Today we were at Fairmont Waterfront’s latest Rooftop Garden Dinner Series. As the name suggests, it is held on their third floor rooftop, provided that the weather permits. And sadly it did not tonight. Vancouver got a thunderstorm and we were in the right place to catch the entire show.
The evening still began outdoors as we were welcomed with one of their signature cocktails. The Apiary, which features the hotel’s house gin made in collaboration with Wayward Distilling in Victoria. This is only available at Fairmont Waterfront, distilled with the hotel’s very own roof top honey from their roof top hives.
The cocktail is finished with a sprig of rosemary and let a flame for a stunning showpiece. Here, we were able to speak with distillery owner Dave and learn more about this beloved partnership and what is up and coming for Wayward.
As we sipped and mingled we also got better acquainted to the Fairmont bees. They invited bee keepers to give us a crash course in said bees, with the ability to see the queen, try flavoured honey, and even hold a frame from the hive.
Then as the steady drizzle turned to soft droplets, our party was ushered indoors, where they set up a long table in one of their intimate event spaces. It was assigned seating with floating candles and fresh wild flowers as centre pieces.
The evening was 7 courses with 7 wine pairings in partnership with Nk’Mip Cellars. Their head wine maker Justin was also in attendance this evening, and regaled the group with stories about each wine before we drank it.
On the table was bread from Vancouver’s only long standing indigenous restaurant Salmon and Bannock. I was immediately drawn to its unique look and shape. A single bun connected to all the others like grapes on a vine, that you pull apart. Creative, but not all that sanitary considering you have grab the bunch of them to separate one. However it was so tasty that no one seemed to care. Fried perfectly crispy on the outside with a tasty sponge centre. Served alongside flavoured butter for smearing. One had matcha dust, the other ground nuts. Both a perfect accompaniment to the bread.
Normally canapés would have been passed outside during the reception, but with the uncertainty of the rain the kitchen made the executive decision to assemble a small plate of each canapé, for each guest. Then serve it in the comfort of a dry sheltered space.
This was paired with the 2024 Nk’Mip Pinot Blanc which is a lesser known grape variety that is versatile and has the ability to pair well with most things except super spicy and sweet flavours. I got a key lime freshness that leaves the palate clean.
Our individual appetizer platter included fresh oysters from BC’s coast. Crspy salmon skin with avocado mousse and a little bit of spice from espelette peppers. And a strawberry gazpacho served with half a strawberry and a cube of blue cheese from Gold Ears cheeses.
The oyster was on the sweeter side. The salmon skin was a little stale, but had a lovely fishiness about it. And the chilled soup was a delight with the sweetness of fruit made into a savoury dish thanks to the spices, cooling berry, and umami cheese. It certainly got the table excited for what is to come, considering the talent of the kitchen displayed on this one plate.
Our first course was Beets & Caviar where the caviar, cream, and dill from Surrey were served in a hollowed out, salt baked local beetroot. The beet literally served as an edible bowl that you got to un-lid for a bit of table side play. However, I found the caviar too salty and that it overpowered the delicate nature of the sweet beets. I would have liked less cream and some sweet acid from balsamic vinegar pearls instead, to have this eat more like a two bite beat salad. I appreciate the opulence of the caviar, but the brine of it so domineering. In the moment I utilized some of the decorative basil to help cut into it, and that worked enough for me to finish my serving.
This was also helped along by the wine pairing of Nk’Mip’s 2025 Storytellers Dreamcatcher. This was originally created to be paired with oysters, so it worked with the brininess of the fish roe as an aromatic white wine.
From this I got tropical notes of papaya and melon, finished with a green freshness and brightening citrus of lemon, lime, and mandarin oranges.
Next we had another showpiece in the Dungeness Crab Cake with a garden pepper succotash. It was finished off with a waterfall of peaches and cream corn velouté, poured table side. This made the dish more like a corn chowder with crab. The entire table was happy with this one.
A sweet and delicious course paired with Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2022 to counter balance it. With banana on the nose and a floral after note, this wine brightens and cuts in contrast.
At this point I was already getting full and we were just getting into our main courses with the Poached Pacific Halibut with rapini sambal, onion soubise, and charred swiss chard. This was light with the fish and heavy with the collection of bitter greens. The halibut had a lovely crispy, salted skin and was fragrant with herbs in the oil drizzle.
The Storytellers Rose 2023 was helpful in balancing out the flavours above with its soft olive oil texture in the mouth. It was bolder thanks to Cabernet Franc, but I still got warm stone fruit like peaches in the body. This was an excellent bridge between the fish and the leafy greens.
For our fifth course we had Creston Lamb two ways and two wines. The lamb was sliced from a roll and appeared as a layer over the potatoes. Vine leaf, potato pavé, fennel, garden pistou, and berries. I preferred the former slow roasted, where the meat was tender and not at all gamey, brightened by the addition of pesto, fennel, and berries on the side. These side were also needed for the layers of the potato pavé. Here there was no hiding the lamb ground and pungent like organ meat. The sweetness of the fruit helped to disguise and add levity.
The two wines for this course gave you an option to pair each element of the dish to your pretence.
The Qwam Qwmt Merlot 2021 had a lovely pepperiness that matched with the red of the lamb, accenting it. The name means “achieving excellence” and according to the wine maker, it is best served 2-8 years after the label, with the ability to be aged up to 15. This bottle was at its 5th year, which Justin finds perfect for most of their reds.
The Qwam Qwmt Cabernet Sauvignon had grapes affected by the heat dome, adding a deep smokiness to the wine. It had tight tannis, and a drier mouthfeel. I got a hints of soy and saline, plus some gentle herbal green notes. The boldness of this bottle was able to keep up with the lamb.
As a palate cleanser for moving from savoury to sweet we had a lovely Thyme & Peach Slushy. Like with the beet above, this peach too became an edible vessel. This was a lovely way to take a break from our richer meal, I especially loved the contrast the herbs added and how much more refreshing it made each spoonful.
And for dessert we had a Honey Cake marinated with Okanagan cherries and served with honey-cinnamon ice cream. The cake was a delightful sponge. Not too sweet, but a nice flavour to end on. I especially liked the pairing of the fruit and cream to add levels to the cake.
This we had with the Qwam Qwmt Riesling Icewine 2022. A sweet sipper with similar honey notes. This we learn would never age if you keep it in the freezer.
The evening was a delight with amazing food and drink, great conversation, and an experience that truly embodied community. For those who missed this one night only affair, you can still catch one of their subsequent Rooftop Garden Dinner Series are. The next two are in July 30th with Mission Hill Family Estate Winery and on August 13th with CheckMate Artisanal Winery. Sadly the latter has already sold out, but you can still catch the next one in July described as “An intimate long-table dining experience in our Rooftop Garden featuring a garden-to-glass welcome cocktail, interactive honeybee encounter, and a multi-course Province-to-Plate dinner thoughtfully paired with exceptional BC wines.” This is only available dinner of the season left so be sure to get your tickets sooner than later here: https://www.arcdining.com/garden-dinner-series/
ARC Restaurant
900 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC V6C 3L5
604-691-1818
arcdining.com
