Diva at the Met

A GuestLife Vancouver
Great Restaurant

There are three words that best express Diva at the Met: artistry, passion and inspiration. The concept, the cuisine and the team embody them, keeping Diva at the forefront of Vancouver’s fine dining scene. At the heart of downtown Vancouver’s business and shopping district, Diva, one of Vancouver’s most-awarded dining rooms, attracts a wide strata of diners from hotel guests and business regulars to lovers of fine cuisine.

From the bar and lounge area at the entry, the dining room unfolds tier-by-tier to three open levels of seating, affording diners views of the impressive Waldorf-style open kitchen. Décor is understated, simultaneously elegant and casual, and attention to quality and detail is evident at every turn: walls are pale wood artfully accented with glass, marble and bronze. In warm weather, it’s hard to top Diva’s flower-bedecked patio, overlooking Howe Street and all the action, for lunch or winding down after work.

Some of the best chefs in the business have helmed Diva’s kitchen including Bocuse d’Or competitors, Culinary Team Canada members, an Iron Chef challenger, and Canadian Chef of the Year. It’s no surprise that Diva has won countless culinary awards including Restaurant of the Year. Indeed, these are great accolades but each succeeding chef feels challenged to top his predecessors’ achievements.

Remarkably, they do. Executive Chef Ray Henry together with Restaurant Chef Damon Campbell are a formidable combination. Chef Henry said of his talented crew, “I try to harness their passion. Not only do they make my work simple, it’s an honour to do the job.” Diva’s cuisine is West Coast Canadian with French and global influences that appear on the menu in appetizers like the ethereal and memorable Truffled Lobster Gnocchi with Lobster Emulsion. “This one will be on the menu as long as guests keep complimenting it and ordering it,” says Henry. Other hits: Dungeness Crab Salad with marinated orange & artichoke hearts, Smoked Alaskan Black Cod and a head-turning Braised Lamb Shank. Desserts are masterful creations that have been voted Vancouver’s best last course consecutively for the past six years. Menus change four times a year with regular updates as fresh seasonal ingredients come to market. Add in regular winemaker dinners and the daily six-course dinner tasting menus ($75, $40 for wine pairings) and it’s easy to see how Diva’s creative — and competitive — kitchen brigade stays fresh.

Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Organic Field Greens
slow roasted tomato shallot fondue, toasted pumpkin seeds, tomme de chevre, banyuls vinaigrette

Citrus-Cured Hamachi Carpaccio and B.C. Side Stripe Shrimp
carbonated citrus fruit, sake marinated steelhead caviar, cucumber foam

Roasted Young Garlic and Watercress Soup
Parmigiano Reggiano mousse

Aromatic Confit Pork Cheek
spiced basmati rice, pineapple mango chutney, split curry vinaigrette

Seared Alaskan Scallops
chorizo sausage, orzo & tomato ragout, saffron lobster broth

Entrées

Butternut Squash Agnolotti
wild mushroom ragout, truffle oil, roasted garlic emulsion

Crispy Seared Trout
Dungeness crab & basil ravioli, artichoke nage

Smoked Alaskan Black Cod
Yukon gold potato & celeriac purée, fennel marmalade, matsutake foam

Diva Spiced Venison Loin
savoury thyme clafoutis, poached seckle pear, caramelized endive, cassis, venison sauce

Braised Lamb Shank, Sweetbread and Foie Gras Sausage
truffled pommes purée, crispy onion, lamb braising jus

Canadian Prime Beef Tenderloin With Oxtail Bone Marrow Crust
stuffed Yukon gold potato, forest mushrooms, natural jus

Desserts

The Thomas Haas Signature Chocolate Bar
bittersweet chocolate fondant, praline crust, “Sparkle” cookie and chocolate sorbet

Lemon and Raspberries
caramelized lemon meringue, minted Meyer lemon confit, raspberry vanilla gelée, lemon sorbet

Stilton and Rhubarb
caramelized Stilton cheesecake, rhubarb port compote

Best of the Cellar

White Wines

Louis Roederer “Cristal ” Champagne 1999

Kistler Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast 2001

Blue Mountain Reserve Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley 2003

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2005

Louis Jadot Clos De La Garenne Chablis, Puligny-Montrachet 1998

Joh Jos Prum,Graacher Himmelreich, Spatlese, Mosel 2002

Château D’YQuem, Sauternes 1996

Red Wines

Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 1996

Penfolds Grange, Shiraz, South Australia 1998

Justin Vineyards Isosceles (Cab Sauv/Merlot/Cab. Franc), Paso Robles 1999

Signorello Las Amigas Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Carneros 1996

Château Angelus,Saint Emillion 1995

Antinori Solaia, IGT’s & Super Tuscans, 2001

pictured: Seared Alaskan Scallops, chorizo sausage, orzo & tomato ragout, saffron lobster broth

Diva at the Met
Metropolitan Hotel Vancouver
645 Howe Street,
Vancouver
(604) 602-7788

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