farmer's apprentice

thefarmer'sapprentice on west 6th - vancity's no. 1?. i love trying new things. whether it is new flavors, cuisine types, places with different ambiance. as a vancouverite, i also like to keep up with the happenings, so i follow vancity buzz since the traditional newspaper isn't really my thang.

upon reading this recent article, i had to try thefarmer'sapprentice. located on a small street on the west end of vancity, i would definitely call it a hidden gem. although, it is not so hidden anymore after this article.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/04/best-restaurants-vancouver-2014/

it has a small patio up front great for vancouver summers.

thefarmer'sapprentice had a nice atmosphere; open kitchen, small and cozy, and variety in the menu. the portions are small enough to try a few things, but big enough to share. i enjoyed my time dining here, and it is a great rising restaurant..(but to be honest, i'm not too sure about it being no. 1). i did enjoy the flavors of these dishes overall - it seemed more fusion than i would have imagined. my favorite dishes were the sweet gem oysters and olives, and my least favorite was the smoked octopus - i was actually a bit disappointed at the dryness of the texture as this was the dish i was really looking forward to. the staff were friendly, despite a small seating mix up. the restaurant opens at 5:30 pm, but i saw people lining up around 5 pm!

thefarmer'sapprentice had a nice atmosphere; open kitchen, small and cozy, and variety in the menu. the portions are small enough to try a few things, but big enough to share. i enjoyed my time dining here, and it is a great rising restaurant..(but to be honest, i'm not too sure about it being no. 1). i did enjoy the flavors of these dishes overall - it seemed more fusion than i would have imagined. my favorite dishes were the sweet gem oysters and olives, and my least favorite was the smoked octopus - i was actually a bit disappointed at the dryness of the texture as this was the dish i was really looking forward to. the staff were friendly, despite a small seating mix up. the restaurant opens at 5:30 pm, but i saw people lining up around 5 pm!

these pictures were taken years ago....well...2015.  decided to post them anyways since they have been in the drafts.  for my references if i want to go back in the future, since i am heading to vancouver soon~.farmer'sapprentice is at point w at places part 2 in the map below:.farmer'sapprentice restaurant - vancouver, canada

i was hoping that thefarmer'sapprentice would be the highlight during my week in vancouver as it was recommended by a local friend and several food bloggers, but i was kist sp disappointed. it might went down in my "travel to eat" memoir as one of the top 10 worst set menu meals i ever had.

booking via bookenda was easy and we got an instant confirmation. i already knew there are only set menu options with "omnivore" $55 and "herbivore" $50. since there were 2 of us, we ended up ordering both to share.

all i had to say that the chef worked too hard trying to bring different flavours and elements together without any balance in taste. i really appreciate how local and seasonal ingredients are used to create each dish. but the bottom line, the food has to taste good. i think the portion was fine as a taster menu as too much mediocre food just means too much food.

during the meal, we just kept asking ourselves why? why we paying for these? why we ended up eating here? did the chef taste the food? maybe we just not have the sophistication to understand?

the only thing we enjoyed was our dessert.... beewax ice cream, mutsu apple, milk was just so clean tasting and refreshing!

service was attentive and i love the small cozy vibe here. i just wish the food taste better.

thefarmer'sapprentice comes highly recommended, so of course we had to try. their prix fixe menus change seasonally, and are divided into omnivore and herbivore. our group of three all chose the omnivore set menu.service was excellent -- the server and kitchen were wonderfully accommodating when notified of dietary restrictions, and reworked some of the courses completely instead of simply excluding the ingredients. servers were also pretty knowledgeable about the dishes (which was helpful in many cases). portions were small, which was expected of a tasting menu, but the entire meal ended up being pretty filling. everything was fresh and prepared well, but opinions on the courses varied within our group. overall a satisfying experience, but we probably wouldn't recommend this to everyone.

last night was my first time atfarmer'sapprentice for dinner and unfortunately i don't think i'll be back. 3 friends and myself all ordered the tasting menu which went from good, to underwhelming to downright bad. the highlight was the amuse bouche which would best be described as a turnip taco which was fresh and super tasty, the chanterelles with green beans and corn which was brilliant and fresh but served at a temperature that was so blazingly hot that i almost spit it out. the fish course and salad course were both perfectly prepared but they left very little impression as i could really remember them today.

the two major fails in the meal were the beef course, which was served with a "thai style" salad. if i had to sum up the course in one word it would be "disgusting". there was so much mint in the dish that it was as if i had just licked a car air freshener, even after removing all of the mint that i could find it left a terrible taste in my mouth and ruined the course for me. fortunately the bread course was served directly after the meat course, the only downside to it was that it also served at a temperature so hot that i burnt my thumb picking it up off of the plate (i actually have a blister on my thumb  this morning), it also could have really benefited from some more salt and fell a little into the bland category. 

