Location: 91 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver
Cuisine: Seafood
Dineout Price: $30 lunch and dinner menu
Date of visit: January 20, 2018
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 5/5
Food variety: 4.5/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 4/5
For our second dineout, Adorables and I had a double date with my parents in scenic Lonsdale. I apologize in advance for the quality of photos this time as our key equipment (the camera) was left at home for safety due to heavy rain. I was quite excited about the menu, with three selections for each course and dominant in seafood. A nice intimate storefront, we felt welcomed by the friendly staff.
While waiting for our meals to arrive, we were served warm foccacia bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip. I missed the explanation of what the creamy ball on top was, but it was delicious with hints of sesame oil and chickpea-based. This went well with the soft fragrant bread.
Albacore Tuna Poke
avocado, mango, edamame, mixed greens, sesame seeds, tamari, wasabi aioli, brown rice
Presented in a large clear bowl, this was a colorful dish, albeit a tad messy. A good balance of every ingredient. The salad portion had bigger pieces which didn't go well with other finer ingredients. Everyone agreed it was too saucy and could have been more tart. Fresh and refreshing though!
Prawns Po'Boy Taco
fresh tomato salsa, cilantro aioli, pickled Spanish onion
This beauty came with two golden prawns stacked high and topped with the fresh salsa and onion on a bed of cilantro aioli and soft taco. The shrimp was fresh, had good crunch, and went well with the whole taco. Favorite appy out of them all!
Vegan Cream of Mushroom
coconut milk, wild mushroom, leeks
Adorables asked why I took a photo of soup because it was just soup, but we need photo evidence for everything eaten right? A simple soup of literally minced wild mushroom and coconut milk with some shredded leeks, this was as simple as it got. The coconut milk was fragrant and dominant in the soup, you taste the mushroom after a little while.
Bonus: Crabcakes
We were informed of this fourth option by our server when he was explaining the dineout menu for us, what a treat! More variety! This appeared with a small salad and tartar sauce spread beside the browned crabcake. He mentioned a wasabi aoili with the crabcakes but we didn't taste any traces of that. It was packed full of crab and fresh, however didn't scream anything spectacular to us.
Pork Osso Bucco
pork crackling, carrot, celery, potato puree, red wine sauce
Ok. I knew this was a seafood restaurant, but had to try everything in their offerings so this was also ordered. Presentation-wise, perfectly traditional-looking osso bucco. The sauce is runny and made the dish look a bit messy with everything splattered. However, it looked succulent atop the potato puree in red wine sauce. Pork was dry in some parts and too salty for our liking. Pork crackling needed more presence in the dish, almost had to dig around to find it, but it was light and crispy when found.
Wild Salmon
poached lobster, sauce American, winter vegetable
The highlight of the entrees, the salmon was presented beautifully atop perfectly seasoned and cooked winter veggies. I was actually expecting a poached lobster tail instead of the little bits scattered on top, but enjoyed the buttery bites nonetheless. The salmon was perfectly cooked and paired well with the sauce. A dish full of flavor, my mouth still remembers the rich buttery lobster mixed with the salmon.
Mussels & Risotto
fresh basil, sweet peas, sardo cheese
I admired the detail they put into placing all the mussels open-side up to receive the risotto. A deceivingly simple dish, this was remarkably full of flavor. The mussels were fresh and delectable. The risotto was rich, creamy, and exquisite. Some grains weren't cooked through and we found it almost too overpowering in flavors (too salty).
Desserts
Tiramisu
coffee syrup
Ah, onto my favorite part of the meal-- dessert! Now, this tiramisu wasn't outstanding in appearance, but it was light, not overly sweet, and perfectly balanced with the coffee and cream. Everyone enjoyed this dish. One note is that it is a bit too moist.
Pistachio Ice Cream
saffron biscuits
This was neatly arranged in a cup but partially melted already. Unsure if the biscuit had saffron, not too strong. The ice cream itself was marvelous. A light cream swirled in with crushed pistachio to create a memorable icy treat. Contrasted well with the tart berries for an indulgent experience.
