Arc Restaurant : Fairmont Waterfront

It is quite rare for me to find more than three dishes that I truly want to try at a non-Asian restaurant so when I took a peak at Arc's menu at Fairmont Waterfront, I was quite excited! Chowder, tartare, bone marrow and foie gras all sounded good to me.

The atmosphere was fairly loud as there was live music playing at the bar and it did not really give off a fine dining vibe as the music was neither relaxing nor soft. We did not mind however since we were not here to celebrate a special occasion.

Provence Marinaside

Restaurants with a view are not my first choice of establishments to visit anymore when it comes to dining out because I am biased and believe the food may not be great, such as the Boathouse chain, Top of Vancouver, Fraiche, Seasons in the Park, Sandbar and Horizons. So when my friend wanted to try Provence Marinaside located in Yaletown and with a view of False Creek, my initial reaction was meh... Well, it was more like could we try Bella Gelateria next door instead? Okay fine, it was more like a beg instead of a suggestion!

Trying to be selfless however, Provence Marinaside was fine and we came here for lunch. When we entered the restaurant, we were a bit put off because the hostess kept her back facing towards us and seemed very indifferent. No worries though since all the servers we encountered including the manager was very personable and friendly. Given the option of patio or indoor, we chose the latter since it was chilly out. The atmosphere at Provence Marinaside is casual, laid back and inviting. 

Coast Restaurant : Cocktail Hour

Coast is my favourite Glowbal Collection restaurant and the reason as to why will sound pretty silly. It is my favourite restaurant out of the collection because the hostesses are very well trained! Every time I pass by Coast or before entering, the hostesses always smile and say hello every single time. Every. Singe. Time. Including whenever I am only passing by and have no intention of dining at the restaurant. Yet I can never say the same for Black + Blue or Italian Kitchen, including when I have plans to dine at those restaurants! Weird right? I honestly love the hostesses at Coast.

Another reason as to why I prefer Coast is because of the atmosphere, which has a lot of potential to be more extravagant. Coast has a private dining area, lounge, seafood bar at the centre of the restaurant, heated patio seats and two floors. The dark blue tiffany seats allure me the most and I feel like it adds a feminine touch making it a great restaurant choice for a girls night out. My sister and I dropped by after work to try Coast's Cocktail Hour however, which offers a selection of food at 50% off.

Miku

Located in Downtown Vancouver and near Canada Place lies Miku, a Japanese restaurant with a waterfront view that specializes in fusion and Aburi cuisine. Or, simply known as a must visit restaurant in Vancouver. Aburi cuisine is sushi or sashimi that is partially seared, which provides that smokiness and richness with the addition of sauces.

Miku is also considered a fine dining restaurant and with the higher prices, location and atmosphere it is certainly a restaurant where I would take out of town guests or go with a large group of friends. With that said however, I would never come here just for the food because I find the restaurant very inconsistent along with the service and nothing special.

My guest and I arrived on a weekend for dinner and we were offered a seat on the patio, which has an amazing view of course. We were told the patio is heated all year round and would not be cold at all, but man… we were freezing!

The "heated" patio was practically on the lowest setting and I could not help but think how Black + Blue or Coast Restaurant's heated patio are actually heated, heated to the point where the you feel warmth just by past the restaurants! To be fair though, Miku provides blankets but I am too OCD to use them (I rather not  have to wrap myself in a blanket when I am at a restaurant too). On top of that, it was more disappointing when despite that other tables were cold as well, the management could not change heat setting.

Francesco's Ristorante Italia

A friend from Seattle was spending a week in Vancouver for his birthday and since he was staying at the Sutton Place, it made sense to have lunch at Francesco's Ristorante Italia. Francesco's is one of Vancouver's oldest restaurants, focusing on Sicilian cuisine with West Coast influences. The restaurant is located on Burrard Street and their patio is always full during the summer.

The atmosphere is bright and inviting with plenty of natural lighting, but the restaurant is dim and romantic during dinner services. The restaurant is a fairly good size too and there are plenty of tables which are nicely spaced out and not cramped one bit. Moreover, there are a couple of dining areas that can accommodate larger groups and special celebrations.

