Ensemble (CLOSED)

Oh, that ginger cocktail...

Living in a city with such an enriched and vibrant culinary scene, the buzz surrounding restaurant openings, closings and visits from renowned food personalities (hello, Guy Fieri!) travel faster than you can say, "..what already?" It's most definitely an increasingly competitive industry out there - kudos to those who have been able to sustain and succumb to Vancouver culinary standards while my most sincerest condolences are sent to those who weren't so lucky, so to speak...!

On this Friday night, I, along with a few other dining companions, ventured to one of the newest and hottest dining spots in town - Ensemble.  The mastermind behind this relatively newly-opened restaurant is none other than Dale MacKay, Canada's first Top Chef Canada winner.  He has quite the impressive culinary background having previously worked as the Executive Chef of the late Lumiere and db bistro moderne, as well as working alongside celebrity chef and renown television personality Chef Gordon Ramsay.  Perhaps a product of his winnings, here, Dale aims to showcase his ability to utilize classic French techniques of cooking to Pacific Northwest ingredients.

Food:

Cornmeal Crusted Scallops

- accompanied with a tamarind date puree and topped with cauliflower
- I thoroughly enjoyed the delicate and unique pairings of this dish - although I wish the scallops were a bit bigger but they were, nonetheless, very fresh and juicy

Pulled Pork Sandwich (Top Chef winner)
- for the $10 price tag, and given the size of the other plates - this burger had great value!
- it was generously filled with tender, saucy, pulled pork (how a pulled pork sandwich ought to be) with quite a pronounced smokey flavour and aroma
-sided with a deep fried pickle and a piece of very sweet watermelon - this was quite satisfying!

I was also able to sample some of my dining companion's (who likes to go by the initials of J.B) Sweet and Sour Eggplant,Vancouver Island Mussels, as well as the Potato Gnocchi.  The Eggplant was quite the aesthetic pleaser and fared quite well on the taste buds, too.  The baba ghanoush, yogurt and tomato complemented the sweet Asian flavours of the eggplant, which was also cooked perfectly.  The Mussels were the least favourite and devoid of any praise.  There was barely any broth and I expected a more prominent curry flavour.  Although the portion was generous, the mussels were teeny tiny.  The fries were good, but the Mussels were definitely an overall letdown.  Of the three things sampled from what J.B had ordered, the Potato Gnocchi was most satisfying.  Paired with a tomato butter sauce and olives, the Gnocchi was perfectly seared, chewy and executed very well.

I also strongly enjoyed their Ginger Gimlet (so much that I had 2, for the night).  It's a cocktail composed of tanqueray gin, house ginger lime cordial, and topped with a kaffir lime leaf.  It was wonderfully refreshing with just the right proportions of ingredients and bursting with a soothing gingery taste. 

the amazing Ginger Gimlet

Service: 

Prompt and informative


Value:

Fair


Ambience:

The decor is modern and contemporary, the room was actually quite dark while the noise level was louder than expected, especially given that every table was occupied.

Overall: 7.7/10

Yay: Come here for a little taste of Dale MacKay's inventive winning creations...and that ginger cocktail! Mmm! The portion sizes are perfect for sampling a variety of dishes.

Nay: The place didn't "wow" me as much as I thought it would but for some reason, it was what I had expected.  There is definitely room for improvement.

McLean's (CLOSED)

McLean's Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli....that's allll you'll ever need to know

Food:

Grilled Humboldt Squid with Chorizo
in a Lime & Sansho Pepper Aioli

On this night, we started off with the Albacore Tuna Tartar as well as the Grilled Humboldt Squid.  Both were excellent choices and very good starters.  The Tuna Tartar was served with avocado, ponzu, cilantro and sesame seeds.  The tartar mix was one of the best i've ever had - the flavour was bang on and the tuna tasted very fresh.  I also liked how it was served with nori chips, which were basically scoop-shaped (think Tostito tortilla scoop chips) dried seaweed chips (though they're not crunchy, but rather chewy).  The Grilled Humboldt Squid was very appetizing - it tasted similar to cuttlefish and was very tender. We also liked the fact that it was grilled, as opposed to being prepared deep-fried calamari-style.


