My First U-Feast Experience at Memphis Blues

Everyone knows the foodie scene in Vancouver has exploded over the past few years and is growing stronger and stronger by the minute. It’s really great to know that certain events, festivals, and opportunities on the east coast are now slowly starting to trickle here to the west. Take U-Feast for example, it’s a very successful pop-up dining experience from Toronto where they bring together foodies to wine and dine in an intimate and exclusive setting.

U-Feast’s kick off event was at Memphis Blues Barbeque Smoke House on Commercial Drive. The epic dining experience was pretty much a test kitchen for the chef because everything that was served was off the menu. Every item was also paired with premium craft beer by Russell Brewing Company.

Essentially how U-Feast works is that you go on their website, choose the restaurant experience you want to attend, and pay online (almost as if you were paying for a concert ticket). Now, all you have to do is show up, wine and dine gluttonously, and leave when you’re full. No need to worry about paying, tipping, or splitting the bill. Everything is taken care of!

First up was the Smoked Charcuterie Plate consisting of turkey liver mousse, lowcountry whole hog terrine, brisket jerky, homemade cheese, chicharron, and homemade mustard. A loved the concept of using everything from nose to tail, and the homemade cheese with mustard was on point. Great appetizer to share.

While I didn’t enjoy the first couple sips of the Michaelada Boilermaker (Beer Cocktail), this gradually grew on me and after a couple more sips, I looked down and it was empty. Whoops. 😛

This is the Brewmaster’s Series Eastern Promises Czech Pilsner from Russell and this rich, complex malt beer was delicious as an accompaniment to the first course. I generally like lighter beers and this one was right up my alley.

I actually had no idea what Scrapple was before I saw this on the menu. And I’m not too proud to admit I actually googled it!! 😛 Scrapple is essentially a mush made of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal.

The chef elevated this Scrapple by adding a fried quail egg, collard green sauerkraut, and a tamarind BBQ sauce. While I loved how rustic and old school this dish was, it was quite salty and flavourful (which isn’t a bad thing but I’m just not used to that much salt).

This was my favourite dish of the night. The Chicken Fried Cauliflower with watermelon rind mostarda and turkey gravy. If all veggies can be fried like this, I can easily be a vegetarian.

Last but not least is the Pull Your Own Taco. And you heard right. It’s “pull” your own taco, not make your own taco. This 12-hour smoked pork shoulder literally arrived at our table in one giant piece, ready for us to shred tableside. How friggin cool is that?!

The pork just melted in your mouth and the smoke, fat, and juices all blended together harmoniously into one.

The taco station had all the fixin’s including pico de gallo, chicharron, sweet pickled onions, Alabama white sauce, corn tortillas (YAAAAS), and butter lettuce.

 

As if we didn’t have enough food already, we were blessed with a slice of Buttermilk Pie to round off the night. Now, I’ve never had Buttermilk Pie before but god damn this was good. Think of it as a condensed milk custard pie, and that is essentially what it tastes like. Next to it is a tart rhubarb compote which went perfectly with the sweet pie.

All in all, U-Feast is a great addition to the Vancouver food scene and I wish them the best of luck in getting grounded here in this city! Take a look at their upcoming pop-ups – they have one at Vijs and that one is sold out already!

Service Rating: N/A

Food Rating: 4/5

Price: $$$$

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating!