Photo Visit – Blue Water Cafe – February 2013

1095 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B 5T4

T: 604 688 8078
www.bluewatercafe.net

Brief Description: As a member of the Top Table family, Blue Water Cafe is known as one of the city’s superior seafood restaurants. The menu is comprised of a raw bar and hot seafood dishes. Price point is high-end.

If you are someone who just loves, loves, loves seafood and you have decided to splurge on a meal out, look no further than Blue Water Cafe. This spot is jumping – even when I visited on a Wednesday night a few weeks ago. The place was packed so be sure to book ahead!

After limiting what I have been eating (kinda) since the new year, I really like to splurge when I go out for dinner now. That is why I had to order the pearl barley risotto because, quite simply, I am a sucker for risotto. I did add some pan seared scallops, which were perfectly cooked, and I started with an assortment of fresh oysters. Dessert was a must-order and with a really strong dessert menu, it was hard to narrow it down but the rich, warm dark Cuban chocolate cake was highly recommended by our server and it didn’t disappoint.

Pearl Barley Risotto with Pan Seared Scallops – $24.50 + $4.50 per scallopsSmiley-faced Warm Dark Cuban Chocolate Cake – $12.50

Overall, Blue Water continues to deliver the same high quality and standards that I’ve come to expect from the Top Table Group (West, Araxi, Thierry). I do have to mention that prices are high. Without any drinks this meal cost me about $80, so depending on your situation, this may be a once-in-a-while splurge or a more frequent treat.

Blue Water Cafe – Photo Visit – June 2012

1095 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B 5T4

T: 604 688 8078
www.bluewatercafe.net

Brief Description: A member of the Top Table family, Blue Water is known as one of the city’s superior seafood restaurants. The menu is comprised of a raw bar and hot seafood dishes. Price point is high-end.

It was B’s birthday at the beginning of the month and, as has become tradition, we forgo gifts and instead treat the birthday girl/boy to a meal at a restaurant of their choice. This actually works out really well for me because B is the guy who has everything and needs nothing, which makes shopping for him impossible, and, I’m always up for a dinner at a nice restaurant.

This birthday B decided he wanted to go to Blue Water Cafe, in Yaletown. Surprisingly, this was our first visit to Blue Water. We have frequented her sister restaurants, West and Araxi, many times but never quite made it to Blue Water. We have always had amazing experiences at West and Araxi (they would be among our local favourites) so it wasn’t unexpected that we would be equally as impressed with Blue Water.

As this is my first visit, this is not a full review. However, from my first experience, Blue Water was as excellent as I had anticipated. Two things that come to mind from my visit was definitely book ahead of time and the price. The restaurant space is quite large, yet it was almost completely full on Saturday night at 7.30. That’s pretty incredible considering that the price point is quite high with most main courses around the $30 mark.

 Seabreeze cocktail

Assortment of oysters

Hamachi sashimi 

Ahi tuna tataki

Daily Special: Halibut on tagliatelle, green and white aspargus, and truffle butter

Pomme frites with truffle oil and Parmesan

Lemon meringue tartelette with rhubarb and orange compote and pistachio ice cream

Pina colada panna cotta (part of the dish)

The halibut special was absolutely incredible. Perhaps I am biased though as I felt as though this dish had been made especially for me as it contained a lot of my favourite ingredients; halibut, pasta, asparagus, and truffles. Quite simply, divine. The lemon meringue tartelette was also a stand-out. The meringue wasn’t overly sweet and balanced the tartness of the lemon. The pistachio ice cream was superb with its subtle pistachio flavour.

All in all, I would definitely return to Blue Water, although I favour West and Araxi more because I am more of a meat lover than a seafood lover. If seafood is your thing though, I doubt you’d be disappointed with Blue Water.