Elem

Saying that restaurants are facing an uphill battle these days is a huge understatement.  With the state of the economy and rampant inflation, it is tough go for most businesses.  So when I heard that there was a break-in at Elem, I just had to go back and support them.  I went twice within a month and this particular post is a combination of both dinners.  On a happier note, Elem has recently won Vanmag's "Best New Restaurant".  Truly deserving and congrats to Chef Vish and the Elem team!

For the longest time, the featured bread on the menu was the rye parker rolls.  Well, they now have Milk Brioche Buns now and for this dinner, it was served with whipped butter topped by serrano & lime butter and lime salt.  Loved the fluffiness and butteriness of the buns.  The butter was super light and airy while having a brightness from the serrano.  It really wasn't spicy either.

If you don't already know, Elem is also known for their cocktail program and we went for the Anar and Mango Rasmalai.  For the anar, it was a light mix of gin, pomegranate and cardamomo.  Definitely floral and mildly sweet.  Along the same lines, the mango rasmalai was also comprised of gin mixed with mango and cardamomo.  With the addition of clarified saffron milk and saffron white chocolate paint, we had even more floral notes.

Believe it or not, this is only the 2nd time I've had the Yellowfin Tuna Bhel!  It wasn't because I didn't like it, but rather, no one I ate with ever wanted to order it.  Well, this time I did and yep, I know now what I was missing.  Beyond the buttery pieces of tuna, we found the classic flavours of a Bhel being herbaceous, tangy and bright.  Love the added crunch as it needed it.

One of their newer dishes was the Elk Tartare.  Not gamy (to me at least), the lean elk was surprisingly buttery and tender.  It was well-seasoned and beautifully topped with edible flowers.  What put this dish over the top was it rested on bone marrow.  The generous amount of buttery and sinful bone marrow only added to the luxuriousness of the dish.  Completing things was the crunchy housemade chips.

Normally, I'm not one to order a salad for any meal, but since I've had the Glorious Organics Salad before, we got it.  Despite its basic plating, you wouldn't have guessed that it consisted of a bevy of greens, 

elderflower-tahini dressing, walnuts and ricotta salata.  Just something refreshing and light as an interlude between heavier dishes.  The mix of greens afforded bitterness, pepperiness and sweetness to go with the floral and nutty dressing.

Hitting some featured cocktails, we had the Milo/Corn and the Elderflower Highball.  With a small piece of fresh corn on the cob, there was no mistaking what the milo/corn was about.  This was a combination of cognac, Nestle Milo and milk-washed corn.  Slightly strong due to the cognac, but also malty due to the milo and sweet from the corn.  I though this was a creative drink for sure.  As for the elderflower, it was floral as expected, but also not weak due to the fermented rice vodka.  With some peppercorn, there was a slight bite at the end.

For my past 2 visits, I was able to enjoy one of their classic dishes in the Dungeness Crab Toast.  Loved that they brought this back on to the menu with a slight twist.  For the aerated sauce underneath, it was Tom Yum and that added classic lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf aromatics to already briny and "crabby" flavours.  The generous amount of fluffy crab sat atop a soft slice of milk bread.  Best to order more of the brioche to soak up all that delicious sauce!

Another dish I do not get to order often at Elem is the Grilled Lamb Skewers.  Yes, once again, nobody that eats with me loves lamb.  Well, I decided to order it anyways and eat them by myself!  These pieces of lamb were super fatty, which in turn, made the meat buttery and soft.  However, due to the charring, there were some crispy and smoky bits on the outside.  Due to the fat, there was no mistaking it was lamb as it was gamy (which I love).  Providing a carmelized sweetness, the medjool date glaze was also syrupy and thick.  This all sat on ginger labneh which was creamy, tangy and bright.

Of course a salad wasn't enough in terms of veggies, so we had the Purple Broccolini.  The next time we were here (just 2 weeks later), they had replaced the broccolini with the New Potatoes.  Although simple in its preparation, the broccolini had a punch of brininess from the bagna cauda and white anchovy.  Some pecorino provided more saltiness and nuttiness.  As for the potatoes, they were still a bit firm yet still tender.  At the centre, there was a toma cheese fonduta that was creamy with just a bit of tang.

With a cute crab cracker on top, the Mezcal Sour was the best cocktail of the bunch.  It was smoky from the crab shell mezcal and also slightly tangy from the strawberry vinegar.  Add in the chili oil and there was a kick.  Definitely riding the line between savoury and sweet.  Topped with a spoon of sweet and nutty taro sorbet, the aptly named Taro also consisted of rum and coconut.  By itself, the cocktail was a bit aromatic with definite hits of rum.  I decided to mix the taro sorbet in and that balanced things off with some sweetness and the aforementioned taro notes.

