NOVA Kitchen & Bar has opened their second location at 1764 Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver with the official grand opening set for Monday, September 7. Their first restaurant opened in Port Moody this past June.
NOVA was named after the astronomical term for a new star. The menu covers steak, West Coast seafood, cocktails and more. Their beef is 100% Canadian Certified Angus Beef.
The new restaurant has warm lighting, brick walls, wood tables and curved leather booths. I found the dining room polished and approachable for a casual setting.
We began with the Crispy Corn Ribs over hummus with pickled onions, radish, pistachio dukkah and mint. The corn had a natural sweetness and a nice char around the edges. I liked eating it with the hummus and dukkah. The pickled onions brought some acidity to the dish.
The Lamb Polpette & Chèvre is another starter we tried. These were lamb meatballs in a roasted pepper tomato pomodoro with chèvre and mint gremolata. The meatballs were tender, and the lamb flavour was balanced. The chèvre melted slightly into the warm tomato sauce, giving it a creamy and tangy taste.
One of my favourites was the Five-Spice Pork Belly, slow cooked for three hours and served with roasted cauliflower, apple chutney and sherry gastrique. The pork belly was caramelized on the outside and tender inside. I enjoyed each bite with the apple chutney. The sweetness worked nicely with the pork.
Another main we enjoyed was the Ranch & Sea Prawns which came with a grilled 10-ounce New York striploin, prawns, seasonal vegetables, baby potatoes and béarnaise sauce. NOVA’s Canadian Certified Angus Beef is aged for up to 45 days. The steak had a good sear and was tender. The prawns had the béarnaise sauce which added to the flavour. This was a substantial surf & turf-type of entrée.
The Lobster Mac & Cheese is a must-try side. Served in a cast-iron dish, it is made with 70% of an Atlantic lobster tail, mornay sauce and herb panko breadcrumbs. There were pieces of lobster throughout the creamy macaroni, with a layer of toasted breadcrumbs on top.
I tried the non-alcoholic Hive Mind, made with grapefruit, NOA Italian bitter, non-alcoholic sparkling wine, Queen Elizabeth Park honey and thyme. It was citrusy, a little bitter and not overly sweet. The thyme came through lightly. It was a good drink to have between bites of the richer dishes.
Dessert was the Nova-misu, made with espresso, mascarpone, Tia Maria and dark chocolate. It was served in a glass cup with cocoa powder over the top. The mascarpone was light and creamy, with a nice espresso flavour.
My picks from the meal were the Lobster Mac & Cheese, Five-Spice Pork Belly and Nova-misu.
NOVA Kitchen & Bar North Vancouver
1764 Lonsdale Avenue
North Vancouver, BC
