Tonight we were at the very festively dressed Westin Bayshore. Gathered at H2 Kitchen + Bar to have the less traditional, but just as delicious barbecue for holiday dinner option.
They have live music playing throughout the week, making the lounge a great place to perch up and enjoy a drink or two before dinner. This is especially the case on one of their cozy sofas, adjacent to the electric fireplace.
We started our time there with one of their seasonal cocktails. The Georgia Ginger Gold Rush makes a great aperitif or digestif with the inclusion of ginger beer and actual ginger candy. Old Forester bourbon, peach schnapps, lime, and ginger beer. Served chill like a country, sweet peach tea, done up Moscow mule style. It offered a very complimentary flavour to the rest of our southern meal to follow.
Our dinner began with an amuse bouche that isn’t on the menu. A Chef creation made by combining two regular menu items together. Given how well received it was by our group, something worth considering as a future appetizer. This a Pulled pork and cheddar corn bread cup. Their famous corn bread recipe stuffed with pulled pork in a sweet and tangy hickory sauce. Having the meat filling makes this a fulsome bite.
Next, we indulged in their show stopping Bison Tartare: smoked bone marrow, pickled red onion, mustard seed, aioli, salsa verde, and micro herbs; served with house made potato chips. Having the dish presented table side and magically appear from behind the cloud of smoke was magical. The scent lent its flavour and added a layer of showmanship.
To eat it, you gouged fatty gristle from in-between the bone and smeared it on easy over the thick cut chips. This was a well conceived plate, the potato base was necessary to help counter balance some of the lush fattiness of the marrow.
In order to try a bit of everything on their barbecue menu, our table of seven ordered the Carnivore’s Feasts. Carried out and presented on a heavy wooden board by the Chef himself. This is $195 worth of food and is more than enough to feed seven grown adults, with leftovers for the next day.
1lb pound of smoked brisket, 1lb pulled pork
full rack of St. Louis ribs, 1/2 rotisserie chicken, blackened cajun prawns, andouille sausage, cornbread, house pickles, all their sauces, and you choice of 3 sides.
For the latter we went with the classic coleslaw and baked beans, and could not miss out on the Mac and cheese. The coleslaw assisted in adding some freshness into the mix. A little crunchy acidity to break things apart.
Whereas the beans were used as a filler, dense and grainy with a faint barbecue flavour. I liked all the options the sides provided, but was left longing for something more neutral like a dinner roll to chew on in between bites.
The Mac n’ cheese was my favourite of all all the sides. This was done homestyle with well coated rich and creamy noodles that were satisfyingly salty.
All generously topped with plenty of stringy cheese, baked up gooey in a cast iron pan.
There was so much going on with this platter you didn’t know where to start. All the meats were tender, everything fell off the bones or broke apart with ease. The table enjoyed the brisket and the ribs the most. I was a fan of the juicy rotisserie chicken. Half the fun and experience was to pick and choose protein and dip it into the assortment of sauces, as you like.
The only thing I was missing was some vegetables to temper out the feast, but then again, I guess that would be a carnivore’s feast would it? We would order a side of seasonal vegetables to remedy this. A side plate of crisp heirloom carrots and broccolini. Although the fried Brussel sprouts would have been my pick; done up with honey citronette, parmesan, capers, and chili.
The corn bread loaf here was just as good as the teaser we had earlier. Crispy edges contrasted the soft spongey centre, with the salted butter really highlighting its flavour.
And for dessert they had classic southern options as well. My favourite was the nostalgic Banana Pudding Jar with a butter cake base and a pecan praline topping. The latter most was the highlight, adding some crunch interest to an otherwise soft dessert.
The Sticky Toffee Pudding delivered with vanilla ice cream, a caramel sauce, and brandy snap. Sticky, spongy, and light this was a great one to savour in mouth.
And the Apple & Caramel Cheesecake was new york style cheesecake with a vanilla shortbread crust; topped with stewed apples, oat crumble, vanilla ice cream, and a brandy snap. This was so comforting and familiar as a classically done cheesecake topped with soften apple chunks.
In short, H2 is such a great spot for southern eats. I highly recommend coming with a large group to be able to get the best experience and feast like we did!
H2 Kitchen + Bar
1601 Bayshore Dr., Vancouver, BC V6G 2V4
(604) 691-6966
h2restaurant.com
