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Chambar is a stylish and hip restaurant downtown that offers Belgian cuisine in a fun and lively atmosphere.
Went to Chambar with my brother the other night. The service was prompt and friendly, I was led to a seat right away. Loved the ambiance in the restaurant, it was quite hip and modern; the lighting inside was dim but not too dark.
We ordered the spiced fois gras terrine to start, then the coquette moules frites, and after much consideration, ended our great meal with the Symphonie Tropicale. Out starter took no time to arrive. It was quite unique, because we've never had cold fois gras before. It was definitely a very unique experience for our palate, a GOOD unique experience! But it would be great if there was more of the brioche french toast to go with the fois gras, because on its own, it was quite salty, but the everything balanced perfectly when eaten with the brioche french toast.
Next came the moules frites. The fries were served with a dijon mayo, which we both enjoyed quite a bit. There were plently of mussels in the pot with plenty of bacon. The broth was quite flavourful and delicious and the mussels were cooked just right. We were just too full to order a side of bread to scoop up the reminder of the broth.
We were a little hesitant when it came to dessert, but after much deliberation, we decided to go with the Symphanie Tropicale, which was a coconut macaroon with passionfruit curd and pina colada sorbet. It was a pretty tiny dessert for $11 (we each had about 2 small bites), but it was just so perfect that we couldn't complain. The pina colada sorbet was so refreshing that it make us felt like we were on the beach! We really just wish there was more of it.
Great experience, would definitely go back to try other items on their menu. Or might just go there for drinks and dessert!
I have eaten and enjoyed beverages here on a dozen occasions in the past two years.
Having read the reviews of previous customers I can agree that this is a downtown,pretentious,
restaurant that is on the expensive side for the quantity of the dishes per order.
Now ,this is my experience. Outstanding service, and allthough I don't order muscles I understand
they are the finest in the city, and they look that way.
Presentation is nearly perfect, quantity will leave the suberb (Keg customer) dissapointed i would
think as the servings are small.
At the end of the day, service and quality of food are outstanding in my opinion, value is not great
and ambiance is big city fun.
I keep returning,
Me and my friend came here for the last week of DOV 2012. Been to over 10 restaurants since DOV 2012 began. So we kinda have an idea or expectation that it might not be as good as regular times. However, this is seriously worst DOV experience we ever ever had!! Where should I begin? The 20 min wait for the table even we already made the reservation or mediocre food or the worst part the server didn’t explain the DOV menu then charged us the full prices for one appy and one main course? I will just describe the worst the part. Like normal customers, me and my friend both ordered appy, main course and dessert separately. Here is the key point, I added Foie gras and 8 oz steak on the side as it appeared on the “DOV menu” Foie Gras (add $8) under appetizer section and 8 oz steak (add $10) under main course section. At the point, the server still didn’t say or explain anything. So I just assumed extra 8 dollars more for the Foie Gras cuz that’s how it is on Five Sails restaurant DOV menu. I’ll skip complaining the food part, otherwise I will be writing an essay here. So till the bill came, we were charged full prices on Foir Gras (just one piece) for $18 and 8 oz steak for $48 (even Gotham T bones only costs $48!) We talked to the waitress. She merely said what I ordered is the 3rd appy and 3rd main course and we only have 2 ppl so they have to be charged full prices. There are no fine prints or any explanation saying full prices be4 I ordered the 3rd dishes and did I even mention earlier it’s under DOV menu!! We know it is NOT how it works on other upscale restaurants we’ve been too. So we paid whatever it’s on the bill and decide not going back forever. I think ppl out there should be aware this is how they run their restaurant. Terrible service.
We had been we a few times in the past for birthdays and other special dates so when a friend and his wife came up from Portland and we went there we were happy enough with the food, the service was definitely slower than in the past which was sad as we all know the cost we pay when we go here, (we expect to be treated well for the money we are spending), the plates finally start to arrive on the table and my husband were shocked how things had changed, portions had changed, not to mention something I asked to have removed due to allergies was still in there, when the waiter finally made his way back over to the table I told him and he was smug and finally after I stood up (I was going to find a manager) he finally took it back to the kitchen to replace it, I guess he expected me to eat it after all, after it was all said and done the manager was involved and we all ended up with free desert (whipped dee doo) ... we were all hungry after we left there.
