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Five Sails waterfront restaurant features exquisite international cuisine with stunning views of Stanley Park, Coal Harbour and the Coastal Mountain. Located in the Pan Pacific Hotel.
I planned a dinner here for Dineout Vancouver with my girlfriend. We’re both foodies; we eat out a couple times a week.
When we got there the décor was pretty stylish so we were both pretty excited. We ordered some wine before the meal started. I ordered the lobster bisque and my girlfriend got the wild mushroom risotto. My bisque was pretty good but the risotto was like mash- kind of like something you’d make for a toddler.
We were still enjoying ourselves though (must have been the wine) and we got our main courses, steak for me and lobster for the lady. Both were lukewarm when brought out to us so we asked our waiter if we could send it back. There was some back and forth with the waiter so later he brought out the manager who told us that we were getting a good deal from Dineout so not to be so picky. WOW. Talk about customer service. I couldn’t believe the nerve of the manager, my girlfriend and I were shocked. Mediocre food and bad customer service. I wouldn’t recommend coming to Five Sails for Dineout or for any other dinner (unless you like cold food and mash).
There are way better restaurants in Vancouver to spend your money on.
This place is so much more than a hotel restaurant. With views to die for, and five-star service, the details are going to be taken care of -- but what about the food? The food is very good bordering on excellent, out of amuse bouche, appetizer, mains, and dessert, we loved everything -- except the dessert, which was only mediocre. Everything else was top notch. The portions are fairly small, but delicious! Had the lobster cappucino and ribeye steak and loved both. I would definitely go back, especially if they have a 3 course dinner special.
We came for DOV one night, the restaurant is beautiful, you get a great view! The menu was $38 for 3 courses, it is supposeto be really good value for a restaurant like this, however because I didn't enjoy my dinner, I thought it was mediocre. The service was pleasant and attentive. The bread was just ok, not good, I personally do not like olives in my bread. First course was the mussel broth scented baked puff pastry, the puff pastry was good, however it would be nice if we got more broth instead of 1/3 of the bowl? Also I like my soup hot, this came out warm. The broth had nice delicate flavors, but the was only one small mussel in it. For entree, I got the braised roasted tenderloin, potato mille-feuilles and vegetables, the steak was cooked to perfection but again it was room temperature. I would of enjoyed my entree more if it was not room temperature! I had add the pan seared foie gras for additional $12, I'm not a big fan of foie gras although honestly I've had better elsewhere. The other tenderloin entree was supplemented with the 1/2 fresh Atlantic lobster, cooked to perfection the lobster was juicy. For dessert we both got the pear tarte tatin, with sorbet, came with maple syrup on the side. This dessert was quite disappointing! It tasted bitter, salty and then sweet syrup on top, kinda warm and soft. The only thing I enjoyed was the sorbet. Overall nothing special, just another fine dining experience with great view.
I have been to this place before but my latest experience with my guests was gr8. We ordered appetisers "Chef selected organic selected lettuce & Austrian Ravioli both were perfect. Whereas main course was their special Rib Eye steak and Pacific Halibut same as appetisers perfect. But the main was Dessert Souffle no word to say how good it was. Would love to go again and that will also be soon.
Yes, this is a great place to show Vancouver off to visitors. The food, service and ambiance are good here and in the Canada Place lounge too. I venture over more rarely now because I prefer the quaint standalone restaurants versus the ones in hotels. Great place for special occasion family brunch.
My girlfriend invited me for my birthday to this wonderful restaurant. I was hesitant at first when I heard it was a "hotel restaurant". Nothing could be further from the truth. It's independently owned by a husband & wife team and just happens to be in Canada Place which also houses the Pan Pacific hotel. The owner is an Austrian chef with the imagination and skill.
I'm the proverbial "man who has everything" and dined in the finest establishments on 3 continents and it's difficult to surprise me. Well, I was surprised. I chose their current 5 course tasting menu for $88 with wine pairing for $58. Not inexpensive, but excellent value for what was offered. The twists on scallops, duck & deer to mention just 3 of the leading dishes, were truly inventive and utterly delicious. I seriously thought about licking the plate clean :)
My ladyfriend enjoyed the fois gras and afterwards lobster immensely. The freshness and subtle flavours in each prepared dish are memorable.
Gerry, the lady of the house came over to congratulate and couldn't have been more attentive and warm.
As goes for the rest of their staff. We had 2 different servers wait on us and both were knowledgeable and incredibly attentive.
