Published on Main celebrates B.C.’s forests, orchards and farms with Harvest, a seasonal tasting menu built around wild mushrooms, Douglas fir, rosehip and sea buckthorn.
The Michelin-starred Mount Pleasant restaurant introduced Harvest on October 7, with the 12-course experience running through January 5, 2027.
Chef-partner Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson and chef de cuisine Nolan Hennenfent have put together a menu that draws on the season’s abundance without limiting themselves to the predictable pumpkin-and-mushroom combinations. There’s a little German influence, some Japanese technique and plenty of ingredients that speak specifically to the West Coast.
Bone marrow dumplings and Snack Attack
The evening begins with Markklößchen Suppe Bitte, a German-style bone marrow dumpling soup served in a rich beef shank broth with parsley oil, followed by the restaurant’s signature Snack Attack.
From squash chawanmushi to wild mushroom ravioli
A butternut squash chawanmushi brings together the delicate Japanese savoury custard with spot prawn and bee pollen. Raw bison is paired with salal mostarda, meadowsweet-marinated beets and horseradish, bringing tart, floral and earthy notes into the mix.
The dish that has me especially curious is Wild Mushrooms. Chanterelles, matsutake and lobster mushrooms, many foraged by Stieffenhofer-Brandson himself, are combined with herbed boudin blanc ravioli, Douglas fir oil and an aromatic mushroom bouillon.
It’s a combination that makes sense for a kitchen known for incorporating preservation, fermentation and foraged ingredients into its cooking.
Seafood also gets an autumn treatment. There’s scallop with brown butter swede, slow-cooked salmon accompanied by seaweed butter sauce and fermented potato flatbread, and Fraser Valley duck served with rosehip ketchup, braised red cabbage and elderberry jus.
Sunchoke, pumpkin and porcini fudge
Rather than finishing with the usual chocolate creation, the kitchen continues exploring the season’s less obvious ingredients. The Sunchoke Dilly combines roasted sunchoke parfait with a barley malt chocolate shell and birch crème. Pumpkin is paired with sea buckthorn curd, while the final small sweets include pine nut halva, a grand fir blondie and porcini fudge made with Manjari chocolate.
Mushroom fudge is certainly one way to make sure dinner ends on a memorable note.
A menu that changes with the season
One of the more interesting aspects of Harvest is that the dishes aren’t necessarily fixed for its entire run. The kitchen plans to adjust the menu as ingredients come into and out of season, giving diners a slightly different experience depending on when they visit.
Ingredients are being sourced from B.C. farms, foragers and producers, including North Arm Farm and Vive Le Veg.
Published on Main has also introduced new à la carte dishes for autumn, which means you don’t have to commit to the full tasting menu to see what the kitchen is doing this season.
For those who do want the complete experience, Harvest is listed at $170 per person, before taxes and gratuity, and takes approximately two and a half to three hours.
Optional beverage pairings include a non-alcoholic selection starting at $95 and a full beverage experience starting at $155, curated by wine director Haley MacLeod and bar director Joe Casson. Check current prices and pairing availability when booking.
The restaurant’s Michelin star and reputation for inventive B.C.-focused cooking make Harvest worth considering for a special evening out. I’m particularly interested in seeing how the forest ingredients carry through the progression of dishes, from the mushroom ravioli to that rather intriguing porcini fudge.
Prices, reservations and dietary requirements
Published on Main
3593 Main Street, Vancouver
Until January 5, 2027
12 courses | $170 per person, plus tax and gratuity
Approximately 2.5 to 3 hours
Reservations are available through Published on Main’s Harvest tasting menu page.
Dietary note: The restaurant advises it cannot accommodate shellfish or allium allergies, or offer vegetarian, vegan, celiac-safe, gluten-free, dairy-free or egg-free Harvest menus. Diners with other requirements should contact the restaurant before booking and provide at least 72 hours’ notice. Only one dietary request can be accommodated per booking.
