Admittedly, in my Dine Out Vancouver 2025 shortlist, H2 Kitchen + Bar at Westin Bayshore wasn’t on my radar. But I went to a tasting to try its $38 menu, and it was such good value! Reasonable price and generous portions. Let me tell you more.
Food
For appetizer, you can choose from Chicken & Corn Chowder or Kale & Quinoa Salad. Both were of substantial size! The Chicken & Corn Chowder was topped with a piece of puff pastry. It had lots of ingredients in the chowder, and there were big chunks of chicken.
The Kale & Quinoa Salad looked almost like an entree size. The tahini dressing was creamy, though mildly flavoured, but Mr. appreciated that it wasn’t over-dressed. And I liked the fried chick peas and sunflower seeds for texture.
For entree, we ordered the Smoked Beef Cheek and Country Fried Chicken Steak. They also have a vegetarian option in Butternut Squash Gnocchi but we didn’t get to try it.
I highly recommend getting the Smoked Beef Cheek. It cut like butter and it’s sooooo tender. There were also two big pieces of them, too. I found the white bean puree rather unique, since I was expecting either mashed potatoes or parsnip puree. This was no doubt my favourite of the two entrees.
The Country Fried Chicken Steak was also tasty and the gravy was flavourful. The crust was crispy (where it’s not covered by the gravy) and the chicken was juicy. The corn succotash and salad brought freshness to balance the dish.
By now, you should be quite full already so really, one order of the Banana Pudding can be shared by two. Lots of creamy texture from the banana, cake and whipped cream. I’m not a big banana person—another reason why I didn’t choose this menu to begin with—but I enjoyed it all the same.
Cocktails
Similar to our dinner at The Sequel, we decided to try the cocktails here instead of going for a beer or wine. We ordered Smoking Barrel, Fig & Strawberry Spritz and H2 Revolver. Out of the three cocktails, I would suggest getting the Smoking Barrel if you like a smokey Old Fashioned. It reminds us of a camping bonfire. It also has the best presentation.
The Fig and Strawberry Spritz was interesting. I tasted more fig than strawberry, and be warned, the balsamic reduction can be quite potent, especially towards the bottom. I would suggest asking them for a straw so you can stir it around to mix it better. Then, the H2 Revolver, I’d say, is their take on an espresso martini. It’s not a creamy one but it had lots of espresso flavour.
Final Thoughts
I feel that a lot of hotel restaurants in Vancouver go for a high end concept, so H2 Kitchen + Bar stands out to me as being more approachable and that is a plus for locals like me. Its regular menu includes items from the smoke pit that I have enjoyed in the past. For Dine Out, H2 wasn’t going for fancy dinner plates but they offer you great value for your money, and I think as a customer, I appreciate that so I can save some money for another dinner out ðŸ¤
H2 Kitchen + Bar at The Westin Bayshore
1601 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver
www.h2restaurant.com
Disclaimer: The meal was complimentary but the opinions are entirely my own.
VanFoodies.com 