The Next 20

We dish on the restaurant up-and-comers that will change the way you eat. Plus, pannacotta is the new crème brûlée, and other dining trends to watch.

NICHE

225 Quebec St., Victoria, 250-388-4255, nichedining.com

Chef Jason Leizert’s menu may be written with an economy of words, but his dishes revel in unexpected combinations. Morel: Red Wine, Cream, Potato finds small, tender morels drizzled with a little red wine reduction surrounding a crispy potato rösti and a bacon strip balanced on top. Pork: Spot Prawns, Apple, Potato is a fun take on surf and turf with little fried balls of mashed potatoes accompanying the pork loin on a round bed of sautéed spinach with spot prawns.

Dish
Served layered in a water glass, the Rhubarb, Mascarpone, Caramel dessert would make Bill Cosby proud.

SMOKEN BONES COOKSHACK

721 Station Ave., #101, Victoria, 250-391-6328

Who wants to eat barbecue in a fancy setting anyway? You could almost forget about the strip-mall location if it weren’t for the cheap drop ceiling that screams failed travel agency. Local ingredients are transformed into all manner of meaty goodness, including brisket, pulled pork and Creole chicken, along with authentic interpretations of such Southern specialties as hush puppies, candied carrots, cornbread and collard greens.

Drink
We love the bourbon tasting list with 10 varieties in two-ounce pours, including the fashionable Rebel Yell and Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select. Just don’t try them all in one sitting.

CHOW

3121 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-608-2469, chow-restaurant.com

“How’s your sablefish?” – “What?” – “HOW IS YOUR SABLEFISH!?” “February!” Okay, so the hard surfaces and excitable crowd make conversation a challenge. That hasn’t stopped the beautiful people from lining up to see what chef Jean-Christophe Poirier (formerly of Toqué! and Lumière) is up to. The kitchen is at its best when it keeps things simple. Note: Roasted baby beets with goat cheese, candied walnuts and orange purée – an inspired combination – counts as simple.

Dish
The grilled cheese on brioche with pear relish is listed as dessert but would make an equally delicious starter. Or have two and make it a meal.

FUEL

1944 4th Ave. W.,Vancouver, 604-288-7905, fuelrestaurant.ca

This stretch of West 4th in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood had more than its fair share of splashy openings this year. (Gastropod is right next door; it’s fun to have dinner in one restaurant and dessert in the next.) Robert Belcham, formerly of C Restaurant, offers chilled organic cucumber soup with a wee crouton balancing a caramelized onion jam that resembles caviar. Touching on several dessert trends is a rich chocolate financier with cinnamon mousse, peanut butter ice cream and nibs of cacao.

Music
The tortured Delta blues singer was an obscure choice for the dining room, but hopefully the kitchen liked it.

GASTROPOD

1938 4th Ave. W.,Vancouver, 604-730-5579, gastropod.ca

In the future, we will all have Gastropods to fix our meals and then clean up. Until then, there’s this Kitsilano restaurant cooking futuristic food in a minimalist setting. Chef Angus An’s training at Toqué! in Montreal and the Fat Duck in England shows in his cutting-edge menu. Asparagus salad features a classic sauce gribiche but is modernized with the addition of Parmesan foam. Likewise, the lamb loin “sausage” involves loin wrapped in forcemeat and cooked sous-vide, fusing the two elements together.

Drink
The wine list includes several rare B.C. producers and great champagne cocktails, like the dangerous honey, apple juice and whisky combo.