26 » OpenRoad Driver
P L AT E S
Good Grub
5 BRITISH DISHES AND
WHERE TO EAT THEM
Words and photos by Mijune Pak
»
Some say British food
doesn’t garner many fans,
and the Brits have been
saddled with a reputation
for bad cooks and terrible
food. When the British
government introduced
rationing during the Second
World War, it stunted the
growth for culinary culture.
British cuisine was more or
less based on what you had.
It was simple, hearty and
comforting. Of course over
the years things evolved,
thanks to immigration,
globalization and, yes,
“celebrity chef ” culture.
Today Britain’s culinary
scene is well-respected and
international.
It’s rare to crave traditional “British food”
if you didn’t grow up with it. Its identity in
Vancouver has waned, and the heartiness
doesn’t particularly suit modern and
local tastes. British restaurants are often
synonymous with drinking holes and
mediocre pubs, so there might not be as
much knowledge either. If there are cheap
pints, who cares about the food, right?
Wrong.
The challenge is to find a British restaurant
or pub where the passion for food is equal
to the selection of carefully chosen beer.
Sure, it might be hard to make bangers
and mash, steak and kidney pie, and mushy
peas sexy without the help of Nigella
Lawson, but it’s not impossible.
Here is a list of restaurants in Vancouver
that do justice to classic British dishes.
Some of the recommendations are from
general restaurants, which happen to serve
some British specialties.
SCOTCH EGGS
P O U R H O U S E R E S TA U R A N T
This is probably my favourite on the list,
and there are actually a lot of good versions
in Vancouver. I love them here, though.
This Gastown gastropub isn’t British, but
the Pourhouse menu is chef-driven. Given
that the chef and part-owner is JC Poirier,
also the man behind Pizzeria Farina and
Ask for Luigi, it’s no surprise the food
delivers beyond the basic “pub-ish” menu.
The Scotch egg is a staple. The breading is
thin and crisp, the egg is medium-boiled
with a semi-runny yolk, and it’s wrapped
with juicy house-made sausage. It’s hot,
fresh, well-seasoned and served with spicy
mayonnaise. The dish is most commonly
served with HP sauce aka “brown sauce” in
the UK, but other common dipping sauces
are hot sauces, mustard and ketchup.
162 Water Street
Vancouver, BC, V6B 1B2
(604) 568-7022
pourhousevancouver.com