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It's not like Bacchus Bistro is new or anything, but since I can remember, I've always wanted to dine there. After many failed attempts, we finally made a reservation for my mom's birthday. I guess one of the reasons we've taken so long is that the place is located at the Chaberton Estate Winery in Langley on 216th. For those who don't live in the area, it isn't exactly an easy commute. For me, I travel long distances for food and that we did as it took over 45 minutes from Burnaby with no traffic. However, being seated outside overlooking the vineyard brought a certain satisfaction and calmness which made the drive much more palatable.
Beyond the reasonably-priced house wines (as they make it), we had to get to the food. That we did with some appies including the Bacchus Salad sporting thin slices of smoked salmon over mixed greens with a tuna rémoulade sauce. Yes, usually a salad elicits as much excitement as a time-share seminar, but this was actually quite good. In addition to the crisp fresh greens, the slices of buttery smoked salmon were topped with a creamy and fishy (in a good way) dressing. Think of it as somewhat like a vitello tonnato but with smoked salmon and greens instead of veal. Another solid starter was the Duck Rillettes with red onion jam, honey mustard and toasted challah. This was meaty and ducky with a subtle and pleasant gaminess. The rillette itself was not super flavourful, but that wasn't really an issue since the onion jam and honey mustard helped in that regard. We thought the soft toasted challah was a great compliment to the rillette.
As part of the Table H'ote menu, my mom and I had 2 appetizers of our own including the Escargot a la Bourguignonne. They were not shy with the butter and garlic as this was as sinful and delicious as it looked. I thought the addition of roasted grape tomatoes underneath was a great shot of tartness to cut through the heaviness of the butter. However, at the same time, it was so strong that I found it overwhelmed every other flavour. The escargots themselves were tender and not overdone while exhibiting a background gaminess. For my mom, she chose the Lobster and Butternut Squash Bisque with sauteed locally raised shrimp. Despite it being a blend between essentially 2 soups, the dominant flavour was the lobster essence. Texturally, it was more squash than being creamy, but it was still bisque-like to a degree. Beyond the lobster, there was the sweetness of squash and at the tail end, there was a slight cognac finish.
Our last appie was the Steamed Gulf Island Mussels with steamed in white wine and tomato with cracked coriander and fennel seed. This wasn't the most exciting creation, but it was solid nonetheless. I would've preferred a little more impact from the broth, but it did the job with a mild tang and aromatics. The mussels themselves were buttery and plump. With all this being said, this was probably our least favourite appetizer, not because it wasn't good, the others were just better.
Moving onto the mains, I had the Rib Eye Steak prepared medium-rare (closer to rare, which is my preference anyways). As evidenced in the picture, there was an aggressive exterior sear that created a smoky and caramelized crust. The steak was well-seasoned as well, so there was plenty of impact to go with the natural fattiness. Underneath, there was a saute of mushrooms, house smoked bacon and pearl onions in a Bordelaise sauce. For my mom, she went for the Roasted Fraser Valley 1/2 Duck with sauteed asparagus and caramelized orange sauce. Essentially, their version of duck a l'orange, it was fantastic. The duck itself had a beautiful finish with fairly rendered skin and super tender meat (that was not dry). Sweet with a smoky tang, the orange sauce was balanced and flavourful. It allowed the duck to be the star while complimenting it at the same time.
My dad didn't want all 3 courses, but did get the Pan Roasted Halibut a la carte. It was excellent with crispy skin and tender flakes. It almost ate like black cod which meant that the halibut was fresh and properly executed. On the bottom, there was sauteed spinach and a three mushroom cream sauce. Although the spinach was a bit too wilted, it ultimately went well with the creamy and earthy sauce. Staying with fish, my daughter had the Pan-Roasted BC Ling Cod with ratatouille Provencal and Okanagan basil pistou. This was also well-prepared with crispy skin. I would say the cook on the halibut was a bit better as the cod wasn't as flaky. However, it still wasn't dry. Underneath, the ratatouille provided a veggie tang to go along with the garlicky brightness of the pistou.