Vanilla Panna Cotta
strawberry compote
My personal favorite, this beautiful panna cotta was simple and delicately plated. I dug into the creamy panna cotta and topped it with the sweet and tangy strawberry compote for a heavenly combination of flavors. Alone, the strawberry compote would've been too sweet but with the panna cotta it was perfect.
Our server was attentive, funny, interactive and quite interested in NotMooStachio's story! Definitely enjoyed our meal more at Fishworks because of him! Portion sizes were on the smaller side, but we all went home stuffed.
We ended our meal with complimentary fish-shaped truffles, which were rich, smooth, and deliciously bitter. Bravo!
Cuisine: Seafood
Dineout Price: $30 lunch and dinner menu
Date of visit: January 20, 2018
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 5/5
Food variety: 4.5/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 4/5
Appetizers
avocado, mango, edamame, mixed greens, sesame seeds, tamari, wasabi aioli, brown rice
Presented in a large clear bowl, this was a colorful dish, albeit a tad messy. A good balance of every ingredient. The salad portion had bigger pieces which didn't go well with other finer ingredients. Everyone agreed it was too saucy and could have been more tart. Fresh and refreshing though!
fresh tomato salsa, cilantro aioli, pickled Spanish onion
This beauty came with two golden prawns stacked high and topped with the fresh salsa and onion on a bed of cilantro aioli and soft taco. The shrimp was fresh, had good crunch, and went well with the whole taco. Favorite appy out of them all!
coconut milk, wild mushroom, leeks
Adorables asked why I took a photo of soup because it was just soup, but we need photo evidence for everything eaten right? A simple soup of literally minced wild mushroom and coconut milk with some shredded leeks, this was as simple as it got. The coconut milk was fragrant and dominant in the soup, you taste the mushroom after a little while.
We were informed of this fourth option by our server when he was explaining the dineout menu for us, what a treat! More variety! This appeared with a small salad and tartar sauce spread beside the browned crabcake. He mentioned a wasabi aoili with the crabcakes but we didn't taste any traces of that. It was packed full of crab and fresh, however didn't scream anything spectacular to us.
Entrees
pork crackling, carrot, celery, potato puree, red wine sauce
Ok. I knew this was a seafood restaurant, but had to try everything in their offerings so this was also ordered. Presentation-wise, perfectly traditional-looking osso bucco. The sauce is runny and made the dish look a bit messy with everything splattered. However, it looked succulent atop the potato puree in red wine sauce. Pork was dry in some parts and too salty for our liking. Pork crackling needed more presence in the dish, almost had to dig around to find it, but it was light and crispy when found.
poached lobster, sauce American, winter vegetable
The highlight of the entrees, the salmon was presented beautifully atop perfectly seasoned and cooked winter veggies. I was actually expecting a poached lobster tail instead of the little bits scattered on top, but enjoyed the buttery bites nonetheless. The salmon was perfectly cooked and paired well with the sauce. A dish full of flavor, my mouth still remembers the rich buttery lobster mixed with the salmon.
fresh basil, sweet peas, sardo cheese
I admired the detail they put into placing all the mussels open-side up to receive the risotto. A deceivingly simple dish, this was remarkably full of flavor. The mussels were fresh and delectable. The risotto was rich, creamy, and exquisite. Some grains weren't cooked through and we found it almost too overpowering in flavors (too salty).
Desserts
coffee syrup
Ah, onto my favorite part of the meal-- dessert! Now, this tiramisu wasn't outstanding in appearance, but it was light, not overly sweet, and perfectly balanced with the coffee and cream. Everyone enjoyed this dish. One note is that it is a bit too moist.
saffron biscuits
This was neatly arranged in a cup but partially melted already. Unsure if the biscuit had saffron, not too strong. The ice cream itself was marvelous. A light cream swirled in with crushed pistachio to create a memorable icy treat. Contrasted well with the tart berries for an indulgent experience.
strawberry compote
My personal favorite, this beautiful panna cotta was simple and delicately plated. I dug into the creamy panna cotta and topped it with the sweet and tangy strawberry compote for a heavenly combination of flavors. Alone, the strawberry compote would've been too sweet but with the panna cotta it was perfect.
