Restaurants in Ferndale

Morning is breaking over Eh! Restaurant’s rooftop garden as a chef busies himself plucking ripe, organic produce out from the verdant plots. Armed with an arsenal of produce, he retreats to the kitchen where the morning’s bounty will be transformed into a fresh feast to feed the evening dinner rush. The rooftop beds––bolstered by nutrients from the kitchen’s composted food waste––exemplify Eh! Restaurant’s dedication to fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
Firm believers in environmental sustainability, the staff works hard to set an example of eco-friendliness for their community, from packaging takeout orders in compostable containers to reading bedtime stories to area trees. Along with sprinkling dishes with veggies from the rooftop garden, the chefs make a point to architect dishes from ingredients found within 100 miles of the restaurant. Servers whisk plates forth from the kitchen piled high with dishes that boast international influences and flavours, such as Cajun spices, Mexican white corn kernels, and Brazilian-style chicken. Dappled with modern art and sleek, streamlined tables, the spacious dining room grants guests a peek into the open kitchen, where chefs and bartenders work their magic.

Executive chef Robert Clark fell in love with cooking in his grandmother's kitchen, where he helped her prepare salmon fresh from the York River. Chef de cuisine Lee Humphries worked his family's farm in Cornwall, England, surrounded by a booming fisherman's trade. And sommelier Sarah McCauley honed her palate pairing wines in restaurants in Holland, England, and Spain. Owner Harry Kambolis had the good sense to gather all three together to make C Restaurant's menu, which has gone on to earn dozens of awards from institutions such as Wine Spectator and [Vancouver Magazine](http://gr.pn/SovCNE].

Unsurprisingly, given the chefs' fish-centric histories, the ever-changing seasonal menu emphasizes seafood dishes, complementing them with local, sustainably farmed ingredients wherever possible. C Restaurant's decor also emphasizes a connection to the natural world with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the Granville Island shoreline. A garden patio shelters diners from summer sunlight with beige umbrellas and the upraised tentacles of the giant squids who live beneath the nearby Burrard Street Bridge.

Steam from freshly prepared falafels wafts through the kosher restaurant Falafel Plus, carrying aromas of organic chickpeas, herbs, and onions. Droplets of water spring from just-rinsed tomatoes and cucumbers as cooks chop them into slices for layering beside the crispy balls in pitas with minted yogourt. Creamy sides of hummus, marinated eggplant, and baba ganush round out entrees of organic chicken shawarma and beef lasagna, available for in-restaurant dining as well as for off-site catered events. When catering events, Falafel Plus can take care of every detail, from arranging flowers to tying the family matriarch's bib.

Nestled in a cozy brick building in Kerrisdale, Avenue Grill Restaurant has served a menu’s worth of diverse food since the 1920s. The head chef honed his knack for Mediterranean cooking in Europe—reflected in the eatery's Mediterranean sandwiches, with grilled eggplant and zucchini on focaccia—but also crafts pastas, fresh seafood, and three-egg omelettes. An ample wine selection complements Avenue Grill's sundry dishes, and seasonal specials incorporate only the freshest and most polite ingredients. In the dining room, vases filled with flowers top tables and vibrant paintings of blooming floras and lolling hills adorn the walls.

Owners Karl Gregg and Allan Bosomworth channel their sundry culinary interests into Two Chefs and a Table, a French-cuisine-inspired bistro with a robust catering wing and a focus on delightful wines. Their laid-back eatery immerses diners in artful food preparation at the chef's table, where cooks prepare meals in the open to assuage the anxieties of claustrophobic cheeses.

The menu and its carefully selected complementary wines change with the season, variously sating appetites with fresh salmon, British Columbia boar, and a slew of other locally sourced ingredients. Occasional Wine Drinker dinners match themed five-course meals with ideal wines as patrons mingle in merriment. For special events and social gatherings, the catering service supplies appetizers and plated cuisine.

Eager to share the culinary traditions of both their culture and their family with fellow Vancouverites, Joanna and Nick Cruciat opened Transylvania Flavour in 2004. They have since been lauded by the Globe and Mail for creating “rib-sticking fare” and fostering a “cozy Old World charm” within their homey space. Upholding this dedication to authentic Eastern European eats are the restaurant's chef and European chef consultant, who join their culinary powers and Dracula figurine collections to forge traditional Transylvanian specialties including roasted beets, cabbage rolls, and perogies. Affable servers whisk these homemade masterpieces from the kitchen into the yellow and red dining room, setting steaming bowls and plates to rest on top of crisp white tablecloths.