Fairmont Vancouver 85th anniversary
Today we were invited down to the city’s only castle, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Here, to learn more about its history in celebration of their 85th anniversary. We started with a walking tour and ended at Notch8 for a nostalgic culinary journey with their new “Dinner Through the Decades” menu.
Our journey began at the basement of the “Castle in the City”. Here, we learned of the original design choices, and how the building was modelled after the historic railway and steamship elements. For example, the moulding panels seen here were the originals from when they first opened.
This was once the hub of the hotel, a strip of small businesses that facilitated the hustle and bustle of last minute errands before guests headed out on their international travel. Once there stood a luggage repair store and a men’s barber shop with 20 chairs. Today this is the location of their in house spa, watch repair; and on occasional the seasonal Popup bar that once served as the in-house staff’s cafeteria. There were also boilers down here that powered the hotel, a space that sits empty today.
In time for Pride Month, we also learned that this was the home of the first gay bar. A beer tavern that served men in private, allowing them to be honest and discrete.
Past all this is a corridor walled with showcases. Behind the glass hangs old black and white photos and news paper clippings. A time capsule look of the guest rooms before their renovations, recapping famous visitors and replicating the table setting of how it would have looked like when the Queen Mother stayed and dine in at their Executive Suite.
We heard stories of how a lot of the furnishings and tableware were discarded, after the remodelling of rooms to make them more modern. Although, a dutiful housekeeper found it a waste, so decided to hide as much as she could in nooks and crannies all around the property. She would later reveal her clever secret after hotel management declared they wanted to restore things as a testament to the hotel’s longevity.
From the bottom most floor, to the top, we travelled to the 14th floor to learn of Fairmont Vancouver’s roof top speakeasy. It once had a panoramic roof, and was named as such.
It offered a 360 degree view of the city. A trendy night spot that wasn’t legally allowed to serve alcohol, so guests brought their own concealed, and the bar offered the glassware and garnishes to enjoy them in and with.
The phone in the corner was a reminder of the days where alcohol was illegal and this was their system of alerting everyone when the liquor inspector was on site. The bell boys would warn the coat check of his arrival with a ring. They in turn would request a special song to be played as a warning. With it everyone knew empty their glasses and to toss their drinks out the window. Which may have proved challenging considering the club was blacked out, as they didn’t have the authorization to have lights on the floor. What a wild experience!
The space now rests as one of the ball rooms, able to host large scale events.
Here, we took in the city view from the oversized windows and listened to the music that would have played in the 1920’s. All while sipping on a cocktail that was popular during that era.
This is the Bee Knees a gin based cocktail with lemon and honey. Tart and tangy, this finished sweeter on the lips, as a potent drink.
We then travelled to the lobby floor for the finale of our tour: a culinary adventure featuring dishes that would have been served at one of the 5 restaurants that once lived under this roof. Currently Notch8 is the only one left.
The following choose your own adventure tasting menu will be available until the end of summer. A great deal, considering they worked hard to price things based on significant dates. The tasting menu is $85 per person, for their 85th anniversary. And the optional wine parings are a $19.39 per person, because the hotel was established in 1939. Both are honestly a great deal for the quality of ingredients and the amount of wine poured.
You can also order from their regular drink menu too. Like the Griffin Bird which is Coconut Washed Bacardi 8, Campari, Antica Formula, Pineapple Juice, Lime, and Dragonfruit Syrup. The classic Jungle Bird done their way with plenty of rum and tropical fruits, but tangy with pineapple, served in a glass tiki mug.
The Vancouver is one of their signature cocktails. A mix of Hendrick’s Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Dry Vermouth, and B&B. An elegant and smooth gin-toned martini for sipping on.
Before our meal we would hear from Kay, Notch8’s Executive Chef who took the position just over two months ago. He helped to create this menu, wanting to speak to the 5 different restaurants, and pulling on nostalgic heart strings for those who have been to any before. He described this as a time where “Small fish were called “chicken””. His goal was to showcase recipes then made using modern techniques now.
For the first course I went with the Heart of Lettuce salad that would have been served at the Panorama Roof bar in 1939. And this is the best caesar salad I have ever had, as well as the most visually appealing. Confit garlic caesar dressing, candied bacon bits, capers, croutons, parmesan, and white balsamic reduction.
I was very happy with my choice compared to the soup option below. There was plenty of dressing to fully coat everything. Plus the ring was enjoyable to crush through. Refreshing citrus, salty bits, and enough textural differences to keep the mouth happy.
The wine pairing was the Nielson Chardonnay from Santa barbara, California. A tart and acidic wine to match the salad. It had green apple on nose and tongue, which help to cut into the heavy salty and cream of the salad. This was a solid pairing.
The soup was inspired by The Red Barrel menu from the 1940’s. Brome Lake smoked duck breast, vegetables, and cannellini beans. I found this a waste of the duck as I would have rather it as a solid slice. This was a gritty and dense soup from the blended meat and beans, that I imaged sat heavy in the diner.
This was paired with the Sandhill Cabernet Merlot, from Okanacan. BC. A just as heavy and dense meaty red to match with the duck in the soup.
For entrees I got my red meat from 1960’s The Timber Club inspired Tenderloin of Beef Minute. An herb and garlic marinated filet mignon, gratin dauphinois, french beans, king oyster mushrooms, demi glace, and pickled shallots. Your classic red meat option, which I had on the rarer side to avoid over cooking. Tender cooked beef with plenty of sides to keep bites interesting. This was as expected and I had no complaints. However, if I was to order again, I would ask for the fish instead.
The beef was paired with an equally bold red. The Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon, from Sonoma, California. Plenty of tannis and acidity to keep toe to toe with the tenderloin.
The Spanish Grill Pan Seared BC Halibut is the one I suggest with green garbanzo bean purée, saffron fingerling potato, sauce figaro foam, sundried tomato, dressed ratatouille, and a pine nut pesto. Another classic dish, but with more mouth appeal between the silky and the crispy crust. The potatoes were also delicious as a vehicle for all the garlicky creamy sauce.
This, we had with the Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. A lovely white on the sweeter side.
The vegan option was a Summer Vegetable Risotto from Notch8. Made from vegan butter, vegan cashew parmesan, and vegan xo. I guess a plant-based diet was not the norm within the past decades.
And for dessert you had only one choice, and luckily it is a good one. An Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake from 1990’s Griffin’s, Notch8’s predecessor. This was a fresh and delicious cake with macerated strawberry & rhubarb, and mascarpone Chantilly. It ate as light as it looked and it was lovely with its classic vanilla base cake.
This would have been wonderful with tea or a sparkling wine, but instead it was paired with Mission Hill’s Reserve Icewine from the Okanagan. I was not a fan of the bottle. As is it wasn’t just solely sweet to make it a good dessert wine. Nor was it light enough to dance around the cake. I found it slightly acrid and not very enjoyable to have linger on the palate.
In conclusion this was a great experience and a wonderful meal. A fantastic deal for a more luxurious night out, and now worth visiting considering you know what to order!
Notch 8
900 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6C 2W6
(604) 662-1900
fairmont-hotel-vancouver.com/dine
