Smitty’s Oyster house on Main Street Head Chef Alan Older will welcome a roster of Vancouver’s top culinary talent for a month-long Friday Night Paella Series at the popular Mount Pleasant seafood restaurant (3124 Main Street) starting on Friday, March 24.
During each date, Older will collaborate with a fellow chef to develop a unique recipe that offers a delicious spin on the signature Valencian staple of saffron-flavoured rice, meat, seafood and vegetables before both chefs prepare their creation on the restaurant patio and serve it up before the eyes of guests starting at 7 p.m.
The series kicks off with Chef Alvaro Montes de Oca (Ubuntu Canteen, Hapa Izakaya) on March 24 and continues with Chef Jose Galindo (The Sardine Can) on March 31 and Slim’s BBQ’s Oscar Rubio on April 7 before wrapping up on April 14 with an guest appearance by Christian Chaumont, current Co-Owner and Head Chef at The Painted Ship.
Older has made Paella Nights a can’t-miss staple on the weekly calendar at Smitty’s Oyster House on Main Street since it opened in the former home of The Five Spot in late 2021. He first developed his love for the dish while helming the kitchen of a popular seafood restaurant in Playa del Carmen, where it was a Sunday night menu staple.
“I’m excited to team up with these fellow Paella fans and see what new flavours and inspiration they will bring to the menu,” says Older. “Paella is such a great dish to collaborate on. Everyone that makes it has their own way of doing it, and there’s no right or wrong, other than the golden rule: cook it ‘low and slow.’ The keys to a great paella are time, fresh ingredients, a pinch of saffron and a lot of love.”
Smitty’s Oyster House on Main Street will also offer a special wine feature: Beronia Rioja Reserva from La Rioja Spain for $13/$19/$50 (6oz/9oz/bottle) on the Paella Nights.
Guests in the mood to keep the good times going can stick around for Late Night Happy Hour from 10 p.m. to close and enjoy food and drink features like 16oz sleeves of Steamworks, Phillips, Red Truck and Bridge Brewing craft beer ($6.50), glasses of house red and white wine ($7), raw oysters ($2.50), panko-breaded pan-fried oysters ($3.25), Salt Spring Island mussels & Fries ($15), crab cakes ($18) and more.
