Vancouver Underground Dining Scene

truchwat · Nov 27, 2011

What are some underground restaurants in Vancouver? Thanks!

cheeseshredder · Nov 27, 2011

Chef Todd's Apartment 12B, No Fixed Address (NFA), Swallow Tail Supper Club, Vegan Secret Supper, Chef Alex Mok.

They haven't been very secret for a few years now and I'm not sure if all of them are still operating. Chef Alex Mok opened up a bisto so I doubt he's still in the underground kitchen business (see Caché Bistro and Lounge).

mission · Nov 27, 2011

What's special about underground dining?

MooGooMouse · Nov 28, 2011

When you say underground, do you mean

a) a concept/style outside the mainstream or

b) an area below street level?

In either case,

why? What would make either better than other restaurants? (Not judging you; just curious.)

Just go to Chinatown & follow your nose. (My usual advice to everybody.)

cheeseshredder · Nov 29, 2011

^Thrill appeal and potentially (not always) it's less expensive for the quality of food that you get.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_restaurant

An underground restaurant, sometimes known as a supper club or closed door restaurant, is an eating establishment operated out of someone's home, generally (though not invariably) bypassing local zoning and health-code regulations. They are, in effect, paying dinner parties. They are usually advertised by word of mouth or guerilla advertising, often on Facebook, and may require references to make a reservation. An underground restaurant is also known as a guestaurant, which is a hybrid between being a guest in a dinner party and a restaurant.

Underground restaurants are popular in Latin America, where they're known as either a paladar or a restaurante de puertas cerradas (closed door restaurant). Depending on local licensing laws, they may or may not be illegal; either way, they've been built into the culture for decades, and often have higher standards than many licensed establishments. They are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S.

The attraction of the underground restaurant for the customer is to sample new food, often at low cost outside the traditional restaurant experience, which can be expensive and disappointing—underground restaurants have been described as "anti-restaurants." They also generally provide a more intimate, dinner party style experience. For the host, the benefit is to make some money and experiment with cooking without being required to invest in a restaurant proper. "It's literally like playing restaurant," one host told the San Francisco Chronicle, "You can create the event, and then it's over."

In the UK Underground Restaurants and Supper Clubs have started to blossom, with reviews in leading newspapers such as The Times and The Guardian. They range across the UK but are mainly concentrated in London. These are advertised by word of mouth and on social media networks such as Facebook and MySpace and often have their own blog. They have grown so much in popularity that you can now find social networks dedicated solely to underground dining, as well as listings of events around the world. There are also some etiquette guidelines worth observing. The first UK charity supperclub, Parkholme Supper Club, was set up in September 2010, with all profits going to charity, and has proved to be a new fundraising source for charities, in this case Medecins Sans Frontieres.

mz_angel · Dec 1, 2011

that sounds really cool! does anyone know how i can make reservations? PM would be awesome if you dont want words to get out !

cheeseshredder · Dec 19, 2011

mz_angel said: ↑

that sounds really cool! does anyone know how i can make reservations? PM would be awesome if you dont want words to get out !

This is what I gathered online:

Chef Todd's Apartment 12B
778-389-7295
12breservations@gmail.com

No Fixed Address (NFA) - http://nfavancouver.tumblr.com/
http://www.facebook.com/NFAVancouver
nfa.reservations@gmail.com

Swallow Tail Supper Club - http://swallowtailsupperclub.blogspot.com/
theswallowdive@gmail.com

Vegan Secret Supper - http://www.vegansecretsupper.com/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=95883340401
vegansecretsupper@gmail.com

So much for secret haha, most of them have websites and a facebook group !

As for Chef Alex Mok, here's the page for the restaurant he recently opened:
Caché Bistro and Lounge - http://www.facebook.com/cachebistro

mz_angel · Jan 18, 2012

cheeseshredder said: ↑

This is what I gathered online:

AWESOME!!!!! thanks so much (Finally got a chance to come online, crazy holiday season) have you gone to any of these places before?? I am so tempted to try but kind of shy hehe

cheeseshredder · Jan 28, 2012

^I haven't . Thought about it but it's still a pricey meal. I'm the kind of person that dislikes fine dining portions.

FYI: Cache Bistro & Lounge has been featured on a couple of group buy sites lately (including Groupon).

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Vancouver Underground Dining Scene

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