Fear and Haute Cuisine in Vancouver

[ManuelAzuaje]

Hello,

I will be in Vancouver from this week's Wednesday to next week's Monday. The objective of my trip, and I admit this unabashedly, is to eat. I do not mean "eat" in the common sense, I should probably say "taste."

I moved into a new place last April. Said place had cable tv, in it there was the Food Network, the rest can be best described as the rapid succession of one IronChef chapter after another, I was hooked.

I got a job over the summer, saved, and now am going to indulge myself in a chariman-Kaga-like-gourmet-nothing-is-too-expensive eating fest. I want to find out what those dark fungi they call truffle taste like, what a grey, thick and fatty slice of fois gras feels against the palate; what's more I want to leave my monthly paycheck on the table as I stand up, and then leave smiling thinking what a bargain that was, because I will remember this trip for a long time.

So far I have made reservations for Tojo's on Thursday, Lumiere on Friday and then West on Saturday. That leaves Wednesday, Sunday and Monday free. I also plan to go to Vij's, En, and to Cioppino. I would welcome any other suggestions. I am especially looking for a high-end Chinese and high-end Japanese place. I want to see what a 80$ bowl of Shark fin soup tastes likes.

The only big restaurant that I am not planning to go to is the Mobil Guide 4 star recipient Bishop's, because after Lumiere and West another French place might be too much, but if members agree that it is a good place then I'll check it out. What other restaurants could qualify as the best of Vancouver? I once went to the Vancouver Chinatown, there just has to be a high end traditional chinese restaurant. What is considered the best chinese in Vancouver? Also, are there any good places for really good Mexican food?

Also, what about brunches, where are the good places?

Anyway, once I come back I'll post my opinions about the restaurants I visited. Luck to all,

Manuel

Edited September 27, 2005 by ManuelAzuaje (log)

[Vancouver Lee]

Paging Canucklehead......

BTW, you might also add Cru and Chambar to your list of restaurants to visit. They don't get the press that a Lumiere or a West gets, but they are, IMHO, just as good.

You're going to love the weather right now. Hurry up and get here before it goes away! Enjoy your visit and be sure to post your impressions.

Edited September 28, 2005 by Vancouver Lee (log)

[Andrew Morrison]

Should you be interested in dining with some eGulleters and restaurant industry folks on the Monday, have a look here.

I second Lee's suggestion of Chambar, but would also include Nu, C, and Aurora Bistro if you're skipping Bishops.

Also, no visit to Vancouver is complete without visiting the beefcake behind the line at the HSG.

[fud]

Should you be interested in dining with some eGulleters and restaurant industry folks on the Monday, have a look here.

I second Lee's suggestion of Chambar, but would also include Nu, C, and Aurora Bistro if you're skipping Bishops.

Also, no visit to Vancouver is complete without visiting the beefcake behind the line at the HSG. 

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In case he doesn't know HSG = Hamilton Street Grill and yes it's worth a visit. I will second the notion of going to

- C (I am ALWAYS happy here)

- Aurora Bistro (They put things together you never would have though possible)

Anyone here think Tojo's is overhyped? I was not too impressed with it. There are better sushi places to go than Tojo's for sure I think.

[Vancouver Lee]

Also, no visit to Vancouver is complete without visiting the beefcake behind the line at the HSG. 

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Dear God, how could I have forgotten that? Gingerbread Pudding at HSG is a must-try on any culinary tour of Vancouver.

[*Deborah*]

If you look at the pinned "best" thread at the top of this forum, you will see some of the threads that have grown around here, where we all talk about our favourite this and our favourite that.

Also, this thread has some similarities to your questions, and it's quite recent, it should give you some ideas.

[James Kendal]

I would not leave out C Restaurant. Awesome food and service IMHO.

[Mooshmouse]

Though it's in Burnaby, a short drive just outside of Vancouver proper, one restaurant that I find notably absent from these "Best Of" lists is The Pear Tree. It's well worth the trip down Hastings to dine from the kitchen of Chef Scott Jaeger, Canada's representative at the upcoming 2007 Bocuse d'Or. Intimate and relaxed, outstanding service from Stephanie Jaeger and her FOH crew.

[Ling]

Hmm...my friend just dropped $200 on dinner at Tojo's, and he didn't find the experience worth the price. In fact, he was still hungry and had to hit McDonald's on the drive home. I think Ajisai is better priced, and the fish is quite fresh. It's not "fine dining" though--I don't know how important ambience is to you. I haven't been to Wabi Sabi in awhile, but I do love the room there and I enjoyed dinner there very much. After reading all the great reviews on Nu, I would put that on my list for sure! I'm sure canucklehead will give you more details on the Chinese restaurants, but if you look through the Chinese Restaurant thread in this forum, he has lots of pictures to help you choose. He likes Sea Harbour in Richmond, and Shanghai River, among others.