Towards the end of our meal I wanted to enjoy an espresso. However, it was the typical Saeco machine, too much water-too little crema kind. After I mentioned it to one of our servers he immediately agreed and suggested I try their tea. Even though the coffee is quality made by Illy, it's in the preparation. However, their tea is tasty (I had Earl Grey) and definitely *not* Tetley!
3 hours fine dining with a fantastic view, fantastic service. I'll be back here long before the next birthday.
Took my SO here for a special occasion.
Ambiance was wonderful... beautiful decor, liked the nicely-lit bar and the cozy tables. But tables could be set just a bit further apart... kept (unintentionally) overhearing the convo of the couple at the table next to us. Kinda amusing. Seated at a window table w/ a great view, but the bright lights from construction going on below were slightly annoying. Oh well.
The food was delicious! We were served an amuse bouche shortly after our drinks were served. A lovely lobster bisque and an ahi-tuna carpaccio (I think). The complimentary bread buns & sticks were really tasty & served warm. Both buns were so good, but the cranberry one was better.
Appies: Fennel veloute w/ shellfish & Pan-seared scallop...delectably wonderful!
Entrees: Loin of lamb & Alaskan sablefish. Cooked to perfection--lamb medium rare was juicy, fish was tender and not dry at all. The accompanying sauces were flavourful and complimented the meat perfectly.
Dessert: Grand marnier souffle. Recommended by our server & we're glad we ordered it! So goood!
Food was all beautifully presented. I'd recommend all that we tried.
Service was up to par. From the moment we stepped into the restaurant to when we left, we were well-taken care of. Gerry, the restaurant director was friendly, gracious & took the time to personally ensure that our dining experience was what we expected. Although our server wasn't quite as friendly as we expected, he was very professional and performed his duties fully. He still gets 4 stars because he did the little things that count, such as pulling out our chairs as we sat down, and replacing my unfolded napkin immediately with a brand new one when I left to go to the restroom.
The food was amazing, service was great, all encompassed in a beautiful setting. Without a doubt would recommend this place to everyone.... just make sure your wallet can take the hit though.
Hubby took me to the Five Sails this week for DOV 2010. After reading mixed reviews of the place on various review and blog sites, I was worried that we would be underwhelmed. I'm glad that I was wrong.
The best thing about this restaurant is the incredible view of the harbor, the convention center expansion, the north shore mountains, and of course, the sails of Canada place. Luckily we were there on a sunny day. Although all window seats were taken, the tables in our row were arranged in such a way that they too provided a great view.
We started off with an amuse-bouche of butternut squash soup and salmon gravlax. I'm a butternut soup fan, so this was a pleasant surprise. For appies, I had the pasta and hubby had the chowder. While they were both quite good, there was no "wow" factor. For mains, I had the halibut and hubby had the wild mushroom ravioli. While both were very good, I thought the halibut was the winner. The halibut was moist and one of the accompanying sauces was addictive. Both desserts were excellent. The chocolate opera slice won for presentation, but the luxe lemon mille-feuilles won for taste. I read reviews that complained that the portions were small, but this was not the case. I thought that the portions were just right - you're full, but not uncomfortably stuffed.
Service varied from solid to impressive (hence the average rating of 4). The hostesses and the co-owner (the wife) were very friendly and accommodating and wanted to make sure that our experience was a pleasant one. The waiters were polite but much more reserved. There was nothing special about their service.
In terms of value, I would give a 3 based on the $38 DOV menu. The drinks are expensive - a juice is $5. The regular menu is quite expensive.
All in all, a very enjoyable experience. If my wallet gets a bit too heavy, I might consider returning for a special occasion.
The boyfriend and I wanted something special to celebrate our anniversary dinner this year. The food was wonderful, we shared the scallop spheres and the dungeness crab cake. Entree the alberta beef, and the duck tribute. Dessert was the pear tango, and temptations. Those were our choices, yet our service wasn't too outstanding. Perhaps our server thought for us to be quite young and I honestly do not understand the stereo-type of this. All in all, the service in comparison to our table and the one beside ours (which was much older, I must say!) was incredibly different. Nonetheless, their 'average' service didn't ruin our special meal and of course the superb view.
We've been at the Five Sails a couple of times. More recently in January during "Dine out Vancouver". The food from appetizer to dessert, are flavourful and beautifully presented. Sorry, I can't exactly recall what we ordered, by I had seafood, while my husband had meat dishes. The wine pairings were well matched. Though one day, we hope we'll have a window seat, the half-moon booths were perfect for a romantic anniversary dinner. Oh, and we received a specially decorated "Happy Anniversary" dessert which was a nice, unexpected touch. We'll be back to enjoy another positive experience.
