H Tasting Lounge — Restaurant in Vancouver

Today my family and I enjoyed lunch in a dome on the waterfront at the Westin Bayshore Hotel. We didn't know what to expect as we'd never been there before, but I wanted something festive and special for my daughter and granddaughter this holiday season, and the dome was it.

Everything about it was absolutely first class. We loved the privacy of the dome, where we could play our own music on the sound system and there were no noisy neighbours at the next table.

For lunch week days there is a minimum spend of $150, which wouldn't be hard to meet with three of us. Our orders were smash burger with fries ($24), steak frites with a small salad ($35) cauliflower steak with lentils, roasted carrots, squash and various other veggies ($28), and truffle fries ($13). 750ml bottles San Pellegrino sparkling and Evian still water were $8 each.

The only rather underwhelming item was the cauliflower steak. It was basically a big chunk of undercooked cauliflower. The diner expected it to be perhaps glazed and caramelized after a long, slow grilling, but it was not that all all. It looked raw, it was hard, and disappointing. When the server, Emily (more about her later) asked how everything was, the vegan in the room was honest and said her meal was disappointing as it just seemed like a hunk of raw cauliflower. She offered to take it back and get a redo, and did. It was somewhat improved, a little softer, more sauce on it, but still disappointing. "I would not order this again," she said, and I was sorry that one of us did not completely enjoy her meal.

The fries all around were absolutely delicious, crisp on the outside, fluffy inside, the way they should be. The burger was huge (two patties) with REAL cheese, tomato, lettuce, etc. Came with a pile of fries and the diner was happy and could not eat it all.

The steak portion was small (5 oz.), but very tender and tasty. Again, gorgeous fries that stayed crisp. It came with a red wine peppercorn jus that was a lovely addition to the plate. Even the little side salad of arugula and frisee was tasty. No complaints there.

For dessert we had to try the freshly made sugar donuts (6) with a cotton candy cloud, whipped cream, honey drizzle and fresh berries $19. This was a fun and delicious ending to the meal, and was shared easily between the three of us.

Perhaps the best part of the whole experience was our server, Emily, who was hospitality personified. We all felt she did absolutely everything she could to make sure we felt welcomed and taken care of. While we sit comfortably in our little private dome, the servers have to brave the elements and slippery patios to go back and forth, indoors/outdoors, to take care of their guests. It's winter out there! But that didn't stop Emily from being friendly, attentive and taking care of our every need. We never once had to wonder where she was or feel abandoned. Emily was on the job, and with a smile on her face.

When she brought the bill she pointed out that we hadn't yet met the $150 quota (which really surprised me) and suggested we might order something else to make up the $16 difference (if we wanted to). We decided we may as well have another order of the donuts/cotton candy scenario to take out and enjoy later. This was soon brought in a Westin shopping bag, the donuts boxed and the cotton candy separate in a large Ziploc bag.

We were never rushed out, as each dome seating is allotted 2.5 hours. We could have stayed longer but left at 2:00 to get a taxi home in the grey drizzle. We are already talking about when we can enjoy the Bayshore's dome experience again. It ends for the season around Mother's Day, to make way for summer patio dining.

I recommend the Dome experience 5/5, and if you're lucky enough to get Emily as your server, she cranks the rating up to...

H Tasting Lounge is located in the lobby of the Westin Bayshore in the scenic Coal Harbour area of Vancouver. This small but spiffy dining area is a nod to one of their well-known guests… Howard Hughes who occupied the penthouse (of the then known Bayshore Inn) for 6 months back in the early 70’s. The sleek geometric lines, gold-hued accents, art deco decor and glitzy chandelier is most likely meant to evoke a sense of nostalgia for his earlier glamorous years before he became the recluse he was when he visited Vancouver.

