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MediaStyle Premiere of Caroline & Dave: Realities of the Journey to Zen Kitchen

Wednesday evening, Ian Capstick (@iancapstick) of MediaStyle organized a premiere party to celebrate the first airing of a new television show, produced by Mountain Road Productions, on the W Network. Done in a reality television style, but with more narration, the show recounts the “adventures” of first time restaurateurs, newly minted chef (Caroline Ishii) and newly trained sommelier (David Loan), as they opened Zen Kitchen, Ottawa’s first fine dining vegan restaurant. The show is aptly named “The Restaurant Adventures of Caroline & Dave.”

Like event organizers at Ottawa’s National Arts Center, Ian invited both traditional and new media to the premiere party at the Zen Kitchen restaurant, it now 6 months old. He gathered not only the food editor of a local newspaper (the Ottawa Citizen), a reporter with camera crew from CBC Television, and Michael Bhardwaj of CBC Radio 1 Ottawa (host of In Town and Out), but he also invited local food bloggers. Some great ones attended: Jessica (@nooschi) of Nooschi, Rachelle of Rachelle Eats Food, and “J” of It Ain’t Meat, Babe. It was quite the pleasure to meet them, each of us already familiar with each others work.

Later that night, W would air back-to-back episodes, starting at 9:00 pm. We were treated to one of the two. As someone who had completely given up on network television, mostly because of reality shows, I never ordered cable or satellite when Jenn and I moved into our condo. The Restaurant Adventures of Caroline & Dave may change that. I instantly became a fan.

If I can’t find a legitimate way of watching the episodes, I may reacquaint myself with a cable subscription for the duration of the show. There are two reasons. First, the footage filmed documents the work that went into what I think is a great restaurant concept and a restaurant that has won acclaim in Ottawa for its food. More on that later. Secondly, the show is very genuine. I figure the producers and editors must have had quite the time cutting together the episodes. Chef Ishii and Sommelier David Loan have vibrant personalities that reflect significant life experience. She, a former communications and marketing professional with an MBA. He, a former political strategist. Both, a lovely couple on screen and off. At the premiere party, they immediately took a room of journalists and bloggers in their sway and held it, engaging us with natural comic timing. Suffice it to say, the event was a lot of fun.

Best of all Chef Ishii and Loan took the time to speak with each and everyone, including the winners of the Apartment 613 blog’s draw for invitations to the event. Towards the end, I watched Loan greet them warmly and even brought his wife’s line cook, Raphael Secours, into the effortless conversation as he wandered by. Within minutes they all sounded like old friends. I can only imagine what eating at Zen Kitchen would be like with Chef Ishii running the back of house and Loan, with his complement of friendly hostesses, in front. Alas, terribly guilt-ridden, I have never been. Though, after sampling their appetizers, I will after the restaurant re-opens January 19, 2009.

Before I start with the appetizers served, Ian ushered me into the restaurant kitchen shortly after I arrived, he seeing me without foodiePrints’ editor, but unpacking the camera Jenn normally carries. He remarked, as he introduced me to Chef Ishii, Zen Kitchen’s kitchen may be a professional one, but it is somewhat of a departure. Like the kitchen at Atelier, Ottawa’s avant-garde restaurant, it is not imbued with the characteristic smell of seared and roasted meats or high smoke point oil brought to intense heat. Unlike Atelier’s kitchen, Zen Kitchen’s is very spacious. Such was even more apparent with all the prep done and the chef and her cooks only finishing appetizers for service. Pictures from the back of house follow after the jump.

Service-wise, two very hard working hostesses masterfully navigated the crowded restaurant with trays of appetizers. Food-wise, here is what they served:

Edamame hummus on in-house made corn tortillas

Bruschetta on caramelized artesanal bread

Nori flavoured agar agar caviar on new potato

Cauliflower cream soup

Mushroom and caramelized onion dumpling with truffle oil

Pecan topped Brownie

Lemon Pie with Biscuit Crust

What is impressive about these appetizers and the dishes others described to me is the fact that there are no compromises. Everything tastes as it should. Flavours are not muted. They are intact. Textures vary. They are not uniformly mushy.

The hummus was nutty and coarsely ground. The bruschetta tasted of caramel and fresh sweetness with crunch. The cauliflower cream was rich, warm, and oh so smooth, topped with togarashi for heat. The dumpling, an absolute amazement of fungal savouriness with tinges of onion. The brownie, deeply chocolate, but slightly dry. I prefer my brownies slightly fudgy. The lemon pie filling tasted like it were custard-based, which is impossible. Its biscuit crust was buttery.

In short, Zen Kitchen’s dishes sate appetites and please palettes. They just happen to be vegan. From my conversations, I actually heard more praise for Zen Kitchen’s dishes from non-vegetarian and non-vegan event attendees, many encouraging me to try the seitan scallopine on the regular menu when next I visit. Apparently, it is another impossible dish.

Speaking of attendees, not realizing it at first, I happened to sit with Secours’ girlfriend and the designer of the restaurant, Heidi Helm of Urbanomic Interiors. Both vied for appetizers with the rest of the food bloggers, each of us practicing our quick-draw camera skills when new trays arrived. Eventually, we all got together and chatted about restaurant interiors, marveling at Zen Kitchen’s innovative uses of salmon reds, mustard yellows, stained wood finishes and accentuated black framed art. Everything made the restaurant warm and inviting.

Best of all, the restaurant’s design absorbed sound. Unlike another cavernous restaurant I recently visited, Zen Kitchen is hearing impaired friendly. There is no constant unintelligible drone of other conversations reflected back at you, forcing you to raise your voice to speak. That “other” restaurant, I am told, causes people with hearing aids physical pain, a design shortcoming Helm is aware of and knows how to prevent.

To Ian, thank-you for organizing a great evening of culinary fun and inviting us to join in on it! To Chef Ishii and Somellier Loan, I wish you good luck and success, even though I expect Zen Kitchen to have quite the waiting list for reservations as Caroline & Dave gathers fans.

For more information on Zen Kitchen and Caroline & Dave, visit the following resources.

• The Restaurant Adventures of Caroline & Dave from the Ottawa Citizen by Ron Eade
• Life in a TV fishbowl: Our Q & A on behind-the-scene trials at ZenKitchen (Interview) from the Ottawa Citizen by Ron Eade
• Zen Kitchen (Must Read Review) by Anne DesBrisay of the Ottawa Citizen
• Zen Kitchen, Ottawa (Review) by Nooschi
• Spotted – Zen Kitchen, Ottawa (Interview) by Nooschi
• The Restaurant Adventures of Caroline and Dave by Apartment 613
• Welcome to Zen Kitchen (Review) by Apartment 613

Of course, watch the show! Besides it being very entertaining, if you are an Ottawa resident, you will get a kick out of seeing your city on national television.

Particulars:
Zen Kitchen
634 Somerset Street W.
(613)233-6404

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