There's also Le Crocodile, if you're in need for more French.

(This is not exactly on topic, but how do you feel about dessert? I was looking at the C Restaurant menu today and saw this thing of beauty: Valrhona Guanaja Chocolate Paté, caramel glaze, white chocolate fleur de sel gelato, apple berry cider. That, my friend, sounds like a mouthgasm to me. Valrhona Guanaja is one of my favourite chocolates, and I love chocolate paired with fleur de sel and caramel. In fact, I'm thinking of a dessert incorporating these flavours for a party this weekend. )

Edited September 28, 2005 by Ling (log)

[canucklehead]

As I have said in another thread - I think that Sea Harbour in Richmond is the best choice for Cantonese food right now. I can't think of anything in Chinatown for dinner that would be worthwhile.

Though I am not a fan of shark's fin myself - Sea Harbour could probably do a very good one for you - cooked slowly in a bain-marie to lock in all the good stock flavour. PM me know if want some specific recommendations - but check out the vancouver chinese food thread for more details. I'm afraid that I am a bit of a picture nerd.

For chinese food - the best quality is definitely in Richmond. Kirin for dim sum, Shanghai River/Wind for shanghainese food. However - the difficulty is that you will need at least 4 people to have a decent selection of food.

For a more fun dim sum experience - there are downtown places like Floata or Imperial - where there are carts and more gregarious service. Don't go to Sun Sui Wah - it seems like to me that they are going through a bad period with food for some reason.

Edited September 28, 2005 by canucklehead (log)

[kontemporary]

Hello,

I will be in Vancouver from this week's Wednesday to next week's Monday. The objective of my trip, and I admit this unabashedly, is to eat. I do not mean "eat" in the common sense, I should probably say "taste."

I  moved into a new place last April. Said place had cable tv, in it there was the Food Network, the rest can be best described as the rapid succession of one IronChef chapter after another, I was hooked. 

I got a job over the summer, saved, and now am going to indulge myself in a chariman-Kaga-like-gourmet-nothing-is-too-expensive eating fest. I want to find out what those dark fungi they call truffle taste like, what a grey, thick and fatty slice of fois gras feels against the palate; what's more I want to leave my monthly paycheck on the table as I stand up, and then leave smiling thinking what a bargain that was, because I will remember this trip for a long time.

←

That story just sounds much too familiar for my own good

What I'd add to the list would probably be a day with both Wild Rice and Chambar (since theyre so close anyways) - try the beef tenderloin on rice cake thing at Wild Rice, and some great moule frites at Chambar; pairing it off could include

some of Wild Rice's creative martinis and some awesome Belgian beer from Chambar.

But that may not suit your fancy, as it seems most of the places you list are in line with a taste of haute cuisine in Vancouver. So potential candidates given this criteria could include C Restaurant (actually a must-try), Mistral (French, but bistro-aspect), Diva (artisan desserts), and Sun Sui Wah for high-end Chinese. I'm not sure about other places in Richmond that many eGulleters are familiar with, but I'd say this place is one of the best in Vancouver.. but my last visit was before the summer, so I'm not sure about what the current culinary status quo is.

For brunches, you can try Provence Marinaside, Raincity Grill, or Glowbal. Some more casual joints like Lilykate serve up great brunches as well.

Edited September 28, 2005 by rêvasser (log)

[Chef Metcalf]

thick and fatty slice of fois gras feels against the palate

Manuel,

After you try the foie at one of the many fine restaurants listed above, you must then try the deep fried foie at "C" restaurant.

Truly, one of the most amazing and memorable things I've eaten this year.

And don't miss out on one of the simple food pleasures of life in Vancouver...fish and chips,done to perfection at Go Fish on a sunny or rainy day on the dock.

Remember that it's not all about high end food, but food that's done well.

Local, seasonal, cooked to perfection, just doesn't get any better.

Try and arrange the time to attend waiterblog's dinner too as it's probably one of the best view's in the city and the food is always excellent.

Wishing you an enjoyable epicurean adventure in Lotus Land.

Edited September 28, 2005 by Chef Metcalf (log)

[Daddy-A]

Though it's in Burnaby, a short drive just outside of Vancouver proper, one restaurant that I find notably absent from these "Best Of" lists is The Pear Tree.  It's well worth the trip down Hastings to dine from the kitchen of Chef Scott Jaeger, Canada's representative at the upcoming 2007 Bocuse d'Or.  Intimate and relaxed, outstanding service from Stephanie Jaeger and her FOH crew.

