Gastropost Van

Botanist Restaurant at Fairmont Pacific Rim by Jenn Chan

Botanist Restaurant

 

 

My experience at Botantist started right at the hostess stand, when she greeted me with a big smile and helped put away my raincoat, she even helped hold my DSLR while I struggled with my jacket! I took a quick look around the room, it was absolutely stunning. They have paid incredible detail to every little thing, from the plants, to the lighting, to little decor on the bar tops. The room buzzed with conference go-ers at the Champagne Lounge to my left, and business people at the bar to my right. There's even a VIP room you can book for a special occasion! I was then whisked away towards my table, and along the way, I caught myself "WOW-ing" a few times just looking at the abundant indoor plants surrounding the dining room!
 

 

Botanist Restaurant

Botanist Restaurant

 

 

All the names of the cocktails are super fun, like "Can't Beat a Root", "Yes Whey", and "What the Flower" were some of my favourites. Our night started with trying 3 different cocktails: Poetry in Motion, Apple Seed Lane, and the Lillemonade (THIS is a fun one to say). All 3 cocktails were delicious and we gulped them down quickly! Along with our cocktails, our server also brought out their special seeded bread. If you know me, you know I'm not typically a bread person, but this was amazing! Together with the whipped butter, each bite was a little taste of heaven. Bread with seeds have no calories right?

 

Cocktails: Poetry in Motion, Apple Seed Lane, Lillemonade

Cocktails: Poetry in Motion, Apple Seed Lane, Lillemonade

Lillemonade
Cocktail: Apple Seed Lane

Cocktail: Apple Seed Lane

Seeded Bread

 

 

Our server then surprised us with a little amuse bouche - the White Gazpacho (which is on their menu). The White Gazpacho was very refreshing with side stripe shrimp, cucumber and little delightful balls of grapes! I can see myself ordering this a lot in the summer!

 

White Gazpacho

White Gazpacho



Next up is our appetizers to share. We order 3 of the top recommended appies, the Heirloom Tomato Salad, Hand-Cut Tagliatelle, and Nova Scotia Lobster Tail. The tomatoes of the Heirloom Tomato Salad is grown hydroponically, which means they're grown without soil using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent, how cool is that? This dish tasted so fresh, and the flavours combined so well together with the burrata & hibiscus vinaigrette. 

 

Have you ever had Lobster Tail as an appetizer? Me neither. But there's always a first right? When I saw this on the menu, I couldn't pass it up, and it did not disappoint. The flavours blended together masterfully. The light fluffy lobster foam pair beautifully with the rich flavour of the lobster tail. The lobster foam reminded me of a lobster bisque. To even out the flavours, they've added chopped up bits of fennel to give the dish more texture - Such a balanced dish!

 

I tried the Hand-cut Tagliatelle next, and WOW was it exquisite. The hand-cut tagliatelle is so fresh, and I love seeing the not so perfectly cut pasta.  I'm also a huge fan of foraged mushrooms,, it went so well in this dish with the creamy and rich sauce. This came in the perfect portion, not leaving you weighed down and too full for the main course.

 

Appetizers: Heirloom Tomato Salad, Hand-Cut Tagliatelle, Nova Scotia Lobster Tail

Appetizers: Heirloom Tomato Salad, Hand-Cut Tagliatelle, Nova Scotia Lobster Tail

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Nova Scotia Lobster Tail

Nova Scotia Lobster Tail

Hand-Cut Tagliatelle

Hand-Cut Tagliatelle

 

Our main courses are here, and I am so glad I was hungry enough to have room to savour my entree. I ordered the Lamb Saddle in Medium Rare. The flavours blended really well together. I loved the perfectly made Lamb, I've had plenty of lamb in my lifetime, and this one was soooo flavourful and juicy, I wanted more of it! The mushrooms, broccoli and baby carrots along with the au jus were absolutely perfect!