Viv decided on the classic Fraser Valley Duck Leg Duck Confit with warm beluga lentil salad, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus tossed in a pepita pistou. There was an option to add another leg for $7.00 more, but it really wasn't necessary since the one leg was pretty substantial. The meat was moist and fork tender where it barely needed any chewing. It was also well-seasoned without being overly salty. Although portions of the duck skin were a bit fatty, most of it was well-rendered and crispy. Loved the lentils as they provided a firm and meaty texture to the salad. My son was sold on the Beef Bourguignon since it featured a boneless beef short rib braised in red wine with pearl onions, house smoked bacon and mushrooms. By virtue of a large short rib, the whole dish ate much differently than a traditional bourguignon. It had all of the flavours such as the sweetness of the onions, depth of the red wine and the earthiness of the mushroom, yet at the same time, it was much more robust due to the tender meaty short rib.
Moving onto the sweets, since our 3-course meals included dessert, we had both of them including the Chocolate Eclair as well as the Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. Stuffed with both a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a scoop of chocolate mousse, the eclair was a lot taller than we had imagined. Beyond the light choux pastry, the mousse was quite good riding the line between rich and light. It was chocolatey with some dark bitterness while being sweet enough. The strawberry rhubarb crumble was also good with a tangy sweet mix that was topped with a crunchy and buttery crumble. Combined with the ice cream, it was everything a crumble should be. Yet, there was one fatal flaw - the whole thing was barely warm. If this was served hot, it would've ben excellent. Sadly it was not.
We added 2 more desserts in the Lemon Tart and Chocolate Mousse. Although a bit watery, the lemon curd was balanced with just the right amount of tang and sweetness. It was silky smooth, but as mentioned, a touch too thin. As for the pastry shell, it was fantastic being firm throughout with an appealing texture that was buttery and almost crunchy. One of the better lemon tarts I've had recently despite the viscosity of the curd. Presented neatly as a cylinder, the chocolate mousse was somewhat different than the one in the eclair. The flavours were the same but the texture was a bit lighter possibly since it wasn't served as a large scoop. These desserts were a nice ending to a nice meal. Food was more than acceptable where the portions were generous complete with reasonable pricing.
The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Solid food
- Beautiful setting
The Bad:
- A little far for those not in the vicinity
- Food is pretty classic, so for those who want something more cutting edge, you won't find it here
If you haven't noticed, Chinese Skewer restaurants are becoming more and more prevalent in a city that rarely had any just 5 years ago. Something about meat on a stick has created an appetite that hasn't been satiated as of yet (as there are more and more opening up as of this post). We all know the usual places such as the popular Happy Tree as well as Meat Up. One spot that has relatively flown under the radar is Kuan Zhai Road tucked into a small strip mall just down the road from Happy Tree on Kingsway in Vancouver. It isn't apparent what the place is called because the English name is in tiny font.
In addition to their grilled skewers, they have spicy hot pot options with "Help Yourself" Skewers in their refrigerated displays. Priced at a reasonable 69 cents each, these one bite skewers are cooked in your choice of broth. We had the extra spicy broth with chilis, chili oil, spices and Szechuan peppercorns. This was super hot and kept my lips burning long after I had finished. Totally tasty! We ended up with a variety of skewers including duck tongue, tripe, tendon, fish and conch. Things were texturally on point (including the normally too chewy tripe) and nicely spiced by the hot pot broth. We actually returned a few weeks later and asked for super hot and it was actually very spicy!
As for the BBQ Skewers, we got a selection including lamb, meatball, prawns, beef and chicken wing. Compared to other skewers spots in town, I found the amount of meat to be a little more than average. In terms of pricing, it is pretty competitive. I thought the lamb skewers to be the best being tender and moist with a decent char on the outside. Flavours were mildly spicy (you can get spicier) while the cumin really came through. Naturally, the beef was a bit more robust with an appealing chewy meatiness. Flavours were quite similar except for the meat of course. Didn't really enjoy the meatballs as they were far too dense. Shrimp were sweet with plenty of the usual shrimp aromatics but it was a bit overdone in my opinion. Loved the honey chicken wings as they featured rendered skin and super juicy meat.
