Review: Published On Main

Chicken liver mousse in between slices of a German cookie

After booking a table in late July, I finally had the chance to eat at Canada's top restaurant which happens to be in Vancouver.

Published on Main is a curious name for a restaurant that opened in December 2019 and has had rave reviews since then. Chef Gus Steiffenhofer-Brandson does not want to specify the cuisine he's serving, but rather the dishes evoke nostalgia, and uses local ingredients as much as possible.

I managed to snag a table at 6pm and recruited three foodie friends to go with me; three of us had never been before, while the fourth had been there several times.

Fried maitake mushrooms, look like chicken

The place is buzzing inside filled mostly with hipsters, and some older diners keen to catch the vibe. We sat near the back next to a long table of mainland Chinese customers who had a baby who would not stop crying later in the evening.

I did not know, but there is an option to order the set menu in advance, but since we didn't we were told to order a la carte, and actually I prefer the flexibility to choose whatever we wanted to eat. I have also heard the portions for the set menu has left diners still hungry.

Each of us chose two savoury dishes and they came out relatively fast -- though one starter, the daily special of heirloom tomatoes didn't show up because our server forgot...

First off the mark was chicken liver, creamy and smooth served between two long and thin crunchy slices of spekulatius cookies, or German spiced shortbread, and decorated with wild rose and preserved rose hip. We were immediately hooked. The contrast of textures and rich flavour of the chicken liver mousse was delicious.

Lovely heirloom tomatoes with burrata

Soon after came the chicken fried maitake, arrived like fast food fried chicken in a plastic basket, but was in fact delicately deep fried mushrooms that came with a garlic enhanced ranch dressing. A fun accessible dish that indicated the restaurant was definitely not the stiff, formal type.

Next came the miso-glazed octopus with crispy broccoli and spicy romanesco sauce. This dish was flavourful, but not particularly interesting. Perhaps it was too urbane with broccoli...

I was recommended to try the roasted Thumbelina carrots and they were extraordinarily sweet,  complemented with a cashew cilantro sauce. 

Ugly delicious is the only way to describe the cauliflower in green harissa sauce to give it a slight kick and came with a raisin caper condiment. I could eat this dish everyday.

Tender Fraser Valley duck breast with chanterelles

But where was our heirloom tomatoes? The server profusely apologised and it arrived with our mains. We were pleased to have large slices of the tomatoes together with small sweet round ones as well as a decent amount of burrata for which we paid extra. Needless to say this dish was a lovely taste of the late summer we've been having.

The roasted pork loin with new potatoes looked and tasted like a hearty stew with mushrooms. One of my friends joked she needed some rice to go with this dish. I had to agree. Sadly the restaurant doesn't serve complimentary bread to mop up the sauce.

Another favourite was the Fraser Valley duck breast with chanterelles and crispy corn masa cake. Each slice of duck was very tender, which contrasted nicely with the crispy corn texture. We had no problems polishing off this either.

I thought I only had room to try two desserts, but one of my fellow diners is a dessert fiend and we ordered four! Somehow I managed to find room to have a bite of each.

Hay custard with green apple and chamomile

They arrived at once but we tried the lighter-tasting ones first. Melon granita with sour cream ice cream tasted like a gourmet creamsicle that was anchored by a lemon cake base, while elderflower mousse came in intricately placed discs on a dollop of yoghurt sorbet and lemon verbena that was very refreshing. 

The dessert called "hay" was intriguing -- featuring aerated hay custard that looked like a giant beige blob decorated with green apple granita and chamomile. The custard did indeed have a whiff of hay, and interesting to try for first timers.

Finally the coffee dessert featured coffee mousse and thin discs of caramelia or milk chocolate and toffee on a bed of malted barley crumble hit the spot. There was an aromatic coffee flavour that really went well with all the elements, and a play of textures too. What a finish.

I'm looking forward to going again... in another two months.

Published On Main

Coffee mousse on a malted barley crumble

3593 Main Street

Vancouver, BC

604 423 4840