Elite Secret Supper @ Kitsilano Daily Kitchen

Simply amazeballs.
This event was truly unique. What a great idea! I loved the focus on local, sustainable ingredients. And I loved the whole secret surprise, for both us and the chef.
All the teams did a great job sourcing their local ingredients. Big props to Vincci for actually picking the blueberries herself. I love it. There was so much food! I couldn’t believe we were actually getting an entire meal. Everyone else has already described the dishes, so I will refrain from repeating them. But yeah, oysters, um yes please.
The wine pairings really topped things off. Thanks to Peter for being my wine garburator, as I had to drive so only got to sip my wine. Each new glass made me want to cry since I wanted to drink it all. Drunken bike tour of the Naramata bench, anyone? I need more awesome wines.
A really interesting aspect of the night was the opportunity to check out the kitchen as the chef prepared our dishes and chatted about his restaurant and attitude toward food. I really appreciated the time he took to talk to us and his responsible outlook on food sourcing and preparation is spot on with my own opinions. I can’t wait to come back and experience Kits Daily on a regular evening.
This whole event was so incredible that I couldn’t even tell my man-​friend about all that he had missed out on. It would crush him!
Thanks to Kits Daily, Chef Fowke, the providers of wine and booze, and of course, Robin M, our new fearless leader!

Amazing. So good. The oysters, salmon, everything. Wow. So fresh. I don’t have much to say. The wine pairings were great. I loved sitting down and eating. It was so much fun. Cheers to Robin for a classy affair.
Vancouver Unilocal community manager Robin McMillan made sure I was at their super secret Elite dinner party in Kits last weekend.
This Elite event was unlike any other. Instead of standing up to mingle, eat, and drink, we were seated in a relatively fancy pants dining party. We didn’t start eating until 11pm or so, but when it got rolling, it was sure an insanely good meal. At Daily Kitchen, Chef Brian Fowke whipped a delicious six course dinner from ingredients Unilocal-​ers collected themselves earlier in the day.
Each course was paired with a special wine for maximum satisfaction. Sufficed to say, there was a lot of wine, drinking a glass to keep up with each course. Robin’s focus was on a fresh, local experience with only the best ingredients done in a hyper rushed but scrumptious fashion.
The Miyagi and Golden Mantle oysters were insanely good. I don’t even like oysters and I thought they were splendid. The freshly served and lightly seared salmon was so tasty and flavourful.
The Daily Kitchen’s thing is no set menu, and new, fresh dishes everyday sans a refrigerator in the kitchen. The Salt Spring Island goat’s cheese and mushroom risotto were also fine. The meal was rounded out by the Big Creek Valley beef inside round with mash potatoes and fresh B.C. blueberries for dessert.
The entire menu was devine as Robin and Chef Fowke outdid themselves organizing and cooking the delightfully edible meal. It was fun and I like the random changes of pace in dining and socializing especially from the last Mexican adventure. I can’t wait for what’s next in store.

Best elite event ever! Local ingredients inspiring a masterful chef, beautifully paired wines, and a bit of mystery. What more do you need? Oh, a roomful of gorgeous Unilocalers, all dressed up? Okay!
The oysters were amazing, especially the raw oysters with the vinaigrette. I’m not a huge oyster fan, but now I feel like I need to experiment and try some more. And there were just so many! Dru and I piled our plates high with shells, and more kept coming.
The salmon was perfectly cooked, caramelizing the skin, and the accompanying cauliflower purée was a treat. Shout out to Kat who found the freshest salmon ever — no wonder it won the best ingredient contest!
I love goat cheese, and the Saltspring Island goat cheese on a bed of 18 bean ragout was no exception. If I could live off that cheese, I would.
The mushrooms and almost risotto have inspired me to make some more risotto dishes this year, now that Fall is finally coming around. Who knew it could taste that good without cheese? Must be the truffle oil.
I love me a good steak, and the Pemberton beef was perfectly cooked by Chef Fowke and his team. I managed to steal one of the few doggie bags at the end of the night and took some home to my manfriend, who agreed.
I didn’t try the crumble at dessert for fear of wheat, but those blueberries were amazing. Thanks, Vincci! And thanks to the chef for making all the other courses gluten-​free!
I’m still in awe of this meal. Such a fun night.