Just for kicks, I got the Lao Chengdu Hot and Sour Noodles as well as the Spicy Chicken. The slippery noodles were mildly spicy with a bit of tang. I really thought they could've amped the spice level way higher than it was. Of course, we only needed to ask for it, so not a big deal really. However, the amount of moisture was an issue as it made the dish wet. As for the chicken, it was inherently seasoned enough. Texturally, it was tender while nicely gelantized including the skin. Once again, it wasn't as spicy as we would've liked (to be fair, we like it flaming hot). Yet, as mentioned, we could've asked for it to be prepared spicier, such as the hot pot. For those who like it milder, this would've been fine and pretty good. If I had to compare with the nearby Happy Tree, I would say Kuan Zhai is pretty similar without the loud pop music.
The Good:
- Well-prepared skewers
- More low key than the nearby Happy Tree
- Better service than Happy Tree
The Bad:
- A smaller restaurant, so when it gets busy, not as many seats
- Parking is an issue
As I've mentioned many times in the past, there are plenty of spots for Dim Sum in the Lower Mainland. However, there aren't that many new ones opening up (other than a few being renamed or bought out). So when New Mandarin opened its doors a month ago, it has been high on my list. Situated in the new T&T complex on Kingsway near Victoria, the place fills a need since there aren't many Dim Sum joints in the immediate area. One would have to drive South to Western Lake or East to Come Along for the nearest competitors. Strangely, they have 2 separate entrances from the outside which caused a bit of confusion. Interestingly, there was no inside entrance from the parking lot.
As we sat down in the nicely appointing dining space, we were a bit surprised at how cramped it was. Still comfortable though. Getting to the food, we decided to get both the Black Truffle Siu Mai as well as the Siu Mai with quail's egg. Naturally both were very similar having the same base meat mixture. It was quite good with a light bounce texture that was varied with a meaty crunch from the shrimp. Flavours were mild with only a slight sweetness accented by the natural pork flavour. Of course the dollop of black truffle on top added a considerable amount of earthiness that I feel goes well with robust siu mai (doesn't work will all Chinese food). As for the quail's egg, it was perfectly runny where not only did it provide appealing visuals, the silkiness of the yolk added a richness to the dumpling.
Onto some rice noodle rolls, we got both the Beef Rice Noodle Roll as well as the Shrimp Vermicelli Rice Noodle Roll. Looking pretty typical, the beef rice noodle roll was stuffed full of tender and airy beef mousse. In some sense, it lacked any real meat texture since it was essentially fluffy with bits of green onion. The rice noodle was tender and soft with only a slight amount of elasticity. It was just thick enough in our opinion. Where the beef was lacking in texture, the shrimp rice noodle roll had plenty of it. Beyond the same soft rice noodle, we found a layer of fried mung bean vermicelli which was crispy and light. That was a nice counterbalance to the soft noodle as well as the meaty shrimp that had a good snap. The shrimp was seasoned enough for impact while allowing the natural sweetness to come out.
Normally, we do not order the Pan Fried Daikon Pudding Cake since it is rather filling (actually we like the cubed fried XO version more), but my cousin's son really wanted it. Hey, we spoil our kids right? Anyways, this was pretty solid where the texture rode the fine line between firm and fluffy. So there was still plenty of rigidity for it to stay in one piece without being dense. There was a good mix of cured sausage and slivers of tender daikon inside while the pan fry was sufficient, but could've been more aggressive. If you were wondering about the Ha Gau (since we already had the siu mai), it was good. The dumpling skin was just a tad thicker than perfect, but it had a pleasant elasticity. Inside, the shrimp filling was on point with a moist snap highlighted by the natural sweetness of the shrimp with the aroma of sesame oil.
Remember the beef in the rice noodle roll? Well, the Beef Meatballs were actually even more airy and fluffy. That would be good if we were talking about cotton candy, but for me at least, this lacked in the texture department. It was as if I was eating a fish mousse dish rather than beef. Too much baking soda and starch here. At the very least, the meatballs tasted good with a balanced amount of greens and mild seasoning. They were also rather large as well. For one of veggie dishes (we had the gai lan too, but not much to talk about there), we got the Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with garlic. This was a bit on the oiler side, but the wok fry was good where there was little moisture on the bottom of the plate. Furthermore, the amount of minced garlic was aggressively which meant this didn't lack any flavour.
