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An anchor in Vancouver’s culinary landscape, Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar is lauded as the City’s definitive destination for seafood. Executive Chef Frank Pabst brilliantly executes innovative West Coast plates, insisting on using seafood from wild and sustainable harvest. At the Raw Bar, Yoshiya Maruyama is true to the Japanese culinary aesthetic of pure, clean flavours and ample portions that Blue Water Cafe’s Raw Bar has long been famous for.
I was there at a 'corporate event', at which my banker entertained a bunch of clients, and we had a private dining room next door to the main restaurant. This may account for the incredible service we got, but this is not to say that the service at the main restaurant is less good -- I simply don't know because I have not eaten there.
We had a multi-course dinner, and guests had choices for the courses. Suffice it to say that every dish was outstanding, and my fellow diners, including those who had different dishes from what I had, were similarly impressed. From the name of the restaurant, I thought they only specialized in seafood, but they had meat dishes as well, and those were equally outstanding.
I shall return for sure.
First time to Blue Water and overall experience was fantastic. The Chef came by the table to intro himself and had some recommendation which was a nice touch. Started with the crab cakes which were very good, also shared the seafood tower which was a nice mix of cold dishes and raw oysters, had the butter poached salmon with risotto which was excellent, for the main had the halibut which was good but a bit over cooked and a sampling of desserts which were very good. Overallt the food was great and the service was excellent. All dishes came at the same time and napkins folded every time someone left the table. The restaurant is a great place and sitting by the open kitchen was better than I thought as you get to see all the action. A bit on the expensive side at approx. $80 per person for food only, but worth it. Would return.
I visited Blue Water Cafe on the notion that it is Vancouver's Premier Fine Dining Restaurant and I left satisfied but with a lower opinion of Vancouver Dining.
I called to make a my booking a few days before and was told the only time I could get was 9:30pm which was alright with me and I requested to sit at the Sushi bar which they said would be done. Luckily I called just before going to confirm my booking because they couldn't find it I was on the phone for 10 mins when my reservation showed and I left to the restaurant.
We arrived at the restaurant and had to wait standing at the door for a long while (not an uncommon thing for fine dining) before being shown to our table which wasn't any where near the sushi bar (I think they lost my reservation). Didn't bother me much though I was happy to be there.
When I dine out I don't drink much but like to taste as much of the menu as possible. The food was really good though not as extravagant as the the price and hype I've heard suggests. The biggest let down of the evening was the service. My waiter was really nice, very friendly and was constantly checking up on us to check everything was all good but he made a few huge mistakes. Notably, topping up our sparkling water with tap water, after knocking a drink over half way though the evening not replacing the table cloth, instead just placing a napkin over the top of the mess to cover it up and he lacked knowledge on the menu which normally doesn't bother me but instead of going to find out the answers to my questions he just bull crapped his way though them. Works fine for a normal patron but when your a cook yourself it kind of make them sound stupid when they tell you the sauce on a dish is ponzu when it has no acid and smells like sesame...
The Restaurant was gorgeous making it really pleasant to sit there for long time and food and drink service was on point. A the few minor downsides though a really good night an excellent experience none the less. Worth the experience but i don't think the excessive prices warrant a return visit, not when Vancouver has so many other great restaurant to try out.
I always look forward to this time of year because it's the 1 of the 2 times in the year that I visit Blue Water Cafe. To be frank I only visit twice a year because I'm not rich. If I need to spread my budget over the course of the year between other fine dining establishments and out of country food tours I would say twice a year will suffice.......
So we sat at chef Tabo-sans sushi bar. It helps that my mother knows him so getting served little tasters in between courses recommended by him made the experience much more delightful. Quiet and reserved it's amazing how slow Tabo-san moves with his knife but manages to keep up with tickets spitting out and keeping every dish consistent. I have to admit the sushi is good but overpriced.
What I love is the firsts and mains that Chef Pabst comes up with. Whether it's the ling cod, sablefish, halibut,
or live tank lobster they all seem to be perfect in every way. Everything from the sauce, center, and accompaniments it's all combined perfectly. I have never had a bad experience and the staff has always been great. I learned about eating raw oysters from one server, the kusshi is a great starter oyster, choose flavoring, grab the boot and slurp it up. The service at these prices is always the breaker for me. Going to restaurants that are "hoity toity" and "fine dining" and really expensive always bother me when the servers are snobby and make you feel uncomfortable. It's one thing when you go to eat a bowl of Pho for 8 bucks and get poor service, but spending 100 bucks and feeling uncomfortable because of the staff is another....... So it's always nice to have friendly staff at these types of establishments and Blue Water has friendly staff.
There's a reason why I go twice a year and I'll keep returning until Blue Water gives me reasons to do otherwise.
