With Aunt Sophie at Salmon House

I had an aunt visit from San Francisco last month, and we decided to take her somewhere fun for dinner, but also with a good view. We settled on Salmon House, a well-known long established restaurant in West Vancouver. The weather was gorgeous that day, so we had stunning views.
The restaurant also had a great special for Prix Fixe called Taste of BC. For $35, you get 3 courses if you are seated before 6:30pm. Be sure to check with the restaurant to see if this is still ongoing before you go! 

Our first dish was the Amuse Bouche, which was a poached clam, plated with a saffron aioli, very refreshing. We had to ask for bread several times, so by the time they brought it over, we inhaled it and I forgot to take any photos. But they did serve it with a white bean puree, instead of the usual butter.

I got the oysters to start...and they were humungous! It arrived on a bed of salt and peppercorns, which was very pretty...and different from the usual icebed. Served with a mignonette, the oysters were meaty and fresh.

The starter that came with the $35 deal was a salad topped with Crusted Albacore Tuna. As you can see from the photo above, it was a generous portion of beets, cucumber slices, yam frites and fennel. Definitely worth the price.
My only complaint was that the amuse bouche, bread and appetizers practically came on top of each other...no time to savour each item. But then when we were done the appetizers, we were left to sit with our plates for at least 5 minutes before someone came to clear them. And then we waited about 10 more minutes for the mains to be brought out. Inconsistent timing to say the least. 

When the courses did arrive though, they were good. The salmon was a generous portion and came with a nice and crispy skin. There were sprinkles of pancetta all over the dish to add crunch and saltiness. The Coho salmon was placed atop a bed of gnocchi, asparagus, fresh peas and green beans. There was a little minty/cheese doughnut on top of the fish...we didn't really feel it added to the dish, but then again, it didn't take anything away from it either.

The lamb dish was gigantic, with about 7 little racks of lamb. The plate was elegantly adorned with some fresh raspberries and asparagus and baby carrot. I really liked the ice cream scoop of mashed potatoes too!

My tenderloin was really good as well. Lots of wild mushrooms and pearl onions all over the plate, almost in a ragu like sauce. The potato chips were really good and light, but complemented the dish well. 

Not normally one for dessert, I did test this Rhubarb and apple pie on my aunt's request. The crust was really tough, and not good at all. However, the lemon sorbet was nice and tart, going well with the sourness of the rhubarb.
If you come here for the view more than the food, you'll be pleasantly surprised, since most of the dishes were well-executed and presented. However, if you are a true foodie, you'll probably have to look elsewhere for more inspiring dishes.