OMG this event made me go WHAT?! Too bad it wasn’t much of an ARG. It could have been though and it would have been an EPIC pre-​event thing! :D
Anyways, the event was AMAZING! I had so much fun with my awesome Unilocalers! I can say that is was the very first event that is organized like this ever for Unilocal!We had so much fun at the Daily Kitchen, that everyone was happy at the end, and maybe tired, but it was worth it!
The night was filled with a 6 course meal, and a wine paring for each course. I loved it as it was almost bottomless and that I was enjoying too much of it. I had so much wine at the end of the night me and Kari was singing to Lady GaGa in my car to end off such an AMAZING night!
My favourite dish for the night was really the Oysters, and the Salmon. Best dishes ever. The salmon was made perfectly so I can enjoy the rawness taste of the salty fish and the tender, flaky meat at the bottom.
The spread of wines through out the night really made me hit the floor when I got home. The taste of the wines with the food just made it the best. It help cleaned the palette and it helped give the dishes more of the spark and help digest at the end! I loved it.
Another amazing event thrown off by our epic Community Manager, Robin. I loved it so much that I can never forget this dinner, EVER.
5 stars! As usual! Memories were made! :D

Belated review for this AWESOME event!
Solid 5 stars for Robin’s great idea… I’ve always wanted to go to a secret supper type of event and this was fabulous. This was a great change from the usual events — I liked the chance to sit down and relax and have a leisurely dinner focused on local ingredients found by our own Unilocalers!
The restaurant did a great job of hosting and setting up wine pairings. Comfy seating and nice atmosphere. We could clearly hear the chef’s passion for food and daily menu changes… LOL, I’ve never seen anyone get so excited about fresh salmon and berries!
I had a great time and hope we have more events like this to come!

SHUT. UP! That was pretty much what went through my mind with each course brought out at this fabulous Unilocal Elite event! I couldn’t believe my luck, my first Unilocal event and epic amounts of deliciousness coming my way on a neatly scheduled basis. Bliss!
Chef Fowkes did an absolutely incredible job, and when he talked about the food, the passion for what he did was so apparent. This is a man who obviously loves what he does (and he does it soooo well).
The first course was fresh oyesters and at first bite I knew I was going to be in for a delicious evenings. The cold oysters were so smooth, they tasted rich and delish with that wonderful ocean-​fresh smell and taste. The warm oysters were amazing as well… the fresh tomato on top really popped.
The second course was, I kid you not, the best and freshest salmon I have ever had in my little life. The sauce was velvety smooth, but not overpowering and the crispness of the skin was absolutely pitch perfect. I could have eaten them in a bag like potato chips — amazing.
The third course, the goat cheese — drooool. I LOVE goat cheese and this was just incredible. Warm, gooey, rich, smooth — everything I love about it was there and more.
The fourth course, the mushrooms was actually one of my favourites. I love mushrooms for their ability to really soak up a flavour, and these ones were so astoundingly rich and savoury — absolutely fantastic.
The beef was great as well… I confess I’m not much of a beef-eater…I can’t remember the last time I had a steak — but it was flavourful and super juicy!
And the dessert… ahhh. As someone at our table observed it «taste[ed] like Christmas!» And it really did — it was fresh, with that little hint of nutmeg and cinnamon — and the blueberries were plump, biiig and juicy.
This was one of the best meals I have had in a long time, and the ingredients were so fresh and so delicious — how lucky are we to live in a place of such natural foodie abundance right?
Chef Fowkes… my hat is off to you Sir. You did a fantastic job and you can bet that I will be back as soon as I have digested a little. May be a little while! ;)
What a wonderful idea and what a fantastic execution. Robin M has truly outdone herself — as I said, this was my first Unilocal elite event and now I can’t wait to attend more events like this one :)

