the night with the I-am-not-drinking-tonight mentality but then I caved and ordered a glass of ‘15 stina, a delicious blend of posip, vuguva and chardonnay from Croatia. This wine was elegant, just fruity enough and just crisp enough - the chardonnay in the blend added a layer of texture, absolutely delicious. It quickly then turned into a send-whatever-wine-you-think-works-for-the-dish kind of meal, which, I highly recommend. Chris Rielly and team developed a fantastic wine list, and the sommeliers on duty were on point! (shoutout to Jessamyn who walked us through the pairing that evening!)

The wine went nicely with the refreshing Albacore tuna crudo, served with grapefruit and house-made crispy quinoa from the raw section of the menu. Creamy, buttery local uni on top of a bed of seaweed salad; crispy apple salad with sprinkles of walnuts and loaded with cheddar were also a hit.

Then there’s the vegetables, which, was (still is) one of the main focus when head Chef Phil Scarfone and team built the menu. The most beautifully plated root vegetable salad wowed everyone on the table, but then the baked sweet potato, stole our attention and became the star of the night. Okay, we were spoiled because Chef Phil decided to shave some black truffles on top of the sweet potato that’s already loaded with saddler's smoked bacon, creme fraiche and scallion, but the accompanying dish of venison sausage, and not to forget the beautiful Kitsch’s winery ‘16 Pinot Noir to go with both dishes made every sip and every bite, so perfectly decadent.

House-made pizzas are Nightingale’s claim to fame, with close to a dozen items on the list, they really know how to execute fail-proof pies. Toppings and sauces vary from creamy mushrooms to classic tomatoes, but we were treated with the prosciutto, gorgonzola, walnut, arugula, five year balsamic (yes - this also goes well with the Kitsch’s pinot, if you’re wondering)

No, we weren’t even halfway through our meal. The black truffle risotto, squash tortelloni, and the duck lasagna came shortly after we started nibbling on our pizza. The lasagna was brilliant, whoever thought about putting duck on the layer of your lasagna deserves a big pat on the back. The tortelloni balanced out this round of food, but still being earthy, creamy and buttery on the inside. The black truffle risotto was such a simple, yet powerful dish. Phil mentioned that he actually incorporated the rind of the parmesan into the sauce, which left the dish on the saltier salt. The ‘14 calera chardonnay was poured to accompany these dishes, each element balanced and rounded all the flavours quite harmoniously.

As we’re making our way to the second last (before dessert) round of food, Rae, another somm who’s on duty that last night, poured a splash of the Tantalus riesling as a palate cleanser - fabulous!

This round was a big one, and we, somehow were still eating, all of it. The meat and the larger plates section consisted of grilled pork belly (a dish that has been there since day one), braised pork cheek, and roasted half chicken with a side of Brussels sprouts and roasted mushrooms. The pork belly has been consistently delicious, and it’s even better now that it’s sliced thinner. The roasted mushroom stood out, even in the midst of a meat-centric meal - it’s almost necessary to have them every time. A stellar Château des Jacques Gamay Noir was the wine of choice for this round.

I didn’t make it to dessert but for those with serious sweet tooth, the salted caramel pot de crème is just a classic.

Till next time!

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