Vancouver Restaurants

Blue Water Café

#161 of 625 things to do in Vancouver

#38 of 364 seafood restaurants in North America

2 reviews | Write a review

Good for: Romance, atmosphere, food, Groups, service

  • Address
    • 1095 Hamilton St
  • Transport
    • Yaletown-Roundhouse
  • Website
  • Phone
    • 604 688 8078
  • Price
    • mains $22-44
  • Hours
    • 5pm-midnight

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Lonely Planet review for Blue Water Café

Under the expert eye of chef Frank Pabst, this high-concept seafood restaurant has become Vancouver’s best posh oyster bar and the pinnacle of Yaletown fine dining. House music gently percolates through the brick-lined, cobalt-blue interior, while seafood towers, arctic char and BC sablefish grace the tables inside and on the patio outside. If you feel like an adventure, head for the semicircular raw bar and watch the whirling blades prepare delectable sushi and sashimi, served with the restaurant’s signature soya-seaweed dipping sauce.

 

Traveller reviews for Blue Water Café (2)

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    Overrated

    tinshuey does not recommend this,

    After reading all the hype I expected more. The menu is pedestrian, with few choices in the entree department. I glanced at the sushi menu, but wasn't impressed: it didn't seem much different from the standard fare you'd find at any sushi restaurant. Overall, everything we ordered was fresh and well prepared, but otherwise unexceptional.

    We started with a selection of fresh oysters, accompanied by a red wine mignonette and freshly grated horseradish, which was nice. The entree menu posed the greatest challenge for us, as there were so few items to choose from. There wasn't a single salmon entree. The only place we saw salmon was in the small plates section and it was a salmon terrine; try as I might, I couldn't stop imagining an overturned tin of my cat's Fancy Feast on a stark white plate. The only thing that seemed remotely interesting was the sable-fish, but I declined to order it, as it came in a miso glaze with baby bok choy, which is how I always do it at home. In the end we decided to order off the menu and chose a selection of fresh grilled scallops, prawns and steamed crab: sort of the same thing one could order at a Mom and Pop seafood place, only fresher and better prepared albeit a whole lot more expensive.

    Overall, the service was great, the seafood expertly prepared if a tad boring. What I'd like to see is some more choice in the entree department, some sort of seafood hotpot, bouillabaisse or cioppino would be nice. It's the sort of place I might send a landlocked country bumpkin to, but never a sophisticated seafood aficionado.

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    Outstanding Service!

    jiggins recommends this,

    The service really made the dinner here a memorable one - their engaging service provided an experience that created a great night out. The food is to die for. The portion sizes are great - not too small as can sometimes be expected in find dining restaurants. The quality of the seafood was great. The food combined with the service and relaxing atmosphere really created an experience that had left me wanting to return again!

    Good for: Romance, atmosphere, food, Groups, service

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