Vancouver’s well-documented and longstanding craze for comfort food has almost completely taken over the local restaurant scene in the last several years. Pulled pork, chicken and waffles, ice cream, and crackling – our greasy spoon fascination has permeated into pizzerias, trattorias, bistros, and “casual upscale” environments galore. Which is why going to a restaurant like Secret Location is so satisfying.
Let’s start with the room. There’s nothing like it in the city. One-half of an operation that also features a glossy retail boutique, it’s big and bright, with polished marble tables, deeply overstuffed sofas, and eclectic chandeliers. To an outsider, it screams of elegance, chic, and an almost sterile use of white. Then you walk in. It’s warm – in every sense. You realize that sitting in a beautiful room shouldn’t make you feel uncomfortable, but at ease, which it does.
The service is equally beautiful. There is more than one French accent milling about, but these aren’t the servers one fears on the Champs-Élysées. Easy conversation and smiles, extreme knowledge on both solid and liquid fronts, and a desire to please go a long way.
But, it’s the machinations of executive chef Jefferson Alvarez that make every visit worthwhile. Alvarez isn’t new to Vancouver’s dining scene, or to me. After several successful years at Divino on Commercial Drive, he helmed the now-closed Fraiche in the British Properties, before doing a brief stint at Lift in Coal Harbour, and finally ending up in Gastown.
I’m not usually a fan of molecular gastronomy, of foams and desiccated fruit, but Alvarez will make anyone a believer. The influences are all based on places Alvarez has lived and worked, and are as far-ranging as Brazil, Venezuela, and Spain. It’s also highly modernist and hints of places like El Bulli. The focus, however, is all on the flavour and texture, although visual beauty isn’t overlooked. Harmony in all things is emphasized, but delightful surprises have their place as well.
Simple dishes like an amuse-bouche of scallop crackers, lightly infused with a bit of tapioca for extra crunch and drizzled with a spicy garlic aioli, is brilliant. The paper-thin crackers explode with scallop in the mouth and waken the taste buds in preparation for the rest of the meal. Salmon ceviche is lightly cured and dressed with a cucumber-apple salad, dill salt and cucumber granita. It’s a dish that both stimulates and satiates.
The restaurant is also the only one in town to exclusively offer tasting menus on the dinner menu. À la carte options are available for lunch and brunch, but I’d highly recommend going for a three- or five-course discovery ($70/$95) and putting yourself into Alvarez’s capable hands. More adventurous eaters can go for the 10-course option ($150). You don’t realize what an excellent deal it is until it’s explained that cocktail and/or wine pairings for every course are included. And they’re not skimping on the pours.
For something really spectacular, check out the collaborative dinner on July 15 with chef Thiago Castanho of Brazil’s legendary Remanso do Bosque restaurant. The 16-course tasting menu with beverage pairings is $300 per person, and might just be the culinary experience of a lifetime.
If you’re looking for mac ‘n’ cheese, this isn’t the place (although the sirloin burger on the lunch menu, with housemade bacon and cheese, is a wonder). If you’re in the market for amazement and awe, on the other hand, step through the looking glass and enjoy the ride.
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★★★★★
Service: ★★★★1/2
Ambiance: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
★: Okay, nothing memorable.
★★: Good, shows promise.
★★★: Very good, occasionally excellent.
★★★★: Excellent, consistently above average.
★★★★★: Awe-inspiring, practically perfect in every way.
Open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
Secret Location | 1 Water St. | 604-685-0090 SecretLocation.ca
Anya Levykh has been writing about all things ingestible for more than 10 years. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday. FoodGirlFriday.com
