Earlier this evening, Fable Kitchen had its grand opening in Kitsilano. The recently-opened space was filled to capacity with local media as samples from Chef Trevor Bird’s menu came out of the kitchen passed around on trays throughout the evening.
[Chickpea fritters, picked red onion, shoots, curry mayo]
A violinist performed in one brick-walled corner while organic red and white Vermador wine from Spain was poured in another.
[Potato crusted chicken with ratatouille]
For those not familiar with the Kitsilano address, it’s the former home of Chef Robert Belcham’s Fuel (and later Refuel). Fable specializes in farm to table food sourced from local suppliers. The story about how Fable was named goes back to Top Chef Canada’s now-legendary ‘Restaurant Wars’ episode. Bird simply fused farm and table to name his new restaurant.
Fable is also derived from telling a tale that brings animals to life, giving them human traits in order to interpret a moral to the story. This forms the true basis of Fable: There’s a story behind where your food comes from.
Montreal native Chef Trevor Bird is also a Top Chef Canada finalist. This coming Monday, the world will know the outcome of his fate on the show as he faces off to competing chefs Jonathon Korecki and Carl Heinrich. Vij’s fans will be pleased to know that Vikram Vij will be one of the guest judges in this final episode. Prior to Fable, Bird was the chef de partie at Vancouver’s Shangri-La Hotel.
[Slow cooked Arctic Char, gnocchi, kale, leeks, spinach purée]
As far as the bites I sampled, my favourite was the slow-cooked Arctic Char, served with gnocchi, kale, leeks, and a spinach purée underneath. The only dessert that I sampled was the bread pudding with a dollop of mascarpone. It too was delicious, warm and sweet.
[Bread pudding with mascarpone]
I’ve heard that the Lemon Pot de Crème is already creating waves here, so I’ll be back to try it.
Fable Kitchen is located at 1944 West 4th Avenue in Vancouver.
Fable Kitchen’s website is currently being developed. For now, the restaurant can be reached by phoning 604.732.1322.
Quick note: Chef Trevor Bird will be one of Vancouver Foodster’s featured speakers at the upcoming Food Talks Volume 1 event on Tuesday, June 5.
