Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant

Food: * * * * 1/2

Service: * * *


Best dim sum (upscale) that we've had in the greater Van area, and the place takes reservations too! Fresh har gow with a nice thin skin, great twists on normal dishes (e.g. pork floss on the crispy donut wrapped in a rice roll), and tasty sticky rice pockets. Ask for the English menu though; the default is all-Chinese. Parking is free, though beware the idiots who park in spaces that aren't actually spots, blocking your exit from the parking lot! Decor is much more classy than other dim sum places (dark wood and ivory, with red accents). Service is reasonable though not expedient, so be prepared to wait. Even people with reservations have to wait, so don't go when you're starving. Otherwise, excellent dim sum. We'll definitely be back!

Gramercy Grill - DOV 2010

Food: * * * *

Service: * * * *

What a lovely neighbourhood grill! For $28 we couldn't go wrong here; portions were fair (not huge, and the dessert could've been bigger for Hubbs' chocolate thing), food was very tasty (Hubbs *loved* his scallop appie), and on a drizzly rainy Van day, it was a nice place to enjoy a meal. Ambiance is definitely more casual and even arguably kid-friendly, so upscale this is not (even though the dark wood furniture suggests an attempt at business-casual). However, it's definitely several steps up from most family-friendly restaurants, and the food is way better than any chain restaurant willing to entertain people dragging in their little tykes. Good place to hit up if you want a quality meal but don't feel like dressing up fancy and putting on pretenses.

Le Gavroche - DOV 2010

Food: * * * *

Service: * * * *

Inside a quaint little house is a romantic little French restaurant. Food was solid and portions were generous and tasty. My only complaint would be that the potatoes on my entree were a bit cold :S Otherwise, service was attentive and food was hearty in a home-cooked kind of way; do not expect to compare these dishes against the more upscale French dining in the city, which offer greater subtlety and refinement. This is like the B&B of French cuisine in the area, not the 5-star luxury resort hotel of French food. Ambiance was quiet and intimate, though there *was* a raucous table that annoyed me greatly when we were there. Priced at $38 for the DOV menu, I'd say it was worth it. Delicious and I would definitely come back again (but maybe not in a group - it's a good place to go for just the two of ya).

hidden - DOV 2010

Food: * * * * 1/2

Service: * * * *

The former Aria at the Westin Grand got a facelift and is now called hidden lounge. It's small and cozy, the booths and chairs are comfy, and the look is supposed to be somewhat chic for the Sex-and-the-City-loving, cosmo-sipping crowd. DOV dishes were tasty and unique (I think the chef had fun designing the menu) but portions were small on their $18 menu. Guess I shouldn't have expected a full meal deal for that price, but because we got the full meal elsewhere for the same price, I was hoping for more than appie-sized entrees. It is a great place to go for exotic beers; their menu for this is ridiculous and Hubbs had a chocolate beer! Anyway, Hubbs loved it, but I thought it was good but over-priced. Go for a drink and to gossip, but maybe not if you're really hungry.







PS - We had to pay more for the bread, but it was delicious.