Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar (05-16-2011)

Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar

Monday, 05-16-2011

Yaletown, Vancouver BC, Canada

http://www.bluewatercafe.net/

My visit to West Restaurant the night before did not provide a full spectrum of Vancouver's famous local seafood.  Luckily, when I mentioned this to the servers at West, they recognized exactly what I was seeking and recommended Blue Water Cafe to satisfy my craving.  It just so happens that the two restaurants share the same owner and thus I had my suspicions of the recommendation.  However, upon a quick internet search, Blue Water Cafe did seem to be a popular pick for Vancouver's best seafood.  Noticing no tasting menu on their website, I called the restaurant and director Stephan Cachard was more than willing to piece together a spontaneous tasting menu consisting of 6 courses.

 

BREADS: Rustic White, Seaweed Butter, Chickpea and Roasted Red Pepper Spread

JACOB'S LADDER, Ginger and Basil Infused Beefeater Gin, Orgeat Chartreuse and Julienned Cucumber [$12.00]

 

AMUSE BOUCHE: KUSSHI & KUNIMOTO OYSTERS, Pickled Seaweed, Candian Sturgeon Caviar, Ponzu



KANI SALAD, Dungeness Crab, Wakame Seaweed, Thinly Sliced Cucumber

BC SPOT PRAWNS, Watercress & Celery Salad, Rhubarb, Szechaun Peppercorn

 

WHISTLER POWDER MOUNTAIN LAGER, Whistler Brewing Company, Whistler, BC, Canada [$7.00]
WHISTLER WHISKY JACK ALE, Whistler Brewing Company, Whistler, BC, Canada [$7.00]

 

WEST COAST SABLEFISH, Miso Sake Glaze, Baby Bok Choy, Edamame, Quinoa, Shiitake Mushrooms, Bonito Dashi with Soy and Yuzu

 

WHITE STURGEON, Chioggia Beets, Pumpernickel Crust, Cauliflower puree, Garnet Beet Agro Dolce

 

KOBE STYLE SHORTRIBS, Braised Red Cabbage with Apple and Cinnamon, Parsnip Puree, Rutabaga, Tawny Port Reduction

 

SUPPLEMENT: WAGYU BEEF STRIP, Puree de Pommes, Asparagus, Bordelaise

 

COCONUT TREAT, Chocolate Brownie with Coconut Cream, Dark Chocolate Mousee, Coconut Sorbet

 

PETIT FOURS: Shortbread with Raspberry Ganache, Candied Orange Financier

VERDICT:

With executive chef Frank Pabst out for the night, sous chef Spencer Maxemuik put together a great, balanced impromptu tasting menu with just a 6 hour heads up, highlightly BC's local seafood variations.  The contemporary cuisine with heavily borrowed Asian influences suited my palate well.  Each dish was seasoned aggressively and overall flavors just worked.  Perhaps most impressive was the service-- when I casually mentioned to my server that braised beef was not my favorite texture/taste, a small gratis portion of wagyu strip came my way in just a few minutes.   

West Restaurant (05-15-2011)

West Restaurant
Sunday, 05-15-2011
South Granville, Vancouver BC, Canada
http://www.westrestaurant.com/

 

 

In anticipation of my short trip to Vancouver, I researched the most popular restaurants to get a taste of the city's dining scene.  West Restaurant seemed to fit the bill with its contemporary cuisine just outside of downtown in South Granville.  Two different 5-course tasting menus are offered.  Picture below is the chef's tasting menu.

AMUSE BOUCHE: Warm Celery Soup with Weisswurst

BREADS: Dark Rye, Potato & Chives

YA MON, Organic Banana, Goslings Black Seal Rum, Navan Giffard Caramel + Pineapple

ALBACORE TUNA, Nicoise Vegetable Salad, Sake Kasu Emulsion

SPOT PRAWN, Spring Onion, D-Original Chorizo, Sauce Vierge

CUTTHROAT PALE ALE, Tree Brewing, Kelowna BC, Canada

THIESSEN FARM QUAIL, Roasted Breast, Confit Leg, Beets, Mushrooms, Double Smoked Bacon, Pineau de Charentes Jus

28 DAY AGED CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF RIBEYE, Forgotten Vegetables, Onion Consomme

PADDYWHACK IPA, Nelson Brewing Company, Nelson, BC, Canada

INTERMEZZO: Elderflower and Lime Sorbet, Pear Poached in Hibiscus

VANILLA ROASTED RHUBARB WITH FROZEN LIME CURD, Toasted Elderflower Marshmallow and Graham

PETIT FOUR: Banana Jelly

VERDICT:

Chef David Gunawan produced many various modern dishes with fresh local ingredients.  For example, multiple proteins were prepared in two ways: the albacore tuna as a raw dish and a confit, and the quail with a roast and confit.  At the moment, he also seems fond of using sausages for its salty flavor and firm texture, as evidenced by the weisswurst in the soup and the chorizo in the spot prawn dish. 

Two highlights are worth mentioning:

1. Great service-- I dined solo at the bar and the two bartenders provided great service.  They clearly understood not only the drinks but also the dishes prepared in the back of the house.

2. Bar-- Apparently, West Restaurant's bar and bar manager has won multiple awards for both their wine list as well as their mixology.  Though I only had one cocktail and a couple local brews, all were top-notch and paired well with the tasting (as recommended by the bartender).