Gord Martin, owner and executive chef of the hugely successful Bin 941 and Bin 942 restaurants and Go Fish seafood emporium on Granville Island, is one of the driving forces that has made Vancouver’s tapas and small plates scene what it is today.
URBAN DINER: Any learned advice for an aspiring restauranteur?
Gord Martin: Be careful if you don’t have any experience in restaurants. You need some skill to bring to the table to help run the business. You can’t be an owner/spectator and expect to become a huge success. It’s not all glamour like many people think. It’s long hours and a lot of hard work.
UD: What keeps you inspired in the kitchen?
GM: Cooking is an art. It’s always evolving for me. It’s a constant education. I also like to travel, which helps me discover different flavours and combinations.
UD: Okay, so you love to travel. Where and what was the last great meal you had?
GM: I just returned from Morrocco where I had an outstanding traditional lamb tajine and cous cous.
UD: What is Vancouver’s greatest strength as far as dining is concerned?
GM: I like what a lot of the local chefs have been doing with organic, wild, healthy and sustainable ingredients. It’s the right way to go.
UD: And our greatest weakness?
GM: Vancouver’s talent pool is getting pretty thin, especially in the kitchen. We are growing up too fast. Kids are coming out of cooking school wanting to open up their own restaurant without honing their skills in a real environment. As a result, the industry is having a hard time maintaining high standards and quality. I think we have too many restaurants in this city. We don’t have the population to support the number of restaurants we have.
UD: Are you working on any new restaurants?
GM: Oh, I don’t know (laughs). I’m keeping mum on that one.
UD: What restaurants would you recommend to visiting friends for a cross section of BC dining?
GM: Raincity Grill, Sun Sui Wah, West, Sooke Harbour, Prego, Octopus Garden.
UD: Say you’re an Iron Chef competitor and the secret ingredient is matsutake mushrooms. What 5 dishes are you making, and who are your preferred celebrity judges?
GM:
Dishes:
1. Matsutake baklava with truffle honey
2. Duck consommé matsutake splash madiera
3. Crab matsutake stuffed crimini mushrooms baked motoyaki style (Asian style Rockefeller)
4. Uni gazpacho, viognier steamed slices of matsutake, umeboshi ceviche of sea bream shiso leaves
5. Kobe carpaccio matsutake pate melted foie gras as a butter, spinach gomae with sesame halva, Asian pear slice, black salt togarashi
Celebrity Judges:
1. Jessica Rabbit
2. Fritz the Cat
3. Stewie from Family Guy
4. Jerome “Chef” McElroy Jr. from South Park
5. Erotica Jones aka Stripperella aka Secret Agent 69 a.k.a. Pamela Anderson