 

Another variation of an OG dish we had was the Duck Fried Rice.  Featuring tender and flavourful pieces of confit duck, the rice ate quite meaty and rich.  Each grain of rice was discernible and nutty.  Adding in the side of chili crunch was imperative to add texture, aromatics and even more nuttiness.  It wasn't spicy per se, but added a background smokiness instead.  Herbs on top were more than garnish as it provided brightness and relief from the heaviness.

 

Gloriously green, the Spring Risotto was beautifully executed.  Spreading nicely on the plate while being creamy and rich, the rice was still chewy with a bite.  Yes, the whole thing did taste green with the brightness and sweetness of the peas as well as the earthiness of the nettles.  A soft poached egg on top added some silkiness from the yolk.

 

For both meals, I ended up ordering the BC Halibut.  Good call as each time, it was prepared well.  The fish featured a crispy hard sear which was seasoned properly.  The fish itself was flaky and moist.  It sat on top of a coconut curry that was creamy, earthy and of course aromatic.  There was also some crunchy bak choy and soft chunks of potato.

 

Prepared medium-rare, we had a beautiful Wagyu Bavette steak.  This was rather meaty, yet still wasn't difficult to chew.  The fat content ensured that the meat was flavourful on its own.  However, the smokiness from the salsa borracha was definitely evident and helped add depth-of-flavour and umami.  Some crunchy and vibrant gai lan was served on the side.

The last 2 cocktails I'll talk about are the Mai Tai and the Lemongrass Gimlet.  Topped with a spoon of passionfruit ice, the mai tai consisted of 3 types of rum and pistachio orgeat.  Hence, we had some floral sweetness as well as hits of rum.  The passionfuit helped make this fruity and light.  That lemongrass gimlet was so refreshing and dangerous.  The combination of Lebanese gin, pandan and yuzu was pretty sweet and fruity.  I could easily down 10 of these, no joke!  But then I would be out like a light too...

 

The first of these two recent visits, we had the Chocolate Tart to end our meal.  This was a substantial slice of rich chocolate cremeux that was only semi-sweet with an appealing bitter finish.  Texturally, this was smooth and silky where it melted on contact when put into our mouths.  Nice contrasting texture from the butter hazelnut crunch on the top.  we found a scoop of salted milk ice cream on the side.

One of their newest desserts is the PB & J with a disk of evaporated and condensed milk atop banana coffee.  We found crunchy peanuts and mixed berry jelly on the side.  This tasted like we thought it would and that in itself was a success.  That disk was so creamy and despite having condensed milk, it was purposefully sweet.  Definitely lots of peanut aroma and texture while the jelly was sweet with a slight tang.

 

Beautifully plated, the Lemon and Rhubarb consisted of house-made lemon ice cream with elderflower, poached rhubarb, bee pollen, butterscotch, hazelnut crumble and a ginger almond disk with shiso glaze.   I would say this would be one of the best composed desserts I've had at Elem.  A good combination of floral, tangy, sweetness and slight herbaceousness to go with the contrast in textures.  So there you have it, 2 of my recent visits to Elem.  I think by revisiting some of their greatest hits, with a twist, is a good move for the menu.  Also, they seemed to have leveled up with their desserts.  They are more composed and dare I say, more "normal".  I'm happy for them winning best new restaurant by Vancouver Magazine.  I'm looking forward to what is coming next!

The Good:

- They brought back some classics (but with a twist)

- More composed desserts

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Maybe due to the limitations from the break-in, they didn't have any daily features

Dovetail

So I finally made it out to Dovetail...  It has only been 2 years since they have opened!  Replacing Nightshade (which was vegan), Dovetail's menu features a California-inspired West Coast menu with various influences.  Honestly, I didn't mind Nightshade, but the offerings at Dovetail look a whole lot more appealing to me.  With a chic, but casual atmosphere, Dovetail's menu is closer to chain restaurant pricing.  That makes it a bit more accessible than many other Yaletown restaurants.

Starting off light, we had the Tuna Tartare.  This was rather refreshing due to the use of yuzu ponzu.  Lots of tanginess and brightness, but I felt that the dish was far too saucy.  With that being said, I still enjoyed it due to the aforementioned refreshing flavour profile.  Clean-tasting, the cubes of tuna were soft while being contrasted by the crispy fried lotus root chips.  We found some edamame, avocado, sliced radish and tofu added to the mix as well.  I was not really feeling the tofu and that could've been omitted.