Doing their Mott 32 impersonation, the Hot & Sour Soup Dumplings looked and were presented the same way. Wait, let me rephrase, the ones here were more Mott 32 than Mott 32 itself as we were didn't get the individual holders when we dined there. In terms of execution, they were pretty close as the dumpling skin was thin albeit a touch soft. Inside, the soup was tasty being tangy and spicy while the meat filling was tender and meaty without being gritty. Back to my cousin's kids, they wanted Phoenix Talons and that they did with 2 orders! This was also solid with plump chicken feet where the skin was soft yet not mushy. Underneath, the cartilage and tendon were also soft, but not melted. There was plenty of garlic and spicy notes to go with balanced amount of sweetness and saltiness.
One of the duds of the meal was the Beef Tripe served atop daikon. As much as it was neatly presented in large slices, the texture was all wrong. It was far too soft where it practically melted in our mouths. Now that would be a good thing with many types of meat, but when it comes to tripe, it becomes unappealing. There was none of the classic chewiness we normally associate with this dish. However, the seasoning was on point and the daikon underneath was pretty good texturally. For dessert, we got the Baked Egg Tarts which were good. We found the pastry to be buttery and flaky with an appealing nuttiness. The egg custard filling was silky and just dense enough that it wasn't watery. There was just enough sweetness as well. Overall, the food was pretty good, especially for a new restaurant. Service was above average and the decor was pretty upscale. I would come here again.
The Good:
- Above average eats (although a bit hit and miss)
- Solid service
- Validated parking (for 1.5 hours)
The Bad:
- Pricey
- Cramped seating arrangements
Easily mistakened for "Olive", O'Love Greek Kitchen opened up recently in the old Subway location on Hastings near Zeta and Sushi Town. Viv already has had lunch there and thought the food was pretty good. I took that in and made a note to return for dinner. Well, that didn't happen as things got busy and I totally forgot about it. I guess taking actual notes rather than mental notes would be more useful! Finally, with no predetermined restaurant to visit on a weekend night, we didn't have to go far to try out O'Love.
Since it was only a Subway before, the restaurant itself isn't very big, but they make good use of the space. As for the food, we began with the Hummus and Taramasalata with grilled pita. Smooth with some chunky bits, the hummus was aromatic due to the garlic while the amount of tang could've been more pronounced. Loved the creamy richness of the taramasalata as it was blended well. There was the unmistakable brininess of the roe combined with a balanced amount of saltiness. Sure, the dips were the star of the show, but in reality, the seared pita was probably just as important. They were fluffy and warm where they were cut into strips. Perfect for dipping! Next, the order of Calamari was rather generous . Furthermore, it was also well-executed with a light and crunchy batter (that was mildly seasoned). The squid was tender with a bite and the tzatziki was plenty tangy and garlicky.
Onto the mains, my mom had the Roast Lamb Shoulder garbonzo beans and carrots as well as Greek chips. Normally, I'm more partial to the plain ol' roast lamb with spices and no sauce. I find the ones with sauce to be too wet and muddled in flavour. I wouldn't say this one would fit into that category, but at the same time, my personal preference would be something simpler. With that being said, the lamb was tender and moist with a mix of flavours that ranged from tangy to sweet to aromatic. Viv chose the Mousaka as her main and it was a good combination of organic beef, eggplant, zuchinni, potato and graviera-beshemel. Neatly prepared and presented in its own ramekin, the mousaka was utterly delicious. Nutmeg, cinnamon and the creaminess of the bechemel were the dominant flavours and textures beyond the soften ground beef. It ate really rich with quite the oil slick at the bottom, but in reality, it wasn't a huge issue.