Since we arrived for lunch, the service is pretty casual. None of the staff ask how the food is, we arrange the dishes on the table ourselves and wave down a server to remove a finished plate, when the restaurant had less than three tables… For those who are regulars however, are welcomed like royalty and provided with impeccable service. Did I care? Na, it was not my birthday LOL and we were here for lunch instead of dinner. Plus, it saves me gratuities since we left only a 15% tip.

41 West Restaurant

West 41 is a small and quaint neighbourhood restaurant in Kerrisdale, serving West Coast cuisine with a bit of French influences. There are only around ten tables in the restaurant, but the seating arrangements are not too tight. The atmosphere is also fairly cozy, relaxing and non-rushed.

I purchased a Social Shopper voucher for 41 West and forgot about it until the last minute, as in a night before the expiry date. Fortunately though, I was lucky enough to score last minute reservations for the weekend by calling just the evening before. When I called to make the reservations however, the host was very rushed and impatient, despite that there was no background noise.

We arrived on a Friday evening and there was only one seated table, but the restaurant reached a half full occupancy throughout the duration of our stay. With regards to the service, there was only one server handling the front of the house. He was courteous and polite, but not quite attentive. Our appetizer plates sat at the table for longer than usual and my bread knife was never removed throughout all three courses, which I find odd.

La Terrazza

La Terrazza is one of the true "fine dining" experiences I have had in Vancouver. From the atmosphere to the service, I truly believed I was dining at a fine dining establishment. The Italian restaurant is located in Yaletown and is known for their very extensive wine menu, which is thicker than a magazine! BF has been here a few times before, but never with me. Honest to truth, I always thought the restaurant was similar to the Glowbal Group restaurants; a "fine dining" restaurant with a loud atmosphere, but boy was I wrong.

La Terrazza has such a romantic atmosphere and is definitely one restaurant where I would want to dress up for and take photos. When we walked, the friendly bartender/host led us to our table which happened to be right in front of a cozy fireplace. We also had a whole view of the restaurant and I like that the interior is different than many restaurants in Vancouver.

BF thought it was suspicious that I suggested to go to La Terrazza because he has been asking to take me for years, and the reason I chose the restaurant is because there was a Travelzoo voucher! The voucher costed $79.00 for one appetizer, two entrees and a dessert.

Globe @ YVR, Afternoon Tea at Fairmont (2nd visit)

The marketing coordinator from YVR Fairmont contacted me through Instagram to inquire about my previous afternoon tea experience. Furthermore, my response to a fellow IGer was very vague as I only mentioned Hotel Vancouver provides better service and would only revisit YVR Fairmont if I had a voucher. After responding to the marketing coordinator, she forwarded my e-mail to the Outlets Captain who invited me and a guest to another afternoon tea experience because the restaurant was planning to launch a new menu.

The invitation from the upper management is very appreciated because keep in mind my first experience was a voucher based visit, and my comments were quite vague on IG. In addition, the comments on my previous blog post were taken into consideration; i.e I mentioned the place mats are not very sanitary because the staff does not sanitize them and merely brushes off the crumbs. And on my revisit, I noticed the place mats were gone! The shiny glass table tops that are now properly wiped down not only look nicer, but is more sanitary.

TEA MENU $42.00 || JUNIOR TEA $18.00

Le Crocodile : Lunch

Dinner post on Le Crocodile [HERE]

After failing for two weeks trying to meet a friend who recently got engaged, we finally agreed to jungle some meetings around and set up a date for lunch on a Friday. She let me choose the restaurant after I rejected more than ten from her… and my choice was Franchesco's. But at the last minute, I really craved for Le Crocodile's pear tart! Plus, both of us have been here for dinner on separate occasions and agreed the food along with the service was great.

