It's a Vancouver staple and I really don't go as often as I should, but the Raincity Grill is well worth a visit. With the summer coming, book a table at this place and catch a lovely Vancouver sunset.
Starting the night off with a cocktail and a glass of vino...pretty and tasty! Some warm fresh bread with Vancouver Island butter and sea salt. You really can tast the freshness in the salt. It's almost a touch moist. Just a small pat of butter and then a light sprinkling of salt. How simple but delightful.We tried their starter, simply called Spoons. We couldn't decide which to try so we got them all. So pretty, let me show you how nicely executed each item is.The first item we tried was the Deep Fried Oyster, with their housemade tartar sauce. This was really crispy and very crunchy. This was a very fun way to start the meal. The serving is big enough to share, considering you have four more! Next was the Albacore tuna with a purple potato (see it there up on the top?) with a hearty dollop of grainy mustard. Thickly sliced and very moist. I think the sear was a touch light, but I know many people who love their fish this way. I really liked the purple potato...such a nice rich colour. Sitting atop an endive and some shaved fennel is the Duck Prosciutto. Loving the rich colour of this and the curing only makes the meat even more flavourful. It loses some of the gamey-ness but the texture is moist, more so than you would expect. Ah, the tri-coloured Beet Salad. Not a lot of beets but with the creamy goat cheese, a little goes a long way. Beets are not one of my favourite vegetables, something about the texture rubs me the wrong way. But when it's sliced this thin and in such vibrant colours, what's not to love? Also on the spoon are some crushed hazelnuts, and lends another layer of texture to the dish. (oh, and there is a better shot of the purple potato, again near the top).The last one was the Beer Battered Ling Cod, again with their tartar sauce. This time, there are some crispy capers to accompany it. There is just a light coating of batter with some very juicy fish on the inside. If you are only going to try one spoon, I'd probably go for this one.We had their special of the night, their Fraser Valley Duck Confit - it was Crispy, as promised. There are medallions of chicken mousse done in a roulade style. There are also lots of yummy lentils as well as some kale for good measure. It's not a big serving, but it's a tasty one. If you like confit, this was a great execution of it, crispy on the outside and fork tender on the inside.The other entree we tried was the Ridgeway Bison. The promised fondant potato became more of a baby potato, but other than that, the other sides of mixed red cabbage, swiss chard, brussel sprouts and parsnips were as promised. And the bison was cooked to a rare, which is really how I prefer most of my meats. With all the appies and the main, we really didn't have time for dessert, but we wholly agree with this quote. What I have found with restaurants of who primarily (or exclusively) use local ingredients, you can't go wrong with getting the "specials". These chefs know what's good, what's fresh and is often better than what is "usually" on the menu.
Some warm fresh bread with Vancouver Island butter and sea salt. You really can tast the freshness in the salt. It's almost a touch moist. Just a small pat of butter and then a light sprinkling of salt. How simple but delightful.
We tried their starter, simply called Spoons. We couldn't decide which to try so we got them all. So pretty, let me show you how nicely executed each item is.
The first item we tried was the Deep Fried Oyster, with their housemade tartar sauce. This was really crispy and very crunchy. This was a very fun way to start the meal. The serving is big enough to share, considering you have four more!
Next was the Albacore tuna with a purple potato (see it there up on the top?) with a hearty dollop of grainy mustard. Thickly sliced and very moist. I think the sear was a touch light, but I know many people who love their fish this way. I really liked the purple potato...such a nice rich colour.
Sitting atop an endive and some shaved fennel is the Duck Prosciutto. Loving the rich colour of this and the curing only makes the meat even more flavourful. It loses some of the gamey-ness but the texture is moist, more so than you would expect.
Ah, the tri-coloured Beet Salad. Not a lot of beets but with the creamy goat cheese, a little goes a long way. Beets are not one of my favourite vegetables, something about the texture rubs me the wrong way. But when it's sliced this thin and in such vibrant colours, what's not to love? Also on the spoon are some crushed hazelnuts, and lends another layer of texture to the dish. (oh, and there is a better shot of the purple potato, again near the top).
The last one was the Beer Battered Ling Cod, again with their tartar sauce. This time, there are some crispy capers to accompany it. There is just a light coating of batter with some very juicy fish on the inside. If you are only going to try one spoon, I'd probably go for this one.
We had their special of the night, their Fraser Valley Duck Confit - it was Crispy, as promised. There are medallions of chicken mousse done in a roulade style. There are also lots of yummy lentils as well as some kale for good measure. It's not a big serving, but it's a tasty one. If you like confit, this was a great execution of it, crispy on the outside and fork tender on the inside.
The other entree we tried was the Ridgeway Bison. The promised fondant potato became more of a baby potato, but other than that, the other sides of mixed red cabbage, swiss chard, brussel sprouts and parsnips were as promised. And the bison was cooked to a rare, which is really how I prefer most of my meats.
With all the appies and the main, we really didn't have time for dessert, but we wholly agree with this quote. What I have found with restaurants of who primarily (or exclusively) use local ingredients, you can't go wrong with getting the "specials". These chefs know what's good, what's fresh and is often better than what is "usually" on the menu. 
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