This was (I’m sorry, Unilocal,I’m sorry!) the first Elite event I’d actually made it to. Believe you me, I will never miss one again, if this one indicates how fun and awesome they are! I met some great people (thanks, kids table, for being the best table in the house!) and drank some seriously delicious wine — including the Burrowing Owl Merlot, which I just about bought from the winery this summer. Yum. Nice to taste it again. Other wine aficianados, I recommend sitting with Maha E. in future if you have a chance, because you’ll get twice as much wine. Woohoo!
I think the concept of this restaurant is absolutely spectacular. The daily fresh changing menu is fantastic — I’d love to do something like this, personally, and I know that it requires a great amount of skill and creativity to pull it off. It’s no wonder this place gets such good reviews. In a city with a food culture as immature as Vancouver’s, KDK is certainly a gem.
Now, of course, my experience was different than most people’s. Because I am a vegan, my food options are often very limited. It can be difficult to go out for dinner with non-​vegans, because often it seems like I hamper everyone’s experience with my need for food that most chefs are not as experienced making. However, I did not find that this was the case at KDK.
I attended the restaurant with 40 other Unilocalers, most of whom eat everything under the sun. Yet, even with tables upon tables of omnivore food pouring out of the kitchen, Chef Fowkes found a way to make creative, delicious, fresh vegan options. A full six-​course meal of them. Some courses were more impressive than others — the basil couscous with cherry tomatoes and the mushroom risotto come to mind — while some were a bit of a letdown — for example, the dessert, for which everyone else got blueberry crumble and we were allowed to eat those blueberries on the edge of the plate that hadn’t been soaked in butter sauce.
Still — I was definitely impressed by the options we got. Busting out 40 servings at a time in a restaurant kitchen is no small feat, especially when you’re basically making the menu up within a couple hours before serving it. I understand this completely and will certainly go back to KDK, this time giving the chef a bit more notice. It takes a truly skilled food artist to understand that animal products are not the only tasty things in the food pyramid — that vegetables, fruits, and grains have deep, distinctive flavours that can stand on their own.

What to say about possibly one of the coolest Unilocal events ever? Na na, na na na. you weren’t there! Oh, I should be mature because this was a proper, grown-​up classy event. I’ve been to secret suppers before and they are always an occasion for bonding, eating amazing food and feeling like you are experiencing a rare treat. You can imagine my thrill at getting to do this with the Unilocal community and our cool new CM, Robin.
For the select group of Unilocal Elites that made it to this event, it was a very special and memorable experience. The staff of Kits Daily Kitchen and their very awesome and innovative Chef Fowke treated us like royalty for a 6 course, locally sourced meal. I arrived to find all my favourite Unilocalers sitting down around huge tables excitedly chatting and drinking blackberry (?) cocktails. My favourite course was definitely the oysters, I’ve had them before and always found them a bit meh, but these were incredible. Massive applause for Chef Fowke. He wowed with oysters, dazzled with the ‘best salmon I’ve ever tasted’, stole my heart with the goat’s cheese and 18 bean ragu and finished on a high with blueberry crumble. Not to forget the incredible accompaniments of the wine paired with each meal. I don’t think I have ever experienced such beautiful wines and so well presented by the staff.
What a gracious and generous staff at Kits Daily Kitchen! They treated us so well and genuinely seemed to be having a great time showing off their fabulous restaurant. Chef Fowke very kindly let all the Unilocalers into his kitchen to gaze at him expertly preparing food. He also tweeted during the event. Major props! Thanks to the restaurant for this wonderful dinner and I hope to be back soon to check out your full menu. I promise to stay in my seat and out of the kitchen next time ;-)
Special thanks to Robin for organising this event, what a rockstar!

