Brunch & Morning Cocktails at at Reflections: The Garden Terrace
This week North America’s 50 Best Bars were converging on to Vancouver for the 2026 awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 22. And with it their head bartenders, they were here not only to accept their respective awards, but to represent their bars in several takeovers all around the city.
Two such bars is Zapote Bar at Rosewood Mayakoba and The Manor Bar at Rosewood Miramar Beach. Both of which were hosting 3 different popups at Vancouver’s own Reflections: The Garden Terrace within Rosewood Hotel Georgia.
It has been a while since my last visit, so I was surprised to see the space fully enclosed. I would later learn that this is to abide by zoning codes and allow the restaurant/bar to operate later into the night and all year round. The space felt modern and fresh, like a contemporary salon to host high tea in.
Brunch was a unique offering of classic and luxury approaches to breakfast dishes. We would order a few plates to share amongst three hungry girls. All of which, paired well with both bar’s selection of brunch forward and inspired cocktails. Each a light and brightening way to start and celebrate the day.
We started with The Manor Bar’s creations. They are located in the Rosewood Miramar Beach resort, California. It is not currently ranked on the top 50 list. However this upscale venue with a high-level cocktail program featuring themes such as “female authors” and “iconic villains” is working towards that goal. And given what we saw today they are a lot closer than you’d think.
Their three cocktail options were pulled directly from their story book menu. A thick leather bound journal that read like a sketchbook with doodles and scribbled notes, each referencing an area in California and its momentous mention in pop culture history.
Being able to speak directly with Eliza, the director of bars, we learned that each cocktail is concocted with an ingredient local to the area that it references, and that the next season’s theme is detectives and spies, which includes a take on James Bond’s famed vesper martini.
Considering the connection to the Chinese coming of age movie, I gravitated towards the “Joy Luck” with Vodka, Date Amaro, Lemon, and Dandelion; and appreciated that it wasn’t a sweet cocktail. This was citrusy and herbal. I found that its more savoury notes accented the food well, instead of masking it.
The Ladybird is a lower ABV cocktail with Montenegro, Remy Martin, Lemon Juice, and Strawberry Red Pepper. And Sideways! is their non-alcoholic cocktail with Milk Punch, Pentire, Blood Orange, Pentire Adrift, Verjus Rouge, and Lemon.
From Zapote Bar I too was drawn to the least sweet sounding cocktail. This was the “Del Huerto” with Ancho Reyes Verde, Pineapple & Green Tomato, Lime, and Pickled Onion Brine. This was like a salad in glass and reminded me fainty of a Bloody Mary with its tomato essence, but clarified. The salted and spiced cucumber slices used as garnish offered a fresh breath to your nose and kept the sip refreshing.
Zapote Bar is located in Rosewood Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It is a critically acclaimed destination ranked #74 on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025 list. It offers Mayan-inspired, farm-to-table cocktails and upscale, hacienda-style ambiance, earning recognition as a top cocktail spot in the Riviera Maya for 3 consecutive years.
I didn’t get to try the Ceiba Spritz with Cocchi Americano Macerated Cucumber, Absinthe, Fernet Mint, and Black Lemon or the Mexican Sunrise with Atavica Tepache Spirit, Pineapple, Carrot, and Sour Orange Saccharum. But was told that the latter was like a breakfast fruit smoothie and the former looked refreshing walking by with a lemon grass rod for garnish.
Food came from the Reflections kitchen. We had the Lobster Dumplings, which were amazingly flavourful bundles bathing in a Ginger-Scallion XO Broth with Smoked Chilies Oil, and crispy shallots. So well done and rich that one was enough and you definitely needed sips in between bites for balance.
In comparison, the Dungeness Crab Benedict was on the lighter side. With real Dungeness Crab meat at the centre, accompanied by Avocado, Poached Eggs, and Hollandaise in an English Muffin. This was well balanced and lean, even with the vibrant and viscous yolk.
We loved the crispy Buttermilk-Fried Shrimp in the Shrimp Po’ Boy Waffles. You get 4 to a plate, topping Liege Waffles, Creole Spice, Pickles, a Poached Egg, and Hollandaise. The shrimp was juicy, battered well as a fritter with herb seasoned crust. The waffle on the other hand was dense and hard, by the time we got to it. I wasn’t sure if this was due to it cooling down or because it was made ahead of time and was not as fresh as the fried shrimp. However, it all tasted delicious coated in both Hollandaise and maple syrup for a good mix of salty and sweet. I could tell and appreciated the quality of syrup that was more maple than sugar.
Nothing fancy, but a craving one of us had was for the Peanut Butter and Raspberry Toast. This was exactly as it sounds and would have served as a dressed up and healthy kids menu option. Toasted Multi Grain bread, Organic Peanut Butter, Smashed Raspberries, and Maple Syrup.
And for dessert the Kahlua Tres Leches with Coffee Anglaise was better than I thought or imaged. The cake remained light and fluffy despite sitting in syrup. It was an eggy sponge that carried flavours of both caramel and coffee, softened by fruit. This was as easy to eat as it was fun.
In short this was such a great showcase of other Rosewood Hotel properties in North America through their drinks. For those who missed this one day only brunch, you can still meet the travelling bartenders above, and try their other cocktails during their After Party on Tuesday, April 21st. This is ironically the night before the awards ceremony. And like how the above cocktails were designed for brunch, the ones on Tuesday after 9pm are intended for a night of party.
Reflections The Garden Terrace
801 W Georgia St 4th Floor, Vancouver, BC V6C 1P7
(604) 673-7043
rosewoodhotels.com
