With a couple visiting from Edmonton, we decided to take them to Coast for a fantastic seafood dinner. I have been there many a times and it's easily one of my favourites in the city, especially for seafood. We didn't know how to order from the vast menu, so we asked Chef Pedro to "make us dinner", almost like an omakase. What he delivered was beyond our expectations, with each course amazing us anew.
We started off with Buck a Shuck, a variety of oysters. Lots of horseradish, mignonette, and cocktail sauce. The freshness of the oyster is unmistakeable, and Oscar the oyster shucker did a fabulous job. A wonderful first course to start dinner, that's for sure. Once we left the bar, we sat down and started dinner. After our first course, our second was the amuse bouche of a Crab and Prawn Fritter. The outside is crispy and the little ball had more crab than you would expect, no filler, all seafood. It's a little ball of deliciousness! Our third dish was a Halibut Karaage. The little bites of halibut were served with an apple slaw. The fish was delicately breaded, and the coating was nice and salty. The fish was flakey and very moist. No tartar sauce needed here, just a squirt of lemon and you're all set. We also got some sushi rolls for our fourth course, the first is a Negihama Roll, with chopped hamachi and scallions. We also tried some Fish and Chip Cones, with tempura cod inside, as well as some Japanese tartar sauce. It was nice to have something fresh, after two courses from deep fried foods! Next up, Grilled Scallops, made up our fifth course, accompanied with a Steamed Mussel. These scallops were gigantic as you can see in comparison with the slice of lime. There isn't really much you need to do to these, better to leave them simply seasoned and just grill them. As a palate cleanser and our sixth course, we had a Chopped Salad, with shredded fuji apples on a bed of butter lettuce. There are also dates and pecans for crunch and some parmesan shavings for a salty touch. We all enjoyed this really refreshing salad. For our seventh course, we were served a seafood course of Grilled Halibut, a King Crab Leg in a bed of Cucumber Gazpacho. The halibut had a rich sweetness, further enhanced by the crisp flavours of the cucumber. The crab leg held tons of meat and was well worth the effort of extraction. At this point, we were very stuffed but we realized that we missed out on the Crab Stuffed Twice Baked Potato, so we reminder our server. Well, we knew something was up when he brought over steak knives (we were full, not stupid). Turns out the Chef had one final surprise for us, and that was a serving of the Baked Potato, with a side of melt-in-your mouth Beef Striploin for our eighth course. Totally over the top, but delicious! Don't get me wrong, the beef was amazing, cooked to a medium rare (just the way I like it), but the baked potato, crammed with lots of crab meat, cheddar, scallions and capers was super decadent. It was our only carb of the night and we inhaled it. Realizing that we had overlooked the veggie department, we amended this by ordering the Spring Gratin, with broccolini, mushrooms and tons of parmesan. As this is a "side", I'm not counting it as a course, but if you're keeping tabs, this would be eight and a half courses. There, all food groups have been represented, some to excess, extreme excess. Alas, I spoke too soon...dessert IS a food group, right? In the back of the plate are the Cocoa Nibs, which are essentially homemade chocolate covered honeycomb nibs. We also got some of their Red Velvet Cheesecake, paired with a mango puree. There were more goodies on the plate, but I couldn't give it a try, since I'm allergic to cherries. This was a perfect end to a decadent dinner of 9 or 10 courses, depending on how you slice it.
Take Note:
Give them a ballpark figure for costs to help them craft your menu
If you have allergies, tell them, they can and will accommodate
Buck a Shuck oysters available 3-6 Monday to Friday (varies on weekends)
Thank goodness for Spot Prawn season! Here is a recap of a few of the places I've visited in the past few weeks. There have been four visits so far, but the season is not over yet! The first of the season! Getting some Grilled Spot Prawns at Black and Blue. These are simply grilled Spot Prawns, Head On. The juiciness is incredible, and the quick grilling make the shells very easy to remove. The heads are juicy too, so give it a quick suck to get all the goodness out.
