New fall/winter menus and Prud’Homme beer certification unveiled at Vancouver’s leading pubs

The Donnelly Group, the company behind Vancouver’s leading public houses, cocktail dens and nightclubs, is pleased to unveil its new fall/winter food menus and expanded beer program.

The Donnelly Group’s new fall/winter menus showcase a fresh take on the well-executed pub fare that its establishments are known for. In developing the menus, Executive Chef Michael Knowlson—formerly of Bacchus and Sequoia Grill—worked closely with consulting Chef Robert Belcham, co-owner of Vancouver’s successful Refuel, Campagnolo and Campagnolo Roma Restaurants and Vancouver Magazine’s 2009 Chef of the Year.

“I was thrilled to collaborate with Robert, who is dedicated to sourcing the best regional ingredients from local suppliers and purveyors,” says Chef Knowlson.

The Donnelly Group’s new menus showcase local, sustainable meat and seafood, and produce that is fresh, seasonal and organic whenever possible. Chef Knowlson sources gluten-free bread from Panne Rizo Bakery in Vancouver, cheese from Moonstruck on Salt Spring Island and meat products from Two Rivers Specialty Meats. All of the company’s locations are Ocean Wise and Green Table certified.

The new menu highlights include slow roasted Fraser Valley pulled pork sliders with fresh coleslaw and crispy pancetta; panzanella salad with rocket, burrata, red pepper and prosciutto; buttermilk Maple Hill farms free run chicken & waffle sandwich; and roasted wild BC salmon served with a salad of pearl barley, cucumber, tomato, fresh parsley and olive oil.

Focused on quality and attention to detail, all 23 Donnelly Pub Group managers and head bar tenders are now certified with Prud’Homme, an online course dedicated to educating beverage-industry professionals on beer. Founded by Roger Mittag, who formerly ran the beer program at the Labatt Institute, the Prud’Homme program includes an in-depth history of beer styles and production and sees its participants build their beer knowledge in a very short period of time. The Donnelly Group is proud to be the first company in Western Canada to participate in the Prud’Homme program.

“The Donnelly Group is a very forward-thinking hospitality provider with a diverse beer program,” says Mittag, “they are always looking for a new way to enhance the total customer experience.”

Currently, The Donnelly Group tap program features an extensive selection of local craft and worldly brands, such as Howe Sound, Driftwood, Brooklyn, Deschutes, Phillips, Guinness Granville Island, Elysian and Anchor Steam. The bottle program, meanwhile, showcases breweries that aren’t yet available in BC in draught format, such as Pyramid, Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas, Acme and Unibroue. Weekly Cask Nights at the Granville Room with Trevor Kallies feature Innis & Gunn, R&B, Elysian, Howe Sound, Driftwood and Granville Island.

In addition to its new food and cocktails, the Donnelly Group is focused on further developing a forward-thinking beer program that maintains consistency for a vast range of customers. All Pub Group venues and the Granville Room have joined CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale Society of BC. The Donnelly Group is celebrating its CAMRA membership with BC Craft Beer Month, a province-wide event held through the month of October.

The Donnelly Group is a creative and diverse management company that owns and operates popular pubs: the Bimini, the Calling, the Library Square Public House, Smiley’s, the Lamplighter, the Academic, Cinema Public House, the New Oxford and the Metropole Community Pub; award-winning nightclubs: Republic, Bar None, and the Post Modern and the cocktail lounge institution the Granville Room. The company’s attention to detail, impressive entertainment calendars, modern designs, community and charity support, and strict policies on patron safety has earned them a reputation as an industry leader in Vancouver. For more information please visit: www.donnellygroup.ca.