My son went for the Chicken Souvlaki with spinach risotto and Greek chips. In fact, my daughter had the exact same dish but as the appetizer version (she can't possibly eat 2 skewers). These were beautifully grilled with char marks that not only looked legit, they added the necessary smokiness and caramelization. Although not aggressively seasoned, the souvlaki was still aromatic from the hot grill. When my dad ordered the Salmon Souvlaki, I was concerned that it would be overcooked (because many places do that). However, it was absolutely perfect despite not appearing to be. Beyond the grill marks on the outside, the fish was tender, medium-rare and tender on the inside. Although it was mildly seasoned like the chicken, it was still delicious with natural sweetness and of course the dunk into the side of tzatziki.
For myself, I had the 1/2 Roast Chicken with Greek Chips (in reality, these were fresh cut fries). Nicely rendered and golden brown (also charred), the skin was well-seasoned where it added plenty of flavour to the chicken. I found the breast meat to be a little over the line between moist and dry, but it wasn't bad. Of course the dark meat fared better. Overall, it was a decent roast chicken. As much as I loved the fresh cut fries, I was longing for some lemon roasted potatoes. On the other hand, I know that these fries are classic additions to Gyros, so it wasn't completely out of left field either. In general, O'Love is a solid neighbourhood restaurant that offers up good food, fair portions and best of all, great service. We will return.
The Good:
- Solid food
- Personable service
- Fair portions
The Bad:
- Not the most spacious place
- Loved the fries, but also would like a lemon potato option
As much as it is cool to visit new restaurants all the time, some of the more established ones are worth revisiting. So when Costanza suggested we hit up Fable for his birthday, it was a good time to have some of my favourite dishes there. For those who don't know, Fable is a tongue-and-check name for Trevor Bird's farm-to-table restaurant in Kits. He opened it up shortly after his appearance on Top Chef Canada at the former location of Fuel and Re-Fuel. I had originally dined there after it opened and came away satisfied. Seeing how they still had 2 of my favourites on the menu, there was a good chance this visit would yield the same result.
As such, I did order those dishes in the Canned Tuna and Spaghetti & Meatballs. Don't let their names fool you as they are not what they seem. For the canned tuna, it was essentially a jar of albacore, potatoes, tomato and olive oil sous-vide. To eat this correctly, we had to mix the ingredients vigorously to create a chunky slurry. So if you can imagine how canned tuna tastes like, then you will get part of the flavour profile of the dish. However, with fresh albacore, the texture was much more buttery. A touch of acidity helped keep the dish bright as well. Looking at the next offering, it was technically tagliatelle and a duck meatball filled with mushrooms. Some duck jus and a parmesan foam completed the flavours. Once again, we did the mix-it-up routine where we found a mix of the gaminess of duck, umaminess of mushroom and aromatic saltiness of parmesan. Add it to the al dente pasta and this was as good as we remembered.
Unlike the last time, we didn't have any raw oysters on the half shell. Rather, they had something called Oyster Fish n' Chips. Basically, these little oysters were beer-battered and fried, placed in a half shell, topped with tatar and shoestring fries. So again, just like the first 2 dishes, the whimsical interpretation of ordinary food items was prevalent. Crunchy and light, the batter gave way to a briny and buttery oyster. Tangy and creamy, the tartar sauce was a natural compliment while the shoestring fries added some crunch. Since Elaine isn't much into oysters, she did not participate in this (as it is charged per piece). Rather, she had the other one bite appie in the Chickpea Fritter (also charged per piece). I've had this before, but it was plated a bit differently with curry mayo, pickled onions and pea shoots. Falafel-like, but fluffier, this was crunchy and the curry really came through. Acidity was provided by the pickled onions.
We weren't done with the small plates yet as we also got the Cornbread that consisted of 4 large slices for a very reasonable price of $4.00. I'm not sure if it was a good idea to order this since we already had 4 different small plates already, but it was good nonetheless. Although not crispy nor crunchy on the exterior, it really didn't matter as the cornbread itself was soft, airy and fluffy with the right amount of moisture. It wasn't too sweet where it balanced with the savoury aspects. Not on the menu, the featured small plate was the Grilled Caesar with croutons and tallow bacon. Initially, I believed there was far too much dressing on top, but the impactful acidity really cut down on the creaminess. Furthermore, the brininess of the anchovies really came through. Loved how the smokiness of the grill on the romaine was present without it being over-wilted. Lots of crunch was provided by the large buttery croutons and crumble.