dessert was also just ok, a mint sorbet (i'ld already had my share of mint at that point) and sliver of peach (which could have benefited from having the skin removed, as it was quite difficult to eat with my teeny dessert spoon. 

the best part of the meal with the tiny bite of carrot cake that was served with the bill. it was probably one of the best things that i've ever eaten, and it was only a 1" square.

dinner with drinks came to about $100/person which is about right for that level of service but i think next time i will try someplace else.

excellent. have been tofarmer'sapprentice three times now. always great food and service, most plates designed to be shared. lots of creative dishes. casual and fun atmosphere. only complaint is the wine list is definitely overpriced.

incredibly poor service, deafening music. last christmas, i gave a $100farmer'sapprentice gift certificate to my husband. we had two meals there, lunch in february 2014 and brunch in may 2014. we were, on the whole, reasonably satisfied.
however, the brunch that i had today there with two friends was a disaster. my friends ordered omelettes which arrived in a reasonable length of time served by a member of the kitchen staff. my lunch never arrived. the lady manager, who took our order, was swishing around at the next table and after 15 minutes had not noticed that my friends had almost finished eating and i still had not been served. after 20 minutes, i signalled to her. she eventually came over to the table and asked what i wanted. i pointed to my empty place setting and only then, did she realize i had not been served. by the time my lunch arrived, my friends had finished. the r&b music was deafening and i asked 3 people to turn it down without success. i will not go back.

i've heard enough hype aboutfarmer'sapprentice that it was time to check it out. tucked on west 6th in a quiet area, it may take you a while to find it. once you do, you may question whether to go in given how small the place and its menu are. it does not help that their servers are not necessarily the warmest. but please do step in. the menu is limited, the prices are not cheap given the size of plates. the chef is creative, but again many creative chefs are popping up throughout the city. wherefarmer'sapprentice stands out is the taste of the food. you can taste the freshness and taste what you are actually eating as opposed to having all covered with salt and pepper. and they do use delicious salts and peppers but those bring the flavour of the food out as opposed to masking non-fresh produce and food. and don't miss on the cheese platter. the brunch menu looks fascinating and so are the sunday series which i don't understand how they work, but are very intriguing.farmer'sappr

disappointed. i am a visitor to vancouver from hong kong and my relative booked dinner for our family of 4 at thefarmer'sapprentice. we are a well travelled family and this particular dining experience rates as one of the worst - not because of the food, which we found interesting and unique but because of the poor service by our extremely rude waitress. she was blunt, defensive and dismissive of us- but when we observed her with other customers she made more effort to be pleasant. she even forgot one of our dishes and blamed us! we will never go there again. the management should look at training their staff to be courteous to all diners, regardless of race.

neil young on vinyl, cozy woodsy room weve found our new sweet spot.farmer'sapprentice , the new restaurant by david gunawan (formerly of wildebeest), feels much more like a gathering of friends to celebrate the harvest than just a simple evening out for dinner. the menu changes with the season, but acquaint yourself with the smoked castelvaerano olives ($4). the pork terrine ($10), braised with shaoxing wine and served with pickled vegetables, is a sumptuous start. a poached halibut ($19), served with artichoke barigoule and summer vegetables, warms the heart. save room for the beeswax ice cream ($8), served with apricots, alfalfa honey and granola, the perfect way to celebrate the summer's bounty. anya georgijevic 1535 west 6th, vancouver, 604-620-2070, http://farmersapprentice.ca © copyright 2014 email to a friend close « previous story next story»

best food and service in vancouver.farmer'sapprentice is the best food i have had in vancouver since moving here four years ago. i have been to the restaurant twice in the last week, and recommended it to everyone i know. they have creative, unique dishes that are well prepared and are not over the top. everything from the drink menu to the vegetable dishes, the braised meat to the dessert menu, is well thought-out and suits the rest of the menu and the ambience perfectly.
better yet, they have amazing service. the restaurant is small enough that all the employees help to serve the food and interact with guests, including the chefs, manager and hostess. everyone cares about the guest's experience and the food they are serving. at the end of the night, you can even see the manager, servers and hostesses help clean up in the kitchen with the chefs.
all together this is a great little place, it should be at the top of any vancouver foodie's list of best restaurants in the city.

exquisite. vancouver abounds with places in which you can buy a tasty meal. if you care about the sustainability and ethical sourcing of your ingredients you have to narrow your restaurants down to a few hundred. so what doesfarmer'sapprentice bring to the already blessed scene? a couple of young motivated and passionate people who care about food, the act of eating, and the people they serve it to. essentially, you are guaranteed a lovely meal and a sincere ambiance.