Frankly, there's never been a better time to have "locally sourced" be the ethos of a 麻豆传媒映画restaurant.
As Canadians scour ingredient lists and shelf tags in search of food produced on home soil, a menu of dishes made entirely of produce and seafood sourced from regional farmers and purveyors is the ultimate way to support local.
Commitment to local sourcing
At , the chefs will tell you exactly where the ingredients in their dishes come from, whether it's daikon varieties from Cropthorne Farm, clams from Fanny Bay, or Rosso Vermouth from Esquimalt.
As chef and co-owner Devon Latté explained during my recent visit, Nero Tondo won't even put any meat on the menu unless it's a small-scale operation that would be able to involve them in the slaughter process, as North Arm Farm in Pemberton does with a pig for the restaurant.
There was no pork in my tasting menu meal that night, and Latté says it's not likely, either, that they'll be doing chicken or beef dishes anytime soon, preferring to stick to produce, cheese, and seafood from around Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and B.C.
Nero Tondo, which opened its doors earlier in February, has made itself cozy at 1879 Powell St, which is an 18-seat space that was briefly the guest-chef space Subject to Change and the intimate, Michelin Guide-endorsed Elephant before that.
The bulk of the seats are concentrated on the bar area, or chef's counter, but any chair in the house will accord diners not only a view of the chefs, Latté and fellow chef and co-owner Lucas Johnston, but also all the clever shelves and stashes for trays of house-baked focaccia, wine bottles, and prepped ingredient overflow.
Thoughtful hospitality, start to finish
In the slender bar space, Latté and Johnston are joined by , who heads up the beverage program and helps out on the floor, along with another staff member. The night I was there, Latté and Johnston were training another chef whom they'd worked with previously at The Acorn, to serve as support should one of them need to take some time off––that made for five folks gently sliding past each other all evening as they worked pouring drinks, chatting with guests, and cooking using the space's three induction burners and other tools.
To that end, the gracious Nero Tondo team immediately embraces its diners as though they were dear friends joining them at their home for a meal. What to choose to drink is more of a conversation than a transaction; the wine list features carefully chosen B.C. pours, and any bottle on the list works as a by-the-glass pour. I nursed my glass of Keenan "Juno Block" 2023 Chardonnay, saving sips to pair with my first few courses and enjoyed how well the wine worked with the food.
With every dish delivered to guests, the chefs take a minute to explain the ingredients, highlighting key sourcing notes. There is always someone there to answer questions about the food.
A front-runner for my favourite dish of the night was the ribbons of cooked savoy cabbage, mounded atop a swoop of an emulsion made with turmeric grown in Chilliwack, with black garlic, shallots, and puffed quinoa. Johnston explained that they get the turmeric in season from the grower and preserve it for use all year long.
Tasting menu has flexible options for diners
For those doing the tasting menu, the meal will consist of a few dishes from that evening's a la carte menu along with some exclusive bites, starting with the opening course of snacks. If you happen to come to the table with some dietary restrictions, you may find your tasting menu further from the a la carte, depending on the nature of the substitutions needed.
Priced at $75 dollars, the tasting menu is five to six courses, though there are often two or more dishes in a course.
Towards the end, it's up to you if you want to call it quits, stay all savoury, switch to dessert, or do a savoury and dessert; I opted for the latter, though we agreed the portions would be "tiny."
In the end, they were still generous, as had been all the previous plates, and also constituted one of my favourite savoury courses, which was a duo of tuna (torched and served with seasoned rice and marinated with a lime leaf oil) alongside a dish of daikon and nero tondo radish with housemade nam jim (Thai dipping sauce). The trio represented seemingly disparate POVs but worked so nicely together––a lashing of crunchy radish with the nam jim's heat balanced by a forkful of warm rice and mellow tuna.
Dishes in each course illustrate great balance
That same kind of balance was evident throughout the meal. Earthy, bitter-ish radicchio tossed in a vinaigrette of Saltspring Island-grown Meyer lemon with Fraser Valley Hazelnuts, juicy apple, tiny croutons, and a snowy cap of grated cheese from The Farm House in Agassiz could stand on its own but went next-level as a foil for the buttery hand-formed pasta done with leeks. Similarly, tender clams in a cayenne and leek broth worked nicely with rosemary-topped focaccia best enjoyed with a bit of leek top oil and red vinegar (sourced from Fernie, B.C.).
For dessert, I sipped on a digestif, Esquimalt's red vermouth, and enjoyed a small serving of milky gelato paired with burnt caramel and hazelnut crumble and topped with a bit of honeycomb. It was simple but just right to cap off what was a big meal in size and flavour.
Menu changes but dedication to making food personal does not
Food can be political and personal. At Nero Tondo, it's assuredly both. The team is making a bold statement about the power of knowing where your ingredients come from and how beautiful it is to use them to nourish––and delight––when they are in season or preserved. They do so in a setting that may be short on space but is big on hospitality.
"Come back in two weeks, and the menu will be at least half different," Latté told the duo dining to my left.
I suspect that while the dishes might change, the intangibles of Nero Tondo would be just the same.
Nero Tondo is open from 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations can be and guests must choose a la carte or tasting menu ("Let us cook for you") at that time.
Video: Trying the tasting menu at Nero Tondo
Want to eat local? How about all ingredients from Metro 麻豆传媒映画and B.C.? Nero Tondo offers, hyper seasonal dining in an intimate setting. no pretension just a team that loves what they do and wants you to love it too. dining at this tiny east van spot kind of feels like being a guest in their home…and the food is excellent. They work closely with farmers and food producers, and can tell you where everything on your plate comes from. You’ll get to chat with the chefs with every course served which makes for a special experience.
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