Cannot say it's the best dine out dinner ever, but it's better than average. The food was great, and I just love the view and the ambiance. In general, I like this place, but there are just a few things...
There a few items on the dine out menu which are also on the regular menu. Those are great! Of cause the DOV size should be much smaller, but it's a good enough sample for what they usually serve. Some items are not on the regular menu... and they are just so-so.
The service... I don't know... It should be just our server. The other seem very warm and friendly. Ours was very cold and didn't seem to know what he was doing. We didn't order wine, so he came taking the wine glasses away. We had a bigger party (7 people), he took the glasses away for 3 of us. Well, of cause I didn't expect him to take them away at the same time. But instead of putting those glasses down and come back for the rest, he went to take the order for the party next to us, took the order to the kitchen, went to another table... THEN came back for the rest of the glasses. There was about 5-10mins in between.... I am not saying it's a big problem, but this "clean up only half a table" situation happened 2, 3 times. The feeling was pretty odd. Perhaps they were under staff?
Value is ok if you are having a romantic dinner or treating a spacial guest. View was incredible. I think I may go again in summer, for a day time view.
My husband and I and a friend went to DOV at the Five sails for 2009. Firstly, it was foggy when we went so there was no view. I was a bit peeved that we got seated in the centre of the room, when many better tables were empty. I didn't ask to change seats because there was no view anyway and I thought they might be expecting more diners, but the restaurant remained half-empty. For appetizers, my friend and I had the salad. The goat-cheese beignet was delicious, as were the candied pecans - but there were only a few pecans and the salad needed a few more to balance the other tastes. My husband had the prawn ravioli which he said was delicious. Appetizer rating: 4.5/5. Main course: Two of us had the mushroom and arugula risotto. This was definitely the highlight of the meal- rich and savoury. The salmon dinner was also judged to be delicious. Main course rating: 5/5. As for dessert, we each had a different selection. Personally I found the banana/chocolate tango disappointing. It was nicely presented but just not very chocolatey (when I read the bottom layer was "ganache" I was expecting a rich chocolate layer). This was a very light and small dessert with a consistency halfway between gelatin and traditional mousse. (3/5). My husband had the apple tart which he rated 4/5, and my friend had the profiteroles which she enjoyed although said they weren't the best she'd had (4/5). During the meal, we split a bottle of wine (one of the recommended VQA ones), and the entire dinner plus tip came to $225. The staff were very friendly, and the food was all served promptly. But for a Dine-Out-Vancouver experience of $225 (approx $75 per person), the Five Sails didn't quite meet my expectations. I have enjoyed the DOV meal and ambiance of other restaurants such as Diva's at the Met much more. Still it was an enjoyable experience and good food, and the staff were exceptional. With a better dessert, a window table and a star-studded view, this would have been worth the cost.
I often forget about the Five Sails and each time I visit, it tends to be full of hotel guests and tourists having a nice meal. But, our recent visit was just outstanding and left me wondering why locals don't line up in droves for this sensational food.
Four of us dined on a beautiful August evening with stunning views. But the gorgeous food betters the view and the flavours and preparation are simply top-notch. I gasped at the fantastic sablefish chowder, the arctic char, salmon and fresh catch were done to perfection and I almost fell off my chair when I tasted the basil infused sorbet atop a poached peach!
One of the best values in town must be their summer sampler menu and although the two women at our table wanted to take pictures of each dish before we ate it, the men were more than happy with the ample portions, as not everything was served in a spoon.
If you have something to celebrate or just feel like a divine meal that would take hours and hours to prepare, plus excellent and professional service, go treat yourself!
If there's any place to show off Vancouver's cuisine and scenery to visitors this is definitely near the top of the list. The feel and ambiance is incredible. Everything was executed exceptionally well. The pan seared scallops were perfection, the sauce complimenting the ahi tuna was delicious, and the sorbet was very well done. Our guests were delighted and everyone only had superlatives about the experience.
My best friend told me that she's gonna treat me to a secret birthday dinner at a unknown location. I couldn't guess where she was taking me to, and it turned out to be Five Sails. I have heard good things about the restaurant but never been. I must say their service was very very good, it was very good timing for bringing out the food as I didn't order the same thing as the others - they chose the full (6) courses chef's menu while I opted for ordering from the regular menu - and it was not intrusive at all the whole evening. I don't think I have eaten a 3-hour dinner before, but the evening was very special. I enjoyed everything I ordered - scallop appy, caesar salad - you might think it's stupid to order a Caesar salad at this kind of restaurant, but I have to say it's by far the best Caesar salad I have tasted it - my main course was the duck, and a chocolate desset. Being it was a Wednesday evening, the place was nice and quiet, just a few tables. Unlike some other high end places where it gets super noisy, if you want to celebrate a special occasion at a place that's nice and secluded, I highly recommend this place!
