Executive chef Lee Humphries is making food so good that it may cause David Hawksworth of West to glance over his shoulder
Mia Stainsby
Sun
FigMint Restaurant is located in the Plaza 500 Hotel near Vancouver city hall at Cambie and 12th.
I love the food, the service is extremely genial and FigMint’s interior is sleek and minimalist modern. But the optics are jarring.
Many of the diners are like ABC Restaurant regulars who wandered into the wrong place. That’s because FigMint is not only the sexy young thing that sashayed onto the corner of Cambie and 12th, it’s also the restaurant where Plaza 500 Hotel guests take their meals.
But I have to say, the pert young staff, clad in black are totally cool with it, welcoming them as if they were their moms and dads and grandparents. It’s an attitude-free zone.
I found the banquettes, wrapped around a large square table required a bit of effort to get around but I did like the Paul Smith fabric seat covers. I’m not so sure, though, about the Frank Gehry light fixtures that looked like scrunched-up paper cabbages.
For Vancouver, this is an expensive restaurant. Entrees are $25 to $30 and starters are $8 to $16. But Lee Humphries, the 28-year-old executive chef, is making food that might cause David Hawksworth of West to glance over his shoulder. Behind the bar, Dan Hawkins makes innovative drinks, which come with little nibbles, some of which can be mixed into the drink. Even the water comes with a tray of cucumber slices, lemon and lime wedges. The wine list is short, but the choices are interesting.
Humphries, a self-taught chef, was sous chef at West when he moved here from London in 2000. He moved on to Elixir at the Opus Hotel, as chef de cuisine. At FigMint, he’s in charge of the lounge menu as well as breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner menus. I’ve only had dinner at FigMint and was impressed with the bold dishes with generally clean flavours. He gets it right by putting emphasis on the hunt for good ingredients, including — for his breakfast dishes — biodynamic eggs, “so beautiful, so yellow,” he says. Once he gets his ingredients, he knows how to manipulate them into seductive submission.
The menu is to the point, listing “Salmon,” “Halibut,” “Tuna,” and so on, accompanied by brief descriptions. When you get to “Lamb,” do stop and consider ordering it; you will learn the meaning of buttery tender meat. Patience is one of his virtues and allows the cooked meat to rest in a beurre monte before sending it out. That particular dish came with pomme fondant, fennel confit, tomato jam and thyme jus.
Sometimes, he’s overly eager, piling on too many elements but I still found exquisite tastes and textures on the plate. The halibut, for instance, came with a sweet bread and asparagus ravioli, sauteed spinach, chanterelles and licorice red wine jus. The licorice took it over the top.
A gruyere souffle with roasted pears, arugula and walnut emulsion was a great starter as was the chilled avocado panna cotta with grilled tiger prawns, smoked steelhead roe, celery leaves salad and gazpacho dressing.
His pomme frites are lethal. Perfectly golden and crispy on the outside, you will, and should, eat the works.
A pea tortellini came with seared scallops and a sauce vierge (virgin) of tomato and watercress. The pasta had perfect puncture consistency. When I sank my teeth into it, it popped open with its inner offering.
wasn’t overly fond of the beef tartare presentation; it was stuffed inside a cannoli-shaped potato crisp. I like beef tartare loose and unencumbered; and the trout was overwhelmed by an overly thick blanket of pistachio crust.
Desserts are innovative. A baked Alaska held peaches inside — a lovely light finish.
A 72-hour poached orange peel with bittersweet chocolate mousse, I think, would have been better without the orange peel, but the mousse was delicious.
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FIGMINT
Over-all: 4
Food: 4
Ambience: 3 1/2
Service: 4
Price $$S
500 West 12th Ave., 604-875-3312. Open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Brunch on Saturday and Sunday. www.figmintrestaurant.com.
Restaurant visits are conducted anonymously and interviews are done by phone. Restaurants are rated out of five stars.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006