If I could describe this event in one word it would be «incredible». Some of the best food I have EVER eaten in my life. Chef Fowke is truly a Master of his craft. I would even liken him to some sort of food conjuring God.
Robin did an amazing job of putting together this event and I will not hesitate to say it is the BEST Elite event I’ve been to yet. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay until the end and missed out on two of the courses, but what I did experience was pure food heaven.
The thing that was different about this event was the feeling of community. It brought us Unilocalers together to do more than just scarf down food and get drunk on free booze: It felt like a sit down dinner with a bunch of close friends and family who could all enjoy and experience the delicious food together, as well as enjoying each others company. I think Derek W. said it best in his review when he said «The entire experience has made Unilocal more alive for me.»

Amazement and awe, and a spectacular epic event put on by Unilocal,and the passion and flare of Robin who was able to plan a first for our community! The build up and anticipation for this one was one of the things that kept our taste buds salivating on what this whole ‘Secret Supper’ event that no ‘rating’ system can really truly measure. Many previous events were measured by the mass amounts of people, and drinks that were ‘downed’ during the night, but this was a true experience.
From the start of just getting your own ‘Elite’ arse to this event was hard, as this was a very ‘close and intimate’ affair of the very few who were lucky to get themselves into Kitsilano Daily Kitchen. A Saturday evening 10PM start time sit down dinner? What is this I see, really, when did Unilocal go ‘non-​prior-​work-​night’ style? I had to rub my eyes when this was even announced, and the fact of when the list of lucky folks were named, published and put into teams to get ingredients for this thing was just a trip. To have a feel of what we would be gorging our mouths with from just reading the team-​types kept the suspense on the high end of excitement.
Derek W. and Robin are getting the nod here, as I was part of their team, as we were part of ‘Team Lamb’, and even though we had to change it to Team BEEF, it all worked out in the end. Thank you guys, for arranging this, and a shout out to everyone who put their mind, effort, money, time, etc, etc to make this event so memorable is beyond my ‘black and white’ type for this review.
Six course dinner, with wine pairings on each dish, and an intro by Chef Fowke on the freshness of each dish, and the wine that went along with each. He was even so kind to let us Unilocal’ers go into the kitchen and you can hear the love and passion he has for his creations that he takes so much pride in, and rightfully so. His staff were also great in serving us, cleaning off plates, bringing food and drinks, it was a sight to behold, and going through till 2 AM, with the smiles they put on to share in our joy.
Due to this being a nice sit down event, I was able to chat it up with some good old Unilocal crew, and amazingly enough a new Unilocal person. Different settings bring out different styles out of each of us, and Derek W. gave some good speeches at our table, and to bring along Sarah O. (how we at the table grilled her on how lucky she was, and someone saying it taste like Christmas was one of the lines this night). I got some new restaurant choices out of Larry sitting beside me, and having Kassim and Mark join our table through the night is always great laughs.
Another thanks goes to Robin for allowing my ‘designated driver’ to step in near the end to see what Unilocal was about, and haul my wine tipsy self out.
Kisilano Daily Kitchen — you will be visited again, and thank you for everything on this night.
I’m still thinking of all those plates of wonderful food that I saw sitting in front of me, and the fact that I polished off over 10 oysters from the start… Well done, everyone!

