Dig In, Dine Out, Pop-Up! Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise® Pop-Up Returns For Second Year During Dine Out Vancouver

 

Attention seafood lovers! Back by popular demand, the Ocean Wise® Pop-Up Café returns to Vancouver Aquarium during the Dine Out Vancouver Festival. This year, diners can enjoy one of two seatings in the transformed bistro-esque Aquarium Café on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings throughout the Festival, which runs from Friday, Jan. 19 to Sunday, Feb. 4.

 

Acclaimed Ocean Wise Executive Chef Ned Bell has crafted a three-course menu featuring dishes from his inaugural cookbook Lure and showcasing the best in sustainable, locally-sourced ingredients.

 

Unique to Dine Out Vancouver, guests at the Ocean Wise Pop-Up Café can explore the Aquarium’s many galleries, either following the early seating or before the late seating. Guests can chill out in Canada’s Arctic, transport themselves to a west coast fishing village at Steller’s Bay, and enjoy an exotic-albeit-brief staycation in the Tropic Zone and Graham Amazon Gallery while witnessing the nocturnal habits of the more than 50,000 animals that call Vancouver Aquarium home. For some guests, this may be the last chance to get hands on with cownose and southern stingrays as the Discover Rays Gallery closes spring 2018.

 

“This event was a highlight for us last year and we couldn’t be more excited to bring it back,” says Ocean Wise Executive Chef Ned Bell. “It’s a chance to showcase some of the most beautiful, sustainable ingredients from our province, like Northern Coho Wild B.C. Salmon with its distinct taste and vibrant colour and locally-harvested kelp that takes a traditional treat to the next level. The backdrop of the Aquarium creates a unique dining experience for our guests and connects them with the ocean in a way that’s fun, informative and, most importantly, delicious.”

 

 

Ocean Wise Pop-Up Café Menu

First Course

 

Torched Albacore Tuna Tataki Salad

honey, lemon, sesame, radishes

or

Fanny Bay Clam Chowder

Chilliwack corn foam, maple brown butter

 

Upgrade your small plate with Chef Ned’s Famous Dungeness Crab Tacos for $15

 

Main Course

Icy Waters Arctic Char

laird lentils, parsnips two ways, vanilla, hazelnuts

or

Organic Ocean Northern Coho Wild B.C. Salmon

cauliflower, cashews, cranberries, black pepper vinaigrette

or

Two Rivers Rossdown Farms Chicken

celery root, caramelized cabbage, watercress, B.C. birch syrup dressing

Enhance your entrée with Selva Shrimp for $10

Dessert

Sea ‘Weed’ Brownies

kelp, almond praline

or

Roasted Apple Tart

whipped cream, caramel

 

Dinner service will take place at the Ocean Wise Pop-Up Café at Vancouver Aquarium on January 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, and 28 as well as February 2, 3, and 4. There are two seatings per night at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Each seating lasts 1.5 hours.

Tickets are limited and cost $62.35 per person (inclusive of tax and service charges). For guests wishing to dive further into Chef Ned’s epicurean experience, wine pairings will be available for an additional cost. Copies of Lure will also be available for purchase. For tickets, visit www.vanaqua.org/oceanwisepopup.

 

Ocean Wise®
Ocean Wise is a not-for-profit organization whose vision is a world in which oceans are healthy and flourishing. www.ocean.org

 

Vancouver Aquarium
Vancouver Aquarium, an Ocean Wise initiative, is one of the world’s leading accredited aquariums, dedicated to the conservation of aquatic life. www.vanaqua.org

 

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