This is the lunch special at Hawksworth. I was dining with a friend from out of town, from a place where spot prawns are either impossible to source or ridiculously expensive. Once the server informed us that they had this special available, it was a no brainer. We were both going to have this.
The Spot Prawn with Polenta. There are about 7 prawns (headless, oh what a shame) as well as some grilled broccoli, guanaciale, and some slow roasted heirloom tomatoes. I have never been a huge fan of polenta, but the sweetness of the corn and lobster gave the creamy polenta an amazing flavour. Combined with the bouncy prawns, this dish was stellar.
For the next Spot Prawn tasting, I headed to Coast (also of the Glowbal Group). Not only did they have Spot Prawns, the also had Razor Clam. These are almost like miniature conch. Steamed with shallots, garlic, fennel and some onions, this was simple and really showcased the clam. The flesh is juicy, meaty and really quite satisfying. It was my first taste of a razor clam, and I think I will start seeking it out more.
But the star of the show was again the Grilled Spot Prawns, Head On. These were quite similar to the ones at Black and Blue, but were accompanied by a light tomato based sauced. The sauce, along with the cherry tomatoes gave the dish a bit of additional warmth and complexity that I appreciated.
My fourth Spot Prawns of the season, we again headed up to Black and Blue, The Roof. We got a dozen, again Grilled Spot Prawn, Head On. This was less grilled and more trimmed than my first taste, but delicious nonetheless. The salad that accompanied it was pleasant, with a light dressing that neither added nor took away from the dish. It seemed perfunctory, and I think something more innovative would have been better. Perhaps a light ceviche of some sort, maybe a bit of grilled bread with some creamy spread?
I am also going to try Chef Heinrich's (of Mosaic at Hyatt Vancouver) Chef's Tasting Menu, focused on Spot Prawns this weekend. That 5-course dinner will definitely need its own post! Here it is!
Coast as part of the Glowbal Passport Quest. As part of the promotion that Glowbal Group ran in February - March 2013, I visited all seven of the restaurants. Here is my post of Coast on Alberni. I also have posts for:
We decided to try some appetizers as well as their lunch items. Normally, I would get oysters to start, but in an effort to sample more of their menu, we broke new ground instead.
From their Ippin Ryori (Japanese Tapas) section, we tried their Salmon Somen. The base of the dish is this Japanese vermicelli, almost as thin as angelhair. The sauce is a mixture of soy and some ponzu sauce, with some thinly chopped green onions, grated daikon and a fragrant shiso leaf. The noodles are very light and almost slithers into your mouth. Top all that with some sliced sockeye salmon and this is a great starter. The fish was slightly cooked by the acidity in the ponzu and was really refreshing.
The angle and lack of reference does not do justice to this bowl of New England Chowder. It was huge! Loaded with bacon, clams, mussels, and tender chunks of celery, carrots and potato. This is a rich soup and jampacked with flavours. You could easily share this with a friend and you'll both have enough for a starter. They also have a large selection of sushi rolls, and this was a blend of two rolls. It's like a Dynamite Roll, slipped under a Negihama Roll. The Dynamite part comes from the Tempura Prawn, and the slightly spicy chili mayonnaise. The Negihama topped with finely diced hamachi mixed with scallions. So good, a bit of crunch from the prawn, a bit of heat from the mayo and a mouthful of fresh scallions with the fish. There's enough going on here that you really don't need the wasabi. This Shrimp Wrap Box is my favourite lunch box here, but they also have a sushi one, as well as a fish & chip and oyster po boy version. The New England Chowder is really good and is loaded with bacon, clams, mussels, and tender chunks of celery, carrots and potato. This is a rich soup and jampacked with flavours. Have this first while it's hot! Next, move onto the Tuna Sashimi, served on a bed of microgreens. There is very little dressing so you can really taste the sweetness of the fish. I guess you would say that the Shrimp Wrap is the star of the show, but they all come together really nicely. I asked for easy dressing and comparing mine with my friend's, I can tell they actually listened. The shrimp are diced but you can still see large chunks of them throughout the wrap. This is a lot of food and I ended up taking the wrap home.
