Vancouver_Magazine_May_2017

42 VANMAG.COM MAY 2017

ABOVE, LEFT: LUIS VALDIZON; ABOVE, RIGHT: KNAUF AND BROWN

Past the faded Chinatown facade

and up a narrow set of stairs, there’s

a vision so romantic, so complete,

it could be a fi lm set: a 1960s jazu

kissa (Japanese jazz café) dripping

with romance and whisky. The

judges were unanimous in their love for gold winner Kissa

Tanto. This 80-seat Japanese-Italian restaurant, designed

by Ste. Marie Art and Design, is atmospheric perfection: a

glossy domed ceiling pearls with light; pink vinyl banquettes

invite tête-à-têtes; and modernist tilework is inspired by the

cover of a Haruki Murakami novel. A beautifully considered

14-seat bar dominates half the room, reminding diners this

is a boozy destination, and perfect decorations (a Noguchi

paper lamp, vintage tchotchkes) add heart. Silver goes to

another Ste. Marie project, Savio Volpe, for its thoughtful

rendition of “Italian farmhouse modern.” Pleated oak wall

treatments and quarry tile suggest modesty, but nobody’s

fooled: this room is a s tailored and sophisticated a s it is r ustic.

Best New Design

Kissa Tanto

Producer

of the

Ye a r

North Arm Farm

Pemberton, B.C.

northarmfarm.com

Ask even dedicated

Vancouver diners to

name a local vegetable,

and dollars to doughnuts

you’ll get either silence

or something from

Pemberton’s North Arm

Farm. Founded in 1995 by

Trish and Jordan Sturdy

(the lat ter now an ML A),

Nor th A rm, w ith its 60 acres, wa sn’t the fi rst to take

advantage of the fertile ground north of Whistler, but

it was the fi rst to trumpet the location and to throw

open its doors so average urban diners on a day trip

could really understand where their food was coming

from (and maybe pick a few berries or pumpkins while

they’re there). These days, the entire Pemberton

Va lley ha s become sor t of a mountain Provence, w ith

distillers and winemakers and lots of farmers drawing

crowds to the experience—all of which started with the

St urdy clan and the amazing dir t of Nor th A rm Farm.

Savio Volpe

615 Kingsway

saviovolpe.com

HONOUR ABLE MENTIONS

Nightingale, Juniper

2

RESTAURANT AWARDS