Went out for a reunion dinner with 9 high school buddies. We had dinner reservations for a Friday night - very busy place. As we were placed next to the bar and the door - it was very loud. Too many older singles trying too hard by the bar provided us 50 somethings with great entertainment. Loved the round table concept which provided us the easy conversation.
Food was absolutely wonderful - had the Seafood Tower for as an appetizer - delicious !!! Followed by the Miso Black Cod which was perfect. The portions were not large, however adequate. The service was excellent and our food server knew all his dishes and described them perfectly. No one at our table did not enjoy their meal. Dessert was awesome and presentation of each dish was artistically done.
Dinner is more on the pricey side - appetizer, main course, 1 glass of red wine, dessert and coffee was $110.00 including tip and of course the HST.
Went back to Blue Water recently. This was my 3rd or 4th time here and it is always a treat. The seafood is cooked perfectly and the flavours are balanced so well, it is a real pleasure eating here. The service is great no snotty waiters just well versed polite staff minus the pretentiousness you get at many of the similar places around town. We had the oysters and scallop ceviche to start, my main was the qualicum bay scallops in a citrus sauce, which came out with wild rice cakes , caramelized onions and wild rice cakes- delicious! The value is solid for the quality, ambiance and service you receive. Definitely worth it for a special night out- foodies be prepared to be blown away.
This is a review just about Blue Water's Raw Bar - not the general cafe part. In case you don't want to read the rest of this review, I'll sum it up for you: it was spectacular!
We arrived and sat outside in the patio. It is a gorgeous setting. Great ambiance outside (and inside too). The music is funky and not too loud. The flowers were in bloom. The decor is stylish, as is the plating.
The oyster menu is comprehensive, although they don't stock all the oysters on it. Tonight they had 6. We tried them all and they were all beautiful. Perfectly shucked. Brine still in shell. Red wine mignonette. Lemon. Freshly-grated horseradish.
The sockeye salmon sashimi was to die for. Vancouver does salmon like no other place I've ever been and sockeye is - at least when it comes to sashimi - the king of salmon.
The service was friendly, professional, knowledgeable and prompt. The Whistler-brewed pale ale was served in a hybrid baloon-tulip which was perfect and complemented the food.
It's not cheap, but for fresh seafood, you cannot do better.
Service was good, we were greeted immediately as we entered, as soon as we sat down our waiter appeared! The vodka cocktail was weak though, did not enjoy my drink at all, kinda bland and too much ice! I really enjoyed the selections on the 2 tiers of seafood tower! The oysters were really good, jellyfish salad was okay, smoked salmon was average, scallops and mussels were good, shrimp was okay. I loved the plating and decor on the tiers! Not sure about my entree, had the Arctic Char, the mushrooms were way too salty to my liking, but I enjoyed the mini pearl pasta around the dish. The Beef Tenderloin was cooked well but nothing special, it came with a fresh baked macaroni and cheese with spinach, it was creamy and had a crunchy top. Dessert was good, cheesecake was light and sweet perfect to end the night, but I did not like the super sour mandarin in the cheese cake though, it was way off!! Yikes! Overall dinner was okay, guess after all the great reviews we expected more.
I arrived about 45 min late for my DOV reservation due to parking difficulties/Canucks home game night, and my friend was made to feel comfortable by our waiter. Good start! SInce she was told by the hostess that there would be a 1.5 hour maximum for DOV diners.
The Tuna tataki starter with a ponzu and mayo dressing was lovely - quite generous in their portions too.
Arctic char was nicely cooked. Really loved the bed of belgua lentil, pearl onion and vanilla butter that accompanied the fish.
Key lime cheesecake was on the tart side, but the house made maple ice cream was a good counterbalance to the tart with its sweet, creaminess, heavenly!
Altogether a worthwhile and memorable DOV experience!
Hosted a supper here with 10 clients a couple of days ago. The crew at Blue Water do a great job of accomodating requests. We had a couple of seafood towers - shrimp, oysters, scallops in shell, all on ice. I had the beef tenderloin which was cooked to perfection. Everyone else loved their dish - white sturgeon was the other choice...
What is great about this restaurant is the ambiance and the service. The service is professional and attentive. The decor, with the exposed brick and the wall to wall wines makes quite an impression. The evening came to 180 dollars per person but was definitely worth it.
Brief description:
Event for 39 people at the Pacific Room at Blue Water. A dozen or so guests took the sushi and cocktail mini-course.