Walking in, we were asked if we had reservations despite the not very busy restaurant. Two of the staff spoke amongst each other "no reservations" and we were seated by the corner after a few minutes, but not turned down. In general, I never understand why some restaurants try to appear more busier than they are. Guests are spending a good amount of time and can clearly see how busy the restaurant will be. However, Le Crocodile is busier during dinner and I do recommend reservations for then.

Le Crocodile is a simple, classic, white linen tablecloth restaurant and the atmosphere is casual as well as relaxing. There are plenty of tables and the dining room is spacious, no tight seating arrangements here. I never realized how big the restaurant was until this visit too.

Globe @ YVR, Afternoon Tea at Fairmont

REVISIT POST ON GLOBE@YVR, AFTERNOON TEA [HERE]

Vouchers from Groupon, SocialShopper or Travelzoo may be considered risky to purchase because some of the restaurants are not that great, hence the need to promote themselves. However, when I noticed SocialShopper offering afternoon tea for two at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, I quickly snatched it up! Hotel Vancouver is one of my favourite places for tea because I love their scones. And, well, that is about it... other than for the professional and attentive service along with the cute antique table setting. However, I have never been to the Fairmont Vancouver Airport for tea or even dinner.

There is an entrance from outside (as pictured above) and if coming from the airport there are escalators which lead to the restaurant. The SocialShopper voucher we purchased includes afternoon tea for two along with two hours of parking for $49.00. Additional parking starts at $4.50 which we found out later on, since we were ten minutes past the two hours while waiting in line to leave the parking lot.

Walking in, we walked up to the host and despite making a request on Opentable that we were willing to change the time as well as date for a window seat, it was overlooked. After seating, the host explained the menu and mentioned our server Josephine would be with us shortly. When Josephine arrived, she introduced herself and explained the menu to us again. In addition, she mentioned the restaurant also offers chai and maple maple which is a black tea that is not listed on the menu.

The interior has a high ceiling along with window wrapped walls and the seating arrangements are not tight. As for the service, the staff was very professional in the beginning but disappeared after. Throughout the tea service, we were left with finished plates on the tier and no one checked up on us. Although to be fair, service is not that big of a deal during afternoon tea because as long as guests have what they need, it is really fine. 

However, at a fine dining restaurant and with Hotel Vancouver to compare (where there is always perfect service), there is an expectation of finished plates to be removed from the tier and the tier to be taken away when there is only one plate left with food. In our case, all three empty plates along with the tie, stayed on the table throughout the tea service.

TEA MENU ($42.00), JUNIOR TEA ($18.00).

Q4 Ristorante by Quattro

RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED

Four days of consistent bad luck: Day Three.

Every time I am in Kitsilano, I always stress about where to eat. I mean, whether it be called cheap or greedy, I just do not want to set myself up for a good meal and receive everything but. Odd? Yes, I know. That is why most of the time I play it safe and head to a mediocre restaurant which makes my day when the food is better than expected! Of course, unless there is already a restaurant I have in mind. So, scooping out a few places on Urbanspoon, Q4 seemed like an okay Italian restaurant.

Walking up to the front door, I loved it. Mirrored doors? LOVE. I wanted to take a selfie but chose to do so after dinner, which unfortunately did not work out since the doors were left open. Plus, I did not want to get any awkward stares. As for the interior, the seating area is very open and I personally like it. Although on a full house, the restaurant may get loud. The interior looks simple as well as clean and has wooden floors as well as chairs, and tables with white tablecloths. As for the seating arrangements, it is not cramped and outdoor seating is available.

After walking in, our server led us to our requested window seat which was not overlooked on OpenTable (Black + Blue...). Our server was friendly, had a positive vibe and left us to browse the menus. As she later creeped back to see if we were ready to order, she overheard us talking amongst each other that none of the appetizers caught our attention. Fortunately, she came to the rescue and mentioned some daily specials, which we were interested in.

