When it comes to one of the top places to dine in Whistler, Araxi Restaurant & Oyster Bar is certainly one of them. Known for their Pacific Northwest cuisine, oyster bar and award winning desserts, Araxi is the kind of place where you can enjoy an upscale dinner, oyster specials, or a weekend brunch. In this throwback review, I will be sharing my thoughts on a brunch experience I had at Araxi last year.
Located in the main square of Whistler Village, Araxi has a beautiful outdoor patio which is ideal for dining and people watching. The interior which boasts more earthy tones is more formal.
You can see a bit of their wine collection which includes over 11,000 bottles, with over 1,000 different labels. It is apparently widely regarded as one of the best selections in the province.
What I Tried
Choosing to sit outdoors on the lovely patio, my husband and I had the following at Araxi:
- Thierry Espresso Blend Americano ($3.00)
- Perfect Wave Mocktail ($7.50)
- Half-dozen oysters ($21)
- Chorizo and Eggs in Purgatory ($19.50)
- Paradise Valley Pork Belly Tartine ($22.50)
The mocktail I enjoyed was the Perfect Wave which was a refreshing mix of fresh grapefruit, lime, lavender and soda. The lavender flavour was very subtle as I tasted predominantly citrus flavours.
For oysters, we had two of each of Marina Top Drawer, Satori and Zen. The Marina Top Drawer oysters were from Cortes Island and had a deep cup and mild taste. The Satori oysters were from Denman Island and had a salty, cucumber finish. The Zen oysters were also from Denman Island and were similar to the Satori but slightly sweeter.
The Americano was made of a special Thierry Espresso Blend which is an all organic, fair trade blend using only arabica beans. The taste profile is strong and smooth with a hint of chocolate, cinnamon and spice.
Moving on to entrees, the Chorizo + Eggs in Purgatory was loaded with flavours. It had a lightly spiced sausage and spicy tomato sauce with two poached eggs, goat cheese and arugula. Very tasty and entertaining to the palate. The milder flavours of the goat cheese and arugula balanced out the spiciness of the sausage amd tomato sauce.
The Paradise Valley Pork Belly Tartine was a very creative dish that was also very delicious. It had a crisp belly with provolone and roasted piquillo peppers , chimichurri sauce and crispy onions. The pork belly was melt-in-your-mouth delicious while I enjoyed the crispy onions for some textural contrast. The chimichurri sauce added some nice bright flavours to the dish as well.
Service
Service at Araxi was top notch with our server checking in on us regularly, clearing away our dishes in a timely manner and overall friendliness. Five star service, I would say.
Overall Impression of Araxi
The brunch entrees that we tried at Araxi were well-executed, creative and most of all..delicious! Service was solid and enhanced the dining experience. I would love to return to Araxi to try more of their dishes and would recommend others to try them for brunch. Rating: 5/5
Website: araxi.com