RAISING THE BAR
New tapas spot as good as those in Spain — without the chaos of overcrowded spaces
Get off the hill and into Whistler’s Bar Oso for a distinct taste of Spain and ham that will drive you nuts.
Bar Oso 4222 Village Square, Whistler, 604-962-4540 Open daily, 3 p.m. to midnight. Will open for lunch in April. baroso.ca
I was having a really crappy weekend in Whistler. The wind howled atop the mountain, moguls materialized and a snowboarder’s edge crashed into my back, just after I’d taken a spill on a mogul that appeared out of the gloom.
Thank god for Bar Oso. What a joy!
It’s always great to see new places open in Whistler given the low fertility rate in this regard, but I was especially happy with the birth of this Spanish tapas bar. If it weren’t for all the ski talk, I could have been in Barcelona or food-crazy San Sebastian where I’ve enjoyed late night tapas crawls. It wasn’t quite the gridlock of liquor and food-bearing bodies you’re up against in popular tapas bars in Spain, but who needs chaos?
Bar Oso’s tapas easily stands up to most of them (although definitely not Tickets Tapas Bar in Barcelona, run by the Adria brothers of El Bulli fame). I overheard a couple from Germany, familiar with San Sebastian, getting very excited about Bar Oso (which means bear). And it is a saner apres ski stop than, say, the popular Longhorn Saloon where you emerge with hearing and, sometimes, dignity loss.
It’s a Top Table venture — as is the chic Araxi a couple of doors down — and it’s overseen by the talented James Walt of Araxi. However, restaurant chef Jorge Munoz Santos runs the show. You’ll recognize some items from Araxi where he worked for five years previously, but Bar Oso is distinct — distinctly Spanish, that is.
He and his sous chef (another Spaniard) work behind the bar counter where movement is pretty much limited to spinning a 360. Prep work is done in a satellite kitchen at Araxi, but the finishing work is done behind the bar. The $8,000 Merrychef high-speed oven helps (it toasts bread in 40 seconds and they go through a lot of toast for the charcuterie boards) as does the sous vide machine. Other than that, there’s a single induction cooktop. Regard the whole bone-in Iberico de Bellota ham leg sitting on the counter in a jamon holder. The cured ham, a.k.a. pata negra, signals that this is serious tapas territory; it’s the finest Spanish ham from freerange pigs that feed on acorns.
“The taste of nuts is almost shocking,” says Walt. “If you close your eyes, you can taste it.”
This premium jamon is available on the charcuterie menu and it’s not cheap ($29.50), but if you can afford the luxury, it’s gorgeous.
I opted for variety — the fresh and cured charcuterie board ($25.50). Unlike many I encounter in Vancouver, this board came fully and generously loaded. It arrived with something I usually don’t order in silent protest — foie gras — but oh my, oh my, oh my!
I bit into the foie gras parfait not knowing what it was and I think I heard the Hallelujah Chorus ring out, it was so delicious.
Also on board were rabbit rilette, ham hock terrine, rabbit and duck liver terrine, Serrano ham, prosciutto, chorizo and another salami, along with pear, apple, black currant chutney, house pickles and toast.
I was on a roll. Another thing I try not to order is octopus, only because they’re known to be such intelligent creatures. Well, I did.
Bar Oso’s Octopus Jorge Style ($16.50) with potato confit was as tender as it could be and flecked with paprika and garlic. Simple and delicious and it’s one of the more rustic dishes.
Snacks (pintxos) of Spanish omelette ($3.50) and chilled prawn with quail egg and lime ($4.50) are simple but refined. King crab roll with salsa verde and yuzu (crab, wrapped in thin omelette) crossed into Japanese territory except for the salsa verde, which along with buttons of yuzu sauce were like gems, crowning the rolls.
I noted, as Munoz Santos was preparing a scallop dish that I didn’t have, he was grating fresh wasabi to go with it, as only high-end sushi chefs do; it was on a sharkskin grater, the traditional method for sushi chefs (I suppose, as long as sharks are being killed for food, why not use all of it).
Desserts are Araxi desserts, with the exception of the crema Catalana; we ordered the Valrhona chocolate tart and passion fruit cake with coconut and both were great; the tart wasn’t heavy or too dense, as it often is, and the cake was light but had depth.
There’s an outstanding wine list, creative gin and tonics (all the rage in Spain, says Walt), as well as sherry and a mix of classic and modern cocktails.
Have a drink and snack or order four or five dishes for a meal.
Top Table restaurants — Araxi, Cincin, Bluewater Cafe, West, Thierry — were acquired by the Aquilini Investment Group in 2014 and Walt appreciates the resources that came with it.
“We might not have been able to do Bar Oso had they not been with us,” he says.
As well, the Aquilinis own sustainable fisheries (sablefish, coho salmon) and farming (cranberries, blueberries, wine grapes) operations.
“They have a closeness to the farming community,” says Walt, “especially the patriarch.”
As well, Walt’s second Araxi cookbook is out this summer.
This time, he says, rather than restaurant food, the focus will be on their long table dinners with simpler recipes for serving family style.