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Dinner at Yaletown’s West Oak Restaurant

Since opening in 2013, West Oak has been known as a local hotspot in Yaletown for Vancouver’s elite, professional athletes and celebrities.  West Oak’s dishes feature locally sourced ingredients including naturally raised beef from Two Rivers Meats, Oceanwise seafood and free-range chicken.

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

West Oak’s sophisticated and cosmopolitan atmosphere makes it an ideal setting for a romantic dinner for two, evening drinks on the patio, or Sunday Brunch in Yaletown.  I was recently invited for a media tasting of the dinner menu at West Oak along with Joyce (vanfoodies.com) and Alice (vancouverbitsandbites.com).  Here’s a look at our experience.

Disclosure:  All food and drinks in this post were complimentary.  Opinions are my own.

Cocktails

To start, we tried a few new up-and-coming cocktails to be launched on their menu: the Aperol Spritzer Mimosa (brunch menu), the Tiffany Blue, and the Green Thumb.

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

The Tiffany Blue was my favourite and features edible silver glitter which makes it sparkle.  Pro tip:  Try shining a light on the cocktail for maximal sparkle!

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

Starters

Chinois Prawns ($15)

This French-Asian fusion starter featured Oceanwise prawns with a housemade spicy aioli and candied walnuts.  I thought this dish had very bold flavours with a mix of spicy and sweet.  The candied walnuts added a nice textural contrast.

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

Burrata & Prosciutto ($17)

This was a great starter to share with others:  burrata and prosciutto accompanied by fig jam, Dijon, castelvetrano olives, balsamic reduction and grilled bread.

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

Entrees

We tried a few signature entrees as well as some side dishes.

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

Fresh Wild Scallops ($32)

The juicy and nicely seared Oceanwise scallops were accompanied by a sweet pea and mint risotto, asparagus, white balsamic reduction and Parmesan crisp.

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

Seared Halibut ($34)

The Oceanwise halibut came with potato pave, asparagus, lemon butter sauce and citrus root vegetables.

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

Braised Lamb Shank ($24)

The braised lamb shank had a great meaty flavour and came with soft, pillowy homemade gnocchi.  Also in the dish were parsnip puree, minted peas, swiss chard, and shallots.

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

Lobster Mac and Cheese ($16)

Although the lobster mac and cheese is designated as a side, it’s worthy of being an entree itself.  The dish was rich, creamy, cheesy and oh-so-comforting.

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

Triple-Cooked Fries ($7)

The fries at West Oak are no ordinary fries and are a must-try.  The process of making these fries ultra-crispy and tender on the inside involves steaming, blanching, and frying them with a freezing step in between those stages.

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

Dessert

For dessert, we enjoyed a half dozen chocolate chip cookies, with dark and white chocolate, that were fresh, hot out of the oven.  On the side was French vanilla bean cream.   A unique yet simple dessert offering for a sit-down restaurant.

West Oak Yaletown Restaurant Vancouver

Overall Impression

The ladies and I had a nice time on West Oak’s patio trying out their new cocktails and dinner menu.  My ideal three-course dinner would the Chinois Prawns, the Fresh Wild Scallops and the signature West Oak cookies.

West Oak
Address: 1035 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC
Website: ‎www.westoakvancouver.com

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