Black + Blue

Black + Blue = Steakhouse, Glowbal restaurant and meat locker. Yup, that pretty much sums it up. I recently found out that all Glowbal restaurants currently have a promotion, order two appetizers as well as two entrees, and the second entree is free! Of course the fine print is, it has to be between 4:00pm-6:30pm which is more than reasonable. Most places that offer happy hours or promotions is to keep the restaurant afloat during the day and the staff busy. A typical business strategy when the restaurant needs extra income and does not lose money during the daytime. On a rainy weekday, I made reservations for 5:00pm and requested a seat on the second floor. I also requested that if the seating arrangement cannot be accommodated, I would be more than happy to change the date and/or time if needed.

Well, turns out that was useless. After being seated on the first floor in the corner with a view of the front desk, the host mentions that the second floor opens after 6:00pm. Yeah… why did I not receive a phone call? Plus, considering that the restaurant was not busy when we walked in, it would have been nice if we were seated at a different spot (although we did not get the worst seat since there is a window...). To be honest, if I was celebrating a special occasion, I would not be happy with the seat. Also, since it was pouring rain, it would have been nice if the host offered to grab our coats.

West Restaurant + Bar

Cin Cin? Bacchus? Yew Seafood? Bishop? Blue Water? I want to save Cin Cin for an emergency just in case late night dinner since the restaurant is open till pretty late, and Yew Seafood has 50% off wine bottles on Mondays. So, the choice was West Restaurant. Plus, it is near my sister's place and I want to save Bacchus and Blue Water for a nicer day, when it is not raining. 

Walking in, the server walked us to our seat and was a bit more silent rather than welcoming but meh, not a big deal. The restaurant was fairly slow on a weeknight and for the couple of tables that arrived later on in the evening, everyone was dressed pretty casual. West Restaurant has a relaxing as well as a casual comfortable atmosphere and although the seating arrangements may look a bit tight, it did not affect us since the restaurant was not busy.

Le Crocodile

LUNCH POST ON LE CROCODILE [HERE]

Le Crocodile, a fine dining restaurant with professional service and a relaxing atmosphere. Walking in, the manager greeted and lead us to our seat. We were presented with the champaign as well as wine menu, and our server Kris came shortly with the dinner menu. I would hate to give the wrong guy credit and hope our server was indeed Kris, since that was the name written on the bill (I never mention names but meh, why not this time?).

The restaurant looks a bit small but is fairly large; not too cramped and has properly maximized seating arrangements. In addition, the lighting is not too dim and every table has a small lamp or a tea light candle. On a weeknight, the restaurant was quite loud and had a mixed clientele, from young couples dressed very formal celebrating a special occasion or on a romantic date, to those having dinner after work, and casuals wearing a polo and jeans.

Gotham Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar (2nd visit)

FIRST POST ON GOTHAM STEAKHOUSE [HERE]

A few things come to mind when I revisit a restaurant, 1. Convenience; 2. Above average tasting food; and 3. Service must have been good. Usually it is only one or the other, favouring convenience and good service. However, I do travel far for good food, like to a few restaurants in Langley (although I somewhat contradict myself since I travel pretty much anywhere even for mediocre food).

Gotham is one of the priciest steakhouses in Vancouver as well as a former regular restaurant of mine. Having said that, on the last visit, the food and service was great; hence, another revisit. However, this visit is probably the worst out of countless visits to Gotham. Choosing to have dinner on a Tuesday evening in hopes for a slower restaurant along with better than usual service and carefully prepared dishes, I was wrong. On the weeknight, Gotham was quite busy with lots of diners who just got off work.

The restaurant has a casual, relaxing and comfortable atmosphere. Walk in wearing sneakers as well as sweats, and there will be no awkward stares (oddly enough I get awkward stares at Cactus Club or The Keg). Gotham has two levels of dining room as well as a patio, and the basement is reserved for larger parties. The restaurant is fairly dim and the seating arrangements are either a velvet booth or is the centre of the dining room.

Pink Peppercorn Seafood House

I will not act like I know much about Pink Peppercorn Seafood House and from reading some posts, a man named Eddy who previously worked at the Cannery is the owner. Apparently he brought over most of the same employees and items on the menu, along with the decor. 

