Osetra

We had a delightful 70th birthday dinner here. I love the space with its modern styling and high ceiling but narrow profile so that it doesn’t get too noisy. The service was amazingly attentive and friendly, and the food was superb. It left us wanting to immediately go back and try all of their other dishes.

We arrived starving, so right off we ordered the sourdough bread, which was wonderfully grilled with a bit of olive oil on it. We added a little flaked salt, and it really accompanied the Champagne we ordered.

Because it was a special celebration, we of course had to have caviar. The offer for the complete raw bar assortment was the perfect way to go. It included a full tin of Osetra, plus half a lobster, a generous portion of truly jumbo prawns, a lot of oysters on the half shell, a large serving of a delicious scallop crudo. Slices of their red tuna and some very tender young octopus. Also on the plate were a variety of sauces including cocktail sauce, mignonette, and hey, delicious mayonnaise-based sauce.

It was a feast for two, and we could not do more, which left us craving all the delicious vegetable preparations on the other side of the menu. We almost went back the next day!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/osetra-vancouver

Joey Burrard

I really enjoy the diverse menu at Joey. There’s something for everyone. There’s another Joey just a few blocks down Burrard. I like the ambience of that one slightly more, but otherwise they are very similar. Service at both is excellent. Appreciate the complementary sparkling wine at check in.

This time we had the Gyoza and the Hummus as starters. Both were good. I’d definitely have the hummus again. It was served with tzatziki, olives, currants, and lots of crispy fried pita.

The Farmer’s Salad was wonderful. A great mix of fruit, lettuce, veggies, and champagne vinaigrette.

The Chili chicken was okay. I loved the crisp wontons, but the chicken could have been a lot spicier.

Nice wine list, especially by the bottle.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/joey-burrard-vancouver-4

Lavidas

This cozy little place offers a wide-ranging menu and a short but well-curated wine list.

It’s reasonably priced, like a small plate concept, but everything we tried was a generous serving, more of an entree size.

We particularly liked the vegetarian chili, mussels in curry sauce, and the dumplings. The ceviche was also interesting, more about the corn than the fish, and nicely spiced.

Caesar salad was the only miss; please stop messing with this classic dish and stick with romaine and croutons!

Service seemed a bit overwhelmed on a busy Saturday night, but the kitchen had no trouble keeping up.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/lavidas-vancouver

España Restaurant

This cozy tapas bar offers an assortment of small plates that are interesting twists on traditional tapas. We particularly enjoyed the Spanish tortilla, the sautéed mushrooms on toast, and the cheese assortment. Be sure to try the churros, which are almost more like beignets, offered with two different dipping sauces. There’s a nice selection of appropriate wines by the glass. Reservations are needed on Friday and Saturday nights, even to sit at the bar.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/españa-restaurant-vancouver-2