Two Chefs and a Table

Two Chefs and A Table (www.twochefsandatable.com), one of Vancouver’s newest restaurants, is very aptly named: the room is dominated by a large communal table in the middle, and on a recent visit, for most of the evening we saw only two people in the open kitchen. Here, the focus is squarely on the food, a welcome change from many restaurants in town seemingly more concerned with the latest trends in interior design and food techniques than in flavor.

It is located in an up-and-coming (i.e., questionable) neighborhood, and doesn’t stand out much from the outside. But inside is another story. It is a simple but inviting space with beautiful dark wood floors, wooden walls painted white, and simple chandeliers. We entered and were immediately greeted by a very friendly host, who as it turned out, was also the lone server. She gave us our choice of tables, and we selected the one in the corner at the window. We were warned about the possible ‘entertainment’ outside, but it turned out to be a quiet evening. Menus and waters arrived very quickly.

The menu is built around local seasonal ingredients, with the chefs concentrating on only a few dishes each day. The result of this is a rather minimal menu. There are only a few starters and mains to chose from, but everything is very reasonably priced, with the starters around $10 and the mains under $20. There is also a five-course chef’s table, which on the evening we were there was priced at $44. The wine list is similarly brief, as well as reasonably priced. They do have a few extra off-list wines available, including champagne, but that evening we ordered off the regular list.

Thinking about our early courses, we each started with a glass of white wine. I had a Pinot Gris from Lang and Chris ordered a Gewürztraminer from See Ya Later (both BC). The Gewurtz was redolent of tropical fruit, and lovely to drink, while the Pinto Gris was much cleaner, acidic and with a slight minerality. An amuse arrived shortly after the wine: gnocchi topped with their crème fraiche and house cured salmon. The gnocchi was a little large and not dense enough (I never thought I’d say that about gnocchi), to the point where they barely hung together. But the crème fraiche was refreshing, and the salmon was fabulous, with very intense salmon flavor.

The first course was a fresh salad of shaved asparagus and fresh goat cheese. Overall, it was a very successful dish, although Chris found the asparagus to be a little bitter, and I agree that it might have benefited from a quick blanching. The Pinot Gris was a great match for the salad, nicely cutting through the fat in the cheese and standing up to the asparagus, but as you might anticipate, the Gewurtz was less complementary. (Asparagus is notoriously tricky to pair.)

The next course was a vegetable risotto. The rice was cooked to a perfect toothsome texture. It was not Arborio rice. It might have been carnaroli (based on the look and the texture). It was a little drier and not as creamy as the risottos I am used to, but it had a nice overall flavor.

The third course was duck rillettes served with rounds of dry French bread (hard to describe, purposely dry, but not toasted), carmelized onions, and a tart berry compote. We both love rillettes (how can you not?), and thoroughly enjoyed these.

The red wine we were by now drinking, the Sand Hill Merlot, went well with the rillettes, although we selected it mostly for our mains. Chris ordered the duck breast and I had a tenderloin. My steak was cooked exactly as I ordered it. The vegetables on the side were crisp and the sauces served with both meats were excellent, aromatic and highly flavorful. Unfortunately, the duck was a little overcooked, not completely well done and dry, but overcooked nonetheless. It was also served in a beautiful but impractical dish that made it impossible to cut anything without the dish tipping. But we had no complaints about its flavor. (I must admit that I am guilty of culinary heresy. I like my duck cooked more than is the standard, but in most places am reluctant to ask for it cooked as I like it. If I had known the duck would be cooked as much as it was, I would have ordered that instead.)

Desert consisted of little French toasts made with French bread with lightly caramelized peach slices, jasmine plum ice cream and a little bit of the same berry compote served with the rillettes. I am not usually a French toast fan as I find it too eggy, but I liked theirs. I loved the ice cream; the flavors were so subtle and delicate. In fact, I liked every component of the dish, and that was the problem. It was a plate full of components served on top of each other. The flavors didn’t clash or conflict, but neither did they necessarily compliment. It was good but not great.

Overall the meal was a success. It’s clear that the dishes are not things that the chefs have been putting out day after day after day, and so have perfected. Instead, they are the inspired creations of the day. What they lack in polish however, they make up for in spirit. And the prices here are unbeatable, at least for now. We made reservations but didn’t need them. But I expect that may change soon. In the main, service was great, it was friendly and prompt, our water glasses were filled continuously, and we felt very welcomed. It was a little less efficient when a large table arrived near the end of our meal occupying the server (no check on the main course), but given the size and newness of the place, it made sense to only have a single server overseeing the room. My main complaint was actually a large bouquet of flowers in the windowsill near our table. It offered a nice touch of color to the place, but the perfume was overpowering to those sitting close to it, not a good thing when eating good food and drinking good wine.

There were a lots of hits and a few misses. In the end, we are very enthusiastic about Two Chefs and a Table. We will definitely go back. Note: they didn't have any vegetarian main options on the menu, but I suspect that the chefs would be more than happy to put something together just for you if that's what you wanted.

3 very happy thumbs!