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Asian
Glass Kitchen
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Everything Keith Pears put into his contemporary Thornhill space is deliberate, done with intention and emotion. The touches of rich green in the decor pay homage to his grandmother, who's name was Jade, who was an influential part of his childhood and of his culinary journey. He sources his bread from a local bakery, thinks about the colours, textures and full flavour profiles of every dish he serves, and adds touches that make them unique and personal. Even Glass Kitchen's location, a corner unit in a busy Thornhill plaza, was thought out, as was the decision to remain open for both lunch and dinner. It allows him to serve a more unique, complete menu, one that shows off his creativity and gives guests a chance to choose their own experience with modern Asian cuisine.
"Our food philosophy at Glass Kitchen is all about celebrating the beauty of simplicity and the power of flavour. We believe in letting the quality of our ingredients shine, using seasonal produce and locally sourced goods whenever possible," the Vancouver native says. "Our dishes are thoughtfully crafted to highlight the natural essence of each ingredient, with creative twists that surprise and delight the palate. Whether it's a classic favourite or a daring new creation, every dish tells a story of passion, innovation, and a commitment to delivering an unforgettable dining experience."
Both of Pears' parents are chefs, and his grandparents owned a Chinese Western cafe, so it seems like a natural progression for Pears to follow the same path. His journey has resulted in several accolades and appearances, like winning B.C. Chef of the Year, Food Network’s Chopped Canada, Canada’s Great Kitchen Party in Toronto and most recently, the national selection for the Bocuse d'Or competition. But everything always comes back to his roots.
"When I was a young cook, my mom had a dish on the menu, a Jakarta rack of lamb. And it was served with a sweet soy sauce and a peanut butter glaze, and then we would press it in almonds," Pears says. "So I kind of took that as an inspiration and tried to make it how I would make it. So for me, I always like balancing in terms of flavors - sweet, salty, acidic and spicy. And I think about textures. So that's why I add the pickled jalapenos to get some heat, get some acidity. And I put a little fish sauce caramel glaze on top, just to make the flavors have more impact. And then squeezing the fresh lime really helps bring the freshness."
"We have a few different variations of tartines. This one, we actually make the salmon in-house. It's about a three-day process. We cure it with citrus, coriander, different spices, salt, and sugar. And after that, we smoke it with applewood chips. And then after that we let it dry in the fridge for a day and then we hand-slice it," Pears says. "So this is flavors of a banh-mi. So the focaccia is a quick nod to your baseline of sourdough. I just try to do things differently, but it's very classic, served on sourdough. But underneath you have a garlic mayo as you would have in a banh-mi, I pickle the cucumbers, so that gives it that acidity. Throw on some cilantro, cucumbers, daikon. Smoked salmon on top, and then just some more dots of the garlic aoli."
Of course, Glass Kitchen's menu also boasts a twist on a classic item, a smoothie bowl. "A lot of people compare it to their vacations," Pears says. "But it's acai based, and then we put just a lot of fresh fruit on top: bananas, passion fruit - we make a passion fruit gel, a little bit of coconut. We have a quinoa granola to give it some texture." The result is a brightly coloured dish that's a healthy and satisfies the sweet tooth.
Pears also combines comfort American food with Asian influences to create a gluten-free chicken and waffle variation. "Instead of a regular waffle, it's a bubble shape, but it's just a traditional waffle batter. It's not an Asian style where it's very light and eggy. This is a multigrain-based waffle that we season with black sesame and charcoal powder to make it black. And then the fried chicken, we marinate it for three hours. And then we double fry it." It's served with a chili maple on the side.
Smooth and creamy, Pears' take on seafood and eggs gets a Southern twist. The portions are healthy and filling, with Hokkaido scallops, shrimp, asparagus and more mixing together surrounded by herbs and spices. "It's kind of like an egg pudding, it's very slowly scrambled around on the burner. And it turns out very soft and velvety. We finish it with cheddar cheese and Parmesan on top as well as molten salt, a little bit of garlic aoli, some oven dried tomatoes. And then just some crispy rice pearls for some texture."
There are three different types of pancakes on the menu, each unique and sweet. The biscoff version focuses heavily on the cookie and satisfies any sweet tooth. "There's vanilla whipped butter on the side. And the highlight is the Biscoff, so we crumble some Biscoff cookies and turn it into a powder, serve it with a Biscoff cookie, and then we make a sauce with some of this Biscoff syrup. And then we also put the cookie spread in between each layer." Pears makes different Biscoff syrups for different dishes, and the pancake version uses one specifically made for the dish.
Another Biscoff syrup goes into the latte. It feels like the cookie has already been dipped into the latte, adding a touch of sweetness to a classic breakfast drink. It's made at a big, open-concept, Jade-decorated bar in the middle of the restaurant.
The zero-proof cocktail is like a tropical destination in a cup, designed to mimic the colour and pattern of an actual sunrise. It's made with pineapple, orange, lime, rose and grenadine.
Another unique concoction, the Citrus Bloom uses chrysanthemum combined with grapefruit, tea and lemonade to create a light, fizzy, zero-proof cocktail that's perfect for lunch or dinner. It transitions well for a variety of occasions, seasons and times, as the unique flavour profile serves as a representation for Pears' menu as a whole: versatile, flavourful and satisfying.
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