Vancouver — Segar Kulasegarampillai doesn't slide easily off the tongue.
This mouthful of a name will, however, be pleasantly familiar to the loyal legion of Toronto diners who once flocked to the hugely popular (and recently closed) Mildred Pierce restaurant, where Mr. Kulasegarampillai was executive chef.
Luckily for us, the Sri Lankan émigré has escaped to Vancouver. And after a yearlong stint as sous chef at the Hart House Restaurant in Burnaby, B.C., he quietly opened his own restaurant in the affluent, yet culinarily deprived neighbourhood of Kerrisdale.
Suvai, a casual fusion bistro with confident French footing, celebrates its first anniversary at the end of next month. How it managed to fly under the radar for this long is a mystery that deserves prompt rectification.
The chef appears to be very much at home on the West Coast. He embraces fresh, regional ingredients but adds his own fragrant Asian touches.
And unlike many hybrid-challenged cooks, who too often mistake fusion for confusion, he hasn't lost sight of the classic French techniques he honed at Mildred Pierce, where he worked his way up from the dish pit after studying at the Stratford Chefs School. He has also done stages at Morgan Jacobson's trendy Quince restaurant in New York and Michael Stadtlander's world-renowned Eigensinn Farm in Ontario.
Leek and mushroom soup ($7) is a silky smooth purée with a hint of white truffle oil that enhances the cremini-porcini blend without clobbering its earthy flavour.
Succulent short ribs ($19) are braised overnight with star anise and ginger. The sweetly scented meat, which falls off the bone with a gentle poke, is served with a creamy scallion risotto, crisp baby carrots and brightly blanched, butter-poached asparagus.
The chef says he loves cooking with fish and does the local catch great justice. Dungeness crab cakes ($11) are bound with fat pieces of prawn and seasoned with a light dash of smoked paprika. The plump panko-crusted patties are golden on the outside, warm and moist in the middle. I can't tell you just how refreshing it is to discover this ubiquitous, but frequently mangled dish prepared properly.
Wild spring salmon ($19) is sourced fresh, not frozen. Mr. Kulasegarampillai grills it lightly so that the firm flesh falls apart in thick, pale-pink flakes. He serves it with sticky black Thai rice and a coconut broth, richly built with ginger, lemon grass and shrimp shells.
Suvai is located on West 41st Avenue, site of the former Bagel Street Café. The 30-seat room is small, but smart, with dark olive walls set against bright white trim, wrought iron on the windows and pretty glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
The acoustics can be a bit too cozy - unless you're an incorrigible gossip who wants to know all about your fellow diner's recent mishaps with untamed dogs and terrified children. Or don't mind hearing the backstage chatter in the kitchen, which is separated from the dining room by an ill-fitting wooden hutch.
"Hey, the woman at table one says she knows you from Toronto," our waiter was overheard announcing amid the clatter of pots and pans.
Service was friendly - until the informality devolved into rudeness near the end of the night.
"The women in Vancouver are getting just as bad as the women in Toronto," said waiter sneered from the bar, while preparing our bill.
I really don't need to know about your sorry dating life, thank you very much.
The wine list needs attention. There are only a few choices by the glass, all from Mission Hill Winery.
And dessert doesn't appear to be the chef's greatest strength. There were only two choices available - rosewater crème brûlée and a chocolate-drizzled crêpe, both $7.50.
The latter, actually a spongy pancake, was burnt on one side, raw on the other and stuffed with undercooked caramelized apples crying out for more sugar. The dessert was considerately taken off the bill, without request, after we sent it back half-eaten.
Mr. Kulasegarampillai has deliberated avoided publicity for the past year as he eased into his new city, and let the restaurant build slowly while juggling the birth of his first child.
But perhaps it's time to stand up to the scrutiny of attention. The chef's skills are solid, his palate inspired, his location sound. With a few nips and tucks, Suvai could fast become a favourite neighbourhood haunt and attractive destination.
Suvai Restaurant:
2279 W. 41st Ave.; 604-261-4900
***
Side dish
WEST COAST BEST
Vancouver's Kingyo Izakaya and Salt Tasting Room took second and third place, respectively, in enRoute magazine's list of 10 best new restaurants in Canada.
"Surprisingly eclectic" is how contributing editor Chris Johns described this year's winners.
Atlantica, in Newfoundland's
Portugal Cove, earned the top award.
Kingyo (with its "rollicking party" vibe and "revelatory" pork cheeks) and Salt Tasting Room (a kitchenless restaurant decorated like a "prison cafeteria") beat out local heavyweight contenders Fuel and Gastropod, which were given a special mention in the list of the next 20 restaurants, along with Chow Restaurant, The Shore Club, So.cial at Le Magasin and Taco Shack.
Eclectic, indeed.
THREE CHEERS FOR NU
Nu, enRoute's best new restaurant of 2006, has invested in comfy new seating. The old chairs - narrow cubes with
proper-posture-inducing low backs - were widely criticized. The new chairs are apparently more conducive to sitting back and relaxing.
JOE FORTES BUTTS OUT
Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House is smoking this month - yet cigarette-free. The rooftop garden patio, a favourite year-round meeting place for nicotine addicts, is closed for renovations until spring. In the meantime,
the restaurant hosts its fifth
annual Slurp and Swirl wine
and oyster celebration. Tickets are $150, with proceeds benefiting the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters Association Burn Fund. And from Nov. 5 to 9, the dining room rolls the calendar back to 1985 with a three-course lunch specially priced at $19.85.
Alexandra Gill
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