Dine Out Vancouver 2008 - Coast Restaurant
Coast Restaurant is the creation of Emad and Shannon Yacou. The restaurant is located in the very trendy Yaletown district, just minutes from downtown Vancouver. It’s a very hip place with a two story high main dining room and a “community table” where you can watch Executive Chef Josh Wolfe cook the food right in front of you.
Coast is a very loud restaurant. If you close your eyes, you almost swear you were at a bar because of the noise level and high volume music being pumped through the loud speakers. The open kitchen also adds to the noise. Other restaurants with open kitchens have a glass window dividing it from the dining room. But not Coast. You see and hear everything that’s going on. It’s pretty much what I expect a Yaletown restaurant to be like.
International Oysters by the Dozen
This is what Coast is known for - oysters from every coast. However, on this night Coast didn’t have any oysters from the European coast so our dozen oysters are made up of four each from the East coast, West coast and Japanese coast.
Sarah loved the Japanese oysters. I like them all equally. Coast paired my oysters with a glass of Blue Mountain Champagne. Oyster and Champagne. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Dungeness Crab & Halibut Cake
I can taste the crab but not so much the halibut. The cake was served with a pickled vegetable salad and preserved lemon aioli. I had it paired with glass of Mission Hill Five Vineyards Chardonnay. Overall, not a bad appetizer.
Hawaiian Ahi Tuna Tartar
Sarah opened with the Hawaiian Ahi Tuna Tartar, made with mango, pine nuts and chili lime sauce. I liked it more than the crab cake. However, I felt the flavor of the tuna was being masked by the very strong sauce.
Moroccan Spiced Lamb Sirloin
For my main course, I had the lamb. Generally, I don’t like lamb because it has a very gamy taste. However, Coast did a great job with this sirloin. It was cook just right and didn’t taste gamy at all. It went really well with the Mission Hill Five Vineyards Merlot.
Miso Glazed Queen Charlotte Sablefish
Coast is a known for seafood so it doesn’t surprise me that the Sablefish was better than the lamb. The fish was done perfectly. Extremely tender and not dry at all, the fish was complimented by a side of fingerling potatoes, bell peppers with a kaffir lime buerre blanc.
Peanut Butter Bar & Warm Milk Chocolate Fondue
It doesn’t get much sweeter than dipping a pineapple into melted chocolate. Well, it does if you add a $15 (for 2oz) glass of Mission Hill Reserve Late Harvest Riesling to the mix. Can you say sugar rush?
Thanks to the Oyster and Champagne, dinner at Coast Restaurant came to $175 with tax and tip, which is expensive for a Dine Out Vancouver for two but it was still quite reasonable. The restaurant is a little loud for my taste but I can see why the Yaletown locals like it so much.
I’m Not The Only One Who Takes Pics of My Dinner
You think I started some kind of trend? Maybe I’ll start taking pictures of people taking pictures of their dinners. You got to love the power of the Zoom! 
You can read another review of Coast over at Michael Kwan’s blog.
- Posted in Fine Dining
- 39 comments what's your take?
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tasty stuff you got going there John! staying in shape?
Reply to this commentTrying my best. I went to the gym for an hour before going to Coast.
Reply to this commentLoL that makes me think you went to gym to get more hungry so you can eat more..
Reply to this commentLOL. going to the gym to prepare for dinner lmao.
Reply to this commentYou went for gym to stay in shape and then eat again and be back the same shape.
Reply to this commentI also went to Coast for Dine Out Vancouver. For more pictures and another perspective on the place, check out my blog post here:
http://btr.michaelkwan.com/2008/01/22/dine-out-vancouver-coast-restaurant/
Like John, I felt that Coast was too loud. The atmosphere and service was fine, but they could have turned the volume down on the stereo a few notches. Because of the louder music, patrons talked louder. It was also unfortunate that my lamb was a little overcooked.
Reply to this commentwell… I guess that’s how Yaletown is. Especially in the summer time, the bars and restaurants really cook!