Take Note:
All lunch boxes are just $13.95
A regular order of the New England Chowder is enough for a meal
The Fish & Chip cone is great for people who aren't into raw fish
I was lucky enough to be invited to the Glowbal Group's Dine Out preview earlier this week and here are some of my favourite picks from Coast. Check my picks from Black and Blue here. We started off at Coast where we had both appetizers, but the Salmon Tartar was my favourite (the other was a Bay Scallop & Clam Chowder). I liked this dish from Chef Pedro because the vinaigrette made with galangal and lime was just so refreshing. The salmon was marinated nicely and the chunks were just the right size.The entree the won my heart was the Grilled Snapper. The vegetables a la grecque was a nice light accompaniment to the rich buttery fish, but the citrus beurre blanc really made the dish. The skin was crispy, and I loved the fact that they served it "skin on". The fish was cooked just right and it was fork tender and flaked easily.My second favourite of their three entrees was the Grilled Alberta Beef, "Oscar Style". Instead of asparagus, they substituted it with charred peppers, and they replaced the crab bearnaise with a prawn bearnaise. What I really like wasn't so much the accompaniments, it was the fact that the beef was cooked perfectly.They have some add-ons to their Dine Out menu and I have to admit, I was a little surprised that Rosemary Scallops was an add-on, I actually expected something like this to be an appetizer option. But if you do have are hungry enough and want to add something to your dinner, this is the way to go. They do have another comfort food side, Prawn Mashed Potatoes. And this dish is perfect for someone looking for a bit of comfort with their Dine Out meal. The potatoes are creamy and you can definitely taste the prawn flavour in this little side dish. If you got the Alberta Beef and wanted something hearty to go with it, then this is perfect!
One night, in search of a light dinner, I went to Coast for some oysters and sushi. Their oysters are always great here, with a good selection and very cleanly shucked. I have been many times before, and this is definitely the lightest dinner I've had here. Here we have a Dozen Oysters, made up of some Gigamotos, Kushis and one other variety that escapes me. The fresh horseradish is quite mild, so if you like yours spicier, you'll likely need more than this. Their seafood sauce benefits from a few hints from the Tabasco bottle, but their mignonette is perfect as is. This was the Sushi Tile of the evening and is meant for two people. You have an assortment of sashimi, nigiri and some rolls as well. For the nigiri, we had Flounder, salmon and ahi tuna. This was the first time I had flounder as sushi, I think. I was a little thrown off by the presence of the skin, but it was actually quite mild. On the sashimi side, we had snapper and yellow tail and ahi tuna, fresh and very sweet. Both the rolls had a bit of spiciness to it, one being the tuna and the other being salmon. I found the taste and textures to be identical except for the fish and would have preferred a contrasting roll instead of two of the same.
Take note:
Solid oysters, great deal at Happy Hour
Sushi tile features fresh fish of the day but can be pricey
Save room for the sides, either the lobster poutine or the prawn mac and cheese
Usually, with seafood,we crack open a bottle of Pinot Grigio, but we just could resist starting with a cocktail. I mean, how can you resist a Caesar with a jumbo prawn as a garnish? With a sprinkle of horseradish, this little baby is spicy!
We got one of their Signature Platters - this is a shot of it. We love our lobster, salmon sashimi and fresh oysters, so this is the chilled platter. It also comes with more jumbo prawns, in case the ones in our Caesar weren't enough, a few mussels and a spicy tuna roll.
Although there were three of us, we got the platter for two, since there were some other items that we wanted to order. Beware, orders for more people causes this platter to grow exponentially...
