I don't normally rave about restaurants but I'll make an exception in this case.
I'm presently coming to the end of a five week stint in Vancouver and whilst there is plenty of choice for dining in this incredible city La Terazza stood out yesterday evening.
So there I was walking around downtown last night, in the Yale Town district to be precise, feeling a tad peckish. In front of me I spy a concrete and glass tower block (not unusual here) with a restaurant attached. I figured I'd go in and have a beer and if it wasn’t any good I could leave.
The interior is a night and day difference from the exterior, very nicely appointed in walnut tones and leather. I opted to sit at the bar and have my exploratory beer and glance over the menu. Now I will say the menu is not extensive but there was plenty of choice.
I ended up with Portobello mushrooms sautéed in truffle oil and wrapped in filo as a starter, which was sublime. That was followed with a rack of lamb that was one of the best cuts of this type I've ever seen.
Almost as an afterthought I asked to see the wine list and I wish I had done so before I ordered as I could have spent an hour going over the massive bound tome I was handed.
The connoisseurs among you should check it out http://www.laterrazza.ca/pages/bottle.html I was quite impressed. Apparently the cellar has around a million dollars (Canadian) sat there at any one time.
I ended up with some Canadian cheeses and several glasses of port and was quite sozzled by the end of the meal. My dining companions (or rather the three other guys at the bar) turned out to be professional hockey players for the Vancouver Canuks which surprised me as they were drinking last night and they have a game today.
Oh and finally as I was working on my cheese and port and very (and I do mean very) drunken man staggered out of a wine tasting group that was being held in a function room and out the door into the night. I thought he looked familiar, it turned out to be an ex CEO of the company I currently work for. The so and so reneged on a stock option agreement I had at the time so I did debate following him outside for a bit of a chat but thought better of it as it would have ruined a great night (and the issue was settled long ago but it still irritates me to this day).
If you are in Vancouver then give it a try, I'll wager you won’t be disappointed.
I'm presently coming to the end of a five week stint in Vancouver and whilst there is plenty of choice for dining in this incredible city La Terazza stood out yesterday evening.
So there I was walking around downtown last night, in the Yale Town district to be precise, feeling a tad peckish. In front of me I spy a concrete and glass tower block (not unusual here) with a restaurant attached. I figured I'd go in and have a beer and if it wasn’t any good I could leave.
The interior is a night and day difference from the exterior, very nicely appointed in walnut tones and leather. I opted to sit at the bar and have my exploratory beer and glance over the menu. Now I will say the menu is not extensive but there was plenty of choice.
I ended up with Portobello mushrooms sautéed in truffle oil and wrapped in filo as a starter, which was sublime. That was followed with a rack of lamb that was one of the best cuts of this type I've ever seen.
Almost as an afterthought I asked to see the wine list and I wish I had done so before I ordered as I could have spent an hour going over the massive bound tome I was handed.
The connoisseurs among you should check it out http://www.laterrazza.ca/pages/bottle.html I was quite impressed. Apparently the cellar has around a million dollars (Canadian) sat there at any one time.
I ended up with some Canadian cheeses and several glasses of port and was quite sozzled by the end of the meal. My dining companions (or rather the three other guys at the bar) turned out to be professional hockey players for the Vancouver Canuks which surprised me as they were drinking last night and they have a game today.
Oh and finally as I was working on my cheese and port and very (and I do mean very) drunken man staggered out of a wine tasting group that was being held in a function room and out the door into the night. I thought he looked familiar, it turned out to be an ex CEO of the company I currently work for. The so and so reneged on a stock option agreement I had at the time so I did debate following him outside for a bit of a chat but thought better of it as it would have ruined a great night (and the issue was settled long ago but it still irritates me to this day).
If you are in Vancouver then give it a try, I'll wager you won’t be disappointed.
