Dovetail styles itself as a California vibe restaurant. I’m from California, but I’m not quite sure what that is. However, the dishes on the menu all look familiar, so I guess it passes that criterion.
There’s an all-day happy hour that includes reduced prices on some of the appetizers and handhelds, plus lots of drink specials. The place definitely has an active vibe and was quite busy. Service was attentive, and the food was all very good. I think our favorite dish was the shishito peppers we set out originally because my wife was in search of a tuna melt the way that she makes them at home. They came pretty close, although I think hers are better. My salmon smash burger was particularly delicious. I would order that again.
This speakeasy has one of the best entrances I’ve seen, and the interior theming is great, too. Not only is the decor fantastic, but the menu is a work of art, featuring text and illustrations from Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories with a drink accompanying each story.
The cuisine is Indian small plates, including appetizers and curries, all of which were quite tasty.
Tuesdays, they have a special martini night with martinis made from gin that they age in amphorae soaking in salt water solutions. The result was a flight of four martinis that were all too salty for my taste but were certainly interesting. I think that their other cocktails that are more successful, though.
This is a beautiful restaurant with very precise service and a spectacular wine list. It’s well deserving of its one Michelin star. The specialty here is, of course, Beijing duck, which, for larger parties, is carved at table side (with a 60-minute preorder required). We went for Saturday lunch and were pleased to get the set lunch, which is not prominently displayed on the electronic menu, but we asked about it and we’re happy that they had it. It consisted of this:
全聚德双人迎珍筵88套餐 ¡Den & Quanjude Curated Experience for Two | $88
STARTER 精致前菜
香薷捞汁鹌鹑蛋
Slowly Infused Quail Eggs in Master Five-Spice Blend
SOUP 养元汤品
全聚德传统老火靓鸭汤（两位）
Quanjude Signature Duck Soup (Two Servings)
MAIN 厨师主菜
琥珀花雕醉基围虾
*Amber” Drunken King Prawns Perfumed with Aged Shaoxing Wine
百年全聚德招牌烤鸭（半只）
Quanjude Signature Beijing Duck (Half Duck)
豉香古法玉唐生
Flash-Poached Lettuce Hearts with House-Brewed Seasoned Soy Sauce
DESSERT 清润甜品
桂雪初凝酿玉丸（两位）
Sweet Rice Dumplings in Osmanthus and Fermented Rice Soup (Two Servings)
We also added two different types of dim sum:
shrimp, pork, and chicken buns
chive dumplings
The duck was delicious, as one would expect. My favorite courses ended up being the amazingly complex flavored quail eggs and the equally intriguing shrimp.
Service was precise and extremely scheduled, driven by the availability of the foods in the kitchen.
While the wine list is quite expensive, with many of the bottles running over $1,000, I found that the Joseph Drouhin Bourgogne at only a little over $100 was an excellent accompaniment to the meal. The set lunch, on the other hand, is a bargain at only $88 for two people.
This is a comfortable hotel, but I’m writing this review to call out an exceptional bartender. Ash is a master mixologist, the kind that I would expect to find in New York City or Chicago. She made perhaps the best cocktail I’ve ever had on the spot from a suggestion I gave her about combining Amaro from Okanagan Spirit with a custom gin concoction she makes using Tangeray, Florida Sevilla, orange-flavored gin infused with cinnamon sticks. Of course, there were many other ingredients, and the result was truly spectacular. Her hospitality and the fine night that we had at the bar with our companions made a special impression on our trip.
This is probably the most authentic Mexican restaurant we’ve yet tried in Vancouver. It’s in a somewhat seedy section of Gastown, but the interior is absolutely gorgeous, with lots of hanging lanterns that create a magical mood. The food is definitely authentic Mexican, not Tex-Mex, but the real thing. I particularly enjoyed my Enchiladas Sauza, which is a recipe I have not seen anywhere else except in Southern California. The chicken enchiladas were doused with a wonderfully piquant green sauce that was perfect.
We also enjoyed the assortment of guacamole, refried beans, and salsa that was served with chips as an appetizer.
The margaritas are interesting here because they are served as a cocktail, shaken, not stirred, and presented in a coupe glass, which I actually really liked a lot because you get much more margarita and a real purity of flavors.
This small Thai cafe on Davie is serving up some of the best Thai food in the area, and there is a lot of competition. We had the sampler platter, which was a perfect lunch for two people, with an assortment of skewers with pork and chicken, plus some delightful mini crab rangoon and a refreshing mango salad.
This is a charming and authentic French brasserie. It’s a very French wine list and very French service. Note that the portions are extremely large, so order with caution. The foie gras paté was some of the best I’ve had outside of France, and the escargot was also remarkable. It’s like a quick trip to Paris.
I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting much, since revolving restaurants seem to be mostly tourist attractions and the food is not the main focus, but I was really pleasantly surprised by the lunch that we had at Sky 360. The service was great, and the hamburger was one of the best smash burgers I’ve ever had, with a delightful crust and lots of tasty ingredients. The salad and the sauteed mushrooms were excellent, and of course the view can’t be beat.
Kama serves absolutely delicious Indian food in a nice atmosphere. Their dishes are a nice combination of traditional and creative. All of the sauces we had were spectacularly complex, and I was introduced to a type of papadum I’d never had before: finger papads. It’s an off-menu assortment of papadums. They were great.
This restaurant named after a large mural of a famous comic character from bygone eras is a great spot for vegetarians. We had an enjoyable lunch featuring thoughtful selections from the wine list. I think the standout items that we had were the Gochujang cauliflower and the salted cucumber salad. Service was efficient.
