Two brothers have spent years running other people’s dining rooms, in Vancouver, in London, in Porto.
On August 4, they open one named after their mother.
Maria Celeste arrives at 4181 Fraser Street in Fraserhood, a 36-seat room from Justin and Cristian Isidro, with a limited soft opening starting July 29.
The name is their mãe, the Portuguese word for mother, and the format is the tasca, the neighbourhood tavern where Portugal does most of its eating.
It takes over the unit that Tasty Planet held, beside Zab Bite.
The brothers are not new to this city’s better rooms, they have just never had their own.
Justin was longtime director of operations at the Michelin-starred Kissa Tanto, along with Meo and Bao Bei, and won the Michelin Guide Vancouver Best Service Award in the guide’s inaugural 2022 year.
He is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and founded Vinicola Portugal.
As you’d expect, he’ll run the floor here.
Whereas Cristian takes the kitchen, after Kissa Tanto in Vancouver, Lisboeta in London, and Cozinha das Flores in Porto.
“Growing up in Portugal, tascas were where everyone ended up on any given day because they were all about welcoming the whole community,” Justin says.
“That’s the feeling we want the moment people walk through our doors. There’s always a seat for you at our table.”
The menu is built to be shared rather than plated per person.
The smaller Pratos run rissois de camarão, shrimp folded through cream and fried into golden half-moons; bacalhau à brás, shredded salt cod with egg and straw potatoes; and arroz de marisco, the Portuguese seafood rice with prawns, mussels and clams.
Larger Da Terra plates include pluma de porco ibérico, the Algarve pairing of Alentejo pork with fresh clams, and bife à portuguesa, Carrara Wagyu under a Lisbon café sauce of cream, butter and mustard.
There is also a chef’s menu called Come e Cala-te, where the kitchen decides and the food simply arrives at the table.
“Everything on this menu starts with memories of the way our mãe cooked and the way Portugal eats,” Cristian says.
“When a plate lands on the table, I want it to taste like you are in Portugal.”
The wine list is entirely Portuguese, running Espumante through Vinho Branco, Vinho Tinto and Vinho Fortificado, from Alentejo reds to Vinho Verde to Bairrada.
Studio Roslyn designed the 1,300 square foot room with the brothers, and Belcarra built it.
A single row of blue and white azulejo tiles runs along the cream wall under a deep red ceiling, with shell-shaped sconces, terracotta floor tiles and teal banquettes below.
On the oak shelving, between the wine glasses and the stacked plates, sit a framed family photo and an Amália Rodrigues record.
Maria Celeste joins other upcoming Vancouver food spots like Hen in Mount Pleasant, Como Ultramar, and Mello in West End.
For more new and upcoming food spots in Metro Vancouver, take a peek at our tracker here, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
Address: 4181 Fraser Street, Vancouver BC