Onto the larger plates, we had the Halibut with pork belly, pea/miso risotto, scallions and tokyo turnips. This was the most delicately seasoned concoction of the bunch, but in our minds, probably intentional. For the protein itself, the halibut was prepared expertly with a crispy seasoned sear on the outside while the fish itself was flaky and moist. Although the flavour profile was rather bright due to the greenery, the caramelized pork belly did add some concentrated saltiness. In addition to trying their featured small plate, we also had their large one being the Pappardelle with tomatoes, broccolini, braised pork and pork butter. This was silky and meaty while maintaining a balanced seasoning. I thought this dish was excellent, but unfortunately, the fresh pasta was a bit overdone being too soft.
Ending off strong, our other 2 larger dishes were absolutely excellent and delicious. The Seared Striploin was cooked to a a tender medium-rare with beautiful charring. It was accompanied by celeriac remoulade, salt-baked celeriac and beef tallow horseradish crumb. Other than the beef, the most impactful thing on the plate was the remoulade as it was creamy and tangy. The crunch from the nutty beef tallow crumb was a nice textural contrast. My favourite one of the bunch had to be the Smoked Duck Breast with glazed parsnip, duck parsnip croquette and Napa cabbage. Beautifully seared and well-rendered, the crispy duck skin gave way to tender medium-cooked duck. It was moist and flavourful with a umami smokiness. On the side, the croquette was crispy and full of duck mixed with soft parsnip. So there you have it, a solid return visit to Fable. Other than the soft pasta, everything else was on point and as tasty as it was before.
The Good:
- Well-executed proteins
- Good flavour combos
- Whimsical appies
The Bad:
- Pasta was a bit soft
- Salad was a bit overdressed
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It's not like Bacchus Bistro is new or anything, but since I can remember, I've always wanted to dine there. After many failed attempts, we finally made a reservation for my mom's birthday. I guess one of the reasons we've taken so long is that the place is located at the Chaberton Estate Winery in Langley on 216th. For those who don't live in the area, it isn't exactly an easy commute. For me, I travel long distances for food and that we did as it took over 45 minutes from Burnaby with no traffic. However, being seated outside overlooking the vineyard brought a certain satisfaction and calmness which made the drive much more palatable.
Beyond the reasonably-priced house wines (as they make it), we had to get to the food. That we did with some appies including the Bacchus Salad sporting thin slices of smoked salmon over mixed greens with a tuna rémoulade sauce. Yes, usually a salad elicits as much excitement as a time-share seminar, but this was actually quite good. In addition to the crisp fresh greens, the slices of buttery smoked salmon were topped with a creamy and fishy (in a good way) dressing. Think of it as somewhat like a vitello tonnato but with smoked salmon and greens instead of veal. Another solid starter was the Duck Rillettes with red onion jam, honey mustard and toasted challah. This was meaty and ducky with a subtle and pleasant gaminess. The rillette itself was not super flavourful, but that wasn't really an issue since the onion jam and honey mustard helped in that regard. We thought the soft toasted challah was a great compliment to the rillette.
As part of the Table H'ote menu, my mom and I had 2 appetizers of our own including the Escargot a la Bourguignonne. They were not shy with the butter and garlic as this was as sinful and delicious as it looked. I thought the addition of roasted grape tomatoes underneath was a great shot of tartness to cut through the heaviness of the butter. However, at the same time, it was so strong that I found it overwhelmed every other flavour. The escargots themselves were tender and not overdone while exhibiting a background gaminess. For my mom, she chose the Lobster and Butternut Squash Bisque with sauteed locally raised shrimp. Despite it being a blend between essentially 2 soups, the dominant flavour was the lobster essence. Texturally, it was more squash than being creamy, but it was still bisque-like to a degree. Beyond the lobster, there was the sweetness of squash and at the tail end, there was a slight cognac finish.
