Tonight we were at a one of a kind event hosted by the Vancouver Aquarium. An adult only evening, after hours. If you have visited the aquarium before, I guarantee you have never experienced it like this.
The low lights, whimsical underwater worlds, and glow of candle light on white table linens is magical. This is definitely a great date night experience, with the majority of the guests bringing their significant others as their plus one. However there were a couple of six person group tables, if you want to come as a larger party.
This season’s theme is “Spring Blooms, Tides Turn, Flavours Flourish”. Centred around a three course dinner, with time to explore the aquarium’s exhibits in between courses. There were even special shows and presentations throughout the night.
There was one on their new limited-time exhibit, “Survival of the Slowest”, where we got to learn about and pet an armadillo, which is actually a lot smaller than I thought.
In the Wet Lab guests were able to pet jellyfish, using the balls of our pinky fingers.
Sadly we missed the show at the 4-D Theatre, which would have been an immersive cinematic experience that was advertised as a way to “whisk you away to another world”.
We were also able to capture the magic of our evening under the sea with a complimentary digital photo.
Dinner did not come with drinks, but you could order wine and beer by the glass or bottle at the bar. And towards the end of the night, staff set up a self serve coffee and tea station with to-go cups to enjoy while walking through the aquarium or your car.
The entire service is seated with a fairly large team present to host and busk tables as needed. The staff are inviting, friendly, and attentive. Definitely befitting of a fine dining experience as the price, setting, and quality of food dictates.
Each table is set before a tank. You don’t get to choose, so it is the luck of the draw. Apparently we got one of the highly coveted ones, positioned right by one of the jellyfish tanks. It certainly provided table conversation and whimsy to our meal.
The first course was a Chilled Ocean Mama Prawn, a salad of sorts with green apple, shaved fennel, marinated cucumber, and edamame puree. This was a real elegant start. A parallel of similar sweet flavours and crispy textures coming together for a homogenous bite. This really whet my appetite (intentional pun).
With this I ordered a glass of their house white, which is Sandhill Pinot Gris. The sweetness of the wine played well off the crisp apple above.
For our second curse I ordered their house red which was the Sandhill Merlot. It was dark blackberry and tart strawberry, enrobed with plenty of tannis. A bold red, but not so much that it would overpower the fish course.
You had an option of either the fish or beef below, with vegetarian and vegan alternatives as requested.
With the Roasted Columbia River Steelhead you get the meatiness of a salmon, but with the butteriness of a white fish. Less distinct as sockeye or the other more red salmon varieties, it was well paired with a leek fennel soubise, citrus herb polenta, and shaved asparagus. A great deal of consideration was put into the variety of textures that offered lovely contrast and interest. From the firm asparagus shreds that ate like noodles to the cakey polenta that reminded me of a corn bread. Both my guest and I found we preferred this plate more. There is something so meta about eating fish in front of fish.
The red meat choice is the Grilled Canadian Striploin Medallion seasoned in a zaatar rub, with chilli lemon sweet potato hummus, kale, and tomato. Another well balanced plate with a harmony of both complimentary and contrasting flavours and texture. Crispy topping over the chewy steak, sweet purée over the slightly bitter vegetable. We just wished for better steak cutting knives. Although the steak was a nice pink that was more on the medium rare side, the butter knife had it feeling more tough than it actually was. We found ourselves sawing it down to bite size pieces. Select parts were on the harder and fattier side with tough gristle, but overall I enjoyed the seasoning.
And dessert did not disappoint, it was just as aesthetically pleasing. A Raspberry Mousse over a thin sponge layer, with a soft gelatin topping and a side of mint dressed fresh berries. It was a delicate end on a pretty consistent meal. Not sweet, it stood out enough to act as a pretty solid palate refresher.
In short, this was such a unique experience, and one that I would whole heartedly recommend to anyone looking for a special night out or the ideal spot to impress your date at. There is nothing like eating fish, surrounded by fish.
Vancouver Aquarium
845 Avison Way, Vancouver, BC V6G 3E2
vanaqua.org
(778) 655-9554