Reply to this commentLooks like the dude is taking a picture of the Peanut Butter Bar & Warm Milk Chocolate Fondue dish… hehe wait! Is it a dude?
Reply to this commentYou are making me hungry John!
it’s lunch time now and i have not taken my lunch.
Reply to this commentHmm, that tartar sauc, or whatever it is, doesn’t look all that appetizing.
Reply to this commentMan, it looks like I’ve been taking spelling lessons from Shoemoney again. That would be tartar sauce.
Reply to this commentWow, John. I was already hungry but now I feel completely starved. It all looks so good!
Reply to this commentJust had all you can eat sushi… Looking at the oysters makes me feel sick
Reply to this commentGood to see Mr. Chow is working out
Come on Mr. UFC…u gotta get back into shape 
-Mike
Reply to this commentFood, food.. I think you must do some Food Magazine, CHow..
Reply to this commentI think most of restaurant want to sponsors your meal…
Why?? You are now became more famous…
looks good, i am hungry
Reply to this commentuummmmm good
Reply to this commentYou know whats really good? Coconut Shrimp from Red Lobster! Are you a really huge fan of seafood John? I notice you order a lot. I love seafood but you have to watch out for some that can upset your stomach. My stomach can handle almost any kind of food though.
Have you ever had tripe (authentic Mexican tacos) YUM!
Reply to this commentThe food looked very nice. I want to eat it
Reply to this commentIt’s cool that you enjoy some wine with the meals.
How often do you eat like that? Man, you’re gonna have a cholesterol problem if you don’t watch it.
Reply to this commentWow I just read this at 10:00 AM Saturday morning. Now I want some Veal! LOL. That desert looks great too.
Reply to this commentcrab cakes look pretty good
Reply to this commentJohn, just once will go to a fast restaurant and take pictures of what you eat please!
Reply to this commentWow The food looks great I think I’m going to start taking pictures of my dinners at BK!!…lol
Steve
Reply to this commentLucky me I had food in my hands while reading this. I would eat your blog together with my monitor
Reply to this commentYou still don’t know how to shoot a damn food
Always those images are gross…
Reply to this commentGet any funny looks taking pictures of your dinner?
Reply to this commentNope. I think Vancouver is getting use to it.
Reply to this commentJohn,
San Francisco is getting used to it to, but not my wife. Here is a review of a restaurant I reviewed for Dine About Town, San Francisco’s version of Dine Out Vancover.
http://mralyoung.com/2008/01/26/dinner-at-lark-creek-steak/
Let me know if you need fine dining suggestions or a guide when you visit in April.
Reply to this commentNice pictures, John. Now I see, the trick is in the zoom and using flash. A lot to learn…..
Reply to this commentI’m not usually a big fan of lamb but the moroccan spiced lamb sirloin looks really good, I’ll have to check this place out for sure the next time I visit vancouver.
Reply to this commentThe food looks very tasty.
Reply to this commentperhaps you shouldnt zoom in as much. I am sure the food is great, but the zoom level really gives unnecessary insight into the wonderful food your consuming. Basically I am saying that the food on your site always look gross and thats because it would be like sticking your face 1 inch from your plate.
Reply to this commentIf you could take your pictures, maybe, from the perspective of someone sitting at the table they would look much more appetizing.
Not to be a %^$&!! or anything, just my opinion… I am sure the food is world class…
yum yum yum…. tasty food you got there john…… and looks like a nice restaurant …..
Reply to this commentI seem to remember stumbling upon a blog (or was it Flickr) by a Miss Peach in Vancouver and she was taking pictures of her restaurant meals way before you, Mr Chow.
Reply to this commentThat food looks nice, and the restaurant.
You should have asked her whether she was blogging about her food
Reply to this commentI think I’m getting hungry. I think I’ll go buy a large bag of chips. I’m not home right now, and my wife is at work, so.. no good food for me.
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