Superb Seafood Dinner, Superb Unique Setting
July 29, 2010
-Photo by Hamid Attie-
It was perfect in every respect.
The setting - False Creek north, right on the water, a gorgeous sunset, later a rising moon and fireworks from the Celebration of Light.
The venue - the world's first sustainable floating dining room, capable of seating 12 people that is floating on a base of 1,675 plastic two-litre bottles built into its frame.
The food - a sumptious and elegant sustainable dinner paired with biodynamic or organic wines. The food prepared by top chef Robert Clark of C Restaurant.
The objective - to raise $100,000 for the non-profit School of Fish Foundation that intends to persuade culinary schools throughout the world to include a comprehensive sustainable seafood course as a requirement before their students graduate.
Most everything surrounding this project is being donated whether it is materials, food or labour.
Our first course, two spot prawns that were flash frozen, giving lie to the tale that they must be fresh. They were excellent, the sunomono dressing poured over the prawn from a frozen ice cube that looked like a frosted shot glass. On one side of the dish, finely sliced strips of crisp crunchy cucumber, on the other side the same technique only with radishes. A thing of beauty to behold and eat.
The ultra rare scallop finished at the table with a dashi broth was large and meaty, with a dense texture, topped with white and black sesame seeds and tiny pieces of enoki mushrooms. The hearty hot dashi broth completed the cooking process when poured over the scallop. Wonderful.
Farmed tilapia with a lobster saffron cream, topped with a red sockeye caviar was excellent. The fish was firm and not at all mushy as a lot of tilapia tends to be. The accompanying spinach was perfectly cooked.
The saffron cream with tiny morsels of lobster gave the fish an elegance and panache verging on the sublime.
Northern B.C. Coho salmon was the direct opposite. This was rustic cooking at its best.
Smashed peas with that garden-fresh taste, paired with Israeli cous cous, tiny little pearls, hearty and rustic, and small pieces of Chorizo sausage, totalled up to a soul satisfying dish, the final piece of deliciouness being a small dab of orange sauce over the fish.
A B.C. Tiger blue cheese from Poplar Grove, pungent and aromatic, paired with a creamy smooth Romala cheese from Naramata in the Okanagan came with a with blueberry and apricot compote and a bit of honey. Two pieces of crisp
toast-like points, served well as resting place for that delicious cheese and compote.
Dessert was a Berry Fool - diced blueberries, raspberries, strawberries enveloped in a beautiful creme anglaise. The berries served in a round box made of phyllo pasty with a phyllo top. Small chocolate shavings on the box top added another dimension to this already delightful tasting extravaganza.
If you would like to reserve a seat for an upcoming evening, or the entire dining room for a private party, call 778-997-6977.
Tickets will be priced at $195 until July 31 and then will go to $215 after that.
The dining room is shut down at the end of September when it will be recycled.
If you want to know more about the School of Fish Foundation just click here.
Here is the video showing the floating dining room being built
Take It Easy On These Unique And Modern Benches
You've been walking around for quite some time.
Your feet are aching and you need to rest.
And then you spot a bench where you can relax and rejuvenate.
And we have discovered some benches for you that are out of the ordinary and in fact, are extraordinary.
