NOMAD || Farm to Table Sustainable Northwest Cuisine
Sometimes great food is just meant to be.
We are so glad childhood friends Taylor and Scott one day decided to ask Scott’s colleague Ryan if he was interested in opening a restaurant, because the trio is producing some of the best farm-to-table cuisine we have had to date. It seemed like everything was just meant to be, because they were fortunate enough to find a prime location on Main Street, and even got the landlord interested in their business, ending up as the largest shareholder in the restaurant. We think he must have tried the food and knew Vancouverites would love it.
The restaurant opened in 2014, and has become a local favourite, serving up what Taylor refers to as a ‘sustainable Northwest’ menu. The team sources their ingredients locally, building up great relations with small farmers and suppliers. The menu changes seasonally, and the team does their best to get creative with ingredients such as freeze-drying or pickling vegetables to extend their shelf life and also give customers a different take on the ingredients.
The team’s objective is to serve up great food at a reasonable price so customers can feel comfortable popping by to enjoy delicious food at any point throughout the day.
Taylor had designed the interior of the restaurant with help from his family. The tables are made out of pine beetle-damaged wood, a sustainability-conscious move that has resulted in the unique furniture of the space. Look closer and you can see the defined, blue streaks left by the pine beetles.
Large photo prints anchor the high-ceilinged space, featuring photos by a National Geography photographer. Exposed, concrete walls contrasts against the warm wooden furniture, resulting in an airy, hip yet welcoming space. In the summer the retractable glass doors can be opened to create a patio-like vibe for diners.
If you stop by for happy hour or the restaurant is busy while you are waiting for your seat, you can try one of Taylor’s handcrafted cocktails. Pictured below on the left is The Green Thumb, and Femme Fatale on the right. As we sipped our drinks the delicious aromas of their house-made bread and organic sunchoke wings wafted out from the kitchen.
Our eyes widened in surprise at how amazingly delicious the Sunchoke Wings were. Who needs real chicken wings when you have Sunchoke Wings? Dressed in a House Prepared Ranch and Black Garlic Hot Sauce, each bite explodes with flavour; one dish to share is certainly not enough.
The bread also presented another innovation we rarely see in the city. Taylor explains that because the chefs love to bake bread, they bake fresh bread daily, and the special for that day was Caraway Sourdough Bread with house-made preserved orange and black pepper butter. Just the sound of it already made our mouths water. If you have never tried orange bread, Nomad is a must-visit on your bucket list.
Sunchoke Wings bursting with flavour.
House-made bread.
The Pork Tenderloin is truly juicy and tender, and our only disappointment was that we craved more servings(!) We were surprised at how unbelievably soft the meat was, and how well the meat locked in the taste; needless to say, we cleared the plate.
Shaw Family Farms Pork Tenderloin.
The final savoury dish held the best surprise of all, the Humboldt Squid was cut into perfect, bite-sized squares, and the squid was seared just right, soft and only slightly chewy. The texture of this dish is a ten out of ten. The sauce with King Oyster Mushroom and Panang is just the right pairing, with its creamy, aromatic sauce complementing the silky smooth texture of the squid.
The Humboldt Squid.
Having savoured every single bite of the appetizers and entrees, we had little room remaining for dessert, and our host kindly selected the light Ginger Pumpkin Panna Cotta as the end note for our meal. The Lemon Thyme Jelly and Sour Cherry kickstarted our digestive system with its mix of tangy and sweet flavours.
Ginger Pumpkin Panna Cotta.
We found ourselves loudly declaring that we would want to visit again as soon as next week, so we could share all the wonderful, tasty dishes at Nomad with our friends and anyone else who would enjoy their hearty, innovative dishes (who wouldn’t?!)
Make this your next dine out destination - we promise you won’t regret it.
The light-filled interior.