Provence Marinaside celebrates August with heirloom tomato festival menu

Provence Marinaside is celebrating peak B.C. tomato season throughout August with its annual Tomato Festival, offering a special three-course prix fixe menu at $69.

"The heirloom tomato is the ultimate summer flavor. They are the taste of the sun and remind me of long summer days when I was a child in Provence," says owner and executive chef Jean Francis Quaglia. "Heirloom tomatoes have a more intense flavor profile," explains Chef de Cuisine Mohit Chauhan, who developed the festival menu with Quaglia. "We are fortunate to have local producers such as Windset Farms in Delta or Cropthorne Farm on Westham Island who supply us with amazing varieties. The heirlooms just taste so much better."

The menu features heirlooms of every description—Green Zebra, Moneymaker, Campari, Black Krim—all sourced locally. An optional wine pairing is available for $59, curated by assistant wine director Ryan Johnson. "Grapes and heirloom tomatoes share deep historical roots in Mediterranean agriculture," Johnson notes. "The red berry and citrus undertones in classic Provençal rosé naturally mirror the sweet-tart, complex flavours of fresh summer heirloom tomatoes."

The festival runs August 1 to 31 at Provence Marinaside, located at the foot of Davie Street in Yaletown, directly across from Quayside Marina. Diners can sit in the air-conditioned dining room or on the patio overlooking the seawall and marina. Reservations are available online or by calling 604-681-4144.