The most surprising dish for me was the Bang Bang Shrimp.  Normally, when I see that on the menu, I stay far away because it is usually a disappointment.  However, this one was fantastic!  Super plump and large, the shrimp were lightly coated being crispy while the inside was buttery and bouncy.  There was just enough spicy aioli for moisture and some creamy spice.  The pickled fresnos levelled up the spice with a balancing acidity.

Another delightful surprise was their Burger constructed with 2 beef patties, onion, pickles, American cheese and comeback sauce.  All of this was served on the softest of buns.  This gave us Big Mac vibes in the best way because it didn't have an extra bun nor the messy lettuce.  Beef patties were well-seared and properly salted.  Meat was still moist.  The side of fries didn't look like much but were crispy and plenty potatoey on the inside.

With a strong mushroom essence emanating from Mushroom Mafaldine, I could not wait to try it.  This did not disappoint as the salt levels were on point.  Lots of umami from the natural mushroom flavour as well as a light touch of truffle.  Sauce was super creamy, yet not overly heavy.  Pasta was al dente and held onto the balanced amount of sauce very well.

We went big with the 26oz Bone-in Ribeye prepared medium as suggested.  I agree with the steak being cooked to medium as ribeye can be chewy if too rare.  However, the cook on this was a bit uneven.  The middle was perfect but the end pieces were completely cooked through and looking very grey.  With that being said, it was still tender and properly salted.  Loved the creamy and mild horseradish cream on the side as well as the herbaceous chimichurri.

On the side, we got the Broccolini that was beautifully grilled.  Sporting some char, there was smokiness to the dish.  Although cooked through, the broccolini was still crunchy and vibrant.  It was tossed in a roasted shallot vinaigrette which added a background acidity.  To top it off, we found some crispy shallots as well.  Once again, on point use of salt here.

Of course we didn't skip dessert and in fact, we had two.  The first of which was the Lemon Tiramisu.  As expected, this was lighter than the traditional version.  Although, the lady fingers were soaked with limoncello, it wasn't that sweet.  The lemon curd immediately made this tangy and helped balance the heaviness of the mascarpone.  This was quite pleasant.

I wasn't going to order the Passionfruit Cheesecake at first (since we were quite full), but we got it anyways.  Good decision as it was NY-style being rich and thick.  The brûlée on top added sweetness (as the cheesecake itself was not that sweet) and a smoky caramel crunch.  Tangy and sweet, the passionfruit sauce made this eat a whole lot lighter than it was.  Overall, the food at Dovetail was really good and fairly-priced.  Definitely a good option in Yaletown and an alternative to the chain restaurants.

The Good:

- Delicious food

- Reasonably-priced, especially in Yaletown

- Nice vibes

The Bad:

- Ribeye could've been cooked more consistently

Elem

Remember the last time I was at Elem?  If you guessed May, you are correct!  Now if you can also recall, I was dining at Elem almost monthly after they opened in late 2024.  So why the huge gap in between visits?  Well, if you haven't already heard, Viv broke her leg in July and that put everything on hold.  Also, I had gone to Montreal in October and had to do a detox after ripping through the best that they had.  So here we are back at Elem, now a Michelin-recommended restaurant and also appearing on Canada's 100 Best Restaurant list.

Like all of our meals at Elem, we got the Rye Bread.  This time around, they were accompanied by an apple butter topped with grated Szechuan pepper.  This resulted in a creamy and naturally sweet butter that had a slight bite.  It was ever-so-subtle though, so it wasn't numbing or spicy.  As for the rye, it was at its soft fluffy best with a slightly crispy exterior that was sweet.  Inside, there was still a slight chew. 

Of course we'd get some cocktails right?  These were quite interesting with the Hot Pot Whiskey Sour.  This really did taste like Chinese hot pot with the earthiness and spice.  We also got some extra tanginess from the kalamansi.  Their version of a Mai Tai featured 3 types of rum, which made it boozy but it was slightly tempered by the passionfruit granita and pistachio orgeat.

Our appetizers began with the Chicory Salad that was quite bountiful in size.  It was truly an appetizer as the coronation grape vinaigrette was super bright and tangy.  It helped balance out the bitterness from the crisp radicchio.  Nice crunch and aromatics from the walnuts and creaminess from the ricotta salata.  Although it might've seemed like a small detail, the plump blueberries added a fruity sweetness to the mix.