Our last appie was the Steamed Gulf Island Mussels with steamed in white wine and tomato with cracked coriander and fennel seed. This wasn't the most exciting creation, but it was solid nonetheless. I would've preferred a little more impact from the broth, but it did the job with a mild tang and aromatics. The mussels themselves were buttery and plump. With all this being said, this was probably our least favourite appetizer, not because it wasn't good, the others were just better.
Moving onto the mains, I had the Rib Eye Steak prepared medium-rare (closer to rare, which is my preference anyways). As evidenced in the picture, there was an aggressive exterior sear that created a smoky and caramelized crust. The steak was well-seasoned as well, so there was plenty of impact to go with the natural fattiness. Underneath, there was a saute of mushrooms, house smoked bacon and pearl onions in a Bordelaise sauce. For my mom, she went for the Roasted Fraser Valley 1/2 Duck with sauteed asparagus and caramelized orange sauce. Essentially, their version of duck a l'orange, it was fantastic. The duck itself had a beautiful finish with fairly rendered skin and super tender meat (that was not dry). Sweet with a smoky tang, the orange sauce was balanced and flavourful. It allowed the duck to be the star while complimenting it at the same time.
My dad didn't want all 3 courses, but did get the Pan Roasted Halibut a la carte. It was excellent with crispy skin and tender flakes. It almost ate like black cod which meant that the halibut was fresh and properly executed. On the bottom, there was sauteed spinach and a three mushroom cream sauce. Although the spinach was a bit too wilted, it ultimately went well with the creamy and earthy sauce. Staying with fish, my daughter had the Pan-Roasted BC Ling Cod with ratatouille Provencal and Okanagan basil pistou. This was also well-prepared with crispy skin. I would say the cook on the halibut was a bit better as the cod wasn't as flaky. However, it still wasn't dry. Underneath, the ratatouille provided a veggie tang to go along with the garlicky brightness of the pistou.
Viv decided on the classic Fraser Valley Duck Leg Duck Confit with warm beluga lentil salad, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus tossed in a pepita pistou. There was an option to add another leg for $7.00 more, but it really wasn't necessary since the one leg was pretty substantial. The meat was moist and fork tender where it barely needed any chewing. It was also well-seasoned without being overly salty. Although portions of the duck skin were a bit fatty, most of it was well-rendered and crispy. Loved the lentils as they provided a firm and meaty texture to the salad. My son was sold on the Beef Bourguignon since it featured a boneless beef short rib braised in red wine with pearl onions, house smoked bacon and mushrooms. By virtue of a large short rib, the whole dish ate much differently than a traditional bourguignon. It had all of the flavours such as the sweetness of the onions, depth of the red wine and the earthiness of the mushroom, yet at the same time, it was much more robust due to the tender meaty short rib.
Moving onto the sweets, since our 3-course meals included dessert, we had both of them including the Chocolate Eclair as well as the Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. Stuffed with both a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a scoop of chocolate mousse, the eclair was a lot taller than we had imagined. Beyond the light choux pastry, the mousse was quite good riding the line between rich and light. It was chocolatey with some dark bitterness while being sweet enough. The strawberry rhubarb crumble was also good with a tangy sweet mix that was topped with a crunchy and buttery crumble. Combined with the ice cream, it was everything a crumble should be. Yet, there was one fatal flaw - the whole thing was barely warm. If this was served hot, it would've ben excellent. Sadly it was not.
We added 2 more desserts in the Lemon Tart and Chocolate Mousse. Although a bit watery, the lemon curd was balanced with just the right amount of tang and sweetness. It was silky smooth, but as mentioned, a touch too thin. As for the pastry shell, it was fantastic being firm throughout with an appealing texture that was buttery and almost crunchy. One of the better lemon tarts I've had recently despite the viscosity of the curd. Presented neatly as a cylinder, the chocolate mousse was somewhat different than the one in the eclair. The flavours were the same but the texture was a bit lighter possibly since it wasn't served as a large scoop. These desserts were a nice ending to a nice meal. Food was more than acceptable where the portions were generous complete with reasonable pricing.