Wow, when you call this a secret supper, you aren’t kidding — it took me forever to find the review page for this, and I’ve been itching to write my review since I sauntered back into my apartment at 2:30am on Saturday night!
In one word, this event was spectacular. In a bunch more words, I’ve never in my life had such an amazing dinner (six courses complete with wine pairings) for a mere $ 15. And especially not at 10pm.
Sneaky Robin planned a fantastic event that kept everyone in the dark (even the elites had no idea what they were signing up for) until the day before! I’m so glad I gave this a go because that was the most EPIC party I’ve ever been to. It was sophisticated and regal, and though I felt totally under-​dressed in my tank top and jeans, I knew there was no place I’d rather be.
What was so awesome about this event you ask? Well for one: six courses. No seriously. Six amazing sit down courses where no one had to elbow anyone else to get a nibble of food, where no one had to holler at the person next to them over loud music, and where no one had to stay standing after drinking all that wine (until it was time to go home). How wonderful it was to sit there and have someone bring a MOUND of oysters to our table! Oh, best part of the night? the second plate of oysters that came to our table. «Did you want another plate of oysters?» Um, yes please!
Chef Fowkes did a great job with introducing each new dish, and my eyes literally teared up every time he talked because you could tell he was crazy passionate about the dinner. He even let Unilocalers come check out his kitchen while the team prepared food! He raved about the salmon (Team Cheese was definitely a bit jealous…), which was hands down the winning dish of the night (I’ve never had such delicious salmon eveeeeeeeeeeeer).
Overall, I was so happy with this event. It was absolutely perfect, from the amazing food, to the delicious wine, to meeting new people at my table, to Johnson flipping the Unilocal mint tins around like they were poker chips, to Steph slowly nodding off at 1:00am. Thank you thank you thank you Robin, for this amazing event. I can’t wait to see what great things come from that genius brain of yours!
So what are you people waiting for? Start Unilocaling so you can get in on these elite parties. You guys are missing out!

Was it just a dream? One of those completely unexpected awesome, vivid dreams that you’ll likely only ever experience once in a Unilocal lifetime?
Robin’s concept for this event has never been done in the history of Unilocal events. Let me repeat that. Never. Asking hard working Unilocal’ers to pay and bring raw ingredients to a restaurant? Who is this woman?
Honestly, I was a wee bit skeptical of the secret, mysterious detour to the infamous free-​for-​all Unilocal Elite Event template. What transpired after we sat down in Chef Fowkes’ humble restaurant was magical, among all of its synonyms.
I’ll preface the food comments with well deserved respect for Chef Fowkes. You haven’t met a true chef until you meet this man. Chef doesn’t have a freezer. Everything is fresh, local, and ‘real’ (what should be said instead of organic). As Chef best put it, this Unilocal dinner was «What I do on a daily basis, but on steroids». His passion, knowledge and respect for each ingredient (which he shops and creates a new menu daily for), was clear in his introductions to each dish and of course what ended up in your mouth.
6 Course Review (definitely need a 6^th star for this review):
Oysters (2 ways) — I eat everything, but oysters are the only thing I do not like. Slimy, metallic tasting, gross texture. But Chef made me a believer. Roasted with tomatoes and spinach, these were delicious.
Salmon — Brought in by Kat S, hours fresh of some magical fishing boat (guts intact), this was the star of the night and the best damn samon I’ve ever, ever had. Like all the dishes, Chef kept it simple and let the amazing salmon shine alone. People were near speechless from this course. Some contemplated crying in joy. Yes. It was THAT good.
Goat Cheese — Love the stuff. Pity those who dislike it. Served with an 18 bean ragoul that could make me a short-​term vegetarian.
Mushrooms with Risotto — These were magic mushrooms without a bad trip. Definite 2^nd star of the night. Medley of flavours that would make any palate do the happy dance.
Beef steak (sub for Lamb) — Grass-​fed (the way cows should be fed). Well rested, great earthy flavours.
Blueberries w/​rhubarb crumble — Generated my favourite quote of the night from new Unilocaler Sara O. «It tastes like Christmas!» Again, simple yet unbelievably exquisite.
Each course was masterly paired with a BC wine. Service was calm, well-​prepared, and damn good. When I never have to ask for more water, you know they’re on the ball.
The whole evening felt like being at someone’s house, with a private chef and servers. An intimate dining experience, it was wonderful to enjoy it among the truly great people of Unilocal.
Kitsilano Daily Kitchen deserves a return visit. Make that several visits.
Robin, you have created a new bar of excellence for events. If it takes some my own coin to create an even higher bar, so be it. Innovators take risks, and what a payoff it made. Thank you times a million.

