5 New Restaurants Now Open Across the West

Australian meat pies, hawaij-spiced fries, casual vegetarian fare and more from the hottest new restaurants in Western Canada.

Vancouver

The Arbor, 3941 Main St.Vancouver’s vegetarian love affair continues on unabated with the opening of this Main Street room by the team (Shira Blustein and Scott Lewis) that made the Acorn the city-reigning lineup champ. Joining them is Paul McCloskey of Farmer’s Apprentice and chef Robert Clarke, who plans on creating a relaxed menu with house-made baking and plenty of (healthy) take-out options. thearborrestaurant.caPeaked Pies, 975 Denman St.Whistlerites have long known the glory of an Aussie steak, bacon and cheese pie, peaked (i.e. piled with mushy peas, potatoes and gravy), as the perfect après-ski treat. Now Vancouverites are getting in on the hearty, low-cost fare with his new West End spot. A perfect place to dream about Whitehaven Beach. peakedpies.com

Victoria

Yalla, 1101 Blanshard St.This downtown spot offers a fresh take on Middle Eastern food stalls. Husband-and-wife owners Joel Pollock and Pam Smith keep things simple with a short menu of falafel, shawarma, hummus, a pair of salads and fries—oh, there’s fries—made from Kennebec potatoes and spiced with hawaij, a spice mix found in Yemeni cuisine. Indeed, it’s the thoughtful attention to spices, dressings and accoutrements where Yalla really shines. letsgoyalla.ca 

Calgary

Chef Duncan LyForeign Concept, 1011 St. SWLong-time Hotel Arts executive chef Duncan Ly (a WL Foodie of the Year back in 2008) is opening this pan-Asian mash-up spot in the very well-designed room (by WL Designers of the Year finalist Alykhan Velji) just a few blocks from his former stomping grounds. Expect genre-bending dishes like soya-braised beef and scallion steamed buns as well as an eight-seat charcuterie bar. foreignconcept.caMabou, 1006 17th Ave.So Janice Beaton may have closed Farm, her restaurant and cheese shop, but she wasn’t about to leave her legion of devotees hanging. Not only is her new restaurant, Mabou, in the same stomping grounds, she has also kept a few Farm faves, like the amazing mac and cheese, to complement new offerings like Empire Provisions sausages (at just $10). janicebeaton.com/mabou

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