Beef Tenderloin with Tiger Prawns





All our mains were equally as delicious.  The best one was, in my opinion, the Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli.  It was nicely prepared in a white wine cream sauce with sundried tomatoes and Italian parsley.  It was topped with a very generous amount of freshly-shaved pecorino pepato (no idea what kinda of cheese this really is but very similar tasting to parmesiano reggiano (or however you spell it)) This was one of the best ravioli dishes I tasted.  The ravioli itself was cooked to perfection and paired perfectly with the white cream sauce! I love love love stuffed ravioli and order it whenever I get the chance to.  We also had the Duck & Wild Mushroom Risotto (huge portion) and the Beef Tenderloin with Tiger Prawns.  Both of these entrees were marvelously prepared as well - great tastes, good portions, and they were served hot!

Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli - sooo darn delicious



Service:

Above par, our server was quite professional - I don't know how many times she responded with "you're very welcome" when we said thanks, lol



** not sure why they made us wait a good 15 mins. prior to seating us (there were several unoccoupied tables) and we even made a reservation!

Value:

Ok - quite fair and reasonable :)

Ambience:

McLean's got a more upscale feel to it than I expected - classier, elegant looking decor, and quite intimate making it a good locale for dinner parties of small groups or a romantic date



Overall: 8/10

Yay: 2-level restaurant (top being the dining room/lounge and bottom being a more casual bar!), deeelicious ravioli and generally well-executed West Coast fare!

Nay: Parking (Gastown...)



***Interesting fact:  If you hadn't already guessed, this restaurant is actually named and owned by former Canuck goalie, Kirk McLean!  No, we did not get to see him on our visit here as he is actually, currently, the goalie coach of the Colorado Avalanche!



Posted by: J

Voya Restaurant and Lounge (CLOSED)

Va-Va-Va Voya!

Food:

Absolutely divine. Started off with the Beef Carpaccio and the Steamed Local Mussels.  The carpaccio was melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious while the mussels were doused in a very nice aromatic, fiery tomato-chili broth.  Also loved the fact that it was accompanied by a large piece of grilled focaccia bread - just the perfect type of bread for soaking up the remnants of the broth.

For my entree, it was no suprise that my indecisiveness overpowered me.  I couldn't pick between the Ricotta, Lemon & Herb Ravioli or the Grilled 8 oz. sirloin steak with pomme frites and onion gratin.  On my first visit to Voya, I had a Chicken & Pappardelle dish here and it was amazing.  Needless to say, my wanting-to-eat-healthy instinct prevailed and so, I opted for the steak.  Nicely sliced, seared and cooked to perfection as requested, the steak was tender and juicy as can be. Win win all around!

Service:

Fine, but not spectacular (although with a place that looks like this, you would expect better service)

Value:

Wonderful value for food. Drinks, not so much.  Cocktails were very good, though not sure if it was worth the price ($12). 

For 1 cocktail, 1 entree and 1 appy - my tab came to be $65 including tax and tip, which overall, isn't too bad!

Ambience:

Beautiful decor with a very posh-looking dining area, bar and lounge area, and a private room for big parties.  We came here on a Friday night and we're only one of the few tables occupied.  I also like that it's not too pretentious here.

Overall: 8.3/10

Yay:  Trendy, gorgeous and well-executed food and drinks - what more can you ask for? Parking is not an issue either as it is located in the more less-bustlin' area of downtown - Coal Harbour.  Also attached to the Loden Hotel. Perfect for a night out with the girls, or a romantic dinner with the beau.  I also love the fact that the menu undergoes seasonal changes from time to time!

Nay: The drinks (though, wonderfully-concocted) could seriously add up to quite the costly tab. The price of a cocktail ranges from $10-$16.




Posted by: J

Market by Jean Georges

i ♥ Market!

* note: actual dining experience occured almost 2 weeks ago, late review is due to the recent holiday craze. My apologies!

Food:

My siblings and I chose this restaurant as the locale for our annual Christmas dinner because it sure didn't disappoint us the first time here.  Needless to say, we left Market with all smiles (as well as full tummies) the second time around :)

We started off with the Crispy Calamari (with Pea Shoots and Chili Dip) and the Arctic Char Sashimi.  Both were good, but not great. The calamari was nicely battered, but the chili dip that it came with was frothy (not thick, as you would expect).  I liked the garlic specks that came atop the sashimi.  Both appetizers were good, but I would recommend the Seared Scallops and the Foie Gras Brulee, if you ever go. We ordered those the first time here and thought they were the much better appetizers.