Pear Tree is in the middle of a major remodel right now ... drove by yesterday and it's a major construction site. Best leave that trip to the burbs for next time. Really excellent restaurant!

A.

[mtigges]

So far I have made reservations for Tojo's on Thursday

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I can appreciate trying Tojo's. As a visitor you want to try the best, and he is certainly heralded as the best. But I have to concur with other comments up thread. We did a $400 omikaze (200 each) and had to order another dish. The food was certainly excellent no question about it. But nevertheless it didn't seem worth it. Plus the ambience is not so good. The celebrity pictures lining the dining room (are they still there?) make it seem a diner. If you go, make sure you sit at the bar. I would recommend Wabi Sabi over Tojo. A small notch lower in refinment and a huge notch lower in price with a much nicer atmosphere.

Regards,

Mark.

[jtcookie]

Hmm...my friend just dropped $200 on dinner at Tojo's, and he didn't find the experience worth the price. In fact, he was still hungry and had to hit McDonald's on the drive home .

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My bolding! Sorry, but that's much more a reflection on your friend than on the food at Tojo's!

"and now am going to indulge myself in a chariman-Kaga-like-gourmet-nothing-is-too-expensive eating fest"

Given your mission, Manuel, I'm sure you will be well served by a visit to Tojo's. There may be better value Japanese in Vancouver, but a seat at the bar gives you front-row participation in a well deserved Vancouver culinary legend.

If you find you're not sated, order more!!

John

[fud]

Hmm...my friend just dropped $200 on dinner at Tojo's, and he didn't find the experience worth the price. In fact, he was still hungry and had to hit McDonald's on the drive home .

←

My bolding! Sorry, but that's much more a reflection on your friend than on the food at Tojo's!

←

The fact that he/she went to a fast food joint is not the point though. If I drop $200 on a fancy dinner I expect to be sated. Bottom line i should at the VERY LEAST be sated. I dopped $200 on a dinner at the Wikininnish and although I was thinking "oh man im going to be hungry after this" I was overwhelmed by like 14 courses plus palet cleansers. I had to yell uncle before dessert arrived.

Sandy took me to Tojo's and perhaps my expectations were high (they should be) I was not very impressed. I will say that the food was solidly good but certainly NOT worth the money. There are several other places with similar quality fish for less. I heard of some place in Richmond from Alex which carries parts of Tuna which you can special order and they have it flown in from Japan fresh for the day you want it.

IMHO Tojo is good, but not worth the money.

[Ling]

Hmm...my friend just dropped $200 on dinner at Tojo's, and he didn't find the experience worth the price. In fact, he was still hungry and had to hit McDonald's on the drive home .

←

My bolding! Sorry, but that's much more a reflection on your friend than on the food at Tojo's!

←

The fact that he/she went to a fast food joint is not the point though. If I drop $200 on a fancy dinner I expect to be sated. Bottom line i should at the VERY LEAST be sated.

←

Agreed. It's not even as if he has a huge appetite...there wasn't much open by the time he was driving home (around midnight). If I'm dropping $200 on dinner in Vancouver, I expect to be VERY satisfied with my meal--both in terms of the quality of the food, and the amount that they served.

[chocomoo]

Like canucklehead, I'm not a big fan of shark's fin soup, so I have no idea where you can get good quality shark's fin soup. Be careful though, there's imitation shark's fin out there. I would go for abalone, if I were you - it's still pretty expensive, and many of the upper-end Chinese restaurants offer good abalone. One abalone will run for maybe $25-$40. Actually, Silver Palace on Fraser Street & East 49th Avenue in Vancouver has good quality shark's fin soup & abalone, & it's probably less expensive than most places in Richmond. It's a really tiny restaurant, & doesn't look like much, but the quality of food there is really good.

I wouldn't recommend Sun Sui Wah - something happened to the food there, maybe the chefs went elsewhere? Not uncommon in the world of Chinese restaurants.

There's another dim sum restaurant with carts in Vancouver, on West 41st Avenue (in the Kerrisdale area) on the 2nd floor, called Golden Ocean. Dim sum's not bad there. For more innovative dim sum, I recommend Yuk Ting Heen in Richmond on Alexandra Road (I'll get the actual name of it tonight). It's Chiu Chow style dim sum, so it's a bit different from your regular fare. There's stuff like abalone mushroom & cucumber steamed rice rolls, XO sauce pan-fried radish cake (rests in a "bird's nest"), and sesame paste buns. They even had some kind of durian dessert once *holding breath involuntarily*. Their menu changes monthly (I think).

