For foodies, Vancouver is known for the beautiful seafood produced in the Pacific Northwest. And if you have time for only one place for the ultimate seafood experience in the city, you must visit Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar and order their Seafood Tower at, which only costs $65. If you have a party of 4, the deal is even sweeter at $108. Created by the award-winning Chef Alex Chen and his team, this collection of oysters, mussels, prawns, crab legs, and tuna tataki is visually impressive and satisfactory for any palate ready for the freshest seafood.
The popular seafood restaurant at Vancouver’s iconic Sutton Place Hotel certainly has a great year in 2018. Sweeping 3 big wins at the Vancouver Restaurant Awards, including “Best Seafood”, “Best Upscale”, and the most admirable one, “Chef of the Year” crowned on Chen, the restaurant has finally established as one of the most critically acclaimed eateries in Vancouver since it first opened its doors 4 years ago.
I had tried the seafood tower in 3 separate occasions and they were all great experiences.
Compared to the first visit 2 years ago, I found so much more finesse in the seafood preparation at the 2 visits this year. I wow’d my visiting friend Will from San Francisco with the tower in the late summer. The tower for 2 certainly makes an over-the-top brunch option on the beautiful sunny patio. Although we did not get the option for the whole two-pound lobster ($65), I had made it a goal for the next visit.
The latest visit was honoured with the company of my foodie friend Maggi and her lovely friend Ali. And we did get the whole lobster!
Each dish on the tower was prepared with attention to detail. The wild sidestripe shrimp complemented with Spanish ham, the albacore tuna takaki garnished with kelp and nori, the read island mussel escabèche tasting refreshing from the citrus, and the dungeness crab louie being a classic with vibrant greens, as well as the snow crab legs, wild shrimps, Salt Spring Island mussels, and plum and juicy local premium oysters. We were in for a fine treat!
The verdict for the whole lobster? It was perfectly cooked but it was a little smaller than I expected. One of two claws was under developed and had no meat in it. For the wow factor it definitely works amazingly as the the crown jewel. However, it was a lot to be enjoyed for the value.
The best part was sitting at the oyster bar, which is indeed the best seats of the house, where you can see how those seafood towers are assembled.
For the pairing wine, we chose a bottle of the Vaporetto Prosecco Extra Seco. A dry bubble wine is always the perfect match for fresh seafood, and it works beautifully here.
We really loved the corn bread in the bread basket.
We also watched the line cooks prepare the seafood dishes for the tasting menu. So my goal for the next visit is the Tasting Menu ($108).
Final thoughts
$$$
rating: 4.5/5
Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar
845 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K6
(604) 642-2900 or boulevardvancouver.ca
