Tag Archives: Waterfront

Arc

Click to add a blog post for ARC Restaurant - Fairmont Waterfront on Zomato So for my birthday, I wanted to host it originally at Mosaic Grille since I liked the restaurant when I went there before with Sheepie. Unfortunately, they only had a 3 course menu for $52 + 18% gratuity + tax per person for large groups. I didn’t want the restriction on the menu and the cost per person (I wanted choices!), so reluctantly, I declined and searched elsewhere. I usually pick places that I’ve been to, but for this occasion, I happened to come across Arc through online reviews. It looked really nice and had pretty good reviews.
When I phoned up, the gentleman told me that they were already booked that evening for 7pm, so they only had 5pm or after 8pm. After having to change the venue, I didn’t also want to start changing the time on everyone, so I declined. However, he was persistent, and told me that they can work something out. They seem to also do set menus for large groups, but he was also selling me on the fact that they would also be able to do a la carte, though with the other groups reserved, it may take some time for the food to come out. I was sold by his enthusiasm and accepted.
We had the tables by the back of the restaurant which was nice since we had more privacy, and was away from the live music. My friend loved the singer/pianist, but it was a bit loud and made it difficult to hear our conversations, so the distance was good.

idearabbit-arc1The restaurant had great high ceilings and high-end decor. The ground to ceiling glass all along one side let natural light in, and the view of Canada Place and the waters was really nice and romantic. Seating and tables were comfortable. Staff were professional and courteous. Our server Arvin was excellent. My friends also complimented that the service was very good. It was interesting to see so many babies at the restaurant. Not only did my party have a baby, but the two other table close by also had each had babies. All of them were well behaved.

idearabbit-arc3For drink, I ordered the Ginger Iced Tea, after seeing one of my friend order one, I was drawn in. I didn’t know until my bill came later that this non-alcoholic drink was a whopping $9! I know this is a high-end restaurant, but 9 bucks for ginger ale and ice tea? I thought that was way overpriced.

idearabbit-arc2Complimentary buns were served with whipped butter and tomato jam. The buns were warm and nice bite-sized. I had it with the garlic butter and it was delicious. Arvin was very generous with the bread so with had more than enough for the table. One girl said she really liked them so she had 3. I think I had 3 too…lol.

idearabbit-arc4I ordered a Green Salad $12 (which was not on the menu), but our server mentioned it, so I had one. As the name implies, it was full of greens. It has some mozzarella slices with sunflower seeds, but it lacked the flavours that I usually expect from salads. It was a bit too plain for me, and wished I had ordered a different salad from the menu. However, it was a good portion.

idearabbit-arc5For my main course, I had the Seared BC Halibut $36 with clam chowder, kelp, pork belly, spinach and purple potato. Overall, it was too salty for me which made eating a bit difficult. I almost wanted some long rice or veggies along the side to dilute the saltiness. The pork belly were small bits like bacon bits. There were about 4-6 clam chowder. I have never had purple potato – more like black actually, but tasted pretty much like other small potatoes. Presentation was very good, and the portion was pretty decent.

Comments from others:
Mushroom Bisque $12: “Huge! Tastes delicious.”
Caramelized Brussel Sprouts $5: “Really good.” I thought for $5, it was a pretty large dish. A great deal.
Poached Coastal Salmon $28: “Very good.”
Braised Pork Cheek and Seared Scallop: “Good.”
Glazed Duck Breast $30: “It was soooooo good.” “Very good.” “it was ok, it was too raw when I asked for medium, so I had it taken back to the kitchen to be cooked a bit more.”
Pemberton Beef Ribeye: $33 “Delicious. Good portion, surprisingly large. The second piece was too rare, so I had it cooked again.” Another girl was really interested in her dish and seemed like she’d wished she had ordered the Ribeye.
Pemberton Beef Tenderloin $36: “Yes, it was pretty good.”

Overall, the atmosphere and service was superb. Presentation and portions of the food was surprisingly generous. Taste for the salad and fish was not as ‘wow’ as the rest, but I was kind of distracted most of the time talking to everyone. I was however, quite full at the end and didn’t even have room for dessert. Others really liked the restaurant too. A bit pricey for most of us, so it was a nice occasion to try out the restaurant together and to celebrate my birthday. :)

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Leonidas

Leonidas on UrbanspoonA small cafe that specializes in chocolate. Almost hidden amongst other stores near Convention Centre, it’s really easy to miss. They said they were there for 3 years, but I don’t think the shop itself is that young. Apparently, all the chocolate is shipped all the way from Belgium! Wow!! However, when Sheepie ordered 3 chocolate pieces, it came to $3, so about the same price range as Thomas Haus or Chocolate Arts. I still prefer Gem Chocolates.

