Dine Out Vancouver Festival 2017 - Oceans 999

Dine Out Vancouver has started this weekend and my family went to our first one tonight. We went to Oceans 999 at the Pan Pacific, which serves Pacific Northwest cuisine using fresh local ingredients. Every Saturday night, they have a buffet with Italian cuisine as well as singers serenading you with popular songs from operas, so we had a glimpse of that while we were there as well!

Crispy pork belly with green papaya salad, fish sauce caramel, micro coriander.

Herb crusted line caught ling-cod with Pemberton purple potatoes, baby bok choy, yellow lemongrass coconut curry, coriander chimichurri.

Star anise braised short rib with pickled 5 spice carrot puree, and king oyster mushroom, roasted cashew chili gremolata.

Exotic chocolate extravaganza: Chocolate chiboust crème, Passion fruit mango mousse, coconut crisp, Asian sponge, Kumquat compote.

Dine Out Vancouver is happening now until February 5, 2017. Make your reservations now to ensure you get a seating at your favourite restaurant!

E.B.O. Restaurant & Lounge - [Dine Out Vancouver 2016]

It's Dine Out Vancouver month, which means lots of good food! I went out with the girls this week to E.B.O. - they are a restaurant located inside the Delta Hotel in Burnaby. I've been here several years ago for Dine Out and really enjoyed it, and the menu looked yummy this year so I thought I'd go again!

Maple Cured Pacific Provider pink salmon – smoked sour cream, sunchoke, compressed Asian pear, apple pearls.

Seared scallops (adiditional $8)

Seared Arctic Char – Crisp skin, foraged mushroom puree, sea asparagas farro risotto, triple crunch mustard vinaigrette.

Pork Duo – slow cooked pork loin, crisp pork belly, smoked ham hock samosa, apple miso mostarda, cauliflower puree.

“Vietnamese Coffee” in a jar – espresso mousse, condensed milk ice cream, cocoa nibs, coffee pearls, chocolate brownie.

Bruleed lemon chiboust, almond cake, candied almonds, toasted marshmallow, raspberry gel.

I thought everything was delicious, and I especially liked the Vietnamese Coffee in a jar dessert. I was quite full so it was definitely worth the $30! Check out the restaurants participating in the Dine Out Vancouver 2016 Festival, on until January 31st!

 

Dine Out Vancouver Festival 2014 - Chambar

With the start of the Dine Out Vancouver Festival last Friday, I headed out to my first restaurant this year - Chambar. Much hyped about by my boss, I had very high expectations for this restaurant and it did not disappoint. Located just steps away from the Stadium Skytrain station on Beatty St, Chambar is a small but cozy restaurant and was packed with diners.

Chambar had a $38 menu, with some additional add-on/upgrades being offered that was not listed on their online menu, including foie gras (add $8) and a New York steak (add $10).

J and I both started with the Gamba shrimp with chorizo sausage. (We reminisced about Spain where we had our first giant Gamba shrimp at Carme Ruscalleda).

Gambas et Chorizo - Olive oil poached prawns, grilled chorizo, escabeche vegetables, avocado and peruvian peppers.

I opted for the mussels in white wine while J went for the duck. The mussels came in a large pot, and there were plenty to make a full meal, with a side of crispy fries. The white wine sauce the mussels were cooked in was very flavourful and delicious. Order a side of bread to soak up that sauce!

Moules frites vin blanc - Mussels in white wine, butter, celery and leeks

 

The duck was one of the best I've had. Many places overcook their duck until it's tough and dry but this dish was cooked perfectly and the duck was soft and moist. The sweet berry sauce complimented duck quite well.

Canard aux Marrons - spiked rubbed duck breast, wild berry, chestnut hummus, brussel sprouts and pistachios.

Of course, the best part is always dessert. I went for the chocolate brulee - it was amazing! It was very rich and chocolatey. The lemon ice cream and apricot puree were very sour which went quite well with the sweetness of the brulee.

Chocolat brule - Chocolate espresso torte, apricot puree, pecan brittle, caramelized apple, lemon ice-cream.

J wanted to get something different to she ordered the pannacotta (which I am not a fan of). The presentation was gorgeous and J enjoyed it, but I think if you are a chocolate fan, pick the chocolate brulee instead!

Meli melo de fruits - Coconut raspberry pannacotta, green apple sorbet, macerated pomegranate & Asian pear.

I really enjoyed the food and it was a great start to the Dine Out Vancouver Festival. Their menu was a little pricey, but the service was quite good for how busy it was, and it's definitely worth going for a special occasion! Make your reservations now for Chambar!

Dine Out Vancouver 2013 - Forage

I really with the Dine Out Vancouver Festival went on for longer, so I can try more restaurants! The last one I went to this year was Forage, on Robson St. I had a really hard time choosing my dishes because everything sounded so good. Everyone at my table ended up ordering (mostly) different things so we got to see how all the dishes looked - delicious of course.

Very cool lights at each table.

BC spot prawn and seafood chower with a soft-poached egg and pork hock.

Gelderman Farms pork belly with crackling, celeriac pomme puree, ambrosia apple and braised cabbage.

Pacific Provider salmon with red wine and balsam fir cure, kelp pasta and roasted squash puree.

Foraged and cultivated mushroom wheat berry "cassoulet", confit celeriac and savoury biscuit.

Summer berry preserve frozen parfait, meyer lemon gel and toasted meringue.

Organic chocolate and raspberry cake with Agassiz hazelnut macaroon and raspberry caramel.

 

Dine Out Vancouver 2013 - Bistro 101

I really enjoyed Bistro 101 the first time I went there, I decided to go back for the Dine Out Vancouver Festival. J and I decided to take the parents along since we knew they would enjoy the seafood options! The food was, once again, delicious and presented beautifully. And for only $18, you can't go wrong!

Five different types of bread! So fresh, so delicious!

Flavoured butter - sundried tomato, parmesan, herbs.

An amuse bouche - scallop on toast.

West Coast Seafood Cake - with fennel and arugula salad and mustard seed cream.

Yukon Gold Clam Chowder with homemade naan stick.

BC Scallop with apple cider infused beet puree and micro kale salad.

Steelhead Trout en Croute with eggplant ragout and braised winter greens.

Pan-roasted Duck Breast with rosemary gnocchi.

Pilsner Braised Boneless Short Rib with caramelized roots and pearl onions.

Chocolate Cardamom Truffle Cake.

Torrone Semifreddo with rum syrup.

Poached Pear and Amaretto Tart with Candied Ginger Ice Cream.

Dine Out Vancouver 2013: Yaletown Brewing Co.

I headed down to Yaletown after work to try out my first Dine Out Vancouver restaurant this year. Yaletown Brewing Co.'s menu caught my eye, with the simple, home-y menu. YBC has a nice relaxed atmosphere and is a great place to get some food and unwind or catch a Canucks game on the tv. Everything was delicious and you can probably guess what I enjoyed the most. The gelato - of course!

Heehee. This seems to be a theme of the restaurant, as all the staff wore tshirts that read the same.

Wild Salmon Chowder - wild salmon with Yukon gold potatoes, bacon, shallots, tomatoes, dill and cream.

Portobello Sandwich - portobello mushroom with Provolone, spinach, tomato and truffled garlic aioli.

Mario's Gelati - vanilla bean gelato with a house baked biscotti.

A fun bonus - some cotton candy!