All eyes will be on the east coast of Vancouver Island this week, as the eagerly anticipated Nanoose Bay Cafe has now officially opened its doors, offering a fresh take on coastal classics, grounded by Asian ingredients and flavours; warm and welcoming service; and an unequivocal commitment to its new Vancouver Island community.
The multi-concept space is the creation of veteran hospitality partners Eli Brennan, Alan Tse, and Chef Todd Bright, and includes a full restaurant and bar, coffee shop and marketplace, all family-run and centered around local ingredients, products, and suppliers. It’s an evolution of their brand, which also includes renowned sister restaurants Qualicum Beach Cafe, and Water St. Cafe in Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhood.
“We’re thrilled to bring so much to this historic location,” said Brennan. “We’ve known since our first visit that this place has always been important here, as a gathering place and the heart of the community. We’re keeping all of that, adding more products and services, and bringing an elevated Vancouver Island dining experience that we know will satisfy local guests and visitors alike.”
For Chef Bright, Nanoose Bay Cafe also represents a return to his roots. He began his career at the age of 17, apprenticing at a Chinese restaurant in Australia, then made a name for himself as he climbed the ranks to Executive Chef of Wild Rice in Vancouver, where his innovative yet approachable marriage of Asian flavours with sustainable, local ingredients quickly drew accolades.
The menu at Nanoose Bay Cafe is expansive, with familiar coastal classics alongside dishes that incorporate his signature balance of rich and resonant Asian flavours, all featuring local ingredients. Dishes include shrimp toast with sweet chilli lime dipping sauce, traditional West Coast chowder, fresh oysters, classic cioppino, miso-sake marinated Sablefish, and honey-soy braised short rib. There’s also a mouth-watering list of dumplings filled with local ingredients, and wok-fired options like salt and pepper squid, Szechuan beans and mushrooms, and sweet and sour pork.
Local products and artisan goods also get top billing in the Coffee Shop + Marketplace, where the coffee is from French Press Coffee Roasters, based in Qualicum Beach, and a list of over 30 local vendors has already been assembled to adorn the Marketplace shelves. Local ingredients are also vital to the restaurant, with suppliers like Nanoose Bay’s own Natural Gift Seafood and Echo Valley Farms.
The full restaurant, patio and bar is open for lunch, dinner and Happy Hour and seats 145 people, while the Coffee Shop has room for 30. It was all designed by Brennan and Sherry Haddow of Vancouver-based Studio Series Design, who also worked with the restaurant team on Water St. Cafe and Qualicum Beach Cafe. For Nanoose Bay Cafe they created a warm, elegant space inspired by the ocean, forest, and marina, and by the history of the building and Schooner Cove, plus some Gastown flair in a nod to the restaurant group’s origins. The project was led by Vancouver-based Pacific Contracting Solutions, while millwork, painting, electrical, and trades were all completed by skilled local labourers. The venue also includes private dining, with room for up to 200 guests indoors, or for 150 at private outdoor functions and public and charity events, including live music, movie nights, car shows, markets and community-based events.
Reservations are open now for lunch, dinner or Happy Hour at the Nanoose Bay Cafe website: nanoosebaycafe.com.
