“My overall vision for Riley’s has everything to do with exceeding our guests’ exceptions from the time they walk in the door to the time they leave,” Jérôme says.

The latter come in three variations (grand, deluxe and king), with delicacies like halibut ceviche, marinated mussels and clams, freshly shucked oysters and snow-crab legs. Other menu items that Jérôme is especially excited about are oysters Rockefeller (the mollusks baked with buttered spinach and topped with a rock-crab Béarnaise sauce) and Riley’s succulent, chilled seafood towers. Where I grew up near Lyon there were a number of wineries, so coq au vin was a staple in our household.” “The coq au vin reminds me of home and the meals that my mom would cook for my father.

“I started cooking with my mother every Sunday for the family at a young age, which kickstarted my love for food,” Jérôme says. The elevated comfort dish of red-wine-braised chicken pieces with glistening pearl onions, densely flavourful forest mushrooms and thick strips of cured pork belly is especially close to the chef’s heart. Consider the shaved foie gras and red-wine jus that accompany steak and frites, the pillowy-soft indulgence of house-baked brioche (with garlic, Gruyère, whipped butter, smoked Maldon salt and lobster oil), the velvety tarragon-infused Béarnaise sauce as an option to go with char-grilled prime cuts and lobster Thermidor, the toothsome meat cooked in a decadent wine sauce before being stuffed back into the shell and browned. While Riley’s isn’t a French restaurant, there’s evidence of Jérôme’s classical training and technique all across the menu. Also among his colleagues is another Michelin-ranked chef, Joël Robuchon, who is credited for creating the best mashed potatoes in the world-and at Riley’s you can taste Jérôme’s take on the famous dish. He has worked alongside culinary authorities such as Paul Bocuse (who founded one of the world’s most rigorous international cooking competitions) and Daniel Boulud (a fellow Lyonnais native who has dining establishments in New York City, Dubai and beyond). Born and raised in Lyon, France, he brings years of experience in some of Europe’s best restaurants, eight of them Michelin-starred, to Vancouver, having previously held roles here at both Coast and Black & Blue. Heading the kitchen is executive chef Jérôme Soubeyrand. Occupying and expanding the former home of Tourism Vancouver right near the cruise ship terminal, the 240-seat room, with a wine wall and bar facing the water, marries Coast’s focus on fresh fish and seafood from eastern and western waters (think everything from PEI pink moon oysters and Atlantic lobster to Haida Gwaii halibut and Qualicum Bay scallops) with Black+Blue’s expertise in Canadian and US prime beef. He remains an integral part of the company, where Top Chef Canada Season 7 competitor Dennis Peckham is GRG corporate chef. The restaurant takes its name from Sean Riley, Emad’s very first employee and executive chef, who used to work for him in Toronto and who rode his motorcycle across the country to help him open Glowbal over two decades ago. Now, the group founded by Egyptian-born restaurateur Emad Yacoub is adding Riley’s Fish & Steak to its portfolio, and it’s the jewel in the crown. Across from Canada Place is one of the most exciting restaurants to open in Vancouver this year.Įven if you don’t know the Glowbal Restaurant Group by name, chances are you’ve dined at one of its hot spots: Glowbal, Trattoria, Coast, Black+Blue, or Italian Kitchen, to name a few. – Words by Joanne Peters Photography by Lia CroweĪ menu that travels from ocean depths to open pastures, natural light pouring through floor-to-high-ceiling windows, glam forest-green and matte-gold accents, and all kinds of plants-tall, hanging, climbing, and lush.

Coq tactics