Restaurant Review: Nomad
NOMAD
3950 Main Street ~ nomad-vancouver.ca Twitter: @Nomad_Vancouver ~ Instagram: @nomad_vancouver Co-Diner: Tim Golem
There's a pretty hip restaurant on Main in the Riley Park area and you should check it out. It's called Nomad and their Pacific Northwest cuisine is seasonal, sustainable and handmade. I heard about them when they were voted #1 Best Restaurant for a First Date 2017 in The Georgia Straight's annual poll. While first dates are long over for me, date nights are totally my deal! We visited on a holiday Monday and ate a beautiful meal in the glow of the setting sun. I was struck right away by the expansiveness of the space, bright, airy, with a towering ceiling. The front of the restaurant was completely opened up to the street allowing the gorgeous weather to pour inside. The overall vibe is along the lines of what you would expect; part industrial with concrete walls and interesting light fixtures. Part rustic with honey-coloured woods and succulents on each table. It's a very comfortable atmosphere and the servers add to this by being extremely friendly, knowledgeable and approachable. Being a Monday evening, the drink specials are the best. You can order all of the drink specials from the rest of the week! So there are a ton of great deals. The shelves of bottles behind the bar were illuminated by candlelight and I was ready to get things started with a cocktail. I picked the Femme Fatale (regularly $9.50 but $6.00 on Monday).
Lavender vodka, ginger syrup, fresh lemon, rose water, sparkling wine.
Described as "light, citrusy, bubbly, refreshing & delicious," this drink was everything that I wanted on a warm evening such as this one. I loved the light floral notes and the perfect summery flavours. My husband got a drink called "Dad's Night Out," which was absolutely perfect for him (he really was a dad having a night out!). Looking at the appetizer selection I found myself a little bit underwhelmed. Nothing seemed to really grab my attention in a big way. Luckily, the feature that evening was an appetizer of Seared Scallops ($17.00) that sounded pretty good.
This dish was light and extremely fresh. Each scallop was seared to an absolute perfection, leaving their centers quite glossy and rare. Nestled among the scallops were chickpea fritters known as panelle. These delectable little bites were smooth with a little bit of heat on the inside, crispy on the outside. The greens were a bright and fresh choy. A glorious and velvety tarragon hollandaise rounded out the plate. It wasn't a lot to share between two people, but each element on this plate was very well done.
My main dish was a more difficult decision because the Whipped Corn Polenta & Salted Cod sounded very good to me. In the end I chose the Hand-Made Spaghetti Puttanesca ($23.00) and I am so glad that I did!
Castelvetrano olives, grilled artichoke, pearl onion, capers, fresh basil, fire-roasted tomato sauce, pecorino romano.
I also added White Anchovies ($2.00). This plate was everything that I love and more. All of my favourite flavours were represented here in such a bold and stunning way. First the pasta, beautifully (and obviously) homemade, with a perfect egginess and bite. The saltiness and oiliness of this dish was to die for, a perfect harmony. The meaty anchovies were the ideal addition. I loved every bite of this and I never wanted it to end. I will dream of it. Probably the best puttanesca that I've ever had! Lastly, we saved room for dessert and selected the English Toffee Cake ($10.00) and I also ordered a pot of peppermint tea.
Rosemary butterscotch, preserved pear, brown butter shortbread, vanilla bean ice cream.
The presentation was very lovely and this dessert was deliciously sweet. The thin slices of preserved pear resembled sea glass and the edible flowers added beautiful dots of colour. However, I never think that edible flowers actually taste all that great. They kind of taste like salad, which is strange on a dessert. I enjoyed Nomad a lot. The atmosphere was perfect and the food is well thought out. Portion sizes are a little on the small side but the flavours are big. Brunch is offered on weekends and I will surely return to try it (duck eggs benedict with duck confit, um yes).