July 17, 2007 (Vancouver, BC) Kor Hotel Group, the Los Angeles-based hotel operator, announces the upcoming opening of Voya restaurant, set to open in fall to coincide with the hotel debut of Loden. The intimate 80-seat restaurant and lounge will offer sophisticated food, spectacularly chic décor, a private dining room with seating for 18 and a street-side lounge, providing a new escape in Coal Harbour.
Voya will be led by locally lauded chef Marc-André Choquette – who until now was best known for his outstanding work as Executive Chef at the award-winning Relais Gourmand restaurant, Lumiere. Having honed his craft in Montreal, France and New York, Choquette is classically trained and is a French-Asian cuisine specialist. With a recent trip to Miami in which he exchanged insights and techniques with Executive Chef Pietro Rota at The Tides South Beach’s La Marea restaurant, another Kor Hotel Group restaurant, Choquette is preparing to launch the inaugural menu at Voya.
The list of planned dishes features decadent albacore tuna loin crusted with pine nuts sided by braised porcini mushrooms and a parmesan consommé; raw artichoke, marinated fennel and fresh sardine salad; and smoked potato gnocchi and hazelnut-crusted lamb loin with gingerbread sauce. It is Choquette’s food that is sure to dazzle in Vancouver’s savvy dining scene and given its name, Voya (derived from “voyage”) will thrive on its inspiration – the thought that food can transplant one to places never before experienced.
Voya’s interior is designed by San Francisco-based firm Babey Moulton Jue & Booth. An ice-blue room centre-lit by three sparkling crystal chandeliers evokes the sophisticated eateries of the `40s, rich with chocolate-hued upholstery, boldly patterned screens, oversized mirrors and sleek white lacquered tables. Voya will be a member of the Green Table and Ocean Wise sustainable programs and will proudly be offering patrons an alternative to bottled water through its on-premise filtered water system.
The restaurant will be a highlight of Loden Vancouver , a hotel that draws the natural wonders of coastal British Columbia into the city’s cosmopolitan context. Its exterior mimics ocean waves in curved glass, natural stone and copper, while its warm interiors create a cultivated ambience through atypically bold patterns and deluxe finishes. The 77-room, 14-storey hotel will offer six suites, a 1,600-square-foot Penthouse Suite and Voya, the signature lobby-level restaurant with bar. A second-floor wellness centre will include a full service spa and a fitness studio. Located in Coal Harbour, downtown Vancouver’s most upscale residential neighborhood at the edge of the financial district, Loden is minutes from the waterfront, Stanley Park, world-class shopping and the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre.
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