New vowels, new hours and a new approach have hit the foot of Fisgard Street in Chinatown as five-year-old Ulla restaurant has transformed into Olo.
The 40-seat, fine-dining restaurant has been re-imagined as a slightly more casual spot and intends to be more open, available and approachable, according to chef and owner Brad Holmes. “Five years is a long time in the restaurant industry and we wanted to make a change to attract more of our friends,” said Holmes, who has partnered with Kris Barnholden in the new venture. “I just really wanted a change, so why not.”
Olo translates to hungry in Chinook Jargon, a pidgin language comprised of English, French, Chinese and Chinook that was used to facilitate trade in this region. Holmes said they now have casual plates, will be open seven days a week, offer weekend brunch and a late-night option.
“Ulla was only open 18 hours a week,” Holmes pointed out.
“[Olo] appeals to a larger group, so it will become a more everyday kind of thing rather than just a special occasion place.”
The restaurant is stressing a farm-to-table menu featuring local ingredients, and its bar program, designed and implemented by former Clive’s and Little Jumbo barkeep Shawn Soole, will also feature local fare including craft beer, wine and spirits.
“We’re making a shift from chef-driven cuisine and doing more farm-to-table,” said Holmes.
The new-look dining area has been designed to reflect Canada’s agricultural history through rustic post-and-beam construction, cedar-clad walls, a wall of preserves, living herbs and wheat grass growing in the dining room.
Holmes founded Ulla in 2010 with his wife Sahara Tamarin and the restaurant was named one of Canada’s Best New Restaurants by EnRoute magazine in 2011.
Barnholden, who spent a year as a chef consultant for Ulla in 2011, has cooked at restaurants in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and London. “I love curating the diners’ experience from the ambiance of the room to the smallest details,” he said.
Olo is open at 5 p.m. daily and for brunch on weekends at 10 a.m.