I like dinners… and I like parties… but I despise ‘dinner parties’. But this was different.
Hmm — an Elite Event that we have to pay for? What is this tomfoolery? Do they know *who* they are dealing with? With the mystery and work involved — I was a bit wary to say the least. ‘Mystery event’ translates to ‘trap’ in my head. What was wrong with the massive events with free-​flowing booze? How dare Robin challenge the time honoured tradition of Unilocal freeloaders merrymaking and drinking in excess — that brigand.
But with how exclusive these events are nowadays — I really couldn’t turn it down. And by Odin’s raven, this event was good. Damned good. Even for an uncultured alcoholic barbarian like me.
Huge thanks to Theresa W. for picking up the contribution from Team Cheese. All 6 courses (with wine pairing) were fantastic — but the salmon course stole the show — thanks to amazing ingredients and excellent preparation. It was impressive to sample Chef Fowkes’ work — free-​styling with everyone’s contributions and keep everything simple and delicious. We were fed and fed damned well. Service was awesome as well.
Kitsilano Daily Kitchen is definitely worth a second visit and it’s little wonder it’s currently the top-​rated restaurant on Unilocal Vancouver. Noticed they have a pretty impressive craft brew selection as well — I’m pretty impressed. The ‘local’ angle works and not just cheesy gimmick.
Completely unique event in Unilocaldom — Saturday night. Event running into 2AM. And actual food you don’t have to wrestle for. All accompanied with good Unilocal peoples. Dangerous gambit, Robin — but this paid off into a great event.

A whole day later and I am still reminiscing about each and every single dish from this truly wonderful Secret Supper. Can I please go back in time just so I can experience it once more?
Local sustainable ingredients combined with the skills of Chef Fowke resulted in one of the most memorable dinners I’ve ever had. Using simple cooking techniques, the flavours of the food were even more heightened.
Albeit the late start time for this secret dinner, the anticipation of what was to come was almost overwhelming. The wonderful staff started us off with a variation of the Pegu Club Cocktail, with the addition of Schramm’s vodka, cranberry juice, and fresh blueberries. It was such a nice summer drink, and a great way to start off the night.
After an introductory speech from Chef Fowke and Robin M, the festivities officially started. They brought out the first wine pairing, a Quail’s Gate Chenin Blanc. As I watched the first course being brought out on large plates, my eyes widened and glimmered with happiness.
There were 2 types of oysters being served: a Miyagi oyster-​roasted with heirloom tomato and spinach, and a Golden Mantle oyster-​served raw and chilled with Banyul’s vinaigrette. And yes, they were both fresh and flavourful, and I probably had too many of these… but they were just that good.
Next, the freshest sockeye salmon that was caught the day of the event. Lightly seared on the bottom, served on a bed of white truffle and cauliflower purée, and a Napa cabbage slaw. I’ll need to admit that this is one of the best salmon I’ve ever tasted.
Salt Spring Island Goat’s Cheese was the next dish. With a Dijon glaze and served over asparagus and an 18 bean ragout. Melted Goat Cheese goodness! The bean and bacon ragout complemented the cheese perfectly.
A risotto dish with Vancouver Island mushrooms was next, with the risotto made with canaroli rice instead of Arborio rice. Such perfectly made risotto, with the mushroom flavour infused into every grain.
Instead of lamb for the next course, it was a beef dish. Done medium, the Big Creek Valley inside round with served over mashed potatoes and hashed vegetables. A Cab Franc from Hestor Creek was paired.
And then for the finale, blueberries! I was on Team Blueberry along with Arinn W, and we both got the freshest blueberries possible. These were served over a rhubarb crumble with red berry compote. Paired with a Sumac Ridge Pipe dessert wine, it was the perfect way to end off all the goodness throughout the night.
Of course, it was wonderful to see all the Unilocalers again, and this intimate sit down setting made it different than the other Unilocal Elite events. A nice relaxed atmosphere, combined with incredible food and wine pairings, I really cannot ask for more. I’m pretty sure I had a huge smile plastered to my face that night.
A big thank you to Chef Fowke and the staff for providing such welcoming service and allowing us to stay until 2am! Lastly, a round of applause goes to Robin M, who kept such a great secret from us, and the end result was absolutely spectacular.

