The year is winding down and I still have so many food adventures that I want to share with everyone! It’s always a matter of having the time to put together these posts, but I digress.
Better late than never, cheers to one of my favourite meals of the year at one of Canada’s top restaurants, St. Lawrence. In 2019, they were named No. 5 top restaurant in Canada.
Located in the Railtown district of Vancouver, St. Lawrence is chef-owned and operated by Jean-Christophe Poirier who pays homage to his Quebec roots with the classic French cuisine menu.
The rustic, charming interior of St Lawrence is decorated with antiques and features an open kitchen counter.
David (pickydiners.com) and I made reservations a week ahead for our Friday night dinner. Although this was my first visit, David had been to St Lawrence three times prior and loved the food so he didn’t mind revisiting.
To start, I had a Jus de Pastque ($5), which was a refreshing watermelon soda.
We were then presented with sourdough bread accompanied by homemade whole grain mustard and pork pâté.
One of the popular items at St Lawrence is the Oreilles de Crisse ($12) (fried pork rinds with maple syrup & spice). They were airy, crunchy and had a subtle sweetness from the maple syrup.
Next, we had one of the daily specials: Homard Terrine ($12) or lobster terrine. It was notably delicious, smooth and had the sweetness of lobster.
We also enjoyed the Caille en Sarcophage ($42) with Foie Gras ($24) (stuffed quail in puff pastry). It’s a dish that’s hearty, succulent with a rich, buttery sauce.
The foie gras had a beefy taste with a rich, buttery flavour and smooth texture that melts in your mouth.
For dessert, we had the Tarte au citron flambée au Pastis Ricard ($16). It was a lemon tart flambée with Pastis Ricard (an anise-based liquor). The lemon tart was pretty standard but I enjoyed the theatrics of the tableside flambée.
Service was excellent which is what I would expect from a highly acclaimed restaurant. It was overall a superb dining experience where time and money was well spent. I’d love to return some time in the future to try out more dishes.
St. Lawrence
269 Powell St, Vancouver, BC
www.stlawrencerestaurant.com