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DEJA VU AT CACTUS CLUBThis week,
Cactus Club’s Food Architect, Chef
Rob Feenie, began testing his new menu items on some willing and curious guinea pigs. Following a favourable response, a few of the new dishes, such as the
Tuna Tataki and
Rocket Salad with Panko and Parmesan breaded chicken, have already made it out onto the regular dining room menu.
Most of the debut line up appears to be re-tweaked Feenie classics right off the old
Lumiere and
Feenie’s menus -- from the infamous
Calamari Sandwich of
White Spot commercial fame, to the enduringly popular
Butternut Squash Ravioli, a mainstay of the
Lumiere Tasting Bar. Also on the short list were a couple of Feenie's traveling exhibition dishes, such as the
Sake-miso marinated Sablefish in Dashi Broth, which was reminiscent of a dish Chef Feenie took to Japan several years ago for a showcase of Canadian food products.
We sampled about a dozen or so of the new menu items: all of those mentioned above, plus a meltingly tender
Short Ribs in Celeriac Puree, and a certified
Angus Beef Burger in both regular and mini-bite sizes. All them were as delicious as we remembered, and somewhat surprisingly, they even looked well suited to their new, less high-toned surroundings. Or could it be that these dishes have become so familiar to us, that even the most refined can attain “comfort food” status, no matter how they are dressed up or down?
Depending on their perspective, for longtime patrons of Rob Feenie’s two former restaurants, the return of these dishes will either be blissfully happy news, or a big disappointment.
Fans of the dishes will be thrilled to know that their favourites are still accessible, and thanks to the Cactus Club’s economy of scale advantage in purchasing power and overhead costs, they will be able to enjoy even larger portions at a greatly reduced price point.
But for the “been there, ate that already" crowd, by opening with his signature dishes, the "Iron Chef" will be leaving himself open to accusations that he has used up his repertoire, that his creative range is limited, or that he is afraid to stray from the tried and true -- All points that could be shot down in a stir-fry minute if ony a few “Feenie’s Weenie” iconic type items were developed for the Cactus Club alone.
Let’s give him a little time on that. And let us also not forget that at the Cactus Club, these seasoned dishes will now be exposed to a whole new, younger and less deep-pocketed demographic who never dared to venture past Lumiere’s threshold, even during Dine Out week.
On the whole, the Cactus Club environment looks good for Rob Feenie.
We’ve never seen him look so relaxed. He has the back up of smart and thoughtful management with a steady plan for growth. He has youthful and enthusiastic support from his test kitchen crew, all of whom are excited to be working with him. And watching him bounce about the kitchen enthusing over his new toys (impressive commercial, state-of-the-art mixing, Cryovac and sous vide machines), he reminds us of the adventurous, young chef we first met cooking under the wing of
Le Crocodile's
Michel Jacob. Alas, if only that were as equally apparent on his new menu.
Perhaps Rob Feenie is now ready to trade in the role of trail-blazer for that of mentor. The Cactus Club corporate structure is going to give him a chance to inspire and tutor a whole new generation of chefs. The company is a big supporter of the Red Seal Chefs’ certification program, and with 17 restaurants in total, they are also the industry’s biggest chef apprenticeship employer in BC.
For now the Cactus Club's plans are to add the Feenie-inspired dishes (in groups of twos or threes) onto the regular dinner and lunchtime menus -- first at the flagship restaurant at Broadway and Ash, where Rob’s test kitchen is situated, then on to the Yaletown location to check its translation by a kitchen working independently. From there they will go to the rest of the venues including the newest locations in Burnaby and Vancouver’s Bentall Centre. Then finally onto wherever the Cactus Club operation expands from there.
Will Cactus Club eventually place Rob Feenie as the face of a whole new chain of casual-chic restaurants modelled after the Feenie's example?
Well, when asked they didn't say they were planning to, but then they didn't deny it either.
Below we have some shots of the test dishes. Keep in mind that except for the sandwich platter, these photos show only sample sized portions and are much smaller that what would be served as a regular portion order. The tuna, for example fills the oblong platter shown in the ravioli shot. Knowing that, the prices seem almost ridiculously reasonable.
1) ALBACAORE TUNA TATAKI with green papaya, mint and basil salad, organes, avocado and yuzu dressing. ($12.50)
2) BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI with truffle beurre blanc, fried sage, pine nuts and amaretti cookies. (Seven large pieces for $14)
3) ROASTED SABLEFISH, marinated in sake-miso and served with dashi broth. ($24)
4) ROCKET SALAD, with panko and parmesan breaded chicken, baby arugula, vine-ripened tomatoes, cucumber, lemon-caper dressing. ($14.75)
5) SIGNATURE SANDWICH SAMPLER:
Certified Angus beef burger with bacon and aged cheddar
BBQ duck clubhouse with roasted chicken and prosciutto
Short rib sandwich with emmenthal and caramelized onions
6) BRAISED SHORT RIBS with celeriac puree, pecorino cheese and braised celery ($15)
7) SANDWICH PLATTER, with sea-salted fries, beef jus dip and roasted tomato ketchup ($16)
8) Chef Rob Feenie and his team in the Cactus Club test kitchen.
