Moxies is a premium casual concept known for its handcrafted, modern menu. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the restaurant brand pushed into the American market in 2016 and now has eight locations across the U.S. with ambitious growth plans for the coming years. We sat down with Brandon Thordarson, director of culinary and beverage and brand executive chef, to discuss flavor building, consumer preferences in the U.S. versus Canada, and menu innovation.

Brandon Thordarson

Katie Ayoub: Describe the menu at Moxies.
Brandon Thordarson: We feature a lot of global inspiration on our menu and make sure we have a bit of everything for everyone. If we’re running an Asian-inspired dish or an American-inspired dish, we want them to be the best quality. We like to say that our pastas are authentically Italian, our steaks are prime. If, for example, we create a laksa curry bowl, it’s true to its Thai flavor profile.

KA: What’s your bestseller?
BT: The top sellers are our sushi-like items. We have a Tuna Sushi Stack, with seasoned rice, avocado, fresh mango, a soy-ginger glaze and spicy mayo, that does very well. In the same vein, people really like our Tiny Tuna Tacos with sesame-soy dipping sauce. Our guests appreciate the lightness and the freshness of those dishes. I think they respond to the balance of acid and umami, too. Another bestseller is our Roasted Tomatoes and Whipped Feta, served with grilled seeded artisan bread. It features Macedonian feta blended with sour cream and topped with roasted tomatoes.

Photo Credit: Moxies

A favorite with diners at Moxies, the Tuna Sushi Stack stars sushi-grade tuna layered with seasoned rice, avocado and fresh mango, finished with a soy-ginger glaze and spicy mayo, served with seasoned prawn crackers.

KA: Describe your process of getting a new dish or drink onto the menu, whether it’s an LTO or a permanent item.
BT: Our discovery process takes about a year. I’ll use ramen as an example of menu development work: We identified a gap in our bowls menu and decided a ramen bowl was maybe what we needed. We then determined that it needed to be plant-based with an “add meat” option so that it hits vegetarians and meat eaters. I probably had 40 different bowls of ramen at different places throughout Vancouver with my wife and kids. We were going out for ramen like three to four times a week over the course of a month. Eventually I landed on a miso ramen. It’s so good and simple with lots of umami. Once the executive team signed off on the idea, we got it into market testing in multiple locations across the country. We let our guests give us feedback on that item, letting us know if it’s a little too spicy, needs more acidity. We changed it based on the market tests until it was good to go. It’s been a big success for us.

Photo Credit: Moxies

Moxies’ Miso Ramen is made with authentic ramen noodles, fresh scallions, gai lan and marinated mushrooms, all in a full-flavored broth. Guests can add pork belly (pictured) or sautéed shrimp.

KA: Do you run LTOs?
BT: We do one each year focused around a “festive” theme. Over the last few years, we’ve featured festive-style cocktails like Gingerbread Dream. Or, we take an Old Fashioned and winterize it a bit. Instead of LTOs, our menu development is focused around core items. As we move into new markets, we’ll assess local needs. When we came to Boston, we wanted to add a crab cake to fit into the local culture, but we knew it would also work well across our locations.

Photo Credit: Moxies

A new menu addition, the Lump Crab Cake is flaky and sweet, with seasoned breadcrumbs, lemon cream and a peppery arugula salad.

KA: Do U.S. diners have wildly different flavor preferences than Canadian diners?
BT: When we first came to the U.S. market, we were doing a lot of R&D, and the first thing I noticed was the prominence of Mexican flavors. Bright acidity, freshness and heat were incredible, so I started creating food for the U.S. locations that offered those flavors. And then we naturally brought them up to Canada. And now, in Canada, we are definitely a leader in featuring Mexican flavors on the menu. On the flip side, authentic Asian flavors are more prevalent in Canada than the U.S.—I initially found it hard to source some of the ingredients we’re used to getting up here. We definitely were one of the first big chains that I felt had an angle on Japanese-inspired dishes. Our American guests really like our menu mix and have responded well to the flavor development we’ve done in that realm.

KA: Moxies features quite a lot of plant-forward dishes. Describe the innovation in this space.
BT: Around 2018, we started looking more closely at the plant-based category. We’re not necessarily going to say “vegan,” so we call our approach “plant-based vegetarian.” Five or six years ago, plant-based was around 12 percent of market share. Within a year, it grew to 17 percent of market share. Then it was 21 percent, and now the forecast is that soon a quarter of people will be eating plant-based food at least a few times a week.

Today, we highlight our plant-based offerings and when I create something new, I like to start with the approach of creating a vegetarian dish and then seeing how I might incorporate protein, rather than starting with the protein. Our new Mushroom Zen Bowl features a newer product made of dried shiitake mushrooms. It’s unlike other meat substitutes that are soy-based or bean-based. This one is mushroom-based, and I couldn’t believe the texture of it, especially when simply sautéed with soy sauce. From there, we created a bowl, put it in market testing and it sold well. We didn’t intend for it to be vegan, but it just worked out that way.

Photo Credit: Moxies

The new Mushroom Zen Bowl, featuring dried shiitake mushrooms, jasmine rice, cashew and soy-ginger glaze, is a plant-based offering at Moxies that answers growing demand for vegetarian and vegan fare.

QUICKFIRE

Source of inspiration:
Instagram. I only follow people who I know and respect—fellow chefs, industry people, family and close friends. I’ll see a flavor or concept or idea on Instagram and if it’s interesting or unique, it sparks ideas.

Something in your fridge that would surprise people:
My stock bases! I buy really good stock bases: roasted garlic, chicken, turkey, vegetable and beef. Anytime I’m making a soup I use fresh bones, rather than salt to add more depth of flavor. Ditto for curries or cream-based dishes.

Cuisine or ingredient you’re particularly excited to explore:
It’s not going to be earth-shaking to you, but Mexican cuisine. I think the fusion of that flavor profile with something like Japanese cuisine is really exciting.

Your go-to late-night snack:
I had to cut late-night snacking out a few years ago, but before then, I was a sucker for just chips and salsa.

Best bite you’ve had recently:
There’s a restaurant in Calgary called Model Milk. The calamari dish is sautéed with chorizo and finished with butter. When my wife and I go, we don’t share it because it’s never enough—we each get our own. If they ever take it off the menu, I will cry.