It’s no longer the same and it’s no longer worth the wait.
Every now and then I get a craving for the mussels and fries at Chambar. However, on my most recent visit, the service was unusually slow and unattentive. Perhaps the reason is because we sat in the front bar area instead of the back where the main restaurant is?
The food was a let down this time as well. My bucket of mussels was loaded with unopened mussels. Must have been a bad batch. It made me afraid to eat the ones that did open.
I'm not a beer drinker but my friends are and they universally give high praise to the beer menu in this place.
I'll probably give it one more try in a few months since I've been really happy here in the past.
Went with a group in a situation I wasn't paying thankfully. Ordered a bison steak mid rare as recommended by the server. Although the service is absolutely fantastic, and the food was pretty good, until I'm old and am full off 200 calories worth of food I'll skip this place. Our portions were so tiny, and I even had a huge dessert after and was barely satiated. Definitely a pre-eating place, and I felt sort of out of place the entire time. Not because I was wearing sweat pants and couldn't afford it, but because I was wearing a dress and heels and other people were wearing very casual wear, while the servers were wearing stuff that looked like you would wear to bed or completely suited up. Had no idea how to dress!
Spent a birthday dinner for two here. Despite it being a Tues. night, it was relatively busy. The staff were wonderfully accomodating. We were seated in the lounge area in a nice cosy little enclave. The Belgian Beers were exemplary and delicious. Both of us being vegetarian, our choices were limited. However, they were very accomodating again to the extent of giving us two choices which did not include the usual boring Risotto offering that most restaurants provide. The food was some of the best gourmet vegetarian we have ever had. The service was fantastic!! Definitely going back.
So, i've been slowly working my way through the highest rated and best restaurants in Vancouver and tonight I finally made it to Chambar. I've heard it was good before but every time i tried to book it was either full or the times didn't work. This is my own fault as I always call on the night i'm going somewhere and just see who's got spaces available.
Anyway, as usual i called, they had a table in 3 hours at 9pm which was too late but i thought i'd just call down anyway and take a spot in the lounge which is drop in. On arrival, the lounge turned out to be a couple of knee height tables at the front door, more of a drinks spot and I didn't fancy a seat at a bar for a high end restuarnat like this. We were about to leave when the Maitre de cut us a break and gave us a table in the main restuarant, which was, to be fair, completely full. SO, Great start!
For the starters we had some fish carpachio which was better than any beef carpacchio i have ever tried... If i hadn't known i would never have guessed it was fish actually.. Truly amazing flavours and tastes. My wife had the Terrine, which was smooth, creamy and served with what looked like french toast, which actually tasted better than the pate.. both beautiful. My daughter had a tapas selection, loved the shrimp, but a bit suspicious of the chilli and anchovy sauce.. I tried it and it was ok, but to be fair i'd never eaten a whole chilli before... Not my thing normally.
Mains we had Steak, Lamb and duck breast for my daughter. All were honestly amazing, with outstanding presentation and little accompaniments for sides that i'd never seen before.. Cool bruscettas, cus cus and some sort of mini dumpling.
Overall the experience was fantastic. Enough so that i felt compelled to write my first review of a restaurant despite trying pretty much all of the top ones in Vancouver.
Pricewise this place ain't cheap costing about $250 for the three of us including one glass of wine and one beer but for me, defiantly worth it
So this is supposed to be the classy restaurant of Vancouver? I'll stick with Crocodile thankyou!! I guess people are equating expensive-for-no-reason with classy. Their seafood specialties are average. Mussels? How much? For what? In this tiny room? From the unsmiling waitress? Why am I waiting this long?
I feel that this restaurant might have been good at one time but that time, if it ever existed, has passed. Now people who do not know try to impress people who should know by going here. Expensive for NO reason
Recommended by local acquaintances so I tried this place out on a week night. Good buzz going on and the staff was friendly. The mussels were first class but the cous cous lamb was not spectacular. Our server was knowledgable and friendly, even recommending places to dine and see.
