Angus An, chef and owner of Maenam, On the Plate’s top new restaurant of 2009.

Credit: supplied

ON THE PLATE: A year of good eating

Vancouver’s restaurant trade has seen better years than the one to which we’re about to happily bid adieu, that’s for sure. With recessionary fear effectively paralyzing hefty swathes of the city’s customer base for all of 2009, there was a palpable sense of foreboding permeating the industry, and little room or pity for newcomers. Still, the year saw more openings than it did closures, and more diamonds than duds. This is my Top 10.

10. POURHOUSE
Barman extraordinaire Jay Jones and chef Chris Irving teamed up for their first crack at ownership this past fall with Pourhouse, located in the former Flux location in Gastown. It’s a woody and rustic room, smoothly run and very well assembled, with just the right attention to detail — cool but not contrived. The food leans on our time-honoured affection for cloying comfort dishes, which are casually served. Must-have: a Jay Jones cocktail, and the Gruyère-Cheddar-Havarti sandwich grilled on cheesy, jalapeño-infused bread ($10). (162 Water, 604-568-7022, PourhouseVancouver.com)

9. MIS TRUCOS
Kris Barnholden (ex-Parkside, Fiction, Lucy Mae Brown) has put together a darling little restaurant — his very first. The tiny Mis Trucos (Spanish for “My Tricks”) is wrought in a muted colour palette of blonde and white, inside a rather ramshackle old house in the heart of the Davie Village. The food, traditional Spanish tapas, is priced per mouthful, and it doesn’t mess around. Must-have: coca-dough flatbread topped with chorizo and thick wedges of anchovy ($4). (1141 Davie, 604-566-3960, MisTrucos.ca)

8. HABIT LOUNGE
The original incarnation of Habit burned down one year ago this week. Resurrected in September, with a new look and menu, we find the previously homey homage to 1970s Canadiana replaced with a dark and funky, soul-soundtracked, leather-appointed love-in where you get to make your own kitsch cocktails from a tailored bento-box kit. The food is of the comfort genre, well-suited to the ’hood and times. Must-have: Brie-and-carrot perogies dolloped with chive sour cream ($11). (2610 Main, 604-877-8582, HabitLounge.ca)

7. THE DIAMOND
Gastown’s popular second-floor Diamond, in Gassy jack Square, might be my favourite spot to sip slow on a quality cocktail or three, but I love this hot-spot on the food front, too. Though there isn’t much of a kitchen (induction cooking only), they do surprisingly well with the tools they have, churning out a variety of Asian-inspired soups and Vietnamese sub sandwiches that hit the spot. Must-have: plump gyoza with Sloping Hills pork and chives ($5). (6 Powell, no phone, Di6mond.com)

6. L'ALTRO BUCA
Parkside, Chef Andrey Durbach and business partner Chris Stewart’s justly acclaimed fine-dining spot, was the first Vancouver restaurant to undergo a recession-accelerated overhaul this year. L’Altro Buca (“the other hole”) opened in its place in late March, the menu a carbon copy of the owners’ casual, Italian-themed La Buca, on the West Side. Thankfully, the space remains as romantic, well-served, and tucked away as before – and the food is delicious. Plus, the bill is considerably less expensive. Must-have: truffled potato gnocchi with braised-chicken ragu ($19.50). (1906 Haro, 604-683-6912, AltroBuca.ca)

5. REFUEL
Sneaking in under the wire for 2009 is Refuel, the just-opened re-imagining of the award-winning Fuel Restaurant. Similar to Gastropod/Maenam next door, Fuel/Refuel went from pricey fine dining to accessibility without surrendering an ounce of quality or attention to detail. I’ve been twice already, and have savaged much of the menu, a card that strokes the heartstrings convincingly enough to warrant a spot on this list without reservation (watch for my review in next week’s WE). Must-have: double-battered buttermilk-fried chicken with jalapeno-spiced biscuit, coleslaw and gravy ($18). (1944 West 4th, 604-288-7905, RefuelRestaurant.com)

4. LATITUDE
This modern, clean-lined 45-seater was designed by Evoke (see also Cascade Room, the new Irish Heather, Habit Lounge), so curvily ostentatious, it ain’t. It is, however, a breath of fresh air for a stretch of Main Street still largely caught in the pub doldrums, and comes complete with a carefully thought-out menu that flirts with the cuisines of all the wine-producing regions in the Americas (plus a wine list that does ditto). Must-have: Argentine asado-style flank steak covered in chimichurri sauce, served with smashed potatoes baked with cheese ($17). (3250 Main, 604-875-6246, LatitudeOnMain.com)

3. AU PETIT CHAVIGNOL
This cozy wine, cheese, and charcuterie bar – way out on East Hastings – is brought to us by the folks behind the Les Amis du Fromage chainlet. Accordingly, the menu is chock-a-block with tremendously good stuff. Spanish “de Bellota” ham? Check. Quebec’s ash-ripened Le Cendrillon cheese? Check. Well-priced wine list with plenty by the glass? Check. Kick-ass soundtrack? Check. There isn’t a single thing about it that I don’t completely adore. Must-have: a bubbling fondue of Emmenthal, Gruyere, Comté, and Beaufort cheese served with enough cornichons and bread cubes to explode a fat duck ($22). (845 East Hastings, 604-255-4218, AuPetitChavignol.com)

2. MARKET
When I first walked into international celebrity chef/restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Market, in the new Shangri-La hotel, last January, it took my breath away. Not only was it drop-dead sexy, it was effortlessly urbane, with a vibe that promised a proper coddling. The kitchen delivered refined, often locally-inspired dishes that were meticulously constructed and priced to compete with joints that are half the calibre. Must-have: rice-cracker-encrusted tuna with bright yellow emulsion of citrus and shriracha ($14). (1128 West Georgia, 604-695-1115, Shangri-La.com/Vancouver)

1. MAENAM
Nothing embodied the adaptive, ambitious, forward-thinking spirit of our restaurant scene more during this awful year than chef Angus An’s difficult decision to shutter his award-winning (but under-subscribed) fine-dining restaurant, Gastropod, in order to rebrand and refit it as a new Thai concept called Maenam. Hip and casual, but also affordable and expertly executed, it went beyond ersatz authenticity, basing its menu on recipes adapted from the Thai royal house. It’s a delicious adventure, one that delivers intense, deftly-balanced flavours, alongside a drinks list that means serious business. Without question, the best restaurant to open in 2009. Must-have: the Geng gwio warn, a spicy green curry of halibut with gingery grachai and clove-noted holy basil ($16). (1938 West 4th, 604-730-5579, Maenam.ca)