This is a pleasant location on the water overlooking the marina. On a nice day it’s particularly fun to set on the narrow balcony and watch the float planes land, but the views from inside are great, too.
The menu is diverse. We enjoyed everything we had,
We started with the shishito peppers, which were perfectly blistered and served with an excellent glaze. The sourdough baguette was also good, crisped in the oven with a light coating of olive oil and herbs.
The signature salad is a great spring mix with lots of berries, walnuts, and feta. My companion really enjoyed her tuna poke, which was served atop wonderfully crisped rice cakes.
I love this upscale restaurant without the upscale prices. If there isn’t something on this menu that you want, you’re not hungry! It was really hard to choose between all the interesting appetizers, salads, and mains.
We settled on the spicy crab dip, which was perfect–probably the best I’ve ever had, and served with wonderful grilled sour dough toast.
For my entree I had the yellowfin tuna salad, a wonderful, almost deconstructed combination of rare tuna, perfectly ripe avocado, mango peanuts, and greens served with a perfect champagne dressing.
It’s hard to believe this is a small chain, as the food and service have all the marks of a very passionately managed restaurant. Highly recommended.
I approach Michelin-starred restaurants with caution, because a lot of the things that Michelin raters seem to care about are things that I don’t care about. Happily, Published on Main avoids all of these pitfalls, while still definitely deserving it star.
There is no presumption here. The servers are not wearing uniforms, and their interaction with guests is friendly and informative. Yes, the plates are served in a fairly synchronized fashion for each course, but without an elaborate show or pretense. Wine and water service is attentive, and meal pacing is perfect.
We had the tasting menu which, counting all the little bites, consisted of more than 20 courses. Every single item was stellar. Standouts included the pickerel, the forest elixir (a broth) and the very unique saltspring chevre cheese course.
There were multiple desserts as well, but they avoided sugar overload and were consistently interesting.
We had the premium wine pairing to accompany the meal, and seven of the eight wines were interesting and perfect matches without being the bizarre sorts of things sommeliers sometimes come up with. Each one was presented with an informative description of its provenance and why it was being served with a particular dish.
This is certainly the best restaurant I have been to in Vancouver so far, and it is justly deserving of its praise.
I love the cozy ambiance of this charming restaurant. Divided into two dining rooms, two lounges, a bar, and two patios, there’s an ideal spot for everyone. Reservations are available on Tock for each separate area.
The cocktail list and wine menu are both extensive. I loved all the cocktails we tried; my favorites were the espresso-based ones. There’s something magical about a tiki drink with espresso, but the one with Licor 43 is even better.
We started with the Aint No Thang spicy chicken wings, which had a delicious sweet heat, especially if you got one of the red chili slices. The cheese plate was also delicious, and the accompanying sourdough toast was delightfully charred.
Entree standouts were the curry mussels and the Caesar salad (ask them to chop it up in the kitchen if you don’t want a whole head of iceberg).
Service was friendly and attentive. Note that it does take a while for cocktails to be prepared, as they are done individually by a single bartender, so plan ahead.
There was a time when fine dining restaurants were intimate, romantically lit, and offered live music that still allowed for conversation. It’s been a long time since I’ve found one, so I was delighted to discover Bacchus. It’s everything I loved about dining back in the 70s, but with a modern take on food.
There were many highlights to our meal, but I’d have to list the two-tier seafood tower as the best. Unlike other seafood towers, there were a great variety of prepared dishes included along with the usual lobster, shrimp, and oysters–perhaps a dozen selections in total. We loved all of them.
The wine list is extensive, and represents nearly every region of the world, although there is no depth to the vintages.
Hawksworth restaurant is an upscale dining experience that offers creative cuisine with an emphasis on fish. There is a nightly tasting menu, but we opted for à la cart selections in order to try more items.
We started with the chips and dip and the bread service, both were good choices to get warmed up for our starters.
All of the starters were excellent. We had asparagus soup, steelhead tartare served on endive, and Burrata cheese.
Our entrées included Lamb, Seabass, and Hamachi (which was served raw, but with a broth poured over it). We all liked the entrées, but I don’t think they were as good as the starters.
Service throughout was friendly and professional.
There is an extensive wine list from a broad range of countries, but with no depth of vintage.
Five stars for the view (and exhilarating ride getting there) and three stars for the food.
To get there you go through North Vancouver, past the Capilano Bridge and park at the base of Grouse mountain. From there you take the gondola to the 3700 foot summit for dinner at The Observatory.
While the food is elaborate, it strikes me as one of those restaurants that is trying way too hard. Certainly the scallops were spectacular looking, but not a particularly tasty or easy to eat preparation! But it’s been a while since I visited, and I should go back to see if things have changed–and for the view.
The Observatory At Grouse Mountain 6400 Nancy Greene Way North Vancouver, BC V7R 4K9 Canada
