Walking through the kitchen goods section of a department store recently I admired some Chef Bobby Flay non-stick pots and pans.
They had a good weight to them and came in a variety of sizes, some with lids. Chef Gordon Ramsay’s dinnerware set, in pale blue, boasted oversized plates that would be a nice showcase for a meticulously crafted fillet of something or other. Famously moody English chef Marco-Pierre White, who brought Michelin stars to the once drab U.K. restaurant scene, endorses Knorr bouillon products now, and affable bloke Jamie Oliver, champion of better school meals and advocate for consistently pukka tukka, is, well, it might actually be easier to list what he doesn’t endorse. Motor oil, maybe?
I have to admire these culinary marketing juggernauts. It would be one thing if all they did was flog products, but the fact is each of them operates a veritable empire of highly respected, top-rated restaurants that continue to draw crowds and help define their respective dining scenes.
Canada’s celebrity chef landscape, while admittedly smaller than that of our neighbours to the south, is still lined with top notch talent.
Perhaps Vancouver’s most recognized culinary icon is chef, restaurateur and front-of-house host of the highest calibre, Vikram Vij, whose eponymous Vij’s eatery was once named the best Indian restaurant in the world by a New York Times columnist. Vij, like some of his international counterparts, has found multiple channels to promote his brand. His Railway Express food truck is attended by significant queues at lunch time every day, his fast and tasty BC Place stadium food stall is a welcome alternative to hot dogs and hyper-salty popcorn, and his line of frozen, ready-made, packaged curries has found patronage in dozens of retail chains across the country. All this while a new Vij’s mothership opened its doors on Cambie Street in Vancouver just last year. Locally, Vij’s curry is on offer for sit-in or hot takeout via the curry bar at Loblaw’s City Market on Lonsdale Avenue at 17th Street in North Vancouver.
The curry bar is part of a broader City Market offering that marks a new trend I have observed in casual food: the grocery store ready-made food bar. You’ll find this phenomenon in a number of stores around town now and from what I’ve sampled here and there, it’s by and large a pretty good development. Formerly, you might have encountered some pre-packaged sandwiches, salads, maybe some sushi that you could take home and tuck into, but fully prepared meal takeout was not a common offering; at best, during a Sunday shop, you might get to sample a nibble of something being promoted in the store.
On a recent Sunday morning visit to the Park Royal Village location of Whole Foods, I was impressed by the brunch lineup on offer. Chafing dishes were filled with treats like Crème Brulée French Toast, Green Eggs and Ham (scrambled egg squares with spinach and cubes of ham), mountains of bacon, roasted tomatoes, and fresh fruit. Their lunch offerings range from the requisite roster of panini to more interesting fare that includes pasta, roasts and roasted vegetables, thoughtful salads and seasonal seafood. The one caveat I’d issue is that paying for these goods by weight can add up fast. My Sunday selection of bacon, hash brown potatoes and roasted tomatoes to supplement eggs I intended to make at home was just under $20.
The Marine Drive and Hanes Avenue location of Save On Foods underwent some dramatic renovations in 2015 to accommodate their own hot food department and sitting area, which seems to specialize in barbecue and traditional sides. A carvery is host to slabs of barbecue ribs, a variety of chicken preparations, steamed vegetables, potato wedges, sauces and gravies and a dedicated chicken wing station.
Fresh Street Market in West Vancouver also offers ready to eat fare, with a variety of hot meals from rotisserie chicken to pizza.
I am not convinced, however, that any of the grocers that currently offer this type of fare have quite cracked the compelling ambience code yet. There is something peculiar to me still about sitting within the confines of the store and watching people shop as I eat, with easy listening favourites piped in via satellite overhead. Still, the fare on offer is consistently decent and is generally a cost-effective solution for your quick takeout needs.
These locations all remind me a bit of macro-scale versions of the famous Manhattan delis that have for decades supplied time-pressed urbanites with good food to take home, no prep required. It remains to be seen if the grocery-led takeout revolution will impact traditional restaurant to-go orders. Grocers have a unique advantage in their ability to predict and tightly manage their costs based on mass wholesale purchasing. As long as those efficiencies are translated into cost savings for the consumer, I imagine these in-store meal offerings will continue to gain momentum.
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. He can be reached via email at [email protected].
