One of my closest cousins, whom I have not seen for 12 years, invited us to this top tourist attraction for lunch. Located inside QE Park and perched atop a knoll. This restaurant, recognized by most as one of the most beautiful in Vancouver, was supposed to offer breathtaking vistas of Vancouver and some refined Northwest cuisine.
Sadly, our visit was shrouded in thin, low lying clouds and haze, obstructing the priced view from our window table, Vancouver’s skyline and gorgeous nearby mountain view!
Being on the west coast, for lunch, it was a no-brainer for me to order a Dungeness Crab Cake starter followed by grilled wild west coast Halibut. Unfortunately, the outcome for both dishes was quite disappointing. Though the taste profile was acceptable and good, my crab cake was stingy in size and the expected presence of chunky and sweet Dungeness crab meat pieces, used to make up the assemblage of the cake, was lacking. In their place, only tiny bits and fragments of crab meat were noticed. The no filler, all lump crab meat, near triple sized creation I had onboard my NCL cruise ship a while back, was way more generous, impressive and tasty!
Our grilled Halibut steaks were also not up to par. Whilst mine was overcooked and dry, my wife’s portion was not only overcooked, the fish texture was mushy! The same ‘overcooked‘ result also applied to my cousins’ party’s wild Sockeye Salmon.
Fortunately, our desserts of cheesecake and dark chocolate cake fared better!
In short, by all means drive up to the park for great views and relaxing strolls around the spectacular gardens. However, if one is a foodie and intends to eat at the restaurant, I would give it some serious thought before making the decision!
Order carefully and wisely!
Caveat Emptoir!