They also had special muffins and gelato. The staff were very friendly. I once ordered a Chai Latte which was ok. Another time I ordered the Organic African Nector tea, though they shouldn’t get any credit for that since it was from Mighty Tea brand. Has such good aroma! But thanks Leonidas for introducing me to this tea. Now I’m looking for them at grocery stores lol.

A nice cafe, but in an inconvenient location, though maybe they get more traffic during the summer season.

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Organic African Nector tea. Love the glass cup!

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Weird! Washroom with TV that’s one the same wall as the toilet?! I guess it’s only meant for men?

 Taste: carrotcarrotcarrot     Price for Value: carrotcarrotcarrot

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Miku

Miku Restaurant on UrbanspoonFirst Time for Dinner – just for two
We were looking for a higher end sushi place to go to, so I suggested Miku to Sheepie. Parking is a pain to find in the area, so we ended up with meter parking which turns out to be $9 for 90 minutes…holy moly…

Even from the exterior, we could tell that this was not your usual $5 for bento box restaurant. The door was thick and heavy, with the logo in the middle, which was in a circle that glowed red at the rims. Nice touch.

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As soon as you entered, there was a stand with host(ess) waiting to greet you and take you to your table. Once the host(ess) called out ‘Irrasshaimase!’ (welcome), and the staff in the open kitchen would all call out the same.

We were told a table was an hour wait… o_O but the bar was open. We decided ok, and were walking over the bar section when we noticed there was one table wit high chair that was available. We took that instead. All the tables were already set, the restaurant was modern, slick and had a nice atmosphere with dimmed lighting. Candles on the table made it very warm and romantic. Our server was very friendly and courteous.

Unsure of what to order, I ordered the Miku roll $18 because of it’s name. I figured that if the roll had their name on it, that it would be good. The staff took the time in explaining what each dish was. It was very rich in flavour, but of course not filling for the price. Sheepie ordered the Premium Nigiri $25 which had an assortment of nigiri sushi.  We both had tea, though we didn’t know that we would be charged for tea – $3 per person!! Ouch. We do get a tea pot each, but considering we both don’t drink that much, and the tea wasn’t all super duper, it was a bit too much.

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Miku roll $18 – salmon, crab, cucumber, sea urchin, rolled in flying fish roe, miku sauce

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Premium Nigiri $25

If you have been going to sushi places for a really good deal like I had been through my student years, be prepared to get less quantity for what you pay for! However, the quality is much better. We both had a pleasant dining experience, though we were far from being full :P

Second Time for Lunch – for a big group of 20
To reserve the private room was a bit of a hassle. They stated that 24 was the maximum number of people with a minimum order of $23 each, or $550 per group. Instead of being able to make the reservation with the host, Sheepie had to email and phone back and forth between a ‘event coordinator’, making it a bit complicated – perhaps the most complicated we had to deal to reserve for a group.

They offered a special menu, but we could not guarantee that all members would show up, which would then leave the inefficient funds to be paid (for the $550) by Sheepie. This was too much to do for a group of mostly strangers. So in the end, we ended up not booking the private room, and just reserving for 20 seats in the main area.

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Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi $16 idearabbit-miku12

idearabbit-miku13Saba Aburi Oshi Sushi $15

Still, it was very lovely. The tables were in the restaurant which was near the window looking out to the water and Canada Place. It had a great view, it was bright, modern and slick in this section, and excellent service. The table tops were granite, the chairs were comfortable and designerish lights hung from the ceiling.

After doing a bit of research this time and knowing that the aburi’s were their specialties,
I ordered the Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi $16. Wow!!! I simply love this dish! I was a bit jealous of others who ordered the Aburi $20 (a selection of aburi, roll and oshi sushi, 8 pieces), but one girl said that her favourite was the salmon one, so I guess I made the right choice. The salmon was rich in flavour and although there weren’t many pieces, after savouring each one, taking a minute to eat, you were really satisfied with the dish. I think my belly was too. My friend ordered the Saba Aburi Oshi Sushi $15 and it had a good charcoal taste. Simpler than the salmon, but excellent. My friend looooved it.

They’re not cheap! But the experience, the view, the service and of course the food is well worth it. I didn’t think too much of it the first time – perhaps it was because I didn’t order their signature aburi dishes, but coming the second time has made it onto my ‘good sushi restaurants to go list’. We were worried that we may get complaints from the group that we took there for being a bit expensive since we had always gone to average or cheap priced places, but everyone loved the food and experience, to the point that many others wanted more restaurants like that to go to.
Love to go back!

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