Cuchillo [cu-CHEE-yo]
1. Modern Pan-Latin tapas with unique & classic cocktails in JapaGasRailtown.
2. One of the sexiest rooms in town(s).
3. Spanish for “knife.”
I admit, I had to look up the definition of Cuchillo, and this is what I sleuthed out. All of the above are correct, and I have a couple other points of my own to put down in the dictionary:
4. Wicked Latin American heavy wine list.
5. Delicious menu to devour by eyes and mouth.
The room is long and narrow, centered with a long, communal table, which is paralleled by the bustling bar. Further down, the open kitchen pass is covered with mysteriously playful mosaic skulls. Exposed wood, beams, brick and bulbs feel worn and welcoming, especially on the packed Wednesday night when I slid in last week.
Though Cuchillo is new to Vancouver’s electric dining scene, Chef Stu Irving has yielded his knife in town before—famously as co-owner and chef at Gastown’s Cobre until it closed a couple of years ago. A welcome return in summer 2013, he continues with the Central/South American flavors and spices he handles so well, but now with Cuchillo, through enticingly sharable small plates. The tight menu is divided into neat sections: Ceviche (si!), Taqueria (Pulled Duck y Cracklin’), Ensalada (Grilled EVO Local Octopus Confit), Antojitos (little bits and snackies and you must try the chipotle y sea salt fry bread) and La Mesa (larger plates, divided into triads, so you can share with your amigos). Food comes out when it’s ready, in waves of tasty, spicy, huitlacoche-imbued deliciousness. Chef Irving plays with flavor combinations from across Central and South America, injecting a hearty and proud dose of local ingredients in wherever possible. I’m pretty sure pan-roasted Paradise Valley pork tenderloin with fig and hazelnut pipian, molé pan jus atop a croqueta of autumn squash isn’t a traditionally prepared dish, but it’s damn tasty enough that it could be.
Any spice on the food is easily slaked by the smart cocktail list by local celebrated bartender “H.” Reflective of the menu’s Pan-Latin spectrum, “H” has concocted tempting bevies like the gutsy El Pelonchas (whisky, mezcal, ginger-infused agave syrup, lemon) and dangerously smooth talking El Romero Sazerac (Buffalo Trace, rosemary and chili pineapple syrup, Spanish bitters, peychauds bitters, absinthe rinse). Tequila flights are pre-made for you, grouped trios of dangerous liquid gold to work through, including many I hadn’t yet tried. *Mental note—remedy that.
The concise wine list reads like a lyric poem on South America, with well selected asides to complementing regions. Consulting sommelier David Stansfield is well practiced at honing in on just the right bottle to complement specific dishes and flavors. Eight wines on tap mean glass pours are always fresh and lively, like Nichol 9 Mile Red (St. Laurent and Pinot Noir, at sunked cellar temp). It’s always a good sign to see bottles of Telmo Rodriguez Basa (Verdejo/Viura/Sauvignon Blanc) on a list, with my mental universe granting big bonus points to De Martino Viejas Tinajas Cinsault (aged in amphora). And dry-farmed, old vine Chilean Carignan from Canepa Benovino? Increíble! Game winner and possibly life changing. Don’t believe me? Slide into Cuchillo—it’s as sharp as a knife.
Cuchillo || 261 Powell Street, Vancouver || cuchillo.ca
Follow on Facebook: CuchilloYVR
Track on Twitter: @CuchilloYVR
