Acorn harvesting (complete summer 2014 menu)

Restaurant: The Acorn
Cuisine: Vegetarian/Vegan
Phone: (604) 566-9001, no reservations accepted
Location: Vancouver, BC (Main Street/King Edward)
Address: 3995 Main Street
Price Range: $20-30 (Mains $15-20)

Vancouver is becoming the L.A. of the North with Vancouverites becoming increasingly health conscious, drinking green smoothies, staying active, and eating local, fresh organic goods. But even so, Vancouver doesn't have that many options for vegetarians and/or vegans, which is quite unfortunate, especially when it comes to fine dining. Many frequent Naam or The Foundation, but both their menus have never impressed me and have dirty/shabby interior.  So I'm quite happy personally that The Acorn is now part of Vancouver's restaurant scene, especially since it offers a wide array of fine dining choices with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by friendly staff who quickly showed us to our seats and offered us water while we perused the menu and waited for some late guests. It was a night to remember; my friend Angel, who is usually notoriously late - sometimes up to 1 hr late - was actually on time! and instead we were waiting for my other friend Victor, who is normally punctual. Oh, did I mention my friend Mona completely forgot about the dinner entirely? :P

While waiting for the latecomers - I couldn't help but notice the interior of the restaurant. I expected a more rustic feel with lots of furniture and items made of reclaimed wood. Instead, tables were made of a marble-like material coupled with unimpressive chairs. Personally, I would have gone with a very forest-like, almost bucolic design using reclaimed or other types of wood, but then again, I'm a sucker for reclaimed wood. :)

Since their inaugural opening, The Acorn has been on the receiving end of rave reviews from critics and diners alike, and was also listed as one of the Best New Restaurants in Canada of 2013. But one thing I feel that has really come across with their food and menu is that you don't need to be a vegetarian or vegan to appreciate the fresh ingredients and carefully crafted dishes. Most of the dishes served to enhance the existing taste of the natural crops and let the natural flavours of fresh produce and harvest do the talking. It's not easy to do that especially with vegetables, where the natural flavours often get masked by heavy sauces or seasoning. And so culinary talent definitely is evident here: the head-chef and owner of The Acorn is Brian Skinner, who did a six-month stint at one of the world's best restaurants, Noma, in Denmark under Chef Redzepi. So it's clear that at its core, The Acorn had culinary talent to support its vision. 

ON OUR TABLE (compilation of 2 visits to get most of the summer menu):

Selbach 2011 - Riesling - Germany - $8
Rosewater Iced Tea - $4
Kale - $9

• as far as iced teas go, this was a nice version of one
• the rosewater is subtle, but you can definitely taste it while sipping on the drink or as an aftertaste
• but I find if you mix the tea too much, the flavors just gradually fade unfortunately :(

Kale - $9
kale, tempeh, smoked paprika croutons, crispy capers,
Kootenay Alpindon cheese, black olives, Caesar dressing

• 4.5/5
• this is The Acorn spin on a kale salad and it is delicious
• their Caesar dressing is made in house and it's smooth and delicious and doesn't overpower the natural flavors of the kale itself
• it almost feels like each individual kale leaf is chosen with care - they are crisp, dark green, and fresh
• the salad itself is chilled, but the tempeh is warm and  provides a nice contrast to the rest of the salad - likely my favorite part of the salad
• the Kootenay Alpindon cheese strips are light and a nice alternative to the traditional parmesan and it helps elevate the dish to be suitable for a fine-dining restaurant
• you can taste a hint of paprika on the croutons, but on the whole, the croutons were pretty unforgettable - they (I suppose) add a crunch and texture contrast from all the other elements

Summer Harvest (1) - $19

sunchokes, patty pan squash, leekscape pesto,
mushroom purée, pumpkin seed maple tarragon sauce

