We were in no hurry the other day with time to kill before a movie in Tinseltown and wandered around looking for a restaurant in the area. We have a really hard time finding any good restaurants in Chinatown for some reason. It's Chinatown for crying out loud - where are all the good Chinese restaurants? What happened? I wish some of the many great Chinese restaurants in Richmond would move over here. We'd love to go more often but Richmond is a long drive and we can only make it down there at most every weekend to try some new restaurant.
We've been to a number of the restaurants in the vicinity already (it's the area between Chinatown and Gastown). Traditional joint Foo's Ho Ho we've been to before and I'll probably write about soon. We're not too keen on the place, though they've got a venerable history. Fusion joint Wild Rice is mostly an overpriced drink place, though they also have some overpriced food items. I just remember not being impressed when we went once. The food court in Tinseltown is a joke. It's a far cry from the awesome food courts in Richmond.
So we wound up just going to Chambar since it was nearby, though we really didn't want to be spending that much money. Chambar is one of Vancouver's most famous bistros, a Belgian-themed joint. It's in the $$$$ range, but my last experience there was quite positive in terms of the food (though the service was a disaster), so I decided to give it another go.
It was Friday night and we just waltzed in. Needless to say, the place was packed. We were lucky to get seated at the bar right away. And this turned out to be a lucky stroke, because at the bar the service is instant! No more worries about absentee waiters. During our last visit, we were seated way at the back and our waiter literally disappeared at one point, and we had to flag down someone else to get the bill.
This is Chambar. The expensive people go to Chambar to hang out and be seen. Especially so on a Friday night. You don't just casually walk into Chambar on a Friday night! We did. Ha. Much as I despise the dense miasma of narcissism, self-importance and voyeurism that pervades bistro places of this ilk, I must confess that Chambar is one of the few that despite its miasma actually serves good food. You walk out satisfied even though your wallet has taken a hit and you want to take a shower to wash off the chichi.
For drinks I ordered a glass of the Chambar Ale ($5 a glass). I did not know they made their own beer. They do, and it's available exclusively at Chamber, and you can even buy six packs. And it's the only semi-affordable beer on the menu. Everything else is $10+ a bottle. Seriously. My beer came quickly thanks to our remarkable proximity to the tap. It was potent and full-bodied and went well with the food. It's a shame their beers are so overpriced. That's at least a 3x markup over liquor store prices. They have a good selection of Belgian and other European strong beers.
Kweepo got the cocktail Fruits du Sudan ($10, Tamarind infused tequila shaken with fresh lemon, orgeat & mango juice) because she wanted to see the cute bartender shake his shaker. (Only partly kidding ;) It was a little bitter but stronger than many cocktails at other places, so not bad. But not worth $10.
I think everybody in the restaurant other than us ordered mussels. Bloody original, people. This place has great mains that you can't find in every Belgian restaurant, and we did the right thing by ordering them instead. The two mains we got were AWESOME.
~ MAIN 1/2 ~
Chevreuil aux Cerises ($31, Venison short loin, blueberry & venison sausage, paccheri pasta, proscuitto, basil pesto, fresh cherry concasse, champagne mustard)
Kweepo's plate was excellent in every way. Presentation was lovely. It looked small at first sight, but it was a healthy portion. Each of the three parts had its distinct sauce and flavor - the venison sausage was served appropriately with mustard, and not just any mustard, but champagne mustard. It was excellent and not gamey at all. The short loin was very different in taste and well paired with the cherry concasse. The big pieces of paccheri pasta were quite interesting and helped to fill out each bite. The topping of a bit of proscuitto was a nice touch. So many flavors dashing about, but the dish doesn't feel like a cacophony; everything fits in with everything else, providing for a constantly delightful variety despite the compactness of the dish. A very conscientiously prepared dish, with much thought obviously put into it. My only complaint would be that it became somewhat monotonous over the length of the dish.
~ MAIN 2/2 ~
Canard et Chevre ($29, Roasted duck breast, goat cheese & tarragon gnocchi, sauteed scallions, hazelnut & peach salad)
This dish was perfect, one of the best duck dishes I've ever had. Again it looks tiny but is a perfect portion. The only complaint I have is that there were insufficient gnocchi. There were only 7 or 8 gnocchi dotting the circumference of the duck. It looks beautiful, truly a work of art, and tastes every bit the equal of the presentation. So many contrasting flavors and textures, but they balance out well and provide for a variety throughout the span of the dish from one bite to the next, from the crunchy nuttiness of the hazelnuts to the sweetness of the peach and the goat cheese sauce that each complement the duck marvelously. And the duck is perfectly cooked, not too dry or too bloody, and without excessive fat. This was a wonder down to the last bite.
~ DESSERT ~
L'abeille et son the ($12, Honey ice cream, chamomile creme caramel & lemon meringue puff)
A marvelous little dessert, only slightly overpriced. But it's again a well conceived pairing of dissimilar textures and approaches - creamy, velvety honey ice cream with a bit of honey in a cavity at the top; rich, unctuous creme caramel; and light, fluffy puff with a dash of fruity sauce and whipped cream.
The other dishes on the menu (mostly fish dishes) do not look as interesting as these, but I'm tempted to give them a shot after seeing how good everything here was.
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