Forage Showcases the Best of British Columbia
Forage highlights the diverse agricultural output of Canada’s westernmost province.
How do you present a place through food? Countries have cuisines, some regions have styles of cooking, and some cities have a famous dish that represents them. These are cultural traditions built up over decades and passed down through generations. Roman pizza is different from Neapolitan pizza which is different from Sicilian pizza. These regions have been differentiated in their cuisine by technique, tradition, and time to create a dish uniquely their own.
But can a place be represented on the plate with its ingredients alone? That is the goal of the Best of BC menu at the restaurant Forage in Vancouver: to highlight the absolute best of what the province has to offer and allow the ingredients to speak for themselves.
The menu features a diverse array of produce. The first course sets the blueprint for the rest of the meal: tuna crudo garnished simply with turnips and a soy dressing, the accompaniments not overpowering the star of the dish, the fresh fish.
The rest of the ingredients on the menu are allowed to shine similarly as the meal progresses, the sunchoke velouté and pumpkin panna cotta dessert both highlighting the incredible variety of vegetables grown in B.C. The panna cotta is a particular favourite, a notable take on a classic with the use of kabocha squash and almond brittle.
The centrepiece of the menu is the bison striploin option, again allowed to be the star alongside puréed potatoes and broccolini that complement the meat rather than compete with it.
The menu from Forage takes inspiration from French cooking, Italian cooking and more, but the provenance and quality of the components mean the menu becomes, through its ingredients, distinctly British Columbian.
The Best of BC menu is available Monday through Thursday until December 20.