Are you serious? Did that really just happen?
You can read the other reviews for the particulars, but all I’ll say is: Six courses of bliss.
The entire experience has made Unilocal more alive for me. The space which Unilocal elite parties takes up in my head has moved from «lots of good food and liquor with cool people» to «an exploration of what it means to be a Vancouverite… with cool people.»
Well done, Robin.

Okay, I’m not going to lie. This was my first elite event, and having not met anyone beforehand (except the lovely Robin, of course) I was a little nervous. Some of the thoughts that were going through my head included: will this be awkward? Are these «elites» weird internet people? Am I going to find out that everyone on this site is actually fresh out of high-​school, and, at 29, I’ll be the weird OLD person? Do they all know each other already, and I’ll have to sit silently, faking a smile when people glance in my direction? Will my night be doomed to small talk about the weather (the HORROR!)?
Now that I’ve outed myself as a paranoid maniac, I can say wholeheartedly that my fears were unfounded. Everyone I met was intelligent, welcoming and, well, cool. Sitting at the small table near the back with Kari C., Maha E., Arinn W. and Malloreigh M. (hereafter known as the «kids table») it really was like sitting with an amazing Unilocal family. There were conversations about ghosts, ninjas, vegan cooking and drunk bicycling –such fun!
Now, for the real reason we all were here: the food. I’ve got to say that I was absolutely blown away. Chef Fowkes and his team really hit the ball out of the park. Six beautiful courses (Oh –those mushrooms! The oysters! That salmon!), six wines and one cocktail masterfully created on the spot without the foreknowledge of what ingredients would show up at his back door. Take an amazing chef, give him a handful of fresh (and I mean FRESH), local ingredients and let him play! It was great to be able to have the Chef Fowkes talk about each course as it was presented to us; you could tell that he was sincerely having a good time. This opportunity comes up so rarely, and I am truly grateful that I got to be a part of it. I’ll definitely be bragging at work on Monday.
Now, I fully intend to give a proper, detailed review of Kitsilano Daily Kitchen so that I may be able to do my part to encourage new patrons to pay the restaurant a visit. For now, let me finish with this: Robin, this event was unforgettable; thank you for letting me be a part of it. This event reaffirmed my belief that we are so lucky to live in a beautiful part of the world where we have nature’s bounty to enjoy at our fingertips.

my elite Unilocal buddy gave me a ring at 9:30pm as someone had cancelled last minute. i then proceeded to drive furiously from my earlier dinner as i’ve been eagerly wanting to try kits daily.
As as newb to the world of Unilocal,i had no idea what to expect but man, was i in for a treat.
the embarrassment of not already being in the Unilocal community was eased by the time i was on to my 4^th glass of wine.
as chef fowke brought out each dish, my reaction may have mimicked a scene from oprah’s favourite things… (yes, it did taste like christmas in my mouth) but this place deserves some over the top excitement.
the food was divine, but i’ll let you read reviews by all those other elite Unilocalers. what i loved is how much this place shines «Vancouver». think west coast seaside meets urban farmer’s market meets 5 star restaurant.
i only hope this place will be the forefront trendsetter in what dining out really means.
with a tin of Unilocal mints in hand, the event has propelled me into the wonderful world of Unilocal.thanks Unilocal community for a wonderful evening :)
stay tuned.
s

So many amazing people and food. I could not have asked for a better intro. to the Elite family. The bar is set high…
Thank you Robin for planning and executing this dinner, the concept is amazing, the food is amazing, and the most of all, the people are amazing. Triple kudos for you Robin. I wish there are more stars I can give to the event and the establishment. Chef Fowke was amazing in creating dishes that really accentuate the freshness of each ingredient. Food and wine in abundance and in good atmosphere, what else can you ask for!