For my entree, I was comtemplating either the: Soy-Glazed Apple Short Ribs (had those the first time here and LOVED it) or the Lobster Baked with Basil Butter Lemon Spaetzle (with Autumn Vegetables)  I ended up ordering the lobster (other sibling chose the short ribs and thus allowed me to pick and "sample" her food :)).  I wish I knew (or inquired about) what the spaetzle was, but regardless, my entree was just o-k.  I wasn't feeling the lemon, spaetzle and lobster combination.  From what I wikipedia-ed just now (haha), Spaetzle is a type of noodle with origins in German cuisine (fyi!).  Overall, the entree was a little too sour for my liking (should've known).  Note to self: Never order lobster in a non-Asian restaurant unless it's accompanied with pasta! lol

As for the other entrees sampled :), they were all excellent.  The Seared Sirloin of Beef was tender and cooked to perfection.  The enoki mushrooms as well as the soy caramel sauce only served to boost its flavour.  Divinity as its best (lol)

Dessert consisted of a Green Apple Crumble and a Warm Chocolate Cake. Both were savoury and delicious. Once again, I apologize for the lack of description in taste! All I remember was that they were both good, lol

Service:

Our server took a while in arriving to take our order, but she was friendly.  Bread boy (hope that's not offensive) was prompt and always there to reload on the good ol' carbs.  The manager had a sense of humour (albeit a lame one) but he was still there whenever we needed him (e.g to take pictures for us! lol)

Value:

On par with what you would expect at other fine dining restos. (Although it would be nice to get my money back for the disappointing lobster dish!)

Ambience:

Beautiful.  Love the all-white decor and interior.  It's located in the Shangri-La Hotel, so I'll let you be the judge of what you would expect to see :)

Overall: 8.6/10

Yay: Fabolous food, setting and a damn nice place to be seen at.  Word has it that this is one of theee places for celebrity sightings (Bradley Cooper, Zac Efron...anybody? :) )

Nay: Downtown. Parking. Parking. Downtown. You get the drift!


** Interesting Fact: Jean-Georges is a world-renowned chef, author, and entrepreneur.  My sister went to his NYC restaurant (Spice Market) recently and had nothing but good things to say!


Posted by: J

Teahouse Restaurant

Stanley Park's own culinary gem...

Location: Vancouver (Downtown)

Food:

My first dining experience here was pleasant, but not over-the-top mindblowing.  It was about a year ago when it was still known as Sequoia Grill.  I recall that the service was good, appies were great, but our main entrees were a bit of a disappointment (overcooked steak, medicore fish).  In addition, there was a big of a mix-up with our bill.  All in all, we felt it was a good, but not great experience.

On this day, I had come for a birthday celebration and upon arriving, I was told that they had just (very) recently changed chefs and menus.  I didn't quite know what to expect (as it could go either way), but was still fairly excited, nonetheless.  We started off with the Beef Carpaccio, Veal Cheek Tortellini, as well as the Salt Spring Island Mussels.  All were very good.  The carpaccio was typical melt-in-your-mouth goodness and the quail eggs added quite the nice touch.  The tortellini was good - although there were only 3 pieces.  The mussels were great - big, plump and juicy.  I must also mention that their bread was also very good and went very well when dipped in the mussel broth.  'Twas a great start.

For my entree, I enjoyed a nice, cooked-to-perfection, succulent piece of  Rib Eye steak.  The wild mushrooms and fingerling potatoes accomodated the steak very well, and overall, it was very pleasurable.  I had also sampled the Short Rib Pappardelle, Qualicum Bay Scallops (with Mushroom Risotto), and the Cassoulet.  All were quite tasty, as well.

Cocktails were nicely executed as well.

Service:

Good

Value:

Good - Portions of entrees were very generous

Ambience:

Fabolous - nice setting if you're looking for somewhere pleasant, calm with nice scenery

Overall: 7.5/10

Yay: Ideal for romantic dinner dates, I believe weddings are often held here as well

Nay: This is a possiblity that you could get lost here in Stanley Park and hence, miss the restaurant (well, we did! lol...)

** Interesting Note: Not only did Teahouse recently undergo a name change (from Sequoia Grill to now, "Teahouse"), they also now have a new chef in addition to a new menu!




Posted by: J