Tonight we went to the first of our eight Dine Out Vancouver reservations. Le Gavroche is a French restaurant located in downtown Vancouver. I didn’t know the restaurant uses to be a house and because of that, we drove right past it while looking for it.
The refurbished Victorian house has three floors and an attic, the restaurant dining area takes up the first two floors. If you want to get a feel for what it’s like to dine at someone’s house and then have to pay for it, Le Gavroche is a good place to start.
Le Gavroche has won many awards for its dining experience, including “The most romantic restaurant in Vancouver” by the Vancouver Sun, and “Best of Award of Excellence” by Wine Spectator Magazine. Le Gavroche is known for its great wine pairing and I was looking forward to sampling the wines they’ve paired for the Dine Out Vancouver Menu.
Duck Liver Pate With Onion Marmalade
This was Sarah’s first course. Because it’s a French restaurant, you would expect some Foie Gras but since the menu was only $35 per person ($55 with the wine pairing) duck liver will have to do. The dish was actually quite good, much better than my starter dish.
Roasted Tomato Bisque With Grilled Diver Scallop
My starter dish was paired with a glass of Gewurztraminer Oak Bay 2005 – an OK choice for a bisque. You may notice there is no “s” at the end of Scallop. Sure enough, the dish came with one small diver scallop. It’s took me a while to find it.
Wild Salmon With Sauce Vierge
Sarah had the salmon for the main course. It was cook just right – tender and flaky, but not dry. The sauce used also compliment the dish quite well. Le Gavroche has a way of mixing oils together to give the dish a really exotic flavor.
Roasted Free Range Chicken
My main course was the roasted free-range chicken with capers, garlic, tomatoes and basil. It was paired with a glass of Pinot Noir Tinhorn Creek 2004. Sarah and I much prefer the chicken over the salmon. The dish was done perfectly, the skin was full of flavor and the meat was very tender. My only gripe was the chicken was very small. I guess they don’t grow too big when they are free in the range.
Belgian Chocolate Mousse
This is a great way to finish off a dinner, a mouse made from Belgian chocolate. Sweet! Too sweet for Sarah. I ate most of it.
Creme Brulee
I love Creme Brulee and Le Gavroche made a good one. It was paired with a Guail Gate Late Optima 2005. Truth be told, it went better with the coffee. The wines Le Gavroche paired with my dishes were OK but I expected more from a restaurant known for its great wine pairings. I will let it go because the Dine Out price might have placed limits on the type of wines Le Gavroche could pair.
Dinner for the four of us came to $200 with tips. I was the only one who ordered the wine pairing. Overall, I rate Le Gavroche three stars out of five.
