French

A trip to Whistler is the perfect opportunity to explore delicious food there. I did a thorough research on the Internet and decided to start with RimRock Café, a highly profiled restaurant in different websites. It is located right beside the sea-to-sky highway, we almost missed the exit.

The house of the restaurant was uniquely laid out, as the first floor had no tables. There was a huge wine cellar with a big window displaying all the fancy wines. Many pictures of celebrities and awards were hung on the wall.

After seated in the corner of the restaurant, we ordered fresh pressed orange juice and studied the menu slowly. We decided to have sautéed wild mushroom salad and four oysters on the half shell for appetizer, duck “two ways” and half Atlantic lobster as the main courses to share.

I admit that the mushroom salad doesn’t look like the most appealing dish of all time but the taste was absolutely wonderful. The fresh wild mushrooms were sautéed lightly, placed on a bed of greens and topped with shoestring potatoes. The sesame vinaigrette mixed well with the special flavor of the vegetables.

If you enjoy raw oyster by any chance, RimRock’s raw oysters should definitely be your first choice in Whistler. The mini oyster with vodka, crème fraiche & cavier (on the left) tasted rich in taste and tender in texture. The other one with champagne vinegar & shallots (on the right) was refreshing. The two baked oysters were not as delicious and tender, so I wouldn’t recommend them.

The Duck “Two Ways” was composed of a duck confit with crispy duck skin on top and grilled duck breast with special barbeque sauce. The duck confit was well cooked with a hint of wood and coal. The duck breast was tender but not as flavorful as the duck confit.

The half lobster at RimRock is a real lobster tail. Period. Compare to the frozen lobster from Black + Blue, this seems to be a decent compensation for the disappointment last week. The asparagus risotto under the lobster is quite original, the creamy taste of the rice went well with the freshly grilled lobster meat.

As for dessert, we decided to try a Rimrock Dessert Medley which had a miniature version of all the good dessert at the restaurant. There were (from closest to furthest) sticky toffee pudding, vanilla ice cream with house-made biscotti, chocolate ganache cake, hand-made chocolate truffle, white chocolate raspberry crème brulée, and hazelnut dark chocolate. The assortment of dessert was quite an intense work after all the duck and lobster but I still managed to choose my favorite one. The toffee pudding is extremely sweet, but warm and sticky, probably the most ideal treat after a long day of skiing in the winter at Whistler.

This is one of the most satisfying dinner I’ve had in a while in terms of the food. The service is not as good as the restaurants in Vancouver but the server was still friendly. This restaurant would be my first choice among all the restaurants in Whistler.

The Sunday streets of Vancouver were tranquil and clean as always. I paid a casual visit to a familiar restaurant on 4^th avenue, Bistro Bistro.

Opened since 2007, Bistro Bistro has established a subtle reputation in Vancouver as the cozy kitchenette in Kitslano. The restaurant was particularly quiet in the late afternoon of last Sunday.

Greeted warmly by the manager of the restaurant, we sat at a table beside the window. I examined the menu carefully and a glass bottle of water was brought to the table. Most of the dishes on Bistro Bistro’s menu don’t change. The bold lettered dishes are the most popular ones. I decided to order the warm onion tart as appetizer, a Beouf Bourguignon and a Duck Confit with macaroni and cheese to share as main dishes.

While we waited for our dishes, warm baguette with olive dip and salted buttered were served. Traditionally, the baguette must be backed in a brick oven to keep its most original flavor. The baguette of Bistro Bistro is crispy and crunchy on the outside, but a little too tough inside. This might not tbe the most ideal baguette for elder people or traditional baguette lover, however, the olive dip is worth trying.

The warm caramelized onion tart came fairly quickly. It is my favorite dish among all the dishes that I’ve tried at Bistro Bistro. The tart shell is crispy and buttery and the baked stuffing is rich and delicious. If you are interested in trying to cook this dish at home, the recipe is open to you too.

The boeuf bourguignon is cooked slowly in a big casserole. Traditionally, boeuf bourguignon is cooked with red Burgundy wine in a stew and added pearl onion and mushroom before served. The boeuf bourguignon is extremely tender, as I had to use a spoon to scoop the savory beef onto my plate.

The duck confit was placed on a bed of creamy macaroni and cheese that was baked in a shallow casserole. Macaroni and cheese is first mentioned in an old English cookbook, but later became popular throughout North America. Macaroni and cheese is evidently not a traditional French pasta, but having the crispy duck confit with soft, gooey macaroni is a wise combination by the chef.

Finally, after overloaded amount of carbohydrate, we decided to order the chocolate mousse for dessert. It was not the wisest choice after equally overloaded amount of oil but the mousse is a popular dessert because it is freshly made in the restaurant.

Overall, the dinning experience is quite pleasant considering the portion of the dishes are on the small side but the quality is decent. The price is a acceptable for a French bistro and the service is excellent.

—Sunshine Windbell

Through the sky, the bird becomes golden

Archive

The Secret Hearth of Comfort in Whistler – RimRock Café

The Modest Kitchenette of Vancouver – Bistro Bistro

Follow “Sunshine Windbell”