We spent a romantic evening at the five Sails. The view is gorgeous, and the restaurant has the feeling of softness. It's really romantic.
The service was lovely. A speciel thanks to the sommelier and hostess. I loved the presentation of the food and the taste hummmmmm! The dessert was my favorit, a delicious combination of chocolate and banana. It's original too.
A perfect restaurant for anniversary.
We went to Five Sails for our anniversary dinner. It is our first time there and found the restaurant to be good choice overall.
For food, we give it 4 stars. Scallops were good in terms of taste and texture, though a little overcooked. The halibut we had was a surprisingly good because it tasted juicier compared to other similar restaurants. The lobster tasted fine as well, but nothign special. However, the deserts redeemed it all. I don't remember the exact names, but both of the deserts we had very crafted very artisitically and tasted exceptionally good. So make sure you order one.
For ambience,we give it 3 stars. We had been seated beside the window. The view was nice; however, we found the lights on top of our table way too bright because everything was reflected off the glass making the view outside harder to see. It would be a great improvement if the restaurant can use ambient lighting instead of spotlights from the ceiling. If you expect a romantic atmosphere, there are better places. Other than that, the restaurant looked classy in a traditional way.
For service, we give it 3 stars. The servers were really nice, but nothing special i can say, honestly.
For value, we give it 4 stars. What the restaurant offered was quite good overall and the price is comparable to similar restaurants -without the waterfront view.
Finally, I would recommend this restaurant for a birthday, a semi-important celebration and for others who like deserts.
My companion liked to try these fancy high end restaurants, so I complied and that's how we ended up at Five Sails.
First off, this place is located inside Canada Place, so parking underground is quite pricey at $7 for the evening. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were promptly greeted and that was good.
The view would have been nicer, if it weren't for the enormous pillar stupidly placed throughout the dining area. Which stupid architect designs a waterfront restaurant with huge pillars...??? Anyways, end of that rant. The restaurant was tastefully decorated otherwise and very easy to have a conversation in.
I had no complaints about the service. Server and busboy were courteous and always available. The server did give us the bill without being asked. Normally, I'd be peeved at that, considering the restaurant was empty. But I was wanting to leave anyways...
Food: My partner and I both had the ravioli appy. The sauce was rich and creamy (good), but the shrimp and scallop were overcooked and tuggy! For the main, I had the salmon, which was nicely cooked. My partner enjoyed the duck wih a foie grais addition. Like the poster below, I've really only had Chinese Style BBQ duck, and I admit I like those better than the duck we had. The foie gras was OK I guess. It tasted very oily though. For desert, we both had the tart. The ice cream paired with it was good, but ridiculously miniscule. There was a nice presentation with the "maple syrup spider web", but it hurt to eat!
All in all, good restaurant. A bit pricey though I warn you. The coffee was $4.75 and the virgin caear was $6.00, which IMO is a rip off. Otherwise, the meal was of good value.
My wife & I decided to celebrate my birthday here.
We arrvied on time and were seated quickly. We ordered from the Dine Out Vancouver Menu and had the recommended wine with the main course. The Homemade open ravioli of jumbo prawn & diver scallop was amazing, the Banana and chocolate tango for dessert was great. The main course was good also, but the portions were extremely small. I know, one is suppose to go to this restaurant for the view & ambience, but the FOG had covered everything up. But that is why I rated the Value at only a "2" .... for the same cost, Seasons (QE Park in Vancouver) offers a better value.
The DOV menu sounded pretty interesting so we decided to try. I had the ravioli, which I thought was good, although small. The sauce was creamy and delicious. Then the duck. Having only had Chinese-style ducks, this one tasted pretty weird. I didn't really mind it, but the SO thought it was really bad. Dessert was the profiteroles, which were cutely presented, but tasted ordinary. The chocolate sauce hardened and wasn't sauce after all. The SO had the salad to start, which I thought was pretty standard, although the cheese beignet was an interesting touch. His salmon was okay, Season's was better, in both size and taste. The salmon was definitely better than the duck. He had the apple tart for dessert, which was pretty good, especially with the ice cream. I thought the food was ok. The $38 value derives from the friendly service, the pretty ambiance and the view of the water.
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