• 3.5/5
• so The Harvest is essentially The Acorn daily special: it depends on the ingredients and produce they receive on the day and what the chefs have in mind (so this is one of two harvests I tried on separate visits)*
• I absolutely love patty pan squash and so seeing it on the menu excited me and it didn't disappoint
• the presentation was an artful mess of sorts
• sunchokes are quite like potatoes in consistency, but are a bit softer in texture - in this case, they were cooked very nicely, still moist yet chewy as well
• the mushroom purée was extremely fragrant and fresh
• the combination of the maple tarragon sauce, purée, and pesto was fantastic, it basically affirmed what I personally believe The Acorn excels at, which is enhancing the natural flavors of the fresh ingredients and harvest - the sauce combination worked and made the sunchokes more flavorful, which soaked up the sauce, yet retaining its original natural flavor
• a nice harvest overall

Summer Harvest (2) - $19

golden and red beets, farro, black radish, 

mushroom, mint + walnut pesto (cannot recall exactly)

• 3/5
• this was the Harvest special on another visit (within a week of the first)*
• I initially was worried the pesto would be too salty initially, but was okay - it was the same pesto provided with the Zucchini dish pictured later on, so a part of me was hoping for something different, but alas to no avail
• the golden beets were juicy and succulent, but I felt while the red beets provided a nice color contrast, they somewhat paled in comparison to the golden beets
• overall, I enjoyed this Harvest dish, but in comparison to the previous Harvest (1) dish, it was somewhat disappointing

* in general, I feel like the Harvest is too much a 'luck of the draw' kind of deal. For instance, I would have preferred this posted Harvest by Acorn over the two I ordered simply based on aesthetics alone.

Halloumi - $19

beer battered halloumi, zucchini + potato pancake,
smashed peas, mint yogurt, lemon balm

• 4/5
• this is the vegetarian spin on Fish and Chips, but calling them "vegetarian fish and chips" doesn't really do the dish justice however (largely because the cheese is completely the wrong texture for fish and chips)
• for those who don't know, Halloumi is a type of cheese originating from Cyprus, often made from a combination of goat and sheep's milk - the texture of the cheese is quite interesting and I love a good halloumi and tempeh sandwich (so hard to find!)
• these reminded my friend Alex of 'classy mozzarella sticks, but in a good way' :)
• the batter was absolutely done to perfection, as were the the smashed peas, which were lovely
• the peas and mint yogurt in combination provided a fresh contrast to the greasiness of the cheese, which can get a bit too much with three full piece unless you are sharing the dish
• the only disappointing part of this dish was the zucchini + potato pancake, which was a bit soggy and not particularly memorable - however that may have been partly our own fault, because it was left for consumption at the end and soaking in the sauce may have killed it
• a minor quibble is that a couple of the mint leaves were slightly brown and old-looking
• overall in my opinion, a good fish and chips still trumps this dish, but it was an interesting dish highlighting halloumi

Hen of the Woods - $17

hen of the woods mushroom, shiso dumplings,
bok choy, crispy rice, ponzu vinaigrette

• 3/5
• Hen of the Woods or Grifola frondosa is a type of mushroom often used in Asian medicinal applications and is known for its texture to taste somewhat like chicken, hence its name
• while the restaurant opens at 5:30pm, the cooks start work at 9am and this is one of the dishes they start prepping for instantly - they start marinating and preparing the mushroom early in the morning and letting it sit until service
• I can appreciate the Asian influences in the dish from bok choy, crispy rice, ponzu, and shiso, tying together the Asian theme with the mushroom as the star
• I personally adore adore the taste and scent of shiso leaves, so I feel the slight hint of shiso that the dumplings had was not enough and some more would be preferred, but that is likely personal preference
• I did not agree with this as a menu item on the Summer Menu, because Hen of the Woods mushrooms are traditionally in season for autumn or very late summer, so I would have found it more appropriate on an autumn or fall menu

Cauliflower - $16
conchiglie pasta, roasted cauliflower,
 garlic, chiles, green olives, arugula

