The latest Dine Around by Tourism Richmond had us visiting 3 hotel restaurants: Harold’s Bistro and Bar at the Sheraton, Globe @ YVR Fairmont, and The Apron at the Westin Wall Centre.
- ^ 90-year-old Harold Cross
Harold’s Bistro and Bar, our first stop, was one of the most interesting restaurant branding stories I’ve encountered in a while.
Back in the summer of 2009, after the Sheraton took over the Best Western (formerly the historic Richmond Inn) on 7551 Westminster Highway, the hotel re-emerged after extensive renovations with a new look and a new restaurant. In a curious move (perhaps conceived at a corporate drumming retreat in Sedona?), the hotel’s management decided to name the new restaurant after a long-time customer who had been dining there everyday at noon for the past 35 years. They even kept menu items that have been around since the hotel first opened in the 1970s. Triple decker club anyone?
It’s hard to imagine, but if you exchange Ricardo Montalban’s character of Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island with a proud Diefenbaker-era regular joe and switch the tropical paradise with a updated 70’s styled hotel restaurant near the airport and you come close to the vibe of this place. If I was the Richmond version of Douglas Coupland and I was hiding from my editor on deadline day, I think I would totally hang out here and watch hockey.
- ^ Assortment of bar snacks: boneless dry pork ribs $10, mixed fries $7, vegetarian spring rolls $8, classic caesar $7
Harold’s Bistro and Bar
Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel
7551 Westminster Highway | Richmond
Tel: 604-273-7878
www.haroldsbistro.com
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What can I say about YVR that hasn’t already been said? It really is one of the most beautiful airports in the entire world, and if your flight is delayed and find you have some time to kill, the Fairmont Hotel’s Jetside Bar and Globe@YVR restaurant are the perfect places to do it.
- ^ Asparagus and Crab Salad with a parmesan-miso vinaigrette and quail egg
New executive chef, Geoffrey Carkner, only 2 days on the job when we arrived, freshly promoted from Fairmont Hotel Vancouver where he was the executive sous chef, was genuinely excited to present his two dishes and tell us about the organic garden his kitchen staff maintain at nearby Terra Nova Sharing Farm to grow herbs, vegetables, and edible flowers for the restaurant.
- ^ Peppered Honey-Glazed BC Vedder Mountain Duck Breast with house made potato gnocchi, leek and mushroom ragout, and port macerated Okanagan cherry
Globe @ YVR
Fairmont Vancouver Airport
3111 Grant McConachie Way | Richmond
Tel: 604-248-3281
website
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Our final stop brought us to the Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport to visit The Apron, where Executive Chef Hamid Salimian had prepared a series of desserts for us to sample. Just over a year old, The Apron has been quietly racking up a growing list of accolades with Chef Salimian’s inventive and well executed dishes; he has won many awards at international competitions including the 2008 Culinary Olympics where he helped Team Canada win four gold medals.
His desserts didn’t disappoint; each one of them were interesting and a little avant garde. The sunflower ice cream was my favourite with clean well focused flavours that paired nicely with the Moscato.
- ^ Clockwise from top: Sunflower ice cream w/ freeze dried fruits. Jasmine Rice pudding w/ kalamanzi, cilantro and pineapple. Shattered Baklava, chickpea crumble, honey and rose water bubble. Puffed Foie Gras.
I plan on returning to The Apron for dinner soon, as Hamid’s desserts have definitely piqued my curiosity to dive further into his molecular cuisine.
The Apron
Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport
3099 Corvette Way | Richmond
Tel: 604-238-2105
www.westinvancouverairport.com/dining
~ PK
Disclosure: cmp.ly/2/sdl9ld Media tour with Tourism Richmond
