VA2007 - Bacchus

Old World Sophistication Meets Innovative Cuisine

Photos: Bruce Law
Seen Right: From left to right: Chef Lee Parsons, General Manager Philip Meyer, Food and Beverage Manager Gaetan Bottier.

The god of wine and revelry would be proud. This sumptuous dining room in the Wedgewood Hotel, recently voted Best Hotel Dining by Vancouver Magazine, continues to raise the bar of dining in this city to lofty levels. Imported Venetian light fixtures softly illuminate richly upholstered furniture and elegant antiques, while vintage wines and cognacs peek from behind the etched glass of cherry wood sideboards in a room that could be the setting for a Jane Austen novel. Food & Beverage Manager Gaëtan Bottier guides this ship with a steady hand, presiding over a room that oozes luxury from its every corner.

While the dining room exudes private club elegance and hospitality, the menu is a progressive one. Executive Chef Lee Parsons, a sturdy Brit whose storied career includes a stint in a two star Michelin restaurant in England, brings European panache to his bold and innovative cuisine. Smoked black cod and whisky soup and roasted Cornish game hen with local morels stand out on a menu committed to sourcing sustainable product and utilizing the very best seasonal ingredients.

A great meal can be elevated to the ethereal when there's an impressive wine list involved, and here Bacchus does not disappoint. Their selection (over 250 labels, yet easy to navigate) boasts a who's who of the usual suspects, but also demonstrates an affection for lesser-known vintners from emerging wine regions.

Lunch finds legal eagles flocking from the nearby law courts and businessmen pressing the flesh in custom tailored suits. At 5:00, the piano player begins tinkling the ivories, and the 60-seat lounge transforms into one of the liveliest cocktail destinations in the city, where every one of those elegant wingback chairs becomes a highly coveted piece of real estate.

Saturday and Sunday afternoon tea at Bacchus has become part of the Vancouver experience for locals and visitors alike. No trip to this city is complete without a taste of Chef Parsons' scones with Devonshire cream, served with loose-leaf teas and scrumptious finger sandwiches. Chef Parsons' British roots also shine through in a transcendent sticky toffee pudding with house made ice cream; perhaps the most definitively decadent dessert this city has to offer.

"I cook what I enjoy eating. If you're trying to fulfill someone else's ideal of flavour, you won't execute it to the highest standards. Good doesn't interest me," asserts Chef Parsons. "The sublime does."

Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Salad of Dungeness Crab
With Avocado and Ruby Grapefruit, chizo Leaf Beignets

Tartar of Ahi Tuna
With Saffron Sour Cream, Gazpacho Sauce, Basil Oil

Pressing of Quebec Foie Gras
With Organic Chicken, Veal Tounge and Shitaki Mushroom, Kumquat Marmalade

Ravioli of Smoked Sockeye Salmon
With spring vegetables

Veloute of Wild Leeks
With New Season Morels and Fava Beans

Entrées

Pan Seared Baja Scallops
Sweet Pea Risotto, Sweet Pea and Chervil Emulsion

Roasted Queen Charlotte Spring Salmon
Fricassee of Golden Chanterelles, Tomato and Basil Broth

Boneless Saddle of Grain Fed Rabbit
Dauphinoise Potato, Garden Vegetables, Mustard Cream, Red Wine Sauce

Roasted Loin of Lamb
With Crushed Peas, Parmentier Potatoes, Tomato and Tarragon Jus

Tenderloin of Milk Fed Veal and Slow Braised Cheek
Parsley RootPuree, Cippolini Onions, Boardalaise Style Sauce

Pot Roasted Breast of Game Hen
Boudin of Morels, Fresh Linguini, Morel Cream

Desserts

Selection of Artisan British Columbian Cheese

Coconut Milk Panna Cotta
Pineapple and Lime Soup

Dark Rum and Raisin Creme Brulee

Iced White Chocolate and Rosewater Parfait
Poached Rhubarb and Raspberries

Piquant Lemon and Lime Tart
Lemon Grass Sorbet

Poached Anjou Pear
With Vanilla Sable

Best of the Cellar

White Wines

Gray Monk “Odyssey” Gewürztraminer
Pentage Sauvignon Blanc
Cakebread Chardonnay
Conundrum
Covey Run Sauvignon Blanc
Pfaffenheim Tokay Pinot Gris Grand Cru
Cakebread Chardonnay 2002
Chartron et Trébuchet Mersault 2002
Château Smith Haut Lafitte Graves, Pessac Leognan 2001

Red Wines

Osoyoos Larose Merlot, Cabernet, Cabernet Franc 2002
Cedar Creek Cabernet, Platinum Reserve 2002
Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon, Hillside Select 1998
Sanford Pinot Noir
Signorello Cabernet Sauvignon
Domaine Leroy Richebourg, grand cru 1996
Château Du Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2001
Château Lafite Rothschild, Médoc, 1er cru classé 2001
Château Mouton Rothschild, Médoc 2000

Above: Boneless Saddle of Grain Fed Rabbit, dauphinoise potato, garden vegetables, fricassee of morels, red wine sauce, grain mustard • Salad of Dungeness crab and avaocado with ruby grapefruit

Bacchus
Wedgewood Hotel, 845 Hornby Street, Vancouver, B.C., 604-608-5319
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