greatchefgreat food. the apron restaurant
3099 corvette way, richmond
tel: 604-303-6565
web: http://www.westinvancouverairport.com/dining
details: complimentary valet parking available, also offers a 5, 7, and 9 tasting menu. located inside the westin wall centre vancouver airport hotel.
it's a modern, casual bistro feeling restaurant (versus fine dining) with a bar area and also serves more simple cuisine. we saw a burger and pizza being served at the bar that also looked very tasty.
we went to the apron restaurant last night and it was very memorable. we had the tasting menu and all the dishes we had were excellent. the real stand outs were the:
- sunchoke soup. we love sunchoke. it was beautifully presented in the bowl with an amazing stock served separately.
- puffed foie gras with apple quince puree demonstrated executivechefhamid's passion for molecular gastronomy which transformed foie, which can be heavy, to something amazingly light and flavourful. the texture is unlike any other foie dish we have experienced before. we are fans of foie and have had it in many restaurants in canada and europe including france and spain. the warm house-made brioche was delicious.
- pan-roasted scallop with an aromatic coconut curry froth and basmati rice was a concert of spice, rich flavour and texture. the scallop was perfectly cooked with great carmelization. we rarely find restaurants who can cook them to this standard. an unbelievable dish.
- lobster with the house-made gnocchi and morels was sublime; the sauce so delicious you will want bread to help you get every last drop. it takes hours to create a sauce so intense.
- salmon was slow cooked and moist with very a flavourful house-made chorizo with roasted peppers, olives and fennel.
- braised lamb with couscous, red bean puree, grilled scallions & dry lime parsley foam offered a variety of textures and unusual flavours that worked well together.
- shattered baklava with pistachio ice cream and peaches. we loved the crispy texture of the deconstructed baklava. it was light and tasty without the traditional heavy sugar/honey syrup.
chef hamid is focussed on sourcing the best local products whenever possible. we located a posting online from someone at vancouverfoodster.com/tag/executive-chef-hamid-salimian and you will find pics of a similar menu to what we had. the food is truly edible art.
many restaurants have forgotten that sauces, reductions, etc. are accompaniments to compliment a dish and are essential for a full experience. it is labour intensive and requires creativity and planning. we would rather have less and have these accompaniments as this is what moves the dining experience to the next level. we have had the pleasure of dining in some top-ranked restaurants in the world and the food executivechefhamid salimian is preparing is of this level.
if you want artful presentation, molecular gastronomy/innovation, excellent flavour and thoughtful execution, we highly recommend you try award-winning executivechefhamid's food at the apron. we believe he is one of the best chefs in vancouver!