 

I didn't get to try the Sablefish or the Halibut but was told they were amazingly delicious as well. I mean, just look at how the Halibut came! The squid ink on top of the Halibut was pure art! Botanist has made my job as a photographer easy, every plate came out looking perfect and like a piece of art. It would be a challenge to take a bad photo of it! And we all know, we eat with our eyes first! Wait... I did get to try one of the skin-off cherry tomatoes, and I have to say, it's one of the best tomatoes I've ever had! Because the skin of the tomato has been taken off, the meat had the chance to soak up all the flavours, and when you pop one of those cherry tomatoes, you got a mouthful of rich & well rounded flavour. Yes, I am just talking about a little cherry tomato here!

 

 

Main Course: garlic panisse, broccoli, shallots, natural jus, HERB-CRUSTED LAMB SADDLE

Main Course: garlic panisse, broccoli, shallots, natural jus, HERB-CRUSTED LAMB SADDLE

Wine Pairing - Le Vieux Pin 2015 Syrah

Wine Pairing - Le Vieux Pin 2015 Syrah

Main Course: onion nage, fermented vegetables, puffed tapioca, SEARED SABLEFISH

Main Course: onion nage, fermented vegetables, puffed tapioca, SEARED SABLEFISH

Main Course: tomato, squid ink, local greens, OLIVE OIL POACHED HALIBUT

Main Course: tomato, squid ink, local greens, OLIVE OIL POACHED HALIBUT

Main Course: tomato, squid ink, local greens, OLIVE OIL POACHED HALIBUT

 

When dessert came around, I was ready to explode, so I passed on them, but my friends decided to order the Strawberries with Chocolate & Almost Cream, as well as the Beetroot Cake with Hazelnut and Gewürztraminer Gel. I opted for a delicious ice wine that Jill had recommended to me, it had a fruit forward taste of apricot, and full bodied. It was the perfect night cap for me. When their desserts did come though, I couldn't help myself and had a sample of each. Of course, I had to try the Gewürztraminer gel, I've never heard of such a thing, let along try it! It tasted like jello to me. The beetroot cake didn't taste like what I had anticipated, I had imagined it to taste like Beets but it tasted more like a delightful fluffy cake!

DESSERT: hazelnut, vanilla, gewürztraminer gel, elderflower frozen foam, BEETROOT CAKE

DESSERT: hazelnut, vanilla, gewürztraminer gel, elderflower frozen foam, BEETROOT CAKE

DESSERT: almond cream, chocolate cremeux, peppercorn lace, mint ice cream, white balsamic, STRAWBERRY

DESSERT: almond cream, chocolate cremeux, peppercorn lace, mint ice cream, white balsamic, STRAWBERRY

DESSERT: almond cream, chocolate cremeux, peppercorn lace, mint ice cream, white balsamic, STRAWBERRY

 

I had an absolutely great night at Botanist, from the atmosphere, to the service, to the aesthetically beautiful and delicious food, everything was a 10/10 to me. It's completely unlike any restaurants you're used to at a hotel, this is an experience all on its own, and should almost be considered as a stand-alone restaurant you would go for a birthday celebration, date night, or just a regular Thursday night out!

 

I'll definitely be back, and I'll see you there!

 

Botanist Restaurant
 
Words & Photos: Jenn Chan
 

Jubilee Tea Set at TWG Tea by Jenn Chan

TWG Tea Canada

 

TWG is the world's première tea brand. It is a brand synonymous with luxury and quality from Singapore to Saigon to Surrey. Everywhere you go, where they give a damn at least, you'll see TWG and now you'll know you're in the presence of tea with a high assurance of freshness, unbeatable terroir and flavour combinations the folks over at Tetley, Earl Grey or Lipton simply can't pull off or wouldn't even try. TWG Vancouver does tea better than anyone in the city! Sure luxury restaurants and lounges have jumped on the bandwagon and offer a small selection of TWG wares, but you can rest assured they aren't getting the absolute freshest teas and I will bet $1,000,000 that they won't have half the selection!

 

The Jubilee Tea Set, created by the venerable Chef Cliff Hohl, - celebrates Canada turning 150 by offering ingredients that are truly Canadian. There's elk, salmon, all maple erythang and Canadian bacon so delicious it will satisfy even the ficklest of swine enthusiasts. The Jubilee tea was made specifically to celebrate the Canada's centennial and a half and is the first tea inspired by Canada. 

