the apron — Restaurant in Richmond

Wow, where to begin? The meal my family and I ate tonight at The Apron, courtesy of chef Marcus Ducayen, is one of the best I’ve ever had. By special arrangement, we had a four course set menu featuring samples from the regular menu. It was a truly memorable evening. Each dish was a work of art – the presentations were spectacular, the tastes were amazing, and the combinations were exquisite.

The first course was mushroom ravioli and scallops with a little shaved fennel. The scallops were cooked perfectly, just long enough to be done all the way through, and lightly seasoned to bring out their flavour. The ravioli was tender and tasty, with a lovely fresh mushroom filling.

Next up was the beef tenderloin with potato cavé, seasonal veggies, and burnt onion reduction. Utterly sensational! The cavé was something I’ve never seen before. What looked like a carved chunk of roast potato was actually made up of about thirty paper-thin layers, slow cooked with butter and cream then finished in the oven with a little olive oil. It was rich and flavourful, just the right accompaniment to the outstanding tenderloin steak.

The third course was, for me, the highlight of the night. The Apron’s signature dish is Haidi Gwaii clear water halibut in a Thai green curry broth with baby bok choy, served with coconut mango sticky rice. Every single element on this plate came together into a sensational combination. The halibut was moist, tender, and flaky, and the broth was an explosion of flavour. I could eat this dish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the rest of my life and not grow tired of it.

Finally, for dessert we had a chocolate brownie with candied orange slices, almond brittle, fresh blackberries and strawberries, and a sour cherry sauce. The brownie was the definition of decadence, moist and full of chocolate, and went perfectly with the fruit and the sauce.

Throughout the meal, our host Nazima and server Evelyn were attentive and charming, keeping the glasses full and clearing the plates quickly. Chef Marcus presented each course to us personally, and also took the time to visit with all the other tables in the room to ensure everyone was enjoying their meal. It was an absolutely wonderful dining experience.

I honestly can’t think of a dinner I’ve enjoyed more. Five stars simply...

Service by the server was EXCEPTIONAL, the 5 stars are all for her. Complimentary parking was good. The dining room had no more than 3 tables when I walked in. The roasted beets salad was so miniscule, even a can of cat food has more content and it was for a total rip off price of $24 dollars or was the plate just too large. The roasted beef sandwich with the soup is still expensive but a lot more palatable than the former. Strangely, the forks must have been used to crack open your safe as it was all twisted & bent out of shape, even the replacement from was somewhat twisted. During the whole time, it was very depressing to see I was the only customer in the whole dining room on a Black...

Came here for lunch on a Sunday. Generally this restaurant inside the hotel isn't very busy so staffing is generally lean. Service is good when there aren't too many diners but if it gets busy, then it's understandably slow - but that is on management, not the staff. Today there was only one person serving the entire restaurant at lunch so it was slow. The food is generally good here. Yam fries add on was delicious! I got the cobb salad which was good but the included sockeye salmon was so small it was comical. I did get chicken for an additional charge so not sure if that resulted in less salmon. The salmon club sandwich was great and had a good amount of...