AnnaLena

AnnaLena Kitsilano Vancouver recently opened for 3 months and high on our radar. We are not only excited because it is opened by former chef of The Oakwood, Mike Robbins but also Jeff Parr also formerly of The Oakwood and Chambar.

AnnaLena is named after combining the first names of Chef Mike Robbin's grandmothers. Aww... But it sounds sophisticated and personable, much like the restaurant itself. This new eatery took over the space from the Kits Daily Kitchen and turned it into something fun yet refined.

The interior is simple but what caught our eye was the Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking cookbook on the shelf. So be it if it takes 50 steps to create the best tasting dish! Also lining the walls are Bearbrick series and Lego.

If you pay attention, you will notice the "Tetris Bar".

Heirloom Tomato Salad 15: house cured bacon, burrata, sesame seeds, adolescent arugula. I love burrata cheese. And I love the smokiness of the bacon against the creaminess of mozzarella. The slightly peppery bitterness of the arugula contrasts well with the sweetness of local heirloom tomatoes. Winning salad to start the meal.

Garlic Confit Lobster 22: Seared mirepoix, potato, lobster bisque, lemon gel. Remember that time when Vancouver was under fog? When the Vancouver fog cancelled flights? Or when only the tree tops poked out from foggy Metro Vancouver? This soup reminds me of that. The presentation is beautiful. At the base of this soup is lemon gel, and a sauteed mixture of vegetables like onions, carrots, celery and lobster morsels. This soup is fragrant and robust in flavors. I appreciate consuming a finely constructed lobster bisque. It is too arduous to make at home.

Lamb Neck 26: grilled asparagus, chimicurri, charred yogurt, tomato anchovy dressing. Lamb neck is inexpensive, tender and full of flavor. Like oxtail, neck meat also has plenty of collagen. This dish is simplistic in terms of its ingredients; but make no mistake, it is about showcasing finesse and technique. This dish is fresh for the summer. The chimicurri,charred yogurt sauce and salty tomato anchovy dressing really lighted the mood.

This new Modern Canadian comfort restaurant in Kitsilano is a gem. We can't wait to come back for more and to try their Brunch menu.

AnnaLena Brunch menu features around Eggs Benedicts. Beef Brisket, Tuna Belly, Pork Belly, and a Breakfast Sandwich like McDonald's (only with better ingredients). Sounds like the best hangover cure to me. "Benedictator brunch" are Saturday and Sunday between 10 am to 1:45 pm.

Done for the night? Damn these tiny graham cookies with cream are to die for. I can eat ten!

Vibe: 100
Creativity: 100
Taste: 100
Service: 100
Experience: 100

I cannot recommend AnnaLena enough. I have eaten at a lot of restaurants but I can easily say, one of their dishes was hands down the best thing I have ever tasted in my life. Yes, it is a little pricey but in my opinion, well worth it. Go on a date, or just to treat yourself, or with your bff. It's so so good.

The Michelin star here is well deserved.

The food was creative, flavorful, and cooked to perfection. Service was great as well.
This was the best meal we had in Vancouver and we all had a great time.

We had a very very long travel day and were honestly so exhausted when we arrived we had zero interest in a tasting menu. We were also starving. We had very low expectations which were beyond exceeded!

I am so happy to share I had such a great experience dining at AnnaLena. As a vegetarian who enjoys fine dining, it is so rare to come by an establishment which knows how to not only make vegetables taste out of this world, but to leave you feeling perfectly full. I completely felt that after leaving this restaurant after enjoying the tasting menu!

There were 10 courses and they were all absolutely spectacular as was the service. Everything was amazing! I highly recommend and wish I lived in Vancouver just so I could enjoy this restaurant again!

Managed to snag a reservation at the now 1-starred Michelin eatery and take a friend who was visiting and another who was new to town.

I still think that out of Vancouver's Michelin list, Annalena is a place that deserves to be on there. The last time I was at AnnaLena was when I was about to graduate from high school in 2016, when they still did a la carte and I got the sablefish, but the food quality is just as I remember it.

The food portion wise was slightly smaller now that it's become a prix fixe set menu, but my party left feeling full from all the course offerings and the richness of the food.

These are photos of their "Chapter 65" offering that goes until September 24th, before they move onto Chapter 66 and a whole new set menu.
My favorite was the surprise curry puff amuse bouche and my friends liked the truffle noodle + the torn bread (SO FLUFFY and intrinsically flavorful; you should save some to soak up the soups and sauces of the other dishes)

We were a little taken by surprise that the A5 Wagyu "skewers" we got as an add on were just one cube, and came in between courses. But to be expected I guess since it's wagyu and the good thing was that the melt-in-your-mouth taste and quality were definitely there.

This was my first tasting here. I loved it! Each and every morsel was delicious, the presentation exquisitely created. It was art in my mouth, eye candy for my pleasure. If I lived in or near Vancouver, I'd return over and over.

Anna Lena,

Opened by Chef Michael Robbins and Operations Manager Jeff Parr since 2015, AnnaLena is a sleek dark minimalist restaurant furnished with the finest upscale Italian aesthetics of the mid 2010s. Located in a quiet part of the street, This slim railroad type of space covered in dark terrazzo floors, the wood/stone paneling speak of a soft opulence hummed with vibes of a low volume chill out tunes of the same era.

In a way the appeal of AnnaLena is the mystery in dining in the dimly lit space. Plating is earthy, food is dark presentation making them difficult to photograph.

We had the tasting menu as did everyone else. Titled chapter sixty three, I'd imagine it denotes 63rd iteration?

Course one-
Turnip & Radish Crudité

Course two-
buratta, black garlic caesar, charcoal croutons

Course three-
Leek & Ramp Velouté
king oyster mushroom, green garlic, torn

Course four-
bread Cacio e Pepe Spaghettini
smoked squid xo

Course five-
Lamb Saddle
fried lamb belly, asparagus, romesco jus

Course six-
Green Apple
maple caramel, miso ice cream, financier

Service was impeccable. Food delicious, menu flawlessly executed. There's really nothing to complain about. Even the quirky lego, Michael Jordan doll among other dolls and toy cars seem theoretically appropriate as they offset the austerity of the restaurant business.

ABSOLUTE LOVE.

I actually didn't know very much about this place at all until I surprised my gf with a trip to Vancouver and she made sure we could dine here at Annalena.

Now that they are 1-Michelin star, I think it's a bit hard for ressies to come by!

Right away just the vibe of the restaurant was soothing. Dark interiors, bold walls, funky decor. You know you're in for a swank experience. I didn't really know what the style of food was, but the drinks were funky and delicious, the flavors on each dish was pretty much explosive & cohesive at the same time, and the entire meal was excellent.

I particularly love their idea of engaging with your food in cleaner ways because we definitely feel more feasty when we pick food up, so a lot of creative ways to eat as well. Definitely recommend it!

I got lucky to get a reservation at AnnaLena the one night I was staying in Vancouver through the waitlist and it exceeded my expectations - and I had really high expectations from all the reviews and Michelin star!!

First of all, the service was amazing, the best I've ever had at a restaurant. Our waitress was really kind and explained the menu thoroughly. She even brought us a free glass of wine due to the previous party taking a little longer to leave making us wait a little. So worth the extra few minute wait haha.

Our menu was Chapter 63. We had poured through the menu online before coming which listed 5 set tasting courses. I was delightfully surprised to find that they gave 3 additional courses that weren't listed on the menu to try. They gave us 2 extra small appetizers at the beginning before the first course. Out of the 5 menu courses, the Smoked Squid Spaghettini was my favorite - the pasta was a perfect al dente, had the perfect amount of sauce and consistency and great flavor. I'm not a huge fan of squid, but the way it was cooked was so delicious, almost had a porky flavor. I also loved the bread that came with the second course, it was crispy and doughy and went so well with the sauce. The 3rd additional course they gave us was a small rice krispy and jelly at the end after dessert.

The tasting menu was $98 CAD which I thought was pretty affordable for a Michelin-starred tasting menu. I was also so full by the end of it. I highly recommend AnnaLena if you're in Vancouver, it's one of the best restaurants I've been too!!

Ambiance: simple and classy - lovely for date night! Super accommodating with dietary restrictions (I don't eat lamb or goat products so they replaced the meat on their menu with beef for me) Just let them know a day before hand :)

Food:
Overall, delicious with some interesting flavors and presentations. The highlight for sure was the bread. OMG at first we saw other tables and thought it was some sort of roasted cauliflower lol but no - it was the fluffiest, most buttery bread, ever. Super tasty and just soaks up all that nice sauce it's served with (literally soaks up all that nice umami flavor from the mushrooms). It was heaven.

The little bite sized treats at the end of the meal were also super interesting, especially the foie gras rice krispees. I really liked it - have never seen that combo before, liked that salty-sweet pair. Definitely interesting. My bf thought it was horrendous though lol, said the two should never be combined as they're fantastic on their own. I guess it's one of those love it/hate it foods.

Annalena is a combination of hype street aesthetics meets fine dining. They have cool figurines that blends seamlessly with the luxurious fine dining atmosphere. The tasting menu here is something to try out if you want to try some of their best dishes. They are highly deserving of the Michelin star that they have received and I would definitely recommend you make a visit! The service is also super attentive and everyone working there seems to really care about your dining experience
!