Fishworks [Dine Out Vancouver 2013]

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Fishworks [Dine Out Vancouver 2013]

January 21, 2013 by Joyce

Dine Out Vancouver officially kicked off on January 18 and right away I started on the eating. Typically, downtown is the destination to go for Dine Out, but a number of North Shore restaurants have some tempting menus and so, we decided to venture out. On this first night of DOV, my parents and I went to Fishworks in North Vancouver.

Dine Out at Fishworks

Food

Since there were 3 of us, it was the perfect opportunity to try every dish on the DOV menu. Let’s start with the appetizers.

The Dungeness Crab was probably the tastiest of the three. It was a coconut soup with a crab claw in its perfect form. The soup was creamy, reminding me of Thai curry with lots of coconut milk. I could also taste a hint of heat in the soup.

Dungeness crab – in coconut soup with enoki mushrooms

The Qualicum Beach Scallops was the most creative appetizer. When you expect to see a couple of nicely seared scallops on a plate, you got this Vietnamese salad roll. Instead of noodles, it’s filled with pickled julienne cucumber. They only used one scallop, sliced in half to put in the roll. It’s refreshing, but I found this to be a bit too vinegary for my taste.

Qualicum Beach Scallops – Vietnamese style salad roll with tamarind , cucumber ponzu

The Organic Beet Salad, as expected, was an ordinary beet salad. They changed it up by using yogurt as the dairy component instead of goat cheese. It’s more tangy this way, but it’s a welcomed change. There was probably a bit too much yogurt though.

Organic beet salad – yogurt dressing, toasted cashews, balsamic reduction

As for entrees, the best value of all was the Duck Breast. Not only did it come with a big slice of duck breast, but also a portion of a duck leg. The duck breast may be a bit too pink for my liking, but I liked the crispy skin. And the sauce, was awesome! It was rich, savoury yet sweet; went very well with the meat. The honey roasted carrots were tender, nicely glazed – definitely consider making it as a side dish in the future.

Crispy duck breast – honey roasted carrot

The Ling Cod was also pretty good. The fish was flaky and cooked well. I would’ve preferred crispy skin, but it wouldn’t go well with the broth. I liked that they used endive and radish, which added texture and a slight bitterness to the dish.

Ling Cod – Jerusalem artichoke and winter vegetable nage

Our least favourite, surprisingly, was the Lobster Tail. The size wasn’t an issue because we fully expected it to be small given that it’s on a budget menu. But according to my dad, the flavour just wasn’t quite there. And they didn’t pair it with a sizable side. There just wasn’t enough food on the plate.

Nova Scotia lobster – smoked bacon, chowder sauce

To compensate for the little amount of food my dad got, and was prompted and forewarned by our server, we ordered some Pommes Frites on the side. This costs an extra $5. Money well spent. They were fresh out of the fryer, so it’s piping hot and crispy. There was also a generous portion of fries. The truffle emulsion made a nice dipping sauce even though I tasted mostly garlic and not so much truffle.

Pommes Frites with Truffle Emulsion

And finally, no dessert disappointed us. The Chocolate Mousse was a standard affair, and we were glad that it’s light and airy and not very sweet. We could use some more of the raspberry sauce.

Callebaut Chocolate Mousse – fresh raspberries

The Cheesecake is made with mascarpone cheese so it’s lighter in taste than the regular cream cheese-based ones. I didn’t really like the crust because it’s too coarse, but the cheesecake was smooth and creamy. Could do without the caramel apple on top.

Cheesecake – mascarpone, caramel apple

Lastly, the Poached Pear was my favourite dessert. It was nice and warm, contrasted with the cold vanilla ice cream. It’s poached in a cinnamon syrup which also went really well with the ice cream. I also liked the crunch of the toasted hazelnuts.

Poached pear – toasted hazelnut vanilla ice cream

Service

Note that each DOV reservation is allotted just under 2 hours of dining time. No worries, the service was very efficient, so you can enjoy the dinner without feeling being rushed.

Fishworks interior

By the way, don’t miss out on the yummy truffle chocolate that comes with the bill. They are really good!

Yummy truffle chocolate

Final Thoughts

For $28, I thought this menu is of great value. It offers a good variety of dishes, and for the most part, they are all interesting dishes (minus the beet salad). Food quality was pretty good, and service was decent. The restaurant is located just 2 blocks from Lonsdale Quay so it’s quite easy to get to even on transit. I would recommend this restaurant for Dine Out, or for a regular visit.