The two of us went here the day after Valentine's Day, and worried that it may still be busy, made reservations for 5:30pm. We got there early and waited outside. When 5:30 came we followed another couple into the restaurant and were greeted by a very frantic and rude hostess. She said "we're not open yet, you can have a seat over there". She was clearly not prepared to work yet (she wore jeans and a t-shirt) and was very rushed. She got someone else from behind the bar to offer us the menus and show us to our seats.
While the place was completely empty aside from the older couple who came in before us, we were offered really awkward seats right in front of the bar. The other couple (and a few others who came in after us) were offered more seats in the more private dining space in the back. Very odd. Perhaps they were hoping we would be the drinking type and would be ordering a few glasses from the bar. In any case, we asked to be seated in a more private location, and the same hostess begrudgingly took us towards the back of house.
Aside from this really weird bout of musical chairs, we were finally seated and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the evening.
Food: We shared the poutine - delicious! blue cheese, balsamic vinaigrette on house-made fries. Very large portion- more than enough for 2 people to share.
Duck with gnocchi, goat cheese and scallions a- divine! the sauce was some sort of hazelnut emulsion - very good- imparts a nutty flavour that was both sweet and savoury. Meat was tender and juicy and went well with the cheese. My only complaint about this dish was that this dish had a rather overwhelming amount of scallions and only about 5 pieces of gnocchi.
Lamb shank with cous cous braised in honey and cinnamon - lamb was fall of the bone tender; cous cous though tasty on its own, got lost in the juices of the lamb. Overall a bit too sweet and an unbalanced dish. The portion size was very good though.
Espresso Cheesecake with chocolate mouse- beautifully presented, rich and decadent; the textures of the silky mousse with the crisp chocolate wafers, along with the cacao gelee and the cheesecake was a delight for the palate.
Pistachio cream in a pie crust, with white chocolate ganache, sour cherry compote and lemon buttermilk sorbet- OMG delicious! This was seriously the best dessert I have ever put in my mouth. And this is coming from a chocaholic. From the sweetness of the white chocolate and pistachio cream to the tartness of the lemon and cherry, to the crumbly yet buttery texture of the pastry crust, this was like a flavour explosion in my mouth! Do not let the complexity of the dessert stray you from this one. It was literally so delicious that I became self-aware that maybe I had devoured this dessert a little too fast.
Value: Excellent. Portions were enough to make you full but not so much that you feel sick afterwards. The quality of the ingredients really showed in all of the dishes we ordered. Everything was made fresh to order using obviously only the best ingredients.
Service: Aside from the rude hostess in the beginning, the service throughout was top notch. The man that served us was very polite (but not in a snobby way), witty and knowledgeable. He was very professional in that he was able to both connect with us as individuals (made us feel comfortable), as well as a customer (brought things out in a timely manner, and explained whatever you wanted to know).
Ambiance: honestly, a bit cramped. The tables are so close together that you can listen to your neighbour's convos without even trying. Very loud by the bar, but more private and romantic near the back. The dark room, the old brick walls and 'warehouse' type construction gives this place a fun sort of vibe.
Bad experience - if you have too much money in your pocket and if you want to waste it, go for it, this is the best place !
The place was packed and we could barely get in at 5.15 for a dinner before a show. I should have taken the clue before ordering because most of the people were having musels and fries but we didn't.
Being a Belgian place they have lots of choices for beer but it is $11 for a glass - the house beer was decent and only $6 a SMALL glass.
Everything on the menu was $30 and up even the starters and salads were around $20. And pretentious....oh, my .... everything was in French, lots o waiters around you - they were OK, but the guy, whatever his name was had a smirk on his face instead of a smile.I felt like I was out of place all the time.
We had an appetizer which was delicious, the scallops (Coquiles a St Jacques or whatever prtentious name was on the menu).
Our friend had a tomato salad - not very fresh, not very good he was dispointed.
But the BIG (or should I say SMALL?) disapointement started with the main dish: I Had bouiilabaise - $30 for one piece of pasta a small piece of salty fish, one scallop al in a tomato sauce; we had also bison - $40 for 100 grams of meat, steak - very fat, and halibut. We didn't order bread because we don't usually do whatver they rbing you would be fine - no bread, nothing - we were starving during the show.
NEVER go back - and definetely recommend it if you feel like wasting your money.
