BIRDS OF A FEATHER: ROYAL DINETTE’S JACK CHEN AND BURDOCK & CO.’S ANDREA CARLSON TAKE FLIGHT FOR FIFTH “UGLY DUCKLING” DINNER, APRIL 26

Latest Edition of Ongoing Dinner Series Unites Like-minded Chefs To Spotlight Food-Waste Awareness, Sustainability Issues Through Multi-Course Dinner

Royal Dinette Dessert photo credit Leila Kwok

Royal Dinette adds another entry to its popular series of Ugly Duckling Dinners on Tuesday, April 26 when Head Chef Jack Chen welcomes guest chef Andrea Carlson of Burdock & Co. and Harvest Community Foods into the kitchen to prepare a collaborative sustainably-focused feast.

The fifth in an ongoing series that transforms the “ugly ducklings” of the kitchen — also known as commonly discarded scraps, off-cuts, stems and stalks — into gourmet menus with an ecological message, the latest Ugly Duckling Dinner unites a pair of like-minded chefs who share the same culinary principles of featuring fresh-daily ingredients sourced from local farms, pastures and seas.

Royal Dinette Ling Cod photo credit: Leila Kwok

Carlson, who launched Burdock & Co. in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood in 2013, is the second guest to share the Ugly Duckling Dinner Series stage with Chen following chef and co-owner of Galiano Island restaurant Pilgrimme Jesse McCleery, who helped Chen curate a sold-out fourth edition of the series in March.

RoyalDinette_LambTartare2_CreditLeilaKwok — Royal Dinette Lamb Tartare photo credit: Leila Kwok

“Andrea is the ideal guest chef for our latest Ugly Duckling Dinner,” says Chen. “She shares the same locavore values that we pride ourselves on showcasing at Royal Dinette.”

Royal Dinette Ugly Duckling Cauliflower Souffle photo credit: Leila Kwok

Complementing the creative multi-course menu is an array of inspired cocktail pairings prepared by award-winning Royal Dinette Bar Manager Kaitlyn Stewart, who incorporates local spirits and seasonal ingredients to mix up libations unique to each Ugly Duckling Dinner.

UGLY DUCKING V MENU

Snacks

Nukazuke, Two- and Six-Month

Charcoal Grilled Knotweed, Herring Roe Bottarga

Halibut Skin, Sake Kasu and Seaweed Emulsion

Krause Berry Farms Rhubarb Wine

Dinner

Broth of Dry Aged Beef Ends and Herring Head Garum, Cauliflower Core, Egg White, Herb Stem

Bella ‘Pet Nat’ Gamay Noir

Halibut Collar, Bergamot Leaves, Dried Hops

‘Hops to It’ Kombucha

Blood Sausage Cavatelli, Caramelized Whey, Smoked Pork Fat, Grilled Kale Stem

Don Juan del Águila Gazanata Joven Concrete

Pork Trotters Stuffed with Cotechino and Pork Tongue, Pickled No.2 Cucumber

Giovanni Rosso Barbera D’Alba

Øllebrød, Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Crumble of Coffee Grind and Dried Apple Peel

‘Double Double’ Coffee Cola

TICKETS

Royal Dinette’s fifth Ugly Duckling Dinner takes place on Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available via Eventbrite and include a multi-course menu with beverage pairings for $79 per person plus tax and gratuity. Five percent of sales will be donated to Les Dames d’Escoffier BC Chapter for their Service Excellence Scholarship Fund in honour of Tina Fineza.

As Royal Dinette prides itself on placing a premium on the availability and seasonality of all ingredients, the Ugly Duckling Dinner menu is subject to slight changes. Substitutions are politely declined.

ABOUT THE UGLY DUCKLING DINNER SERIES | Taking its cue from such acclaimed chefs as Matt Orlando or Amass Restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark and Dan Barber of New York’s Blue Hill Restaurant, Royal Dinette launched its Ugly Duckling Dinner Series in October 2015. A thought-provoking culinary series designed with the intent to educate guests on food-waste awareness and sustainability issues through dishes that feature the “ugly ducklings” of the culinary world, each Ugly Duckling menu transforms commonly discarded cast-offs and scraps such as juice pulp, cores, roots and stems, offal, coffee grounds and pork skin into a truly unforgettable meal with an ecological message.

ABOUT ROYAL DINETTE | Located in the heart of Vancouver’s financial District at 905 Dunsmuir St., Royal Dinette brings together the best fresh, locally sourced ingredients for a true farm-to-table feast for the senses. With an ever-changing seasonal menu, fresh pasta, pastry and butcher stations and a bar menu offering an array of local craft beer, sparkling wine and handmade classic cocktails, Royal Dinette pairs the laidback, informal atmosphere of a bygone diner with an elegant standard of service to bring quality, value and creativity of cuisine to a whole new audience.