[achiu]

For more innovative dim sum, I recommend Yuk Ting Heen in Richmond on Alexandra Road (I'll get the actual name of it tonight).  It's Chiu Chow style dim sum, so it's a bit different from your regular fare.  There's stuff like abalone mushroom & cucumber steamed rice rolls, XO sauce pan-fried radish cake (rests in a "bird's nest"), and sesame paste buns.  They even had some kind of durian dessert once  *holding breath involuntarily*.  Their menu changes monthly (I think).

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English name for Yuk Ting Heen is The Jade Seafood Restaurant 8511 Alexandra Rd, Richmond. They do have excellent dim sum.

Alex

[Zucchini Mama]

Dude,

I would skip the shark's fin and go for sustainable gourmet seafood at C.

There is a thread devoted to an eGullet lunch we had there that was Mondo delish.

Given that this is a grand experiment, I'm wondering which restaurants people are reccomending have a chef's table, where you leave the menu in the hands of the chef and he/she creates something special. Be sure to ask the servers for their help with matching the wine with the food, and ask them what they like the best.

I am very jealous of the challenging task ahead of you. Have courage, soldier. Take the time to savor each morsel. Pace yourself. You may want to take photos or notes, save menues, as food and wine can cloud the memory pretty quickly.

Zuke

[chocomoo]

For more innovative dim sum, I recommend Yuk Ting Heen in Richmond on Alexandra Road (I'll get the actual name of it tonight).

←

English name for Yuk Ting Heen is The Jade Seafood Restaurant 8511 Alexandra Rd, Richmond. They do have excellent dim sum.

Alex

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THANK YOU! I never remember the English name of this place. They have this new thing on their menu - it's basically deep-fried glutinous dumpling wih a pork filling ("haam sui gok") but it's shaped like a pear (with a toothpick in it so it looks like there's a stem), so cute!

But the cutest dim sum item, in my opinion, are the porcupine buns from Golden Ocean! Deep-fried custard (I think it's some Southeast Asian-style custard - my family calls is "gayang", but we're from Hong Kong, so I don't know if that's the right name) buns, with slits cut into the buns before deep-frying so that they become "spikes" after they're deep-fried, & little black sesame eyes Sooo cute, not to mention delicious! They're not always on the menu though.

[ManuelAzuaje]

Hey guys,

So far I have been to Vij's, Cioppino, En, and Tojo's. The best so far is either Tojo's or Cioppino, tough call. Tonight I start of with the big 3, I am going to Lumiere tonight, to West on Saturday, and to Restaurant C on Sunday. On Monday I will try to make it to dinner at Cru before I leave for the airport.

I am also trying to fit a dim sum chinese lunch in any of those days, but I have to get the time to get myself down to Richmond.

I have started write-ups on all the restaurants that I've visited, but I am thinking of posting detailed impressions upon my return.

Here's hoping that Lumiere lives up to its hype,

Manuel Azuaje

[mamacat]

I was at Lumiere last night and the food was as spectacular as I remember it...couldn't make it through my nine courses, though, and my out-of-town visitors had to help me out with dessert. The room was packed with the result that it was very noisy and quite warm, both of which detracted from the overall experience. There is a restaurant in Ottawa called Signatures...it is attached to the Cordon Bleu school there...and the room is magnificent. If only someone could create a place with Signatures' ambience and Lumiere's food; what a wonderful place that would be!

We will all be looking forward to your final post, Manuel. Enjoy your remaining restaurants!

[Foodie-Girl]

Hey guys,

So far I have been to Vij's, Cioppino, En, and Tojo's. The best so far is either Tojo's or Cioppino, tough call. Tonight I start of with the big 3, I am going to Lumiere tonight, to West on Saturday, and to Restaurant C on Sunday. On Monday I will try to make it to dinner at Cru before I leave for the airport.

I am also trying to fit a dim sum chinese lunch in any of those days, but I have to get the time to get myself down to Richmond.

I have started write-ups on all the restaurants that I've visited, but I am thinking of posting detailed impressions upon my return.

Here's hoping that Lumiere lives up to its hype,

Manuel Azuaje

←

Looking forward to your impressions of your dinners at Lumiere and West last weekend. Hope you post soon ((-:

[ManuelAzuaje]

Hello guys,

I am finally back from Vancouver, I was just busy with school. I will post my impressions on a different thread starting tonight. I hope you guys have fun reading it.

Manuel Azuaje