This is what I pictured when walking into Pink Peppercorn... cute decor, overly friendly staff, a cheerful positive atmosphere, and I assumed it was a fine dining restaurant because of "$$$$" on Urbanspoon. Some people have mentioned the interior of the restaurant has no "fine dining" feel to it and looks tacky. As for myself, I find the interior cute, interesting, entertaining, unique, and the only restaurant in Vancouver that has something like this. 

We arrived around 6:50pm on a Monday evening and there were around five seated tables. After a short five minute wait at the front, we were seated and waited around fifteen minutes for water. When our server brought over some water, we asked if we could order and he asked us to "hold on". But as another fifteen minutes later, we were able to order.

I think the restaurant may have been short staffed because I felt guilty asking for features of the day and when he said "hold on," it seemed as if I was a nuisance. Furthermore, throughout the dinner it was hard to track down our server and he did not ask if we enjoyed any of the food, until the very end when we paid for the bill. I guess the restaurant really was short staffed, but they only had five tables? Anyway, not a big deal, I probably felt uncomfortable as well as awkward because I felt like I bothered him, or was expecting a different vibe because of the decor.

Hart House

I have been wanting to try Hart House for a while and to be honest, asides from the restaurant being located in Burnaby… I do not know much about it. Another reason for visiting is because it was my Mother's birthday, and she did not want to go Downtown for lunch.

Walking in, I was surprised. The entrance looks amazing and there is a fire place. The restaurant actually resembles a house (hence, Hart House) and there are plenty of rooms available. We were seated in a dining room with plenty of windows and the seating arrangements are not cramped.

Fresh Restaurant and Lounge : Sheraton Guildford

As I was laying in bed thinking where I want to go for brunch this morning, I used the OpenTable app and found Fresh at the Sheraton. 1000 points, brunch buffet, why not? The restaurant's interior is amazing, I love it and rarely say this. I like the comfortable and wide suede chairs. But, I might only like the restaurant because it is empty. After seating, our server asked what drinks we would like and we were off to take photos get food.

ADULT $29.95 CHILD (4-12) $14.98

ON THE LEFT, BAKED GOODS CONSISTING OF CROISSANTS, DANISHES, SCONES AND MUFFINS. ON THE RIGHT, THE SALAD BAR CONSISTING OF CAESAR SALAD, HOUSEMADE DRESSINGS AND, SPRING MIX AND ARUGULA SALAD. 

CONTINUING WITH THE SALAD BAR, GREEK SALAD, SPINACH WITH FRISEE SALAD WITH STILTON, TOASTED WALNUTS AND BLUEBERRY VINAIGRETTE, VEGETABLES WITH ONION RANCH DIP, COLD CUT PLATTER OF ROASTED TOM TURKEY, BLACK FOREST HAM, ROAST BEEF, GENOA SALAMI AND, OLIVES AND PICKLES.

THE LAST OF THE SALAD BAR, POTATO SALAD, CORN AND MANITOBA RICE SALAD, PASTA SALAD, CRYSTAL NOODLE SALAD WITH BABY SHRIMP AND PEANUT DRESSING AND, FIELD TOMATOES AND RED ONION SALAD. ON THE RIGHT MOVING TO THE SEAFOOD SECTION, THE SMOKED AND/OR CANDIED FISH?

GREEN LIP MUSSELS WITH SALSA FRESCO, INDIAN CANDIED SALMON,

WHISKY DILL CURED SMOKED SALMON, POACHED PRAWNS AND,

SALMON BELLEVUE, SMOKED SALMON.

OUR FIRST PLATES

MY FIRST PLATE CONSISTING OF MUSSELS, SMOKED SALMON, A CREAM PUFF AND FRUIT (WATERMELON, HONEYDEW AND CANTALOUPE). The mussels taste fresh and the salsa does not make the mussels tangy. For the smoked salmon, both taste fresh and I prefer the sockeye more (since I am used to it and I do not like curing for the other smoked salmon). The fruit is fresh, but only the watermelon is ripe. I am not sure what the rectangular dessert is, but it tastes like an almond bar. My favourite thing on the plate is the cream puff, there was only one too:(. I like any simple cream puffs.

