The new year is kicking off with a bang thanks to an exciting restaurant opening from a first-time team of operators. Gastronomy, described as an "Italian-inspired" concept, will open officially on Jan. 11 at 62 E Cordova St in Gastown.
The brick-walled space was the longtime home of trailblazing Neapolitan-style pizzeria Nicli, which was gone from the address as of Jan. 2021. The space has sat vacant for some time; the Gastronomy team - owners Sahand Bigloo and Kiarash Tarikhi - have been at work on the project since the summer of 2022.
Bigloo, a local businessman, is the proprietor of the popular Kingpins Bowling venue in North Vancouver's busy Lonsdale neighbourhood. Business partner Tarikhi comes from a background in architecture, art, and design. They'll be taking on the respective roles of Operations Director and Creative Director.
The duo has assembled a terrific team for Gastronomy, including acclaimed Consulting Chef Alessandro Vianello (previously of Kitchen Table Restaurants and Wildebeest, among other high-profile ventures) and Bar Manager Stephen Sherry (previously of Greta Bar and Uva).
The 39-seat restaurant offers a menu comprised of modern dishes with a prominent Italian influence, including dishes like roasted bone marrow, a hamachi crudo, steak, pasta, and - when in a space that has a pizza oven - plenty of creative pizzas, including a few with some playful names (Pot Head, Ball So Hard, Fungilingus). Sous Chef Selim Louis Dehmane came from Hawksworth Group and headed up their Nightingale frozen pizza ops there, so he is well-suited to executing Gastronomy's menu of hand-made pizzas.
The restaurant also has a full bar and custom cocktail program, according to a media release.
"Our dishes aim to be innovative and thought-provoking. We pair our menu with fine wines, curated beers and craft cocktails," describe the restaurant's operators.
"Through a shared commitment [to] excellence, we are dedicated to the uncompromising quality of our food, service, people and atmosphere, while taking exceptional care of our guests and staff. We will continuously strive to build a fun-loving community for all, in and outside our restaurant doors," says the Gastronomy team.
Gastronomy will be open for dinner Wednesday to Monday from 5 to 11 p.m. Reservations can be made via Tock. Follow @gastronomygastown on Instagram for more info and updates. Take note, the restaurant is in a "soft opening" phase currently, so you may be able to dine at Gastronomy ahead of its Jan. 11 opening.
