Multiple food and beverage options made for one delicious staycation
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Where: 39 Smithe St., Vancouver.
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When: Open daily.
Reservations and info: 604-683-7277, Parqvancouver.com
Nearly a year and a half into the pandemic, I can very honestly say that I miss travelling. I miss the sense of escape, the feeling of discovery — and the definitive break from the everyday routine.
More specifically, I also miss Las Vegas.
While not an avid gambler, I look forward to a near-yearly jaunt to Sin City in order to soak up the sun, the fun, the food and the festivities. I was excited, then, to find much of the above close to home at Parq Vancouver.
“We have seen a real influx of locals, as well as many from other parts of our province, looking to get away in their own backyard or to celebrate a special occasion like a bachelorette, honeymoon or anniversary,” Peter Goudron, president and CEO at Parq Vancouver, says of the boost in interest in staycations this summer. “It’s been great to see people staying close to home and enjoying all that the city has to offer.”
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Booked in for a short stay at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver hotel, we packed our itinerary with plans ranging from a visit to the spa and Aqua Lounge, to an exploration of the property’s food and drink options including sips at the Lotus Whiskey Lounge, dinner at The Victor and then brunch at Honey Salt.
“Parq is like a neighbourhood under one roof in that it has eight completely different food and beverage experiences located throughout the property,” Goudron says of the offering. “Our local chefs prepare an amazing range of dishes made with regionally sourced ingredients from nearby farms, juicers and the like.
“People often think of Parq as luxurious, but our menus run the gamut from casual to high end; everything from delicious burgers and fries to caviar and a perfect Tomahawk steak.”
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Our dinner reservation saw us dining at The Victor on a busy Saturday night. After so many months of limited contact with people, the restaurant’s lively atmosphere provided an air of celebration for our dinner party of two.
We started our meal with an order of the Gringo Salmon aburi sushi ($19), which features Togarashi aioli, salmon and serrano pepper that’s perfectly torched. The sushi was fresh and delicious, offering a delightful hit of spice.
A slice of the house Cheese and Onion bread, served with whipped butter, also arrived at the table while we devoured the torched sushi. The deliciously moist bread didn’t survive long.
For entrees, we settled on the pan-seared halibut ($42) and the flat-iron steak ($38).
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The halibut dish included a substantial piece of fresh fish served on a generous bed of preserved lemon and fine-herb risotto with grilled asparagus and a basil oil. The flavours mingled perfectly and the herbaceous oil tied the dish together balancing the fish with the zestiness of the lemon.
The 10-oz. flat iron steak was like butter to cut into, the meat tender and rich. Every piece of the Angus Reserve beef was enjoyed.
We chose to complement the mains with an order of the Triple Cooked Fries ($13), thick wedges of potatoes with a wonderful truffle aoili for dipping. Divine!
Our stomachs past full, we decided to pass on dessert. Though the creme brûlée donuts, which come with an eye-catching puff of maple cotton candy on top, are earmarked for tasting on a return visit.
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At Honey Salt for brunch the next morning, we dug into the Honey Salt Breakfast ($22) and the more inventive Breakfast Galette ($19).
The breakfast platter, served with eggs cooked to preference, toast, potatoes and a choice of bacon, pork or turkey sausage, provided a very safe take on a classic morning plate.
The galette was quite nice, boasting a crispy golden crust with gruyere cheese, mushrooms, spinach, honey ham and a crown of scrambled eggs pillowed atop the pastry. While it could have used a bit more cheese, in my opinion, the savoury breakfast option was a treat, offering a break from the more routine brunch spot selections of Eggs Benedict or pancakes.
Ahem, to say nothing of the simple toast and coffee regularly on the menu at home.
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The writer was a guest of Parq Vancouver, which neither read nor approved this article before publication.
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Source: vancouversun.com
