Best Hotel Dining: Bacchus

Bacchus repeats this year, winning Gold for chef Lee Parsons’ kitchen leadership and elegantly refined hand from soups to savoury mains. Parsons has found his métier, importing his English resume of rigorous discipline; it now relies on and collaborates with local ingredients to great effect. One judge commented that “the service remains seamless; thank Wedgewood general manager Philip Meyer for pushing these intimate rooms into the vanguard of Vancouver’s dining scene.” At FigMint (Silver) an airy resto-lounge showcases chef Lee Humphries (ex-West and Elixir), who marries classically grounded European cooking with firm nods to local ingredients: coq au vin, with a superb red wine and shallot reduction; oven roasted sable fish with sun choke gratin and a gently caramelized orange sauce. All boldly conceived, richly executed dishes, not for the Spandex-inclined or faint of heart. Notes one poetic judge: “Chef Lee Humphries’ white onion and Riesling soup first beckons, then seduces, as the soft poached egg yolk spills into gossamer truffle oil and elevates the humble onion to new heights. Quite simply, extraordinary.” At Elixir (Bronze) Chef Don Letendre’s brasserie menu is studded with innovative surprises, such as slivers of beef carpaccio and foie gras mousse (Letrendre also invented a sublime chocolate terrine and foie gras dish) or crispy fried prawns wrapped in Serrano ham and a hint of chipotle. Elixir is both comfy and hip—sink into a rich red leather banquette and eye the celebs while the attentive staff keep their eyes on you. Up-and-comer chef Damon Campbell’s increasing use of sous-vide cooking at Diva at the Met (Honourable Mention) understudies chef Ray Henry’s direction. Meanwhile, Chartwell (Honourable Mention) has regained its footing in the evening, and the La Boqueria brunches show punchy innovation, spanning the flavours of Latin America and Spain.

BACK TO RESTAURANT AWARDS