fine dining – Food Persuasion

smoked salmon - Chef Heinrich - Chef Table sm

Chef Thomas Heinrich – Chef’s Table

Published on June 21July 25 by Caroline LLeave a comment

Chef Thomas Heinrich of Mosaic Bar and Grille hits it out of the park once more. I was invited to try out their tasting menu, 5 dishes and 5 wine pairings.

The first two items are not part of the tasting menu.

Crab ravioli and avocado terrine with yuzu sauce.

Smoked salmon brined in smoked paprika for 7 hours, paired with cucumber jelly, sour cream and young fresh pressed olive oil, fried leeks and caviar. Young fresh pressed olive oil reminded me of fresh cut grass and unripe fruits. My description is a little odd but it gave the dish a nice robust finish.

Chef’s Thomas Heinrich – Chef’s Table

On Chef’s Heinrich’s menu…

Roasted sweet corn bouillon, tomatoes, local chantrelles and topped with feta foam. This is a great summer soup. The roasted corn gave the dish a hint of sweetness and lots of texture. Feta is usually over powering however in a foam form it was very subtle.

G.B.E. Farms Heirloom Tomato Salad, basil gel, pickle okra, and aged parmesan. Tomatoes were quickly sous-vide to intensify the tomato flavor. My favourite part of this dish was the tomato chips, deep fried tomato skins that were crispy. I always thought tomato skins were tough but when you deep fry them they become delicately crispy.

Skuna Bay sockeye Salmon, sweet garlic gnocchi and sorrel mushrooms. Skuna Bay is a local salmon farm known for their excellent farmed salmon standards. The salmon is sous- vide to medium rare and quickly seared. The sweet garlic is pureed and then added to the gnocchi dough. The sorrel mushrooms are naturally a little sour. This was my favourite dish of the night.

Taleggio D.O.P with fig jam and pistachio tuile. The granola reminded me of breakfast. Taleggio is an Italian cheese, stinky with a brie like texture. However stinky it was the flavor was mild. Melted down, topped with toasted granola and fruits.

I will be replicating this dish this weekend. The fig jam is the glue of this dish, you can’t skip this ingredient.

Watermelon panna cotta with black pepper and lemon sorbet. The panna cotta is made out of soy, I can imagine you scrunching up your face, however you can’t taste the soy. This was light and refreshing. I hope they keep this on their menu for the summer it is a perfect summer desert.

Finished with salted chocolate caramels and macarons

Thanks Chef Heinrich for another amazing meal.

Minami Japanese Restaurant

Published on August 14July 25 by Caroline L1 Comment

Minami Japanese fine dining restaurant opened their doors this Spring and it has become my go to restaurant this Summer.

Minami Japanese Restaurant, located in Yaletown and sister restaurant to Miku, a fine dining Japanese restaurant in the heart of Coal Harbour meets high expectations. I’ve been to both, the menu is very similar but, the atmosphere and décor is much nicer at Minami.
The service was impeccable right from when we entered to when we left.
It is a rare treat, when all the dishes scored between 4 -5 out of 5!

Now the Food…

We started with the Shiso Mojito Watermelon and Citrus Cured Scallops, mojito infused watermelon, montchevre goat cheese, micro greens, pickled celery, cucumber, a light salad to prepare our paletes. Creative ingredients that melded so well and gave a refreshing blend of flavours. 4.5/5

We were recommended to try the calamari, everyone that went to Minami raved about this dish.

Calamari, nori tempura batter, brussels sprout chips, pickled tomatoes, tosazu sauce. The batter was heavenly, so light, not the usual American calamari. This is one of their popular dishes. 4/5

Miso Baked Duck Breast, ginger braised carrots, watercress, sweet potato fondant, orange reduction. This dish is slightly different from the one offered at Miku. I much prefer the duck breast at Minami. Again, this dish was able to hit my entire palette, sour, sweet, spicy, salty. 4.5/5

Minami and Miku are known for their Aburi Sushi, a roll that is pressed and then lightly seared and, topped with the secret Miku sauce. We tried dissecting the sauce, the two ingredients we all agreed on were sesame and soy sauce but, that is a given, it’s the base of almost all Japanese, Chinese sauces.

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi, pressed local salmon, jalapeño, miku sauce, my favourite dish. It was sooo good. 5/5

Aburi Saba Oshi Sushi, pressed mackerel, miku miso sauce. Once again they hit this out of the ball park, a terrific dish. 4.5/5.

I keeping my fingers crossed, Minami will stay open longer than the other predecessors at this location, Goldfish being one of that recently closed. Their dishes were made with creativity and detail. The ingredients were fresh and, I will be recommending this place to my picky foodies.

Reflections – Chic Rooftop Patio Lounge

Published on May 7June 4 by Caroline L3 Comments

Reflections is a chic rooftop patio at Hotel Georgia, it is definitely one of the nicer rooftop patios in Vancouver.

The time I went it was packed with the work crowd sneaking off early to start their weekend binge. I went around 3PM on Friday and, by 4PM it was packed.

Don’t let the picture fool you, I snapped it when I arrived and this is only half of the patio, the other half is uncovered.

Didn’t get to try the food but, the drinks were good. Standard sky-high hotel cocktail prices $12. This particular drink is the Hotel Georgia, Plymouth Gin, Lemon Juice, Orgeat Syrup, Orange Blossom Water, Egg White, Nutmeg. I just came from the gym and one drink was all I could enjoy otherwise I’d fall out of my seat.

Atmosphere is relaxing, almost like I’m on a Vegas vacation sipping cocktails under the sun. Also like Vegas, it is a meat market. The girls are hot and there are plenty of men.