Onto a new item that is going to replace the Chicory Salad on the menu, we had the Futsu Squash with forno beets.  Chef Vish decided to employ little-used ingredients for this creation.  Not overly popular, the futsu squash was full of umami that resulted in an earthy sweetness.  It was tender, yet still had some firmness.  These were topped with tender slices of forno beets that were lightly sweet, but not overly earthy.  We found chunks of buffalo mozzarella and pickled walnuts as well.  The slices of fennel added extra crunch and aroma.  Finally, they used the whey from the mozzarella to create a vinaigrette.

We mourned the loss of the crab toast but were delighted to see the Prawn Toast as its replacement.  Light, almost fluffy and slightly rare, the diced prawn was super delicate and sweet.  It was topped with sesame and seared until crispy and aromatic.  Sitting on the same milk bread, it was lightly toasted.  Hence, it remained slightly crispy despite half-immersed in a tom yum sauce.  Combined with some Indian spices including cumin, the tom yum was earthy and tangy.  We got the lemongrass beyond the cumin.

Staying with the veggie theme of this meal (as we got a lot of that), we had the Delicata Squash that was halved and roasted.  Hence, the sweetness was coaxed out of the squash from the heat.  This was further enhanced by the quince glaze, which was balanced off by the ample pine nuts.  Underneath, we found a creamy mornay sauce.

Second round of cocktails consisted of the Tamarind & Mango Agua Fresca with a fruit popsicle.  Yes, this was a mocktail, but a tasty one at that.  Definitely refreshing but at the same time with body, the tamarind was prominent in taste and appearance.  The other cocktail was the Hinojo consisting of tequila, amartillado sherry and fennel.  Yep, another fairly strong concoction but balanced.  The tequila was at the forefront but the fennel added that licorice aroma.

We've had almost every version of the fried rice at Elem and although we have enjoyed them all, the current iteration was probably the best.  Interestingly, it happened to be the Mushroom Fried Rice and yes, there was no meat in it.  Despite that, it was very mushroom forward with impactful pieces of mushroom and a considerable amount of mushroom XO.  There was good wok hei where the rice was nutty and firm with caramelization.  Nice crunch from the veggies and fluffiness from the egg.

The feature of the night happened to be the Argentinian Chili Risotto and yes, we got that too.  Just like the other risottos we've had here, this was expertly prepared.  Spreading nicely on the plate, the aborio rice was firm, but cooked through.  There was enough moisture and cheesiness without being intrusive.  The natural sweetness and umaminess of the Argentinian prawn came though.  Nice addition of acidity from the lemon and yes, it had spice from the chili and sambal.

Our meat dish of the night was the Wagyu Bavette in a crying tiger sauce.  Prepared mostly rare, the meat was juicy and possibly a touch chewy.  We would've preferred medium-rare or even medium in this application.  No matter, as it was still plenty chewable and best of all, it sat in a delicious sauce.  The combination of briny fish sauce, tangy lime juice and sweet tamarind really helped bring this dish alive.  Of course the plethora of herbs just put the flavours over-the-top.

To go with this, we had the Cabbage, that was roasted and topped with sesame pangrattato.  Nice aromatic and nutty crunch from that to go with the charred eggplant puree.  With some anchovies, we got some light salty brininess to provide some punch to an otherwise mild dish.  The cabbage itself was tender but not mushy.  We detected some cumin that gave the dish plenty of earthiness.

As for the sweet stuff, we were presented with a bonus bite in the Beet Ice Cream.  This was super smooth with a balanced sweetness.  We got the natural flavours of the beets including a hint of earthiness.  Really delicious.  We also had the Chocolate Tart with pumpkin gelato.  The tart itself was creamy and rich, while not being heavy.  It was semi-sweet with a balancing bitterness.  Underneath, the coffee foam added some extra flavour. 

When I asked for the bill, we were presented with some sweet bites (as they always do) in Passionfruit & Apple Jellies.  They were not too sweet and had a nice light gelatin texture to it.   Once again, it was a fine meal at Elem.  We still mourn the loss of the iconic Crab Toast and possibly the Bavette Steak could've been a bit more tender, but overall, the dishes we had were well-executed with thoughtful flavours.  Can't wait for my next visit!

The Good:

- Beautiful dining space

- Excellent service

- Worthy eats

The Bad:

- Wish the Crab Toast was still around...