Food:
Cooked to perfection. I was the host for the event and everybody agreed the food was excellent, one of the best, if not the best, they have tasted for seafood and Western cuisine. We had the Group course for $109 each (look for it in their menu in the group section of the website). The "table dish" of sushi and sashimi was good and fresh. The appetizers were fresh and the avocado sauce for my own dish mixed in well with all 3 different mini-dish comprising the appetizer. The foie-gras for other guests were amazing and the oysters+caviar were the best my brother-in-law tasted ANYWHERE in Vancouver (he eats a lot of oysters). The entrees were even better. The poached lobster was very good and cooked perfectly. My char was crispy on the outside (as it is suppose to be) and tender inside. WUNDERBAR! The kobe-style ribs were the best my guests tasted. That dish was braised for 21 hours before being cooked. The dessert was plate of 3 mini-desserts: the famous Blue Water lava cake/brownie + cream cheese ice cream + creme brulee. The nice little addition of liquor inside the lava cake was a master stroke. Instead of just plain "super" sweet, the mixed in liquor gave the cake a slight bitter, yet sweet taste. It was the perfect blend. The creme brulee was good, but the sugar cover on top was perfect. The cream cheese ice cream was unique.
The wine was very good. I didn't drink but the rest of the guests were absolutely charmed by the taste of 1 red and 1 white selection. The white was from Italy and the red was a local maker. Blue water is known for their wine, and Andrea, the wine director, gave the guests a perfect wine/meal combo to choose from.
Service:
My thanks goes to Brent, Scott, Jen, and Andrea for their wonderful service. There were no hiccups and everything was perfect. They put their efforts into perfecting every minute detail of the service, from the lightining, to the food distribution, etc. They were very genuine in their service. All the dishes came out perfectly timed. We had 39 guests, yet they were able to have ALL the dishes come out at the same time (within 1 or 2 minutes).
The mini courses some of the guests took before the dinner was very fun. They enjoyed the courses and were delighted that there were options to partake in, besides eating the dinner dishes (look it up on the website).
Value:
The value of the entire meal was perfect. The selection for the group course was good. Please keep in mind the dishes included a few caviar dishes, foie gras, seafood, sushi, sashimi, etc. Added to this was the fact that we booked the entire Pacific room (enough room for 80 guests), at no charge. So, it was the perfect blend of price and product.
Ambiance:
The best ambiance I have been in, ever, in a group setting. I showed a slide show in the room, and they had 2 projection screens synced up, to 2 projectors. It was easy to set up by plugging my laptop to the terminal. The Pacific room is essentially a large wine room, that measures approximately 16 feet by 45 feet. There were Christmas decorations everywhere and the room was very well lit (I love well lit dining experiences, not low light ones). Even if you don't like the room being well lit, you can customize the brightness yourself. If you are dinning for 2, the main room is dimly lit, and has a nice ambiance, but the pillars make the main room seem smaller than it really is. But for group events, the Pacific room is INCREDIBLE!
Conclusion:
Perfect service. Perfect food. Perfect Ambiance, Perfect Value. Have a group event of 10 to 80 people? Book the Pacific Room. I booked it 4 months in advance and only got a Sunday booking. The Fridays and Saturdays were booked solid 4 months in advance. Got an itch to eat for 2? The food is just as good as in group events. If the group event food is good, the dinner for 2 food is always better. Oh yeah, they have been recognized to have one of the largest selection of wine in the world, and won Vancouver Magazine's Restaurant of the year Award for 2010. Bon Apetit!
I took my girlfriend out for her birthday last night and we both thoroughly enjoyed the food & service.
The cuisine is an interesting fusion of European / Asian / West-Coast fair.
The fish, both sushi & cooked is delightful and fresh. Try their Uni! It's like "fois gras of the sea". You will never accept "fishy smelling" Uni at your regular Sushi place ever again, after learning here what FRESH really means.
Service is attentive, charming and very knowledgeable.
Sure, it comes at a price, but you typically get what you pay for it. If you want Cactus Club prices, walk a block.. the CC is around the corner. This is for the discerning foodie or gourmet.
I recently had the pleasure of trying their partner restaurant the "Araxi" in Whistler. Different menus but same standard.
Blue Water's wine list is probably one of the best you will find in Vancouver. Despite what you might think though, there are good value bottles amongst the otherwise typical high-markup Bordeaux finds. Although I'm quite knowledgeable on wine, I enjoyed using the Sommeliers advice. The Angelo Gaja was delicious :)
We'll definitely be back, after I pay down the mortgage I took out (kidding!). Seriously, you go once or twice a year to this kind of place.
One small complaint. While 90% of the diners were dressed appropriately, it still surprises me to see some people dressed as if they're dining at McDonalds. Seriously folks, if you have the dough to eat at such a fine establishment, buy a collared shirt and some slacks and blend in! Not that the restaurant is snobby in any form or shape, but it's a show of respect to your fellow diners to not come in sweats & sweater.
To all future diners. If you get a chance, ask to be served by Erica. Not to take anything away from other waiters, but we thoroughly enjoyed her warm & attentive service.
Our recent dinner here confirmed our thoughts of our dinner here a few years back...we can't understand all the hype about this restaurant.
