Blue Water is located on a really trendy looking strip of Hamilton Street in Yaletown, reminiscent of some parts Montreal's (fake) Old Port. People from Montreal will understand why the Old Port is in fact "fake", for everyone else, enjoy the cobblestone. We went on a Wednesday, and despite the very high price point and huge square footage, the place was full. I was a little surprised at the apparently average age in the room. Since the place looks like the spots that Don Draper went on networking dinners with potential clients and the wives back in Seasons 1 and 2, most of the guests seemed to be in their late 20's and "shi-shi." That may also be because there is something in Vancouver air and water that causes it's residents to look 10 years younger than their East Coast counterparts. I have a theory on this, but it would likely offend 99% of the Vancouver population, so I'll save it.
It took us a loooong time to decide what we were going to have. I think the waitress came around to take our orders 4 times before we were ready. Our two dinner companions aren't big fans of raw seafood, so the obvious choice of the massive Blue Water Cafe seafood tower at $128 was off the table. Not to worry; they had a scaled-down version that can generously be split by 2 people, or 2 people plus 2 others who just want to taste bits and pieces as was the case for us. It came with prawns, clams, mussels, seared red tuna, smoked salmon jellyfish (yes, jellyfish), scallop ceviche, and raw oysters.
There isn't anything new to be said about prawns, clams and mussels that are served bare. They are either really bad or really good. These were obviously the latter. The oysters were wonderful; salty, delicate and served with a perfect mignonet. The red tuna was just seared on the outside and served like a tartar. It was very fresh and citrus-y. It is worth mentioning that scallop ceviche is really hard to pull off. Blue Water's version was very well executed with hints or lime, cilantro and cucumber. I saved the best for last: the jellyfish. I know it sounds bizarre, and I had never had it before. The texture was very similar to an al dente fine vermicelli noodle. It had a strange crunch and then soft texture, and a flavour similar to calamari. Along with the salmon, it was smoky and salty. Even if you aren't getting a seafood tower, I definitely recommend asking for a bowl of it just to experience the weirdly amazing jellyfish taste and texture.
What better way to enjoy a fresh tower of seafood than with 36+ year old scotch? We each ordered the "Better With Age" flight: Highland Park from the Orkney Islands, Glenury Royal from Stonehaven, and Bruichladdich from Islay. Three different regions of Scotland, three very different flavours of scotch. Young scotch and whiskeys can't hold a candle to real scotch that is 10 years older than you. The Bruichladdich was my favourite. I found the other 2 much more acidic and less smooth than the Bruichladdich. Stephen's boss subsequently looked in to getting a bottle for himself, just to speak to quality of the scotch.
As a main, I ordered the Ling Cod. It was served with a stew of chickpeas, eggplant, tomatoes and roasted red peppers, and topped with chorizo and a herb pesto. The stew was like guilt-free comfort food. It had a thick texture and smoky notes from the paprika. It tasted like a play on Persian ghemeh from Teheran in Montreal. The stew was the right thickness to accompany the perfectly cooked, dense, white fish, and the pesto hit you with just the right amount of freshness. I understood the need for the meaty chorizo, but I didn't think that the thick slices topping the fish were quite right. I would have better appreciated a very fine dice incorporated into the stew.
Stephen ordered the Kobe Style Beef Short Ribs. I think Stephen has a habit of ordering short ribs and crème brûlée with the sole purposes of challenging the restaurant's chef. Both seem simple, but are extremely hit or miss. Often, short ribs turn out very tender, but have the offensive and boring flavour profile of shoe leather. The flavours of coffee and ancho chile sauce as described on the menu were perfectly present. The portion of ribs was probably twice the volume of my fish. The ribs came with a generous serving of blanched and sautéed fiddle heads and carrots, and creamy celeriac purée. The sides were traditional takes, but suited the richness of the short ribs. Fries or mashed potatoes may have caused a heart attack.
