Travel Canadian

In the wake of the buy-Canadian movement, we asked five top chefs about their Canadian travel habits, favourite restaurants in favoured cities, and where they’d like to visit next. Here’s where they like to go in search of inspiration, adventure – and an unforgettable meal.

Danny Beaulieu

C100B: Why Vancouver?
DB: Mostly for the food. I’m from Quebec, a province full of great food, but there’s a stronger Asian influence in Vancouver that I love. My wife is from Japan and we visit there almost every year. When I go back to Vancouver, I feel like I’m able to get the same great seafood and flavour profile that I haven’t found anywhere else in Canada.

What’s your favourite place to go for dinner there?
St. Lawrence. There’s nothing pretentious about the restaurant — it’s small, casual, yet refined. Super-good food that’s creative and inspiring.

What about lunch?
The Vietnamese restaurant Anh and Chi is amazing. I took my six-year-old son last time and the sparkle in his eyes as he was experiencing the big flavours was great. My hidden-gem spot is Phnom Penh in Chinatown.

And food stores?
Konbiniya, a Japanese grocer, to stock up on all of the goodies we can’t get in Canmore —including the best green tea.

Do you have a nightcap spot?
Last time, I got a seat at the Botanist in Fairmont Pacific Rim. I had a few creative cocktails there and enjoyed some peaceful people-watching.

Does Canadian travel influence your menu?
Yes. Every time I travel in Canada and experience something new, I feel like I store the new flavours, and then, much later, when I’m home, working in the kitchen, something will trigger the flavour memory and inspire me to play with it.

Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson

C100B: Why Winnipeg?
GSB: It feels like there’s always a festival on. In winter it’s RAW:almond. It draws an incredible community with such interesting chefs and ideas. It’s the highlight of the year for me as far as cooking goes.

Where do you like to go for dinner?
Deer + Almond — it’s the best restaurant in that city by far. I also love Petit Socco, by Adam Donnelly. Very good cooking.

Canada has a bit of everything, and one of the best things about our food scene is how proud our community is. Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson

What about lunch?
Clementine. You could call it a brunch spot, but it’s really an all-day place.

And food shopping?
The Forks, where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet, is brilliant. It’s a big, licensed marketplace with tons of great vendors and shops, like the Ellement wine shop, which has cool natural wines; Tall Grass bakery, which has awesome pastries; and Wienerpeg for very fun and serious hot dogs.

Where do you go first, once you’ve checked in?
There’s a great little pub called Yellow Dog Tavern, for a crisp lager, and then I almost always have to go to Times Change(d), the honky-tonk bar with great live music. The Fort Garry Hotel has a great lobby bar. Nola and Bar Accanto, the wine bar next door, are both wonderful and both helmed by talented chef Emily Butcher. Next time, I’m going to check out Baby Baby.

How does Canadian travel and the Canadian culinary identity influence your menu?
Living in the Pacific Northwest makes it easy to cook hyper-regionally and seasonally. Not much beats local sockeye salmon arriving fresh from the fisherman. I always have pickerel and wild rice from Manitoba on the menu, maple syrup from Quebec and Alberta lamb. Canada has a bit of everything, and one of the best things about our food scene is how proud our community is.

Juan Lopez Luna

C100B: What do you like most about the Laurentians?
JLL: The landscape is so beautiful and there’s still a big sense of community. Visiting the area is amazing in every season, but I actually prefer it in winter.

Where’s your first stop after you’ve dropped your things off at the chalet?
Ayawan, in Val-Morin, for a beer. I’ll get a cloudy IPA and we’ll sit by the edge of the river in the summer or our two token bar seats in the winter.

And for dinner?
We love Pizzeria Lupi in Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard.

And food shopping?
We buy a lot of our goods from the Val-David Summer Market, and it’s close to 1001 Pots, an outdoor ceramic market featuring Quebec artisans, and the Jardin Clefs des Champs. There’s an amazing view from the top.

I find the culture of dining in Canada exceptional. Everyone is very proud to eat locally. Juan Lopez Luna

What Canadian destination have you always wanted to visit?
I’m obsessed with watching videos of chefs using all that fresh seafood in Newfoundland. There’s something a bit more rustic, a little bit more earthy, about the East Coast’s style of cooking. I’ve been thrilled watching Portage, Mallard Cottage and Fogo Island Inn over social media, and they’re at the top of my list.

Does Canadian travel influence your current menu?
I find the culture of dining in Canada exceptional. Everyone is very proud to eat locally. We always try to have Canadian produce or local producers on the menu. It pushes us to be creative because we can’t access a lot of Mexican ingredients. We recently used Canadian rutabaga in our aguachile, and it turned out to be a super-creamy wonderful dish.

Celeste Mah

C100B: Where do you go for dinner in Vancouver?
CM: Maenam for really good Thai food. It’s a tasting menu served family-style, which is perfect if you go with a group.

What about lunch?
Dachi. They have a great wine selection and a little bottle shop.

And how about dinner in Montreal?
We had an amazing meal at a new restaurant called Molenne. The room is beautiful, the food was delicious, and the wine selection was very good. The salad was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. When a restaurant nails a salad, you know they’re doing something right!

And For lunch?
Mano Cornuto. It’s always super-busy but worth any wait.

What’s your first stop after you’ve settled in?
There is a spot right by my family’s home in East Vancouver, called Fuku, that serves some of the best ramen I’ve ever had. In Montreal, the Alt Hotel is right by Bête à Pain, so we’ll head there for a coffee and a pastry, or Monopole for a drink or some wine and snacks.

Do you have a favourite nightcap spot?
We like Vinvinvin and Bar Henrietta — good spots for wine and snacks. Lively and a lot of fun.

What Canadian destination have you always wanted to visit?
When we moved to St. John’s from Vancouver, we drove across the country, took our time and stopped in every province but P.E.I. — so that’s where I would like to go next.

Does Canadian travel influence your current menu?
Anytime we go anywhere and meet new people and see things, we’re instantly inspired. It’s hard not to find something for the menu.

Malcolm Campbell

100B: What’s your favourite place to go for dinner on a night off?
MC: Bar Kismet and Ostrich Club are both super-reliable. Last week, I went to Highwayman and had some delicious Brussels sprouts, amongst other great dishes. They came out last and stole the show.

And for lunch?
I eat at ToriDori a lot — they have everything. I love their slap noodles, ramen and pho. It’s all made from scratch; they make their own egg rolls, too.

What’s your ideal way to start the day?
I have a soft spot for cute French cafés, so I love Café Lunette. It’s probably the best breakfast I’ve had in all of Halifax. And I get dirty chai there as a treat a few times a week. Café Lara also has great coffee.

And for food shopping?
There’s a place called Pete’s Frootique & Fine Foods that has a great European section, particularly goods from England, and you can get a lot of interesting meats there, even ostrich. In the summer, we spend tons of time at the Seaport Farmers’ Market.

Do you have a nightcap spot?
I don’t drink, but Dear Friend Bar in Dartmouth is a great place with award-winning bartenders. The last time I went there after dinner, my wife and I had non-alcoholic drinks that were absolutely amazing.

What Canadian destination have you always wanted to visit?
Newfoundland and Labrador. It has Icelandic vibes. As I’m a photography hobbyist, it’d be a perfect place to walk through and take pictures. The second one is P.E.I., to check out the Inn at Bay Fortune, Michael Smith’s place.

— Lindsey King