So, let me tell you about this gem I stumbled upon in Vancouver – Folke. Now, I'm not exactly a vegan, but I do appreciate a killer menu when I see one. And let me tell you, Folke's menu is giving The Acorn a serious run for its money in the vegan department. And remember how Heirloom was supposed to be an elevated vegan/vegetarian experience? Well, no need for jokes about that anymore, thanks to Deborah – seems like she sorted them out!
Food:
Team Tastic came here for a Sunday evening dinner and on their tasting menu ($85 per person), I enjoyed the following:
- Charred Cabbage Salad
- Daikon Umeboshi
- Tartlet with Chutney
- Tater Tot
- Beet Tartare
- Carrots
- Chickpea Tofu
- Tapioca Dumpling
- Soba
- Celery Root
- Squash Agnolotti
- Side Bread
- Sunchoke Mousse
The charred cabbage salad, daikon umeboshi, tartlet with chutney, and tater tot came as a petit-fours to whet the taste buds and begin the escalation into vegan nirvana. Little bites of vegan heaven to kick things off. That cabbage salad had this crunchy, smoky goodness that had me hooked from the start.
Clockwise from top-left: Tater Tot, Daikon Umeboshi, Tartlet with Chutney, Charred Cabbage Salad
Moving on to larger plates, the beet tartare was up next. Featuring a medley of green strawberry, elderflower, and hazelnut, this dish, like many others during the evening, looked so much like the real deal, you wouldn't believe it's vegan. And don't get me started on the chickpea tofu – dipped in kale saag, it was a flavor explosion I didn't know I needed in my life.
The carrots was no different. The bbq glaze provided plenty of sweetness to counteract the pinto beans and dance with the ‘bread & butter’ pickles. The carrots had a mochi-like texture to them giving them an extra bit of chew and batter – very fun!
My favourite dish this evening came early and it was the chickpea tofu. The kale saag was the best dipping experience for the lightly-crusted tofu and I never knew batter could taste this good. I'd even want this batter on regular meat if it were an option. Sunchokes made their first of many appearances on this dish so I guess it should be forewarned that you should expect some repetition of ingredient on the tasting menu even if they get prepared different ways.
Moving into the Asian side of the tasting menu, the tapioca dumpling was a translucent piece of dough filled with mushroom xo and drenched in a light ponzu. I could eat like 8 of these and I appreciate the kitchen trying to elevate the classic and widely-accessible staple of Chinese cooking.
Another Asian dish came down the line as a bowl of soba. You can't get this on the a la carte menu. It's only seasonally available on the tasting menu. These buckwheat noodles had a ton of graininess to them and came submerged in a list miso broth topped with very plump king oyster mushrooms. If I was worried about feeling full, which I wasn't, this dish definitely brought me much closer to the edge after consuming it.
The celery root was up next and this featured a tangy and crunchy mix of dill pickle, capers, and sorrel leaves. I didn't feel particularly wowed by anything here but appreciated that I wouldn't be able to get this anywhere else.
The pasta of the night was a squash agnolotti, and this dish would gave Savio Volpe a run for its money. Decorated with a vegan cheese that tasted just like the real thing, and crispy sage that would literally disintegrate upon contact, this pasta was a homey dream on a bowl, and was the fastest we finished a plate this evening. The side bread served with ghee was a carb-lovers dream and I was there soaking up every last bit of the squash-based pasta sauce from my plate.
Dessert for this night was a sunchoke mousse (yay, more sunchoke!). I don't know how they did it, but they pureed the sunchoke and turned it into an ice cream-like mousse and ice cream that reminded me of a sticky toffee pudding. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how they pulled that off.
Vibes:
Folke takes up residence in the old remains of Super Hiro's, a sushi spot that never really stood out amongst the cheaper Japanese places in the area. In its place, Folke decorates its space with an air of nature in its dried plants but in an understated elegance with lots of pendant lamps and a tiny window connected to a bar.
This bar is where Team Tastic was seated tonight and it was very cool seeing the tickets pour into the kitchen and the 3 staff move around like clockwork in their cooking and serving of each plate. The dining room has seating for about 40 guests and it feels very spacious despite the narrow L-shaped corridors.
Service:
The best place to get service at Folke is definitely at their open kitchen bar. Here, we were served our dishes directly by the kitchen team who took their time to explain each dish, and maybe even appreciated the fact they didn't have to walk a large U-shape to get to another table in the dining room. The guys were fun to talk to and made their jobs look easy which is a rarity in such a difficult career in hospitality. Food was pretty rapid, with turnover of plates and new ones being served every few minutes.
The biggest surprise in service was how gratuity was already included in the $85/person tasting menu. That makes me feel like Folke is one of the best values of tasting menu experiences in Vancouver because I could just as easily go to a Cactus and order a 3-course meal for the same price. Could Folke simply be underrated in the city of Vancouver and creativity in their menu was the only way to compete on price? I can get behind that kind of story.
We made our reservations 2 days in advance and 5pm was the only timeslot remaining. As such, I'd recommend making a reservation for any party size to avoid disappointment.
Final Thoughts:
One-liner: Vancouver has a new top candidate for best value vegan tasting menu at Folke, and I don't think it's going away anytime soon
Highlight: Chickpea Tofu
Price per person: $90 per person, including gratuity!
Would I go back? Yes.