Parkside
1906 Haro StreetVancouver, BC
Parkside is apparently one of those restaurant that you just have to try in Vancouver. It’s not as flashy and well known as the Lumiere’s or the Le Crocodile’s but everyone just raves about it. It’s always ranked as one of the top restaurants in Vancouver and given Andrey Durbach’s reputation and track record (he also opened Pied-a- Terre and La Buca), I just had to try this place out.
Parkside is tucked away beneath the Buchan Hotel on Haro Street, just off Denman and, trust me, if you weren’t looking for it, you’d miss it. It’s a tiny little restaurant with a very intimate feel and cozy setting. But while the room is small, the food packs a big punch! I decided to go there for my birthday on Tuesday with Richard…but it was not without some thought. I had originally wanted to go here but then was teetering between Parkside and Trafalgars. I read the menu to Richard and he thought the menu at Trafalgars sounded more interesting. So we changed the reservation and was on our way. But as the day drew near, I began hearing how fantastic Parkside and now I was in full regret mode. But since I gave up the reso, I couldn’t get back in! AHHHHH!!!! Well luckily, on the actually day of my birthday, I finally found an opening at Parkside and I immediately jumped on it! (I guess that miserable snow day was good for something!) Thank goodness cuz going to Parkside was defiantly the right way to go!
1906 Haro StreetVancouver, BC
Parkside is apparently one of those restaurant that you just have to try in Vancouver. It’s not as flashy and well known as the Lumiere’s or the Le Crocodile’s but everyone just raves about it. It’s always ranked as one of the top restaurants in Vancouver and given Andrey Durbach’s reputation and track record (he also opened Pied-a- Terre and La Buca), I just had to try this place out.
Parkside is tucked away beneath the Buchan Hotel on Haro Street, just off Denman and, trust me, if you weren’t looking for it, you’d miss it. It’s a tiny little restaurant with a very intimate feel and cozy setting. But while the room is small, the food packs a big punch! I decided to go there for my birthday on Tuesday with Richard…but it was not without some thought. I had originally wanted to go here but then was teetering between Parkside and Trafalgars. I read the menu to Richard and he thought the menu at Trafalgars sounded more interesting. So we changed the reservation and was on our way. But as the day drew near, I began hearing how fantastic Parkside and now I was in full regret mode. But since I gave up the reso, I couldn’t get back in! AHHHHH!!!! Well luckily, on the actually day of my birthday, I finally found an opening at Parkside and I immediately jumped on it! (I guess that miserable snow day was good for something!) Thank goodness cuz going to Parkside was defiantly the right way to go!
While the menu doesn’t sound like much on paper, when you get your first taste of the food, you immediately understand why people rave about this restaurant. The flavours of all the dishes were wonderful! Richard started with the zuppa di pesce, which is basically a bouillabaisse while I had the Onion and cheddar pie with apple purée, York ham and watercress salad. OMG…both were so tasty and perfect! The soup had so much seafood and the chef was really able to pull out all the flavors from the seafood into the broth. The onion and cheddar pie was the best dish of the night! It was full of onions and the pie crust was baked to perfection! For our mains, I went with the filet of cod and Richard and the Duck pot-au-feu. The portions were very ample and my cod was so tasty! The duck was really good too and it was cool how they prepared the duck in several ways, allowing you to get different sensations from the same protein. For dessert, we had the blood orange panna cotta and the chocolate trio. The panna cotta was such a great pallet cleanser and was so smooth in texture. Is it just me or is blood orange becoming a really popular fruit to work with? The chocolate trio was basically a trio of white, milk and dark chocolate ice cream served with a shortbread sandwich with a hazelnut centre! So rich and delicious!
We topped off our dinner with a cocktail and it was just a perfect dinner. And trust me…I needed a good dinner to make up for the shitty, snowing birthday that I had (car stuck on the side of the road…but I digress…)
So glad I was able to end up at this place and I really hope to come back again, and to try Chef Durbach’s other restaurants! Isn’t this what dine out is all about? Find new gems in the cut throat Vancouver restaurant scene? Hm…..good times!
Edit: Here are some pics!
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