• 2.5/5
• this dish was overall unremarkable or "just okay" from what my friend said - but to be fair, my friend Victor is quite the carnivore and probably would have preferred a nice, juicy steak :) 
• the serving size is really really small - it's practically 7 or so shells and a bit of roasted cauliflower and olives... so makes the price not quite worth it 
• the presentation of the dish is quite substandard and looks quite plain - a bit like last night's leftovers
• the conchiglie pasta was cooked well and al dente, however, the garlic was slightly overpowering the cauliflower

Zucchini - $19

raw zucchini linguini, mint + walnut pesto,
snow peas, tomatoes, lemon zest, pine nuts

• 3.5/5
• I really like this dish; it really epitomizes what I feel should be on a summer menu: the dish is made with fresh ingredients and remains quite light and not too greasy - I can say safely I would not enjoy this dish likely as much in the autumn, winter, or in colder weather
• the presentation of the dish is beautiful with all the vibrant colors staring at you and has that "wow" factor
• the tomatoes are delicious and ripe, and help add a sweetness to the dish

Rhubarb - $8

rhubarb confit, olive oil crumble, 

cashew crème fraiche, strawberry black pepper sorbet

• 2.5/5
• onto dessert - the rhubarb dessert was nice and definitely a nice summer menu addition (and a nice ending to a meal)
• generally I'm not a huge fan of rhubarb, but there are exceptions such as a nice strawberry rhubarb pie
• I feel like this is somewhat of a spin on strawberry rhubarb pie, but deconstructed: the pie crust is the olive oil crumble, the strawberry element comes with the sorbet, and rhubarb pieces or confit as the main filling
• the rhubarb tasted fresh, although part of the confit syrup or juice that came with it was a bit watery
• the best part of this dish is the strawberry black pepper sorbet - before you ask - no, it isn't weird. the pepper works! the black pepper doesn't overpower the strawberry sorbet itself, but enhances the flavor and is quite subtle. I wanted to buy a tub of the strawberry black pepper sorbet for myself, haha :)

Rhubarb - $8 (top)

Blueberry - $11 (bottom)

raw cashew lemon cheesecake, almond coconut crust,

acorn garden lavender + blueberry coulis, lemon

• 2/5
• this was the most expensive dessert and by far the most disappointing - the dessert was 'meh', which is apt to describe it
• it tasted fine, but it was nothing special and I would hesitate to call it a "cheesecake" - the texture was quite dense and there was distinct lack of acidity you typically associate with a cheesecake
• for a lemon cheesecake, it was not lemon-y at all, if anything it was more blueberry-flavored
• overall, my friend and I both agree that the raw crust on these types of vegan cheesecakes are quite disappointing - in his words, "it doesn't have the snap of a graham cracker or pie crust would have: it eats more like a chunky fig newton"

Chocolate - $9

chocolate quinoa zucchini cake, passionfruit,
brown butter purée, hazelnut

• 4/5
• I really enjoyed this dish (big thumbs up) - and this is coming from someone who is not a big chocolate fan, so it isn't something I say often + gorgeous presentation
• I was afraid the chocolate would be overly sweet, but instead it was perfect and just right 
• the cake itself wasn't overly dense, but nice and fluffy and the quinoa was subtle, but definitely palpable - I enjoyed the extra flavor it provided
• the zucchini strips sitting on top of the cake were chilled, but very slightly sweetened somehow - they were likely marinated or soaked in some sort of syrup perhaps - regardless, they were really nice coupled with the cake 
• the passionfruit provided a necessary acidity in the dessert and the combination of chocolate cake and passionfruit together was heavennnn

Final Ranking (/5):

I enjoy how their menu and dishes focus on one ingredient and the dish acts like an ode to that ingredient using complementary spices and garnishes to make it the star of the dish. The menu itself offers a wide variety of options, which I appreciated and while the dishes are not cheap, I feel like the quality you receive on the table warranted their prices for the most part. However, I felt there was still much untapped potential with most of the dishes - that there could be more done, that there was capacity for even greater culinary risks. There were missed opportunities. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. I'm excited to see the Autumn menu.

Food: 4

Service: 3
Ambiance: 4

Overall: 4

Additional Comments: With regards to service, the server messed up my bill the first time I went and the second time around, it took very long to get the bill.