ciao! reviews
VG RESTAURANT
Neighbourhood . . . . Downtown
Address . . . . . 2 Lombard Place
Phone . . . . . . . . 204-957-1350
Entrées . . . . . . . . . . . $25-$40
For those who explored Winnipeg’s
dining scene before the era of cheffy
fast casual and tapas style menus, The
Velvet Glove holds cherished memo-
ries of lofty dining and recollections of
fl aming crepes Suzettes served table-
side. Today, the elegant room is still
wrapped in the original warm wood
paneling, tables are dressed in white
linen, and the service remains impec-
cable. Yet there is nothing stogy about
the décor or the cuisine. With a new
chef and new brand status as the VG
Restaurant, clearly this spot has sights
on winning over a fresh segment of
diners while continuing to delight
with quality and inspiration on their
dinner plates.
The restaurant’s haute reputation
is balanced by trendy promotions like
Backdoor Burgers and Taco Tuesdays
(served for take-away from the back
door of the restaurant) which draw
downtown offi ce workers and insta-
gramming hipsters.
Inside, lunch options are also in
step with fashionable diets and fl a-
vour profi les sweeping the continent.
Vietnamese pho with a vegan twist
substitutes traditional beef broth
with a vegetable and ginger stock that
harn esses the power of eight different
mushrooms. The steaming concoc-
tion is studded with tofu, edamame
beans and silky rice noodles, and gar-
nished with a mop of pea shoots.
These green garden wonders are a
locavore’s dream, harvested from the
hotel's own rooftop, where an urban
garden yields chard and kale, herbs,
heirloom tomatoes, and 50 kilograms
of honey gathered from Beeproject
Apiaries-supplied beehives. Much
of this bounty makes its way onto a
crisp and fresh plate of greens, goat
cheese, and popped wild rice dressed
in honey vinaigrette, aptly named the
“Manitoba Salad”.
The first born-and-raised
Winnipegger to take the helm of the
Fairmont kitchen, chef Tim Palmer
has stacked the dinner menu with
local producers and seasonal ingre-
dients in sophisticated applications.
Local bison tataki is a beautifully pre-
sented array of thinly sliced, lightly
seared loin served with tangy ponzu
soy sauce on a bed of mustard cress.
White fi sh roe prepared with lemony
yuzu and briny pickled honey mush-
rooms give the plate added texture
and tartness.
Wild boar chops are the kind of
showy labour of love only a talented
kitchen could produce, subjected to
a 24 hour brining and cold smoking
process (using crab apple juice and
apple wood chips) before hitting the
grill. The chops are finished with a
drizzle of silky black garlic and apple
cider coulis, a tart, dusky match for the
sweet and nutty meat.
The dessert menu is small but
Enjoy our award
winning beer
around town,
in our taproom or
pick up at your local
vendor or Liquor Mart
330 - 830 King Edward St. 204.410.2124
www.torquebrewing.beer
DRINK LOCAL BEER.
ciao! / oct/nov / two thousand seventeen
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