Fresh Fare In A Hip Neighbourhood
A lineup at Crave is not unusual. That’s partly because it’s a small space, and certainly because reservations are not accepted. It’s the fresh, well-prepared fare that draws constant repeat business. Owned and operated by Wayne Martin, a well-regarded former Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Vancouver, Crave is an expression of his attitude about good food. He is joined by sous-chef Scarlet Gaffney, who used to work at the Fairmont Waterfront.

Pro-Fusion, Not Confusion
Perhaps fusion is an overused word in the restaurant realm, but it’s really the only way to describe the unpretentious menu at Crave. Unlike some fusion eateries, diners here don’t have to deal with a confusion of too many unrelated choices. Brunch items, for example, include a fruit bowl, homemade buttermilk pancakes with whipped cream and fruit, a granny smith apple and goat cheese omelette, a smoked salmon and scallion croissant with a scallion scramble and buttery potatoes, and a Dungeness crab cake Benny. At lunch or dinner, diners can start off with a home-style daily soup, move onto a herbed organic chicken breast and roasted beet salad with goat cheese, greens and pumpkin oil dressing. Or, maybe it will be a buttermilk-fried chicken Cobb salad, then an old-fashioned dig into popcorn shrimp with a creamy chilli sauce. Other items include a pulled pork and slaw sandwich, an organic Crave burger, a smoked black cod Nicoise salad, and a sundried tomato and basil meatloaf with organic ground beef and green peppercorn sauce.

Home On the Range
Free range meats are a big feature at Crave, including free-run chicken breasts, organic ground beef, bacon, sausages, buffalo spare ribs and wild-game chorizo.