CAVU Kitchen Bar has an evolving menu for this budding international city. But unlike many hotel restaurants, this one is far from an exclusive club for jet setters.
Chef Alex Hancock's modus operandi at the newly opened CAVU is about finding his guests a home after going on a journey, only that you need not take a journey to experience his unique and amazing West Coast dishes with an international twist.
"With CAVU we wanted to break away from standard hotel style food. We wanted to give people a piece of Downtown Vancouver without having to go there," said the 36 year-old Hancock.
There's no need to explain further, let's jump right into some of those dishes, just as you'll want to when you see the favourably priced menu.
Take the Portuguese fisherman's stew; a spiced tomato coconut broth packed with jumbo prawns and Atlantic lobster served with jasmine rice.
Or try the lamb kofta; a shank smothered in seer n' sumac jus served with peppers, carrot hummus and a mint salad.
Start one of those meals off right with a caprese moderno salad, featuring a cornucopia of charred broccolini, roasted peppers, marinated tomatoes, arugula pesto, Okanagan goat cheese and toasted almonds.
Don't stop there.
Take a step beyond first class and control of the journey with the tandoori spiced calamari; strips of OceanWise Humboldt squid served with poppadom and two dips — a tomato chutney and cucumber and lime cilantro raita.
If we keep going you won't have enough air miles to finish this meal.
If you're wondering, CAVU stands for Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited, an aviation term for favourable flight conditions used in this instance to describe the restaurant's favourable appeal to a wide array of palates.
Hancock is using only the freshest ingredients and with his breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner menus limited to only about a dozen items each he's striving for quality over quantity.
Furthermore, he presents the restaurant with seasonal menus, so now is a good time to explore his new creations.
"We always look at the things we do and how we can take that forward. We're never just happy with how one item turns out and that's the way it's always going to be," said Hancock, whose refreshing candor blends into the ever-evolving menu.
One Hancock creation that has now made its way onto the main menu is the lobster burger, an eight-ounce beef patty topped with arugula, mayo, herbed mornay sauce, and yes, lobster.
"It has become a very signature item and people love it. It's a beast, an absolute beast."
Many of the dishes come with CAVU crisps, Hancock's inventive, thinly sliced and fried cassava root, finished with a touch of spices.
"I think we're the largest purchaser of cassava roots in Vancouver," chuckles Hancock, who was implored to find an alternative to yam fries.
"I can't stand yam fries …but we gotta have them," he laughs.
And they do. They're on the appetizer menu, seasoned with Japanese togarashi spice and served with homemade kimchi ketchup and sesame mayo. What? Yes.
But for a few more bucks why not just kick the yam fries to the curb for the Kung Fu Wings, a meaty bowl smothered in thai chill sauce with a smattering of ginger soy, sesame, crushed peanuts and crispy noodles.
Hancock has worked for a number of world-class hotel chains and cooked for world dignitaries including U.S. presidents. But now he's found a home and it's at CAVU. And he's waving you in for a stunning landing at the Hilton Vancouver Airport Hotel.
*This content was part of an advertorial feature