We thought that perhaps we had gone on an off-night for our first dinner. Well, we were underwhelmed again. We did have very large selection of oysters to choose from, which we appreciated. My husband's short-rib entree was delicious, but far from show-stopping. I can't even remember what I had for my entree, just that all the diced root veg served with my meal were still raw. Uacceptable at a fine dining restaurant when the restaurant was only about half-full.
Our server was great, however another server ruined it a bit for us. He was chatting with another table, and he just wouldn't stop. He was loud and persisted on asking them so many questions it was making us feel uncomfortable!
Dessert of molten chocolate cake was delicious, but warm chocolate cake is hard to ruin...
I can't recommend this restaurant as there are quite a few restaurants out there serving better food with comparable ambiance and better value.
We were a group of 8 people who went to the restaurant for the DOV menu. The ambiance was really great. Very romantic atmosphere. Since the meal was $38 for the three course, it was a great value compared to the regular menu items. I ordered the Matane Shrimp Salad, Kurobota Pork and Apple Raisin Bread Pudding. The shrimp salad was okay. I didn't find it impressive as the other two appetizers. It was basically lettuce with shrimp, grapefruit and avocado. I didn't finish my salad and gave the rest of it to my friend. He was hungry enough to take my offer. Next item was the pork. It was really tender. The cornbread was a good texture to match the meat. The sauce went well with entree. The Hazelnut + Almond Meringue was a better choice than my Bread Pudding. I found my dessert to be average. It tasted okay, but the presentation for all of the food was amazing. Their regular menu is actually better than the DOV one. However, the price made it worth the visit. Service was fast. A number of people came by and cleared all our plates shortly after we were done with each course. I got the impression they were really trying to get us out before the 1.5 hr that was set for DOV customers. We were told before we were seated that only that much time was alloted unless we were eating off the regular menu. I guess they were trying very hard to maximize the number of people eating at the restaurant. If you haven't been to this restaurant before, it a good way to try their food. However, you should just eat off of the regular menu.
Went for a lunch with the department from a mid sized law firm. There were 15 of us for lunch. We were able to choose from a set menu of three appys, three entrees and two desserts.
We were given four seafood towers which were quite unbelievable. Everything was on ice and very fresh. Cooked mussels (plump), scallops and prawns (could have been a little less cooked). Raw oysters, two types of sushi (good but nothing spectacular as the rice was too stuck together). Jellyfish, smoked salmon and ahi tuna were outstanding. Oysters Rockefeller appy was ordered and I had one and it was tasty.
Appy was the dungeness crab and potato cake. It came with avocado and was very good. Flavours were really nice.
Entree was sablefish aka Alaskan Black Cod. Cooked to perfection on a small bed of mashed potatoes and pea sprouts (really amazing).
Dessert was chocolate cake with a dollop of ice cream. Cake was really rich and couldn't get through all of it. Would have been better if it wasn't a lava cake. It was served with caramel and a thin fortune like cookie. It didn't need the caramel as it was overdone to me. Sorbet looked like it was a much better choice.
Everything was beautifully served and service was excellent. Servers were professional, unobtrusive and extremely attentive. They took great care to give us excellent service.
Would definitely like to come back as it was probably one of the best higher end restaurants I have been to.
I think the only reason I tried this place was because of the gift certificate I won. WOW, was it ever good!
We ordered the lobster in cream sauce which was absolutely to die for! I was not impressed by the lack of selection on their beer menu, but this is the kind of restaurant where somewhat 'classier' drinks are to be ordered.
Serive was great & the ambiance was good.
The seafood options are unique and esthetically pleasing but not worth what they're asking. I have been there a couple of times in small and large groups and find the service inconsistent. The seafood tower is tasty but not great value. My last experience there was in the private room with clients - many of them grumbled about the service and mediocre food. If my customers aren't impressed, I never take them back.
Went here a couple of years ago with a group of four and the waitress was quite rude to us. We sat there for a loong time waiting for someone to come and clear our plates after we were done. When we complained the restaurant was very apologetic and offered us a bottle of wine. Sat on the patio which was nice, but it's hard to achieve a good sense of the ambiance this way.
I don't remember much else except that the food was average and not memorable.
I really enjoy going to this restaurant. I love the food here, and look forward to always trying something new here since the seafood is always fresh. The service is impeccable, my water glass is never empty. The like the chic laid back ambiance which makes it a great place to enjoy a casual dinner. Like I said, this place always provides an all round good experience.
Two of us dined here on a weeknight and place was 80% full while other nearby spots were nearly empty. Sat near the sushi bar and started out with raw oysters which were great; good selection of west and east coast. Next went with sushi which is as good as it gets in Vancity (but New York prices; $5+ for one red tuna nigiri) but limited selection. The entrees were salmon which looked good, and shrimp cocktail appy which was kind of bland. dessert and a beer, wine and sake and the bill is $260 + tip. Overall a good meal and setting but way over my budget if it were not a business meal.
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