HIS FIRST PLATE CONSISTING OF SALAD, POACHED PRAWNS, SMOKED SALMON, MUSSELS AND A MUFFIN.

The OMELETTE WITH CRAB MEAT, AVOCADO AND SALSA. This is included in the brunch but you have to order it. The omelette has a good amount of crab meat and diced avocados. The salsa is slightly tangy but does not ruin the omelette (I do not like salsa other than on my nachos and I like the omelette). It seems like the cook who made the omelette took his time. The eggs are beat throughly and looks like he made sure the egg was cooked before putting the ingredients in. Later on, our server mentioned that she wanted to take a peek and see if it was correctly made since it was not the usual person making it. I like this, a lot.

THE HOT FOOD SECTION CONSISTING OF XIAO LONG BAOS, SHAO MAI, HAR GAO, DUMPLINGS, SPRING ROLLS, TARRAGON MUSTARD SEED CHICKEN AND WILD MUSHROOM POLENTA, 

PAN SEARED SALMON, CITRUS JASMINE RICE, CHARDONNAY CREAM SAUCE, SAUSAGES, BACON,

SCRAMBLED EGGS, EGG BENEDICT WITH HAM, SLICED HAM, 

BEEF STEAK WITH MASHED POTATOES AND AU JUS, VEGETABLES, AND ROAST POTATOES.

OUR SECOND PLATES

MY SECOND PLATE CONSISTING OF VEGETABLES, SALMON, BACON, STEAK, EGG BENEDICT, CARROT CAKE AND AN ALMOND BAR. The salmon is neither moist or too dry, the bacon is not too salty and there are soft as well as crispy pieces and, the frosting on the carrot cake is a bit too sweet and the cake has a nice spongy texture.

On the left, the beef steak is cooked to a medium and tastes very chewy as well as dry, I do like the seasoning though. On the right, the egg benedict is perfect. The poached egg has a nice crusting with a runny yolk. The hollandaise sauce is light and has a slight butter as well as an egg yolk taste. The english muffin is a bit soggy, but it does not really matter because the hollandaise sauce and poached egg is delicious. Isn't it funny when you get better egg bennies at buffet brunches which are pre-made, and failed ones which are freshly made at some restaurants?

HIS SECOND PLATE CONSISTING OF SLICED HAM, SAUSAGE, SALMON, VEGETABLES, SMOKED SALMON AND AN EGG BENEDICT.

THE LAST SECTION, DESSERT. FRENCH TOAST, SYRUP, WHIPPED CREAM, STRAWBERRY SAUCE AND MIXED BERRIES SAUCE.

CAKES. CAKES. CAKES. OH, AND JELLO AND FRUIT.

CRACKERS AND CHEESE PLATE

OUR DESSERT

MY DESSERT IS THE FRENCH TOASTED WITH WHIPPED CREAM AND MIXED BERRY SAUCE. The french toast has soft bread but it does not taste eggy, buttery or creamy. The whipped cream is delicious and tastes good with the french toast. What doesn't taste good with whipped cream? The mixed berry sauce is not overly sweet and to be honest, I cannot really tell what it tastes like with all the whipped cream.

HIS DESSERT IS JELLO. It is what it is, not watered down and no complaints.

POSITIVES

- Free underground parking

- Professional, attentive and friendly service

- Champaign and mimosas included

- Food is fresh (more fresh than Hilton which is around the same price and does not have a carving station either)

NEGATIVES

- Limited selections

- No carving station (cheaper price makes up for that)

LITTLE THINGS

- Only had 45 minutes to eat, would have liked to try a bit of everything (brunch ends at 2:00pm)

- Server is probably the best out of all buffet brunches we have been to and not just because we were the only people here

- Wanted to try some salads :(

- No cheesecake (only because I do not like chocolate cake)

- Woop woop 1000 OpenTable points

Food: 2.5/5

Service: 4.5/5