New Eats: Supermarine

Ever felt like Kitsilano was suspiciously short on great seafood spots? You know, for a beach ‘hood and all?

Enter Supermarine, a new 35-seat restaurant by Josh Pape and James Iranzad (Wildebeest, Bufala) with an unpretentious, inventive menu and a palpable respect for its ingredients. The room’s casual—all copper piping and weatherbeaten wood—and the menu belies a chilled-out approach to great food, i.e., the "Vegetable Tony Danza" ("I think the chef called it a ‘Tony Danza extravaganza’ once?" our waitress explained. "I think it sort of looks like Tony Danza’s full head of hair?"). No matter; the important part is this is an awesome charred zucchini steak served on cheese grits and piled with a gorgeous farmers’ market tumble of heirloom carrots, pea shoots, caramelized garlic, oblong pink radishes braised in cider and more. If you are, or love, a vegetarian, you must order it. Of course, seafood reigns supreme. We were very happy with our salt ‘n’ peppery fried skate wing with mushroom marmalade, fat Viking Bay mussels in light tomato broth, and charred octopus salad served with some very tasty crispy potatoes. In fact, we want to go back for tempura snow crab with crab salad on the side (hello). Dessert was light-hearted and original: a yuzu curd with caramelized barley grains (malty/sweet) and shaved celery.

Unique, fun and delicious, it’s the Kits seafood joint we’ve been waiting for. —Adrienne Matei

Supermarine, 1685 Yew St., Vancouver, 604-739-4677, www.supermarine.ca