Del Posto – Michelin Star Restaurant Lunch Deal

Published on May 4July 20 by Caroline LLeave a comment

Michelin star restaurant, Del Posto Lunch Promotion. New York, USA

I asked for restaurant suggestions in New York, almost everyone recommended Del Posto for lunch. I can see why, it was delicious. Del Posto décor was stunning. A two level restaurant that reminded me of opulent Victorian homes with the gleaming cherry oak. They had a personal stool to rest your designer bag. I thought it was a foot stool, that’s how cultured I am.

The service was impeccable, the FOOD was amazing.

Sorry guys it’s been a while since my trip. I can’t believe I forgot to blog about it. I still do have some pics though.

Tomato Consume, prosciutto wrap appie and I forgot what type of tea sandwich it was.

This was the best Orecchiette dish I’ve ever had. It was so creamy it just melted in my mouth. It was one of my favourite dishes of the meal. Not part of the set lunch menu.

I was obsessed with skate for a while. This was phenomenally cooked.

Damn! Chocolate pistachio was sooo good. I am just salivating thinking about it.

Sour Cherry Ice cream was surprisingly refreshing.

Amazing Chocolate Platter, the chocolate covered grapefruit peel was so intense and my friend’s favourite

Tip: If you show them 4square you receive a complimentary flute of Champaign.

Cibo Trattoria – Best Ravioli

Published on February 16February 11 by Caroline LLeave a comment

Italian Fine Dining in the heart of Vancouver downtown. Serving traditional tasty Italian dishes.

The room makes me think of Whistler, gleaming wood and fireplace lighting with glamorous chandeliers hanging from their tall ceilings.

My weekend dinners are late in the evening and, by the time I’m about to eat I am lightheaded from starvation. I attacked the cheese bread like the first day after a no-carb diet.

Chicken Liver Toscana, it was tasty but, the slabs of pickles made it too sour. I would have preferred if it was served on something more inspiring than two pieces of toast. 3/5

One of my favourite ingredients is pumpkin. That being said, I’ve tried so many pumpkin dishes that I know when a dish fails to meet my crazy expectations. This Pumpkin Ravioli passed my test. The pumpkin really came through and it was so creamy 4/5

Roast suckling pig, Very moist and tender I love the mint. The rosemary however was overpowering. 3/5

Roast ling cod, well prepared but the dish fell flat. It was too simple and lacked the layers of flavor found in our other dishes. 2.5/5

Hawksworth at Georgia Hotel – Not Exuberantly Expensive As Expected

Published on December 16July 25 by Caroline L3 Comments

One of the most buzzed about restaurant this winter would have to be Hawksworth at The Georgia Hotel. Previous executive chef at West, David Hawksworth had exceptionally high expectations to meet. Most of us have been anticipating Hawksworth opening since 2008!!! That’s when the first hint was leaked.

We thought to indulge ourselves during lunch. The décor is opulent with the huge hanging chandeliers and a pristine dining room. Get ready for some spectacular people watching spot too. I was a bit hesitant to go at first, thought it would cost me an arm and a leg but, the prices are just a tad more than Cactus’s, at least during lunch.

Now the food…

Bartlett pear salad speck, burrata, roasted shallot $16. The salad was light and on the bland side. It was however, a good choice to clean your palette. Burrata, a type of creamy Italian cheese made from mozza and cream gave the dish a buttery texture. 2/5

48 hr beef shortrib black pepper jam, honeydew, green papaya, peanut, Thai basil $16. This was our favourite dish. I can’t believe the shortribs were still intact after 48 hours of braising.

HOW?!?!

Even when you slice through it, was very tender but still held its shape. The combination of the short ribs with the peanuts and honeydew were delicious. 4/5

Hawksworth beef burger applewood smoked bacon, aged cheddar, frites $18. It’s a regular burger, the patty wasn’t juicy. Now the burger at Mahoney and Son’s, located at the Convention Center is a BURGER. 3/5

Black and Blue – Trendy Steakhouse

Published on November 18July 25 by Caroline LLeave a comment

Glowbal Group Black and Blue

Black and Blue, another Glowbal addition to Alberni’s entertainment corridor receives a successful start. The decor and atmosphere reminds me of Tao in New York, dark, posh and full of pretty people.

Trying to compete with high-end steakhouses such as Gotham and Hy’s, Black and Blue just misses the mark.

Appies…

Short rib poppers -$12, potatoes, cheddar cheese, horseradish. If you expected short ribs as the featured ingredient, you will be sorely disappointed, reminded me of bar food. 2/5

Pan seared foie gras -$19, I love foie gras the tartness from the apricots gave an otherwise heavy dish a refreshing twist. 3.5/5

Steak tartare with quail egg and blue cheese crustini -$16, the grade of the steak was superb but, it was submerged in oil. The blue cheese was so overpowering, I couldn’t taste any other flavours. 2/5

Entrees…

Beef wellington, with mushrooms foie gras and red win jus -$31. Quality of the meat once again was excellent. The pastry was flaky and the steak cooked perfectly. 4/5

Berkshire pork chops -$31, a simple dish that was executed perfectly. Pan seared with s&P, the meat was moist and tender. 3.5/5

Sweets…

Chocolate soufflé was amazing!! This warm gooey chocolate concoction is guaranteed to make you go back. Drizzled with either vanilla our chocolate sauce, we had both. I can’t stop raving about it.

Undecided whether we would come back for the entrees, definitely, for the dessert and drinks. They had a few table side options like the crepe and the banana pudding. If there is one thing I know, where Glowbal excels, is the pretentious and trendy. So if you are searching for the next resto to prowl in your Christian Louboutins and Prada suits, we’ve found your new fave hotspot.

Manzo at Eately – Black Truffle and Foie Gras Heaven (foodpersuasion.com)
Gotham Steakhouse

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