Frequent changes on the menu, as well as transformed ‘off’ cuts
Mia Stainsby
Sun
Corner Suite Bistro Deluxe owners Andre McGillvray (front) and Steve Da Cruz (back), with chef Jason Liezert (left), survivors of renovation hell. Photograph by: Bill Keay, PNG, Vancouver Sun
Corner Suite Bistro Deluxe’s game hen dish is one of the ever-changing daily two-course 24/7 specials priced at $24.07. Photograph by: Bill Keay, PNG, Vancouver Sun
AT A GLANCE
Corner suite bistro deluxe
850 Thurlow St.,604-569-3415
Overall: 3
Food: ****
Ambience: *** 1/2
Service: *** 1/2
Price: $$
www.thecornersuite.com
Open daily for lunch and dinner; brunch on Sundays.
Many have learned the definition of insanity the hard way by opening a restaurant. The owners of Corner Suite Bistro Deluxe came close.
Renovation hell delayed the opening of Corner Suite Bistro Deluxe by eight months. Then three days before opening last month, sliding in for the Olympics, the chef, Anthony Sedlak, left — a serious buzz kill considering his allure as a Food Network star.
“It was a bit of a scramble with the Olympics starting,” says Andre McGillvray, who co-owns the restaurant with Steve Da Cruz. “We had some serious reinventing to do.”
They didn’t have their kitchen until the day before opening, but Jason Liezert (who formerly ran Niche in Victoria) jumped into the deep end when promoted to take over the kitchen. He has worked in two Michelin-starred restaurants (a one and a two) in London and at Tofino’s Wickaninnish Inn under Rod Butters; a month at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in the Napa Valley showed him how the top-flight chef runs his French bistro.
A French bistro absorbs the texture of its neighbourhood and one block off Robson on Thurlow, Corner Bistro gets mixed traffic. However, an intense McGillvray is in front of house, caring, only like an owner can.
Over at the bar, Da Cruz is mixing up a storm. It seems he’s created the longest cocktail list in North America and on it are the classics, contemporary recipes and ones from “guest” bartenders. Upon sampling one I have to say it was nicely balanced and elegant.
Guests are taking to the extra long cheese list ($5 a pop). It’s longer than usual for a restaurant (notwithstanding Le Petit Chavignol which is fuelled by cheese).
Bistro dishes shouldn’t be show-offs except when the food hits the mouth with a seduction of quality ingredients and technical knowhow. It has to be succulent and bold but not brash; apart from a couple of dishes I tried over two visits, Corner Suite food is like that.
Arctic char (with chorizo, potato, clams) cooked medium rare revealed the best it could be. The country terrine with onion marmalade was another winner. Cassoulet (with duck) with poached egg and foie gras would have won me had there been more. (Someone sitting next to our table kept scraping the bottom of their dish, desperate for more.)
The “24/7” is a daily two-course special for $24.07. One evening, it was a salad with bacon, cheese and buttermilk dressing; the second course was a half guinea hen with hazelnut whiskey sauce. The leg was stuffed with cranberry bread pudding; on the side, a silky olive oil pomme puree. All delicious.
Steak and fries with blue cheese butter presented a professional dilemma. The steak was nicely cooked, simply. The fries were an awful lot like McDonald’s fries — in other words, um, I liked them. Upon inquiring, I found they were McCain’s. But Liezert will be making the fries fresh very soon. As much as I liked the no-grease, perky McDonald’s-like fries, I think that would be a good move.
I had my first crispy pig’s ear with sweetbreads, onion soubise, shallot and parsley sauce. I’m sorry it wasn’t objectionable, but I don’t think I’ll ever comfortably eat ears or lips without fearing an Animal Farm revenge.
A seafood chowder and flour-less chocolate torte were the weak spots for me.
The chowder needed clarity and the torte was too much like fudge.
Liezert says he’ll be changing the menu frequently and tweaking it weekly. “I want to transform ‘off’ cuts into delicious dishes. I just brought in a pig’s head so I’m making head cheese,” he said.
Animal Farm, I thought.
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