Visited during a weekday after making reservations. Greeted upon entry and shown a table. Was able to switch as it wasn't the best which was appreciated. The menu is not too extensive and the appies didn't sound too appealing. The drink menu is 3x the size of the food menu. Chose the mussels in tomoto cream sauce. Very nice portions with good flavours. A few not opened which they should of checked. Had a taste of the duck breast which was very good as well as the lamb which was a just oK. Didn't like the couscous with the lamb. Service throughout was excellent and the side rooom in the back was perfect. Value was not there as the mains were $25+ and for what you received, not worth it.
Been coming here for the last 4 or 5 years and will return for years to come. The food is beautifully and consistently well made whether it's their famous mussels, duck, lamb or appetizers. In particular, I LOVE their foie gras appy and the accompanying brioche. The portion size looks small but it's so rich and creamy that it can easily be spread across many brioches over so you should order an extra plate of brioche. Service was great the entire evening and they didn't seem to mind that we took 3 hours to enjoy our meal. As noted in previous posts, the sound level can get fairly high but heck, what's a few hours in a bustling, noisy resto? At least it has great vibe and is full of energy. Prices have gone up, so the value mark has slipped a bit in my view. Great food for the pricing though but I would not consider this a weekly event, saved for special occasions. If you love mussels, you must come here and your benchmark for great mussels will be reset. Even the stuff in Brussels can't compare.
Recommended.
At the last minute, a friend and I decided to go eat at Chambar because the restaurant we did make a reservation at did not have the coveted AC during a summer heat wave. We were seated at the bar, even though we were offered a window seat at the front/loungy part of the restaurant.
Service: Bartender was excellent, she knew how to look after her guests and it was a great pleasure to see her mix up fresh creative drinks - using ingredients like vanilla and lavendar syrup and slicing up fresh fruit like lemons. Servers were professional, courteous and attentive.
Food: The tomato cream mussels were tasty. Lots of fresh mussels, served up in a tomato, onion and cumin broth. Would have liked to have tasted a bit more of the chili, but sauce was solid as made. The fries were a bit too salty. My girlfriend and I both ordered the duck done three ways: not sure the bold flavors of the sides actually worked: the beets in the orange vinaigrette was quite sour and overpowering, the goat cheese green beans was also overpowering in its piquantness, the cheese didn't seem to help mellow out the flavor, the walnut mash was interesting, but it just didn't wow me, and the walnut chunks were too large. The duck, however, was done medium and very tender and flavorful.
Ambiance: Chill, relaxed yet sophisticated. Very nice.
Recommended!
I celebrated Valentines Day here with the gf, and about time as I've been raving to her about a few of their standout dishes I've had here in the past.
Reservations were a must on this evening and we were seated immediately upon arrival with our coats checked. Decor is fantastic and can suit either a quiet or noisy dining experience, though this restaurant has taken upon the latter. Ambience continues to be borderline loud. I wouldn't say it's unbearable nor would you have to shout across your small table but a truly quiet evening out would be out of the question here (perhaps I am biased as I noticed they played a lot of my favourite music: Earth, Wind, Fire, Temptations, Isley Brothers). People must remember that this is not a fine dining establishment and compare it to others as such. This is most definitely a hotspot for the Downtown hip crowd therefore there are touches of ostentatiousness here and there.
We quickly picked out our dishes: the Venison Shortloin Carpaccio to start, the Congalaise, Artic Char and Lamb Tajine to share with the Pear Toffee Pudding to finish. My gf had the Blue Fig Martini while I had a bottle of Celis White. The venison was subtle and was accompanied well with the mild root vegetable julienne and chevril. The mussels are impeccable. Our Congalaise had a generous amount heat from the chilis while the lime and tomato pairing toned down the richness of the coconut milk. Copious amount good to share with 3 people. The frites on the side are not enough to sop up all the sauce - order the fresh, crusty house roll to soak up the rest. The Arctic Char was buttery smooth, and the lentil ragout was again a nice pairing, however ragout being a misnomer as the butter sauce was fairly thin. The fall-off-the-bone lamb shank was unlike anything you'd normally see done to lamb. The honey, cinammon and figs steer the lamb into a rich medley of sweet and savoury flavours, with the yogurt and African red chili pairings on the side help offset your tastebuds with a cool or hot linger. The toffee pudding could prop itself better as a finisher for our meal but was overall a nice, light offset.