 

Jubilee Tea Set
Iced French Earl Grey

Iced French Earl Grey

 

 

Now Chef Cliff, happily a friend of Jenn and I, will take his recipes to his grave, but I can tell you this: if you crack these secrets you too can be the Executive Chef at one of Vancouver's best eateries. Miso sablefish is an iconic TWG staple; delicious, light and flaky, but TWG has added Canada's national treasure, maple syrup, to the mix and the results are deafening. Run, don't walk, and get down there and try it!

 

Jubilee Tea Set

Jubilee Tea Set

 

Ahhhhhh Wagyu... Why are you so delicious? How do you get that sought after marbling? The answer to these questions is... I haven't the faintest, foggiest idea, but what I do know is I once had a $152 Wagyu steak that changed the way I look at cows. Literally. For their Jubilee tea set TWG included a Wagyu beef burger that was so incredibly tender and savoury that I got angry. I was noticeably irritated. How do you do it Chef Cliff!?

 

Wagyu Beef Slider with Maple Beef Bacon and Moroccan Mint Tea infused BBQ sauce, Miso Maple Sablefish infused with Caramel Tea

Wagyu Beef Slider with Maple Beef Bacon and Moroccan Mint Tea infused BBQ sauce, Miso Maple Sablefish infused with Caramel Tea

 

The salmon came poached and accompanied with lemon Panna cotta and popcorn. I don't know about you, but when I think about going to the movies I invariably also think about eating fistfuls of buttery popcorn and getting 3 out of every 5 kernels into my mouth as the blur that is my eating arm pitches them from waist height to reduce the time it takes to reach back into the tub and repeat the process. You'd be hard pressed the find a dish that includes popped corn that I wouldn't like and today is not the day I start. Delicious!

 

Salmon Confit and Lemon Bush Tea infused Panna Cotta, Tourtière with Weekend in Hong Kong infused rhubarb chutney, Imperial Lapsang Souchong infused Chicken Cone

Salmon Confit and Lemon Bush Tea infused Panna Cotta, Tourtière with Weekend in Hong Kong infused rhubarb chutney, Imperial Lapsang Souchong infused Chicken Cone

 

There is a movement in the foodie community that has been around for a whole, but is really starting to take hold of late as we destroy our planet just a little bit more every year: sustainability. It can mean different things to different people, but the gist is "eat in a manner that is viable long term." So how do we do it? It must start by moving away, ever so slowly, from beef. Yes, I waxed poetically about my Wagyu lust above, but then just said that. But why? There are 3 main arguments against beef: Deforestation. We clear more carbon dioxide guzzling trees to accommodate these three-stomached behemoths than most other pursuits. Farts. The methane emitted from the flatulence of these giant beast is a major contributor to global warming. Google it. And finally shipping. Do you live near the Amazon where millions of these creatures roam where once the pieces of the mighty Amazon jungle stood majestically? Me neither. That's a lot of trucks and a lot of kilometres to cross before it gets in my tummy! Wild game is becoming more and more common on dining tables and restaurants and it is a good thing! The tourtière at TWG is a blend of Wagyu beef and elk, baby steps, and was my favourite dish in the tea set! It has amazing flavours words won't do justice. You'll have to go check it out!

 

Once you get to the dessert level of the tower of deliciousness (my suggestion for any possible future renaming of this tea set) your expectations are high. TWG wouldn't dare disappoint you at this point. Included is a maple eclair, delicious and not as sweet as you would imagine. Insider's tip: eat it upside down to avoid a mess! There was also a croque en bouche and a passionfruit and mango tart. The croque is worthy of any French bistro and the tart is absolutely delicious and the mousse just melts in your mouth! This post may spur you to try TWG for the first time, but service, their incredible newly renovated dining room and quality, absolute top quality, will be what keeps you coming back!

 

Sweets: Petite Maple Éclair, Red Balloon Tea Macaron, Napoleon Tea infused Croque-en-bouche, Passion Fruit Tea infused Passion Fruit and Mango Tartlet

Sweets: Petite Maple Éclair, Red Balloon Tea Macaron, Napoleon Tea infused Croque-en-bouche, Passion Fruit Tea infused Passion Fruit and Mango Tartlet

Special Canada 150 Jubilee Tea

Special Canada 150 Jubilee Tea

Special Canada 150 Jubilee Tea
 
Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan