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The Hired Belly: Thai chef tries again in trendy Kits

The last time I bumped into Montri Rattanaraj he told me he was “working on something.” Mind you, he’s been saying that for years — ever since 2006 when he gave up his legendary restaurant at Broadway’s west end.

The last time I bumped into Montri Rattanaraj he told me he was “working on something.” Mind you, he’s been saying that for years — ever since 2006 when he gave up his legendary restaurant at Broadway’s west end.

It’s interesting how things unfold in the restaurant business. Just a few months ago, long-running Salt Tasting Room decided the time was right to launch a Kitsilano satellite. But as it turned out, the Kits appetite for small bites and wine flights is not as robust as Gastown’s, and Salt closed almost as quickly as it opened. Perhaps the small plates craze is nearing the end of its surprisingly long run.

Enter Rattanaraj, who had long been looking for a suitable spot in which to re-open.

“I love the vibrancy of Kits, and always knew this is where I wanted to return,” says the chef, who’s spent the last several winters in Thailand, partly in preparation.

However, when he took possession he wanted to keep things under wraps. Literally.

“I covered all the windows in brown paper and deliberately didn’t put up any ‘coming soon’ signs,” says Rattanaraj. “It was very important for me to get it right, so I’ve been cooking and recipe testing for a month and half.”

Thai Cuisine by Montri, in part, is very much a faithful recreation of the original formula at Montri’s Thai that effectively won him the crown for so many years. All the classics are here, from ginger chicken to arguably the town’s best Tom Yum.

However, much has changed since Montri opened his first restaurant, when all the Thai rooms were “doing the same thing,” he says.

In the interim, Thailand’s tourism has truly taken off. The country is now the second most visited in the world, and Bangkok is attracting superstar chefs — everyone from Jean-Georges Vongerichten to Aussie David Thompson, who closed his London Nahm (the first Thai restaurant ever to be anointed with a Michelin one-star) to re-open in the Thai capital.

It all bodes well, says Montri, whose more traditional style will likely be a counterpoint to Angus An’s more modernist Maenam.

Now the wraps are literally off the considerably remodeled, understated grey toned room and well-tooled kitchen.

“I’ve always felt I owed Vancouver something,” says Montri, who’d still like to keep things quiet but admits “the response has been unbelievable.”

Somehow, we’re not surprised.

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If you ever want to take the pulse of the city’s restaurant culture, look no further than Craigslist. It currently sports a few hundred ads for everyone from managers to servers, dishwashers, line cooks, chefs de cuisine and more. No surprise, considering the slew of new arrivals and refits.

Among the newbies: Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, the sleek new seafooder at Sutton Place, which among its team of luminaries includes Oyster Bob of Joe Fortes fame. Another keenly anticipated opening (within a couple of weeks), Chambar has upped stakes for a greatly expanded but still very heritage character space just up the street. Likely the popular spot will be even more so thanks to a considerably larger bar and lounge, along with private roof deck and wine room, plus patio — and larger kitchen. Café Medina finds a new home, under the watchful eye of chef Jonathan Chovanchek at The Hermitage.

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Deal of the week: Half price wine (from a good list) every Monday at Siena.

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Belly’s Budget Best: Calliope Figure 8 2013. A smart blend of Sauv. Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Gris and Riesling that offers floral, citrus and tropical notes followed by a complex, well balanced and juicy palate with a streak of minerality. A delicious sipper or very food flexible, even for spicier plates. Great value at $16.99, 90 pts.