Signature Dish: Old City Station Pub’s Blueberry Reduction Ribs

“It’s a reduction with wine then it gets pushed through a strainer, then it gets reduced again, then it gets coated over the ribs and braised in the ribs. It’s a bit of a process.”

He starts with a mirepoix, which is a mix of finely chopped veggies used as a seasoning base for dishes. Then he adds chicken stock and blueberries.

“Then I start reducing that down, that’s why it’s a reduction sauce…reducing it is just boiling it down, you want to bring the water levels to about half at first, then the next step is adding the wine and spices.”

From there, the ingredients are strained so only the liquid comes through, and it’s reduced again until it reaches the consistency where it’ll coat a spoon.

Soules said the reduction of the vegetables gives you all of their delicious flavours without actually seeing them.

“You get a hint of cinnamon, a hint of thyme, a bit of wine. All the ingredients are there, but they are not there. That’s the way you want to have it.”

He said they prefer to source all of their ingredients locally to ensure the freshest and highest quality.

“It’s a better deal, it’s fresher, it supports Nanaimo. We believe that supporting businesses around here is number one before we go further out. ”

Current supply-chain issues made it difficult to ensure some of their products, like sauces, arrive on time. This is why Soules prefers to make as much of the dishes they can in-house from scratch.

He started as the head chef at the Old City Station Pub last December, along with a brand new kitchen staff following the new owners takeover of the business.

He said their plan is have their pub stand out from others on the Island.

“There’s so many pubs in town we have to try and take things to the next level as far as cuisine, the drinks, make sure there’s a good crowd here.. we only want people here who want to have a good time, not make trouble.”

Located in the old city quarter of Nanaimo the iconic building has been a staple of the community for decades.

Soules actually worked there as a sous chef for a previous owner years ago.

“It’s always been a downtown stable as a place to go. It’s changed for the good, they’ve really put a lot of money into it. Marble walls, the fireplace, all that stuff, they’ve really made it nice.”

Soules is excited about the future of the Old City Station Pub, especially since they acquired the former Olive Room next door, which they plan on converting into a pizzeria.

“We got an oven from VIU and we’ve got one of the top pizza chefs helping us with the project too. This guy’s from Italy, he knows dough. I can do this, but this guy is the pie master.”

The Old City Station Pub opens at 11:00 a.m. every day, with the kitchen usually open until 11:00 p.m. The bar is open until 1:00 a.m. on Thursdays, and until 2:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

For more information, you can go to their website, oldcitystation.com.

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by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Signature Dish: Old City Station Pub’s Blueberry Reduction Ribs

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