Today we were in the picturesque Stanley Park to check out the The Teahouse’s new Wine Hour menu. This is much like happy hour with discounted food and drink offerings, but centred around wine.
We were able to score a corner table on their covered patio. With hedges around the property to block the view of parked cars up front, you can’t really see much of the water past it. However, our coveted seats and the all glass barrier behind it, at least gave us the backdrop of their cabin-like entrance with wild flower garden, and bright red beach chairs surrounding a fire pit.
We started with the feature and why we were here, which is their wine flight. Available in both white or red, 4 x 2oz glasses served on a paddle.
The white wine flight included Il Padrino Pinot Grigio from Italy with notes of pear and apple, that was unoaked and floral forward. Free Form’s Riesling from BC had notes of lemon and lime with honeysuckle, for a slight sweetness. Oyster Bay’s Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand had a zesty finish with tropical fruits. And Mission Hill’s Reserve Chardonnay from BC was a light bodied wine with high acidity, it had notes of fresh citrus and stone fruit.
The rosé and red flight started with Mission Hill’s Estate Rosé from BC. This was a light pink wine with the flavour of ripe red berries. Next was E Guigal Côtes du Rhône from France. It too starts with fresh fruit and red berries, but finishes with spices. Domaine Bouquet’s Malbec from Argentina was a medium bodied wine with vibrant acidity and notes of sour cherry and plum. And the boldest of the quartet was the Giovanni Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo from Italy. Full bodied with smoke and spice, we got notes of cassis, plum, cedar, and oak.
The recommend food pairing with this is one of their $12 Tasting Boards, curated to be enjoyed alongside your four sips. The selection includes an Edamame Hummus board with garlic toast, mixed Sicilian olives, grape tomatoes, and crispy chickpeas. Or the Tomato Bruschetta board with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, balsamic glaze, and crispy baguette.
We went for the classic cheese pairing with this board that included organic baguette, onion jam, grapes, pecan fruit crisps, and local cheeses.
Little did we know, this was basically the same as the Charcuterie Board on their regular menu, which we also ordered. This was a larger board with a few more items including the chef’s selection of cured meats & cheese, raisin crisps, cornichons, pumpkin bread sticks, onion jam, and a grainy mustard. It was also 3x as much in cost.
The rest is from their small plates menu. Those familiar with the Teahouse knows their Stuffed Mushrooms are always a hit. Button mushroom caps stuffed with crab, shrimp, and cream cheese; topped with a lemon emulsion and arugula. The rich creamy centre melts within the cap, offering plenty of salty cream cheese texture as the dominant flavour.
For something lighter, befitting of the warmer weather, we went with the Niçoise Salad that centred around pepper crusted albacore tuna, fingerling potatoes, green beans, olives, hard boiled egg, and grape tomatoes. All brought together by the nicoise vinaigrette. I enjoyed the variety of textures and the unexpected in this salad that made it fulsome enough to serve as an entree.
An outlier on the menu is the Chicken Karaage, so we had to give it a try. Dark meat chicken thigh dressed in a South Asian marinade with soy, green onions, and chilis. It was crispy and offered a bold change in flavour and texture from the above. However, this was flat chicken that was hard. I would have liked a more exciting sauce to dip into as well.
Overall, I recommend visiting for the view and the ambiance that the Teahouse offers. The wine flight and wine boards are a good deal, however the food left me wanting more given the rich setting.
Teahouse in Stanley Park
7501 Stanley Park Dr, Vancouver, BC V6G 174
(604) 669-3281
vancouverdine.com
