On a recent seven day trip to Western Canada, I had the opportunity to visit St. Lawrence restaurant in Vancouver, British Columbia. Located in the popular Gastown district, St. Lawrence currently holds the #5 ranking on the 2019 list of Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants and has received several other accolades since opening in 2017. The restaurant is a testament to the signature “haute country” cooking of Chef/Owner Jean-Christophe (J-C) Poirier and pays homage to his French-Canadian roots.
Upon walking through the front door a few colleagues and I were immediately transported to a small cafe in Quebec City (or Old Montreal perhaps). Decorated with what can only be described as country kitsch, we were amused by the classic Québécois melodies streaming from the speakers, the Labatt 50 on the drink menu, the Celine Dion album cover adorning the bathroom wall, and the simple, understated, yet elegant cottage feel. The uniqueness of this place definitely made a lasting impression.
Flavour Overload!
And the food – wow! Not only was the menu bursting with creativity, but the dishes were enjoyable from the first bite right until the last. My appetizer choice was the duck liver and fois gras mousse with choux pastry which was simply amazing! This was like eating a glorious meat filled puff pastry from a fine bakery in France. Yum! From there, the table shared orders of smoked bison tongue (yes, tongue) with Montreal spices, pickles and horseradish sauce, as well as roasted brussel sprouts with BBQ sauce and crispy onion. For me, the bison tongue was a thing of beauty and was quite possible the top dish of the entire trip.
For the main course I couldn’t resist going with the braised beef cheeks with stewed vegetables. This is something that is very hard to find in Ontario restaurants and is a dish that I’ve found to be very well done in Western Canada. I first tried this on on a trip to Regina, Saskatchewan and have been searching for it ever since. Needless to say, this one didn’t disappoint! It was incredibly juicy and so tender that it melted in your mouth! Simply outstanding!
This is one of those restaurant experiences that grows on you – warming you from the moment you walk in the front door and ask “where the hell am I?” and through your entire body until you are left sitting there, glowing and flashing a permasmile that you can’t seem to get off of your face. In my opinion, experiences such as this are rare and are ultimately something that every restaurant should aspire to creating.
Bravo St. Lawrence! Can’t wait to visit again.
P.S. A quick shout out to my fantastic table mates who joined me on this adventure. PIMFM!