It was very out of character for me to order the crème brûlée instead of Stephen. I usually go for cheesecake or something really chocolaty, both of which are present on the menu. Looking back on the menu though, "caramel" and "chocolate" in the title probably got me hooked. Definitely no regrets. God was it ever good! I'm going to coin the term "puddle rink" to describe one of my favourite parts of crème brûlée. The top of the crème brûlée should crack like when you step on a frozen-over puddle. Too thin a coat of a sugar topping and you don't get the right cracking sound or the jagged edges around the point of impact. Too thick, and you're jabbing your spoon at the Rideau Canal in February. The crème brûlée itself was a beautiful balance of creamy banana, tart passionfruit, and sweet caramel. To the side was a scoop of sweet and spicy cinnamon chocolate ice cream made in house. The ice cream was just good. I can't complain about it, but I wouldn't rave about it either.
Stephen got the Pomegranate Mascarpone Cheesecake. The cheesecake itself was not very memorable. It was just your run-of-the-mill cheesecake. The same goes for the poached pear compote. The diced pears were sweet and soft, and had nice hints of cinnamon and cloves. However, it was similar to other pear and apple compotes that we'd had in the past. The ice cream was the star of this dish. We love savoury takes on ice cream (just wait until you hear about the ice cream we had at Kingyo, OMG), and the addition of the fennel was amazing. There was just enough pear to balance out the fennel. It was a lovely combination.
Overall, it was a solid meal. It you're a seafood fan, you have to drop by. I will say that had this not been a "business dinner," the meal may not have been as memorable. We probably would have stayed away from the seafood tower and scotch flight, which were the highlights of the experience. I'd recommend going there with the expectation of laying out "a few" extra bucks for not only a great meal, but a memorable experience.
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| One tier of the seafood tower |
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| Another tier of the tower |
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| The complete tower accompanied with our flights |
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| My delicious ling cod |
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| The very well executed short ribs and their wonderful sides |
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| The creme brulee |
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| The cheesecake |
Taste: 8.5 - Simple and delicious flavours
Creativity: 6 - Most of the menu is extremely traditional. I upped the creativity score for the little trendy twists (like caramel crème brûlée, and fiddle heads instead of simply beans) and the jellyfish.
Service: 6 - Our waitress was very friendly and light hearted, but the service overall was satisfactory and unmemorable.
Bang for your buck: 3 - I nearly gave it a 0. The meal is going to put you back. And by "the meal" I mean a real 3-course meal with drinks. Alcoholic drinks. Like scotch. 40-year-old scotch. Not water. Water is for sissies.
Overall experience: 7.5 - It was a nice dinner. The novelty of the tower and the scotch flight, and the ambiance are something you wont get anywhere else. However, it is very expensive, and with the exception of the scotch, it's hard to justify their prices.
Would I go back? Not on my own dime.
Who would I recommend it to? Adults only. I know I say "don't bring your kids" all the time, but seriously, DO NOT BRING YOUR KIDS HERE. It's just not appropriate to walk in with your rug-rats. The space is big enough to accommodate couples, and small and large groups. If you don't like seafood at all, obviously don't come here. You'd be wasting your money.
For what occasion? Only special occasions. Unless you're an A-list celebrity and/or a millionaire, in which case you should go every day. I wouldn't even classify birthdays as being a special occasion for this one. Big anniversary is more like it.
It was better than: Fish House in Stanley Park, and the mains at Coast.
It wasn't as good as: I feel like I could have gotten something similar and maybe even better for $10 less per plate at l'Abbatoir
Expect: A pretentious atmosphere. Like I said, Don Draper, Season 1 and 2 shi-shi. Expect for your wallet to hurt like hell until your next pay check (unless of course you are Don Draper).
Top 50 Worthy? Yes and no. The food was great, however, the restaurant overall is just very inaccessible to most due to it's price point for the experience that you should have here. You should get a tower, mains, dessert and hella old booze. WWDDD: What would Don Draper do? He would order the scotch and a good bottle of wine. But by doing that, you're putting out $250-$300 per head.
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