Prices lean on the expensive side though the few standout dishes are worth the extra coin.
The service could step it up some to align itself with the better restaurants in town, but I'd hardly call it terrible. Service is somewhat casual though the ambience tends to call for it. Our server was polite and followed up after every dish (they sent out one dish at a time which we really appreciated).
What makes this restaurant so good are the unique pairings of ingredients you wouldn't normally find elsewhere, with a few dishes that make them memorable. To be truly above the pack refinements can be made all over though I think they're happy with how it is now. Their only flaw might be their hype.
Eminently good. Highly Recommend.
Food: My dining compadre loved the veal (close to ordering a second portion!) and I wasn't that hungry and so ordered the Congolaise mussels for the both us which turned out to be quite good and with a large portion of mussels. Dessert was the highlight - we ordered the passion de chocolat and it was sublime. Rich chocolate cake with a sorbet on the side - a great way to end the night. The people sitting beside us raved about their desserts and now I can see why.
Service: Friendly and attentive but not overbearing - the perfect balance.
Value: portions were small - if I had been hungry, our wallets would have been in trouble. Large plates, small cuts of meat and very few filler veggies. The veal was described to have fingerling potatoes and what we got were 4 small little discs of potato, that all added up would have amounted to just 1 single small fingerling potato! Drinks were ridiculously overpriced for what was received. The saving grace is that the mussels were actually quite plentiful, so don't miss out on those.
Ambiance: great space but not acoustically pleasing - everything was very loud and the way the tables were packed tightly together meant that we were in listening distance to others and it made it difficult to carry on an intimate conversation. A whole mish mash of people, many of whom who thought they were god's gift to the world (to the couple sitting beside us who laughed when a young girl slipped and fell, if you're reading this, you guys are douches and we can all see that you guys are posers, evidenced since by your ugly wallpaper patterned shirt and cheap Breitling model watch and your girl wearing a cheap Guess top thinking she was so classy).
Overall, I would return to this place and recommend others to come as well since the food was very good. I would, however, choose to sit in the corner if possible to distance myself from the mega douches that seem to be multiplying in this city.
Wow! I LOVED this place! We had a super expensive meal for a Sunday night ($120) but worth every penny. From beginning to end - Chambar was top notch. The different Belgian Beers really piqued our interests, and when we can afford more, we'll definitely try out the rest of the beer menu. Of course you can't forget trying one of their signature dishes Moules-Frites - Congolaise: Mussels cooked with fresh tomato, smoked chilli & cilantro with a touch of coconut cream and lime. So yummy! Even after that large dish, we both ordered an entree each - I had the black cod/sablefish & my hubby had the duck. Very unique side pairings and the taste & texture very good. Above all the best thing that ended the evening was the Gaufre Liegoise - Belgian waffle with housemade white chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, blueberry compote & cocoa tuile. OMG - we've never eaten a dessert this quickly - it was sooo delicious! They took it off the regular menu but our super awesome waitress somehow sneaked it in for us. =) What a great way to end the meal. Can't wait to go back for more!
Had dinner with 4 friends on a Thursday evening and it was a full house at 6 pm! I started off the blue fig cocktail and was amazed to find how well it paired with the blue cheese it came with. My entree congolaise moules frites was more than enough for one person but if you share, you need more of their deliicious frites. Even when I was full and there must have been at least a dozen mussel remaining, I kept eating and slurping the lovely broth. There was enough room to share the pear puree and ginger ice cream with a lovely panna cotta. The other entrees - sablefish and duck - were beautifully presented. The service was friendly. Next visit with be with hubby ... craving the sablefish or maybe I'll try the pork
My husband and I went here for our 4th year wedding anniversary. I had the mussels and fries and it was very good - very plump and the broth was very tasty too. The fries were very good as well. The restaurant's layout is basically long and narrow. Unfortunately, we were seated right in the middle of the high traffic area which I did not appreciate. On top of that, the place is extremely loud! Do not come here if you are actually looking to have a conversation with the people you are with. I don't think I'll be back any time soon as I am more inclined to try out other places than to go back to Chambar.
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