I was invited in to dine with a group of media recently to Café Pacifica to taste Executive Chef Bob Wiles Spring Menu where I had a chance to try some of his new dishes.

Canapes:

Tuna Tataki

Compressed Watermelon

1st course:

Dungeness Crab and Tomato Napoleon – heirloom tomatoes, tomato consomme, crushed avocado and tomato paint

2nd course:

Seared Scallops with peas, beet puree with lemon honey ricotta foam

Plating the next course Citrus Baked Sablefish

3^rd course:

Duo of Citrus Baked Sablefish with Israelli couscous, char chutney & Pacific Halibut with sea asparagus

4^th course:

Meyer Lemon Glazed Cornish Hen with B.C. cherry farro wheat in a cherry chicken jus

Pastry Chef Hans and Executive Chef Bob plating dessert

5^th course:

Pastry Chef Hans Pirhofer dessert platter with mint pana cotta,  profiterole and gelato and chocolate sauce and red velvet cake.

My take:

The Dungeness Crab and Tomato Napoleon was fresh and stunning in presentation, I also loved the aromatic broth in the dish. The Seared Scallops were served with an airy honey ricotta foam  made by putting the ricotta through a cheese cloth, then in a container with c2 and shake and then they add the cheese into a foam with the honey, a clever idea. The Citrus Baked Sablefish was outstanding, moist and flavourful with a wonderful char chutney, I found the Pacific Halibut to be too dry for my liking, but the cous cous very good. With the Cornish hen course I loved the pickled vegetables, and the farro, however I found the hen to be too dry for me.  As usual Pastry Chef Hans Pirhofer dessert platter was a knockout in both presentation and flavours, my favourite was the Mint Panacotta followed by the profiterole, vanilla gelato with chocolate sauce, my least favourite of the desserts was the red velvet cake but that’s always my least favourite of any dessert selection.

Café Pacifica (Lobby level of the Pan Pacific Hotel Vancouver)

999 Canada Place, Vancouver

Tel: 604 895 2480

Web:   http://www.panpacific.com/en/Vancouver/Dining/CafePacifica.html

Twitter: @panpacificvan

By: Richard Wolak