Have you ever experienced a meal so delicious, so elegant, so unique, that you can’t picture yourself dining any other way, ever again? That’s what happened to this spoiled traveler at Hawksworth Restaurant and honestly, I’m still drooling over it!
For my birthday, I decided to plan an impromptu trip to visit one of my dearest friends in Vancouver, Canada. Since I was traveling solo (my first international trip without my husband, mind you), we planned for adventure and quite a bit of debauchery.
However, we also wanted to experience an evening of elegance and refined indulgence. One that her and I would remember as one of the best lady dates imaginable.
After researching the variety of fine-dining options in Vancouver, we landed on Hawksworth Restaurant, an award-winning restaurant and five-time winner of Best Upscale Restaurant in Vancouver Magazine’s Restaurant Awards, featuring some of North America’s ultimate master’s of contemporary Canadian cuisine.
We entered the Rosewood Georgia Hotel, and while this grand hotel was not associated with Hawksworth, it delivered a grand preview of the atmosphere we would be dining in.
Upon entering Hawkworth, we cast our eyes upon the beautiful venue, presented in a minimal yet inviting decor. But the real surprise was inside the menu!
Chef David Hawksworth’s menu provides a variety of delicious options locally sourced and uniquely prepared. His culinary influences ranging from Europe to the United States to East Canada. And while we knew we were in for a treat based on the restaurant’s reputation, we had no clue we were in for such a mind-blowing evening of great service, tasty libations and excellent food.
Our first treat were two house cocktails, where our French waiter promptly listed the evening specials with detail and flair. This was followed by Canadian oysters (both East and West Coast), fish tartare topped with ink squid and sorbet and a special treat from the chef! And yes… another bottle of champagne.
Following our delicious appetizers came more champagne refills and our dinner. I enjoyed the parmesan crusted chicken with potato gnocchi and black truffle while my ‘date’ enjoyed the seared yellowfin tuna with anchovy tomato vinaigrette and parisienne gnocchi. Needless to say, these plates were completely polished clean.
And finally, my birthday treat: the vanilla bavarois with raspberry and meyer lemon. The perfect end to the perfect meal.
What struck a chord with us as we enjoyed our meal and endless drinking, was the attentiveness of the staff. From the incredibly knowledgable and friendly server to the enthusiastically efficient server assistants and the world-class sommeliers, the impeccable service could not be outmatched. Having previously been in the serving industry myself, I can say that I was overwhelmed with the professionalism and kindness of Hawksworth’s employees.
The final touch was the tour around the restaurant, wine room and kitchen, where we met our chef for the evening diligently preparing food for our fellow diners.
Our immaculate and intimate experience at Hawksworth Restaurant was one of the best dining experiences I’ve enjoyed to date!