So many absolutes and superlatives come to mind when trying to describe this event and this night and this dinner. It was certainly the latest Elite event we’ve ever had — and Chef Fowkes and staff at were total troupers, spoiling us with 6 fresh fresh fresh courses until nearly 2 am in the morning.
It was a beautiful setting for what I think was a reunion of sorts — a Unilocal Family Dinner. I’m proud to have been a part of Team «fresh out of the mighty Fraser River today!» Sockeye Salmon! (Good work on rustling that up, Kat!) Everyone, in teams, brought ingredients to the meal, and then we all sat back in the beautiful setting, waiting to see what the kitchen would do with them. And what the paired wine would be.
Cue the bragging about how spoiled we were: Mountains of fresh oysters for a starter, paired with chenin blanc. The salmon with market-​fresh veggies and figs. Saltspring goat’s cheese, all melty with asparagus and 18-​bean (!) sauce roasted in pork sauce, with a pinot noir that I actually liked … this was a first. Mushroom risotto with merlot. Pemberton beef and garlic mashed potatoes with cabernet franc, which reminded me most of my own family dinners. And finally, a rhubarb crisp with blueberries procured by the resourceful Vincci practically in her own Richmond backyard.
It was a special night that I feel fortunate to have been a part of, and I don’t think we will soon see its like again. Thank you thank you thank you to the extraordinary Robin M. for pulling it all off, and Kitsilano Daily Kitchen for welcoming us all in and sharing such passion for great local food.

6 courses should equal to 6 stars out of 6 but Unilocal only takes it to 5 stars.
Not trying to brag too much about how great this event was, but it was.
Sharing time with fellow Unilocaler Elite friends and hosted by our great community leader Robin M. Way to Go Rockin Robin!
This event at the Kitsilano Daily Kitchen was the perfect venue. The pairings of wine to their respective dishes and even the accompaniments, the side kicks on the plate that usually get left uneaten or unappreciated got rave reviews. Take the Salmon for example. The Salmon was the main feature on the plate. Tender, very fresh and cooked Medium rare. If you love fish and it’s fresh, it can be done this way. And that way was, perfection, right down to the crispy skin.
So the side kick for this dish was… Vegetables and figs. Terrific!
It was just as good and maybe even better than the salmon (should I dare say that?)
Yeah. it was damn good.
Hell yeah!
Unilocalers Elites were twittering away. Thumbs in action on their smart phones busily taking pictures when a dish dropped on the table.
Laughter and great conversations!
I’ve never ever seen someone so excited a veteran Unilocaler, who’s going for the gold.
She was ecstatic about the food and the whole enchantment of Chefs creations and speeches and the wine pairings. «OMG This is Amazing!!!» hands flailing in the air to describe just how happy she was. The biggest smile that I’ve ever seen. And yes, like the group at our table it was decided by Sarah O that «It tastes like Christmas». (our desert)
It was Christmas and we got to open the best gift of all.
Friendship, Food, Conversation and laughter.
Thanks Unilocal and Robin and Peter and all the group leaders.
This event sets the bar really high and it came through with aplomb.
(can I say that? aplomb?)
partially written by i-​phone
Typo’s FOC
psssst… I was asked on occasion what my favourite restaurant was.
well… my favourite restaurant is… Kitsilano Daily Kitchen.
The way it should be.
And I’m soo full on all that wonderfull cheese I ate and the mushrooms. I loved the mushrooms…
and the beef. Moooooooo cow. and the oysters. I had about 8 of them. Looking forward to more rave reviews!