Last night I previewed 3 very different restaurants in Yaletown, I travelled the world without leaving the neighborhood from Thai to Japanese to Italian! The main purpose of the Taste of Yaletown is just that to taste food at restaurants you may have not dined at previously. I chose these 3 restaurants for a reason, I hadn’t eaten dinner at any of them in the past, each was a new tasting experience for me, hopefully will be a new tasting experience for you and your friends as well!

The Yaletown Business Improvement Association presents the 8th annual Taste of Yaletown event October 17 – 27th, 2012.  The menus vary at each of the restaurants, you will find that they range from $25-$45 depending on the restaurant for a three-course tasting menu, you can find the list of participating restaurants here for this year’s Taste of Yaletown.

One of my experiences last night was dining Japanese at Bistro Sakana, such a wonderful restaurant in the heart of Yaletown who has been around for 7 years, can’t believe it took me that long to visit.

They are offering the $35.00 menu where you receive all these 3 courses as your meal.

Appetizer

Wild Sockeye Salmon Miso Chowder – a delicious rich creamy salmon & miso chowder.

Entrée

A Signature Sample Platter including all of the following:

Wild Sockeye Jalapeno Aburi “Hakozushi”

sockeye salmon layered with rice, box pressed, flame torched, and topped with jalapeño slices

Toro Red Chili Aburi “Hakozushi”

albacore toro marinated in Junmai sake & miso, layered with rice, box pressed, flame torched, and topped with red chili and key lime slivers

Teppan Roll

fresh tomato, Hotate scallop sashimi, fresh bocconcini mozzarella & home-made shiso-basil pesto, rolled up with rice, lightly sauteed and plated with a rim of aged balsamic reduction and unfiltered extra virgin olive oil

Nasu Dengaku

traditional baked Japanese eggplant with aka miso sauce, served on brown rice risotto

Ginger Citrus Hamachi

fresh yellowtail sashimi layered with pink grapefruit sections and drizzled with a soy-balsamic vinaigrette

Dessert

Oka San’s Rich Chocolate Brownies

rich dark chocolate brownies served warm with dark chocolate sauce & vanilla bean gelato

You can find Bistro Sakana at 1123 Mainland Street, call to reserve (604) 633-1280 and follow them on twitter @BistroSakana

Another one of my experiences was to Yaletown L’Antipasto for an Italian dining experience. The restaurant opened in Yaletown almost a year ago and again I found another gem last night which took me almost a year to visit.

This restaurant is offering a $25 menu as well as a $35 menu, I sampled selections off of both menus and since I was dining alone I had taster size portions.

Appetizer

Celeste Salad (offered on both the $25 and $35 menus)

organic spring greens, Chevre goats cheese, dried cherries, almonds, balsamic vinaigrette

Appetizer

Saute di Vongole (offered on the $35 menu)

saute of Manilla clams in olive oil, garlic, white wine & chillies

Entrée

Lobster & Crab Ravioli  (offered on the $35 menu)

in a fresh tomato sauce, arugula & tiger prawns

Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms  (offered on the $35 menu)

Dessert

Tiramisu (offered on both the $25 and $35 menus)

Affogato (offered on both the $25 and $35 menus)

Italian Hazelnut gelato with a shot of espresso

You can find Yaletown L’Antipasto at 1127 Mainland Street, call to reserve (604) 558-1174 and follow them on twitter @Lantipasto

Another one of my experiences was to Urban Thai Bistro for a Thai dining experience. The restaurant has been in Yaletown for over 11 years, I had previously taken a cooking class as well as attended one of their anniversary parties in the past, this was my first dinner experience.

This restaurant is offering a $25 menu as well as a $35 menu, I sampled selections off of both menus.

Appetizer

Goong Noon Hae  Deep (offered on both the $25 and $35 menus)

fried tiger prawns wrapped with noodles, served with tangy plum sauce

Entree

Are Han Jaan Bhed (offered on the $35 menu)

boneless roasted Long Island duck stir-fried with Thai chili, onions, green bean, bell peppers & fresh basil

 

Dessert

Deep Fried Banana with Mango Ice Cream (offered on both the $25 and $35 menus)

You can find Urban Thai Bistro at 1119 Hamilton Street, call to reserve (604) 408-7788 and follow them on twitter @urbanthai

View the other Taste of Yaletown restaurants menus.

By: Richard Wolak