- Steak could've been more tender

Osetra

One of the newest restaurants in Downtown Vancouver has opened up on Georgia Street at Homer.  Osetra (yes, the same name as the caviar) now occupies the former location of Bar Haifa.  It has a focus on coastal cuisine that features fresh seafood.  Now with a name like Osetra, you might have guessed they have a love for caviar as well.  That they do and we even got some randomly during our meal!

Before we got to the caviar, we had the Scallop Crudo.  This was doused in an apple and coconut nage.  This was plenty creamy and aromatic.  There was also an avocado vinaigrette which added even more richness as well as some acidity.  I wasn't completely sold on the serranos on top, but it did make things pop.  As for the chopped scallop, it was buttery soft, fresh and clean-tasting.  I enjoyed eating this with less of the sauce, since it was rather heavy.  Flavours were good though and the seasoned crisps were perfect vessels for the scallops.

For our Caviar appie, it featured a crispy buttermilk and chive waffle that was lightly sweet and a bit nutty.  We found some smoked crème fraîche and chives occupying 2 squares on the waffle while there was a toasted pepper and egg yolk gel settling in 2 of the other squares.  However, the most important ingredient was the dollops of caviar in the remaining squares.  I thought when everything was combined into one bite, there was a good balance.  If you are familiar, you'll notice that they re-imagined the typical condiments served with a tin of caviar, such as the egg yolk, crème fraîche and chives.  Quite clever really and in general it worked.  Possibly the only thing I would've changed was the waffle itself.  Something thinner would've helped highlight the brininess of the caviar more so.

It was suggested we order the Grilled Sourdough to accompany the Squid Plancha.  Great call on that as the nutty, smoky and crunchy sourdough mopped up that delicious sauce beautifully.  There was a nice dousing of single origin olive oil on the bread itself, where it ate well without sauce too.  The little bites of squid nestled in the n'duja & confit tomato sugo were tender and buttery.  I found the sugo to have a mild tomato flavour while exhibiting some spice.  Some preserved lemon provided the acidity and a balanced saltiness came from the manchego espuma.

Two of our vegetable sides came out next in the form of the Oyster Mushrooms in a rendang sauce and the Potato Pavé with pecorino and kimchi powder.  Really enjoyed the mushrooms as they were seared nicely.  The rendang was creamy and earthy with the usual coconut aromatics.  As for the pavé, it was not pan-fried.  Rather, it was deep fried which created a uniformly crunchy exterior that was also buttery and nutty.  Inside, it was still tender and revealed the multiple layers of potato.  I didn't notice the kimchi powder as much as I wanted, but it did provide a slight bite.

My favourite item of the night was the Dungeness Crab served in its own carapace (or head shell).  They de-shelled the whole crab and mixed it with a ginger & scallion emulsion.  I found the crab meat to be excellent being fluffy with a slight bounce.  It was naturally sweet and a bit briny with the emulsion complimenting rather than dominating.  We had some acidity in the form of lemon and the whole thing contained a good amount of crab.

Now we had crab, so the next would be Lobster right?  This was a half-lobster with diced meat that was mixed with a motoyaki mayo sauce and baked.  It was also topped with chives and ikura.  The result was tender morsels of sweet lobster that were lightly bathed in a mild-tasting sauce.  Underneath, we found some watercress gomae that added some freshness and texture.  The pops of brininess from the ikura was a nice break from the creamy sauce.

I thought the Carrots was probably the best veggie side dish we had.  They were aggressively charred which made them smoky and heightened the sweetness.  That honey mustard toffee on the bottom of the plate was richly sweet and buttery with a slight sharpness from the mustard.  Adding texture and nuttiness, there was puffed rice  was strewn across the plate.

Had to end the meal with caviar right?  So we had the Fior di Latte & Lemon Gelato topped with Osetra caviar and drizzled with single origin olive oil.  Creamy and sweet, the gelato benefited from olive oil with extra silkiness and of course the flavour of the oil.  Of course the caviar on top provided a "je ne sais" quality to the dessert that was only in the background.  Overall, the food we tried at Osetra was good.  There might've been a few things that could've been refined a bit more (such as the scallop crudo) and possibly the plating on the squid was a bit flat, but nothing outrageously deficient.  Atmosphere and decor fit the Downtown theme and pricing was okay, especially compared to Aquafarina across the street.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Good Downtown vibes and atmosphere

- Food was generally well-prepared

- Fresh seafood

The Bad:

- Some dishes could use further refinement