Gone are the days of Refuel’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken and bone marrow. Before I even went around to write about Refuel, the space has been taken over by Fable Kitchen for almost a year (since March 2011). I better not procrastinate any longer. Before Chef Trevor Bird from Top Chef Canada goes anywhere. Fable Kitchen is located on West 4th in Kitsilano. The menu is concise but has a lot of varieties.
Not much has changed in terms of the decor, fancy red bricks, wood tables and a fabulous chalkboard wall in the back. The service here is top notch and the food is impeccable with lots of great textures and flavors I came here many months ago for a girl’s night out, while I longed to seat at the bar to soak in all the kitchen action and see secrets maneuvering skills Bird pulls out, we grabbed a table near the front.
House Bread: Tarragon and orange butter with rosemary, olive oil and butter focaccia. The bread is salted lightly on top and holds a melt in your mouth yet does not crumple as you spread the butter. The smell is amazging: pigmented with rosemary herbs and a humble citrus flare. But what took this baby home was the butter. If you like garlic butter… it can not compare. This was a good start.
Our waitress was such a dear and explained everything to us, never rushed us, and made sure to give us plenty of great recommendation.
Canned Tuna “The Best Canned Tuna” 12: Albacore Tuna, fingerling potatoes marinated with lemon and sage, served with sea salt on the side and crostinis. The sous-vide fish is tender and moist. The olive oil made it slightly on the oily side, but it is no doubt sinful. Sea salt cuts thru the fattiness nicely while the potatoes packed in all the flavours in a small mason jar .
Chickpea Fritter 9: Pickled red onion, shoots, curry mayo and pea shoots. This battered breading was filled with curry reduction in a light density. I liked how it wasn’t overly crunchy and the curry mayo was powerful enough to standout without stealing the show. Tartness of pickled onions was needed to lighten the heaviness of the dish and added great sharp textures.
Veal Breast Raviolli (daily special) 23: A bounty of game meat that wasn’t gamy. This was no doubt a bold dish with bold flavours. Unfortunately the veal was slightly tough which Bird explained later it was perhaps the cut he chose. Raviolli was beautiful with juices and meat all stuffed inside.
Spaghetti and Meat Ball 11: Duck meat ball served over tagliatelle. The flavorful meatball was impressive. Juice and the sauce oozed out as we slit it apart. The tomatoe and duck au jus reduction was perfect for the al dente pasta.
To continue our epic meal, we moved onto desserts.
Daily Sweet Bites 10: Mini Pavlovas filled with rhubarb and blueberries. What’s not to love about this elegant dessert with a fluffy meringue? nothing. It’s amazing. The pavlovas were crisp and airy. Blueberry Macarons had a crispy eggshell exterior. I liked the fact it was not tremendously sweet. The love-hate dual Curtis Luk and Trevor Bird nailed it. Sable Cookies were buttery soft but forgettable.
Bread Pudding (daily special): Vanilla cream and rhubarb sorbet. A simple way to transform stale bread into a timeless classic comfort food. Drizzled with blueberry sauce (as you can tell blueberries and rhubarb was the season’s finest!). Slightly toasted golden brown bread adds for an extra special touch while the bottom layer is moist and sweet. The sorbet was refreshing and broke away from traditional flavours!
Yay! We were all star stricken! We love you Bird!
1944 West 4th Avenue Vancouver, BC V6J 1M7
(604) 732-1322
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