Jeff Jedras: Eating on the road: Coast in Vancouver

When I’m on the West Coast (aka the best coast) I need to have fish. It’s the rules. So when I took a break from work last night in Vancouver, I had to find a great spot for quality fish. I considered a few possibilities, but Coast was well-recommended, had a table, and wasn’t far from my hotel.

It’s on a swanky stretch of Alberni Street with designer shops and isn’t out of place with its neighbours. And they were busy both on the patio and inside, where I ended up. It has a modern, upscale feel. They have an extensive raw bar and lots of sushi options but, perhaps off-brand for a modern BCer, I like my fish cooked.

I mulled the clam chowder or the lobster bisque as a starter. But it’s been hot in Vancouver lately and it felt like too heavy a starter. So I decided to go with something lighter and ordered the Fresh Burrata Cheese, described on the menu as “roasted and marinated cherry tomato, arugula pesto, forno crostini.”

Definitely better than a regular salad. Two kinds of fresh tomatoes, although I’m not sure how I felt about the char on the cherry tomato. Was a tasty dish though, and I like the crostini to make little cheese and crackers. A nice light, refreshing appy that didn’t put me to sleep before my main.

While the spring salmon, Arctic char and ling cod were all tempting, they felt like dishes I had often had before and I wanted something new. So I opted for one of their signature dishes, the Miso Sablefish, described on the menu as "white miso marinated local sablefish, baby bok choy, maitake mushroom, black garlic puree."

Quite enjoyable. Sablefish was good well, tender and moist and flaked apart easily. Nice and light, tasty without being fishy. Miso marinade added a nice flavour, and the mushrooms were very flavourful as well. It hit the spot and was the west coast fish dish I had been looking for to make my Vancouver trip complete.

And service as excellent, with regular water and diet coke refills without request.

From there, it was down to the harbour for gelato and to watch another amazing British Columbia sunset. Till we meet again, BC!