Newly opened vegetarian restaurant succeeds in sustainability but fails in taste.
By Alexis Lawton-Smith
Photos by Katie Huisman
It’s a Saturday night, and Vancouver is at its usual temperament: rain falls from the sky, traffic is congested, and partygoers meander the streets, giddy for upcoming debauchery. My sister and I are also at our usual temperament — hungry. Fortunately for our growling stomachs, we are heading down Main Street to a new vegetarian restaurant located on the outskirts of Chinatown: The Parker.
The Parker is almost at capacity when we enter, but luckily two bar seats are available. In hindsight, it would have been wise to call for a reservation. The concept of The Parker is vegetarian boutique, and “boutique” definitely describes the size of the establishment: the restaurant is a mere 500 square feet and only seats about 25 people.
The interior is minimalist, with only mirrors, concrete, recycled chairs, and plywood for the benches and bar. This intimate and conservative decor fit with the main theme of the restaurant: sustainability with no waste. Co-owner Steve Da Cruz is the bartender this evening and explains that the restaurant tries to recycle all packaging and compost all leftover food.
As we read the short menu by candlelight, the server explains that it changes daily depending on available ingredients. This showcases another motif of The Parker: the restaurant is committed to supporting locally produced goods whenever possible. The lack of excess is well hidden though. The surrounding mirrors give the illusion of a much wider space, and the unique menu gives the illusion of luxury and abundance.
All the dishes are prepared to share — similar to tapas — and come as they are ready. With difficulty, we finally decide on four dishes: cauliflower soup, chickpea fries with house-made ketchup, poached pear with Solefood (a local company) greens and the daikon.
The cauliflower soup and poached pear with greens arrive first. The cauliflower soup is served thick, almost like a puree, and is topped with goat cheese, blue cheese, thyme and apple. As our spoons dip into the steaming concoction, we embark on our first taste. “Interesting,” is the first comment, followed by: “I can only the taste the goat cheese.” While we both like goat cheese, it overpowers the soup, and any hint of cauliflower is smothered. The salad shares the same unfortunate fate. It is overwhelmed by the arugula, and the dressing is so subtle that it can hardly be tasted. Slightly disappointed, but not yet fazed, we wait for the next bit of nourishment.
The chickpea fries and daikon arrive a few minutes later. The fries are stacked like Jenga, and our hurried hands take a fry and dip it into the house-made ketchup. The texture is surprising, with a crispy outside and a very moist, crumbly inside. The ketchup is tangy with a hint of sweetness. I soon wish they sold bottles of it. Our final dish is the daikon.
The daikon is presented as a steaming bowl of broth filled with seaweed, bok choy, and shiitake mushrooms. Again, our reaction is much the same as the cauliflower soup: “I can only taste the shiitake mushrooms.” Regrettably, shiitake mushrooms are not a favourite at our table. The seaweed and bok choy are fished out, but the broth and mushrooms are left for the compost. We sigh, push it aside, and wish we had ordered the brussel sprouts. Although our childhood selves may have shrieked in horror, the brussel sprouts looked absolutely delicious as they were placed in front of the person next to us.
The Parker is commendable for its focus on sustainability, but it lacks the flavour needed to succeed as a great vegetarian restaurant. The mirrors and unique menu create, at this point, only illusions. The Parker didn’t leave us with a bad taste in our mouths; it left almost no taste at all.