We also got a bit of an amuse bouche to start, a little bit of Ahi Tuna with some seaweed and a rice paper crisp on the side. I love the little roe they sprinkled on top and bottom...yummy!
Ahh...yes, more oysters please! I think the platter comes with 4 or 6 when you order it for two people, but that's never enough! We went for another dozen of the Kusshi, and I think that really hit the spot.
And the other things we had to save room for? Dessert of course! Front and center is the mango cheesecake...decadent, rich, dense with just the rice amount of tartness from the raspberry coulie and the fresh blueberries.
Also lovely are the little dessert poppers. There are three kinds, two on the side have “pop rocks” on the outside, and one has nutella inside the chocolate, and the other has peanut butter. Oh both are quite good and just a pop is all you need. The middle one is the white chocolate cheesecake, but after the yummy NY style slice we all had, this was over the top for us!
But my favourite dessert here, and I think they are available at all Glowbal Group restaurants are their honey comb nibs. Made fresh, the honey comb is crunchy but not hard, and the chocolate coating is thick but not heavy. I could easily eat half a dozen of these at a time.
Once we left the bar, we sat down and started dinner. After our first course, our second was the amuse bouche of a Crab and Prawn Fritter. The outside is crispy and the little ball had more crab than you would expect, no filler, all seafood. It's a little ball of deliciousness! 
Our third dish was a Halibut Karaage. The little bites of halibut were served with an apple slaw. The fish was delicately breaded, and the coating was nice and salty. The fish was flakey and very moist. No tartar sauce needed here, just a squirt of lemon and you're all set. 
We also got some sushi rolls for our fourth course, the first is a Negihama Roll, with chopped hamachi and scallions. We also tried some Fish and Chip Cones, with tempura cod inside, as well as some Japanese tartar sauce. It was nice to have something fresh, after two courses from deep fried foods! 
Next up, Grilled Scallops, made up our fifth course, accompanied with a Steamed Mussel. These scallops were gigantic as you can see in comparison with the slice of lime. There isn't really much you need to do to these, better to leave them simply seasoned and just grill them. 
As a palate cleanser and our sixth course, we had a Chopped Salad, with shredded fuji apples on a bed of butter lettuce. There are also dates and pecans for crunch and some parmesan shavings for a salty touch. We all enjoyed this really refreshing salad.
For our seventh course, we were served a seafood course of Grilled Halibut, a King Crab Leg in a bed of Cucumber Gazpacho. The halibut had a rich sweetness, further enhanced by the crisp flavours of the cucumber. The crab leg held tons of meat and was well worth the effort of extraction.
At this point, we were very stuffed but we realized that we missed out on the Crab Stuffed Twice Baked Potato, so we reminder our server. Well, we knew something was up when he brought over steak knives (we were full, not stupid). Turns out the Chef had one final surprise for us, and that was a serving of the Baked Potato, with a side of melt-in-your mouth Beef Striploin for our eighth course. Totally over the top, but delicious! Don't get me wrong, the beef was amazing, cooked to a medium rare (just the way I like it), but the baked potato, crammed with lots of crab meat, cheddar, scallions and capers was super decadent. It was our only carb of the night and we inhaled it. 
Realizing that we had overlooked the veggie department, we amended this by ordering the Spring Gratin, with broccolini, mushrooms and tons of parmesan. As this is a "side", I'm not counting it as a course, but if you're keeping tabs, this would be eight and a half courses. There, all food groups have been represented, some to excess, extreme excess. 
Alas, I spoke too soon...dessert IS a food group, right? In the back of the plate are the Cocoa Nibs, which are essentially homemade chocolate covered honeycomb nibs. We also got some of their Red Velvet Cheesecake, paired with a mango puree. There were more goodies on the plate, but I couldn't give it a try, since I'm allergic to cherries. This was a perfect end to a decadent dinner of 9 or 10 courses, depending on how you slice it.