We visited in late April for their Cherry Blossom Festival Afternoon Tea Experience ($55 per person) which includes a selection of sweet and savory items as well as your choice of tea selection. I have to admit that things started off nicely enough with a box of teas to select from… it’s nice that you’re able to see and smell the various choices offered instead of just relying on a written description from a menu. After we made our selections, they brought out a somewhat over-the-top candy floss decorated plate with house-made confiture (jam), vanilla butter, signature Bayshore honey, and a small freshly baked scone for each diner (I suppose it is in keeping with the eccentric nature Howard Hughes was known for).

There seems to be a couple of different presentations of their afternoon tea experience… one which includes a showy Ferris wheel with items precariously perched in each seat and the experience which we received where the items are presented in glitzy jewelry boxes.

The items included with the afternoon tea experience is supposed to include a Prosciutto Croissant with arugula and lemon cottage cheese, a Deviled Egg, a quarter of a Japanese Red Bean Pancake, a Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwich with avocado purée and cucumber, and a Wild Mushroom and Bacon Pastry Cup. In addition, the sweets include a Matcha Mochi, Lemon Curd Tart, Passionfruit Mousse, and Tiramisu. As you can see below… they forgot to give us the Wild Mushroom and Bacon Pastry Cup (you kind of have to wonder if they would have forgotten this if they used the Ferris wheel instead).

We wound up having to ask about the Wild Mushroom and Bacon Pastry Cup and they brought them out on a separate plate. Overall, I’d say that it’s definitely a pretty environment (complete with views of Coal Harbour and the Shogetsu or Shirofugen cherry blossoms in bloom outside the hotel). However, the food and service quality really doesn’t meet with the price of the experience.

The one tiny scone was nice but our tea was given to us in a French Tea Press (while the other tables had individual tea pots). You could barely get 1 cup of tea out of these French Presses and they were not attentive enough to refill our tea often enough (I think we had one refill… so 2 cups of tea total). Service was a bit lackluster when compared with our expectations for such a grand environment. So, I’d say they pretty much nailed the flashy yet flawed Howard...

Come here for the cocktails but not for their dining with mediocre food and disaster service.

To start with the good, the cocktails were beautiful in presentation and outstanding in flavour. The Hands of Harmony was delightful and served in a lovely teapot. The only comment is that the Fruiteria was awkward to drink after it finished burning. The char spread into waters and left a flaking mess on the table.

Then, onto the disaster. We had ordered appetizers to share and mains, which they left us waiting for over an hour with no food. When we asked, the manager first said it was because we ordered the Tomohawk but when we asked why our appetizers haven't come either, he went to check, and they were immediately brought to our table as if it were left sitting in the kitchen all this time.

Other than the chilled seafood tower that was meant to be served cold, all the other appetizers and some of the main dishes were served together cold with no ounce of warmth. The server explained she thought we wanted all the food to be served together, so she held onto all the food until the Tomohawk was ready. This is unreasonable since first, we had not asked for the food to come together, and we ordered appetizers that clearly would be served first unless requested. Second, she assumed without clarifying. If the Tomohawk requires over an hour for preparation, it's ridiculous to not bring any other food to the table for the extended wait. We expressed our discontent, and in lieu of a proper apology or anything to make up for it, we were told that it's because there were issues with the kitchen and simply brushed off. She mentioned that the manager would come to apologize shortly in the evening, which never happened.

Then the food, not worth the prices charged. For the 4 person $130 seafood tower, there was a crab leg, mussel, tiny oyster, and prawn each, and then cheap fillers such as salty canned tuna served with potato chips, and seaweed salad you can get at any cheap sushi joint. We've dined at many places that serve high-quality seafood towers, but haven't come across such a low quality mix. The salads and sides were too salty, the chocolate dome at $55 was overly sweet with thick chunks that were difficult to eat. Perhaps because it was served cold, the chicken and duck were tough.

The food and service are not of value and unworthy of the prices. It doesn't meet the minimum bar, let alone striving to be a higher end experience. Stray away unless simply looking for a drink, which the bartenders are the...