Take a sensory journey through Forest, Forage and Wild Game at Acre Through the Seasons
Restaurants and chefs frequently evoke terms like “farm-to-table” and “locally sourced,” but few Vancouver-area restaurants can say they draw inspiration and ingredients from their own private farm and greenhouse. Club Versante’s Acre Through the Seasons – a new Pacific Northwest-inspired contemporary dining experience in Richmond – brings whimsy, artistry, and products of impeccable pedigree together.
Seasonal menus incorporate the latest harvest from Acre Lavande (a private farm and greenhouse on Cortes Island that’s under the same umbrella as Versante Hotel, where the restaurant is located) plus other stellar local producers that meet Executive Chef William Lew’s and Restaurant Chef Lemuel Tsang’s exacting standards.
The first experience, Series 1, launches today, April 6, and runs through to June 7. A theme of Forest | Forage | Wild Game (with unique options for vegetarians) is evoked in the smells, tastes, textures and memories of this special menu. Even the presentation of each dish reflects the season, with moss, twigs and other natural elements from Cortes Island providing context for the food.
First, snacks – like a truffle mushroom donut, an onion tart and bison-heart tartare – evoke the earthy, savoury gifts of the forest. A second course of bone-marrow bread with birch syrup-drizzled steelhead trout gravlax evokes both land and shore; third courses elevate beet and stinging nettle with accoutrements from nutty goat-cheese mousse to cured egg-yolk and crispy chicken skin. Meaty fifth and sixth courses of dry-aged goose and wild boar anchor this menu, preceding elegant patisserie desserts. (Campfire, a torched-at-table rosehip marshmallow served with huckleberry, whisky chocolate sauce and candied lichen, is a highlight!)
Vegetarians are not only accommodated but celebrated at Acre Through the Seasons. A parallel but equally enthralling journey through the vegetarian menu substitutes satisfying courses based around sunchoke, mushrooms and even an inventive “gravlax” made of carrots, so all diners at the table can share a similar sensory experience.
A series of culinary adventures will evolve through the seasons, exploring fragrant forests, sweet summer fields and salty ocean swells in virtual journeys through B.C.’s unique terroir. Series 2, launching on June 8, will be themed around Vineyards | Farms | Harvest. The pale, soothing tones of the dining room will evolve with décor elements inspired by the seasons.
The 65-seat space that now houses Acre Through the Seasons was previously Oo La Cha. Among the other innovative dining and drinking concepts at Versante Hotel are the fun, colourful fine-dining restaurant Bruno; the robata grill and izakaya-style bites to accompany rare drams and creative cocktails at Cask Whisky Vault; and the exclusive penthouse Champagne and caviar lounge Alaïa.
Series 1 menus at Acre Through the Seasons are $98 per person (regular or vegetarian menu), and available from Thursday to Sunday, with reservations available from 5 pm to 9:30 pm (last reservation). Afternoon Tea service with the same theme will commence on April 15 and be available every weekend from 11 am to 2:30 pm for $60 per person. Please note there is no children’s menu, and that this sophisticated culinary experience is suitable for ages 16 and up. For more information, visit clubversante.com, clubversante.com/acre and acrelavande.com.
