Dinner at Hawksworth

With day 2 of Bartcation 2016 in the books, I decided to turn up the culinary dial again by booking an early reservation at Chef David Hawksworth's restaurant that caries his namesake: Hawksworth. Located on the ground floor of the very chic Rosewood Hotel Georgia, upon walking in I was greeted with the very same ambiance: warm creams of the walls and furniture embraced by the dimly lit glow of a central chandelier, silky window treatments and candle light.

Inside Hawksworth
2016 Vancouver, BC

As I had a 7:30 PM show down the road at Bard on the Beach (more on that later), I opted for an early 5:30 PM reservation that, as witnessed in the picture above, gave the restaurant to myself for the first 30 minutes. I was directed to a nice two-top along the far wall in the first main dining room, and soon a server graced me with the cocktail and dinner menu.

Given how turn't up I was the day before, I opted to forego the craft cocktail to start. What really drew my attention was the prix fixe tasting menu on the last page, complete with wine pairings. When the waiter returned, I kindly asked if the courses would fit with my need to be out by 7 PM. As soon as he insisted I would make the curtain, the order was made, and my culinary odyssey would commence.

Yuzu kosho compressed watermelon
Hawksworth. 2016 Vancouver, BC

The first course was yuzu kosho compressed watermelon, served with black lime, dungeness crab, mint and curry gelato. The watermelon cubes burst with sweet fruit flavor on every bite. This was contrasted by the curry gelato - an interesting concoction that combined the savory flavors of curry, with the sweet of the Italian ice cream. It worked because the gelato brought just enough sweetness that allowed the curry to pair with the already sweet watermelon.

The dungeness crab hit a sweet-spot in the middle, both providing sweet flesh notes, while also imparting savory flavors from the sea. Finally the black lime's citrus notes and the mint's fresh flavor brought the dish home with great depth. Paired with this dish was a delightful Miol Proseco, that was just sweet enough to stand up with the watermelon, while dry enough to add to the depth of experience.

Smoked sturgeon
Hawksworth. 2016 Vancouver, BC

The next course on the docket was smoked sturgeon, served with saffron potato, green olive and charred buttermilk. The sturgeon had a delightful hint of smoke, melding nicely with the flavors coming from the charred buttermilk.  This was contrasted with the earthy tones provided by the greens, green olive, and fava beans. Rounding out the dish was the saffron potato, with its sweet and subtle saffron flavors added to the flavor profile of the dish.

The sturgeon was paired with a Côtes du Roussillon from Domaine de Vénus, which had just enough body to stand up to the smoked notes of the sturgeon.

Nova Scotia Lobster
Hawksworth. 2016 Vancouver, BC

With the sturgeon plate removed, I was next treated to a shallow bowl filled with Nova Scotia lobster, served with jicama, jalapeño, tamarind and corn emulsion. The lobster meat was sweet and rich, and harks back to my time living in New England.

Pairing nicely with the lobster was the minced jalapeño and jicama sheets. The spicy pepper imbued the dish with its savory notes, while the jicama added its earthy tones. Finally, the corn emulsion rounded out the dish by lending its sweet maize flavors.

Served with this dish was a local rosé by Roche. An exceptional rosé, it went perfectly with this lobster dish by providing fruit elements that were not overly sweet.

Confit Sloping Hill Farm pork
Hawksworth. 2016, Vancouver BC

With the lobster dish, our journey out to the sea was complete, and it was time to head inland for some meat flavors. Up to bat first was confit Sloping Hill Farm pork, with king oyster mushroom, smoked cauliflower, and truffle.

The confit pork, as to be expected, had great richness of an excellent confit (meat cooked in its rendered fat). What balanced the dish out were the oyster mushrooms and smoked cauliflower, which imbued the dish with earthy tones. The cauliflower's hints of smoke added further complexity, while the earthy goodness of the truffle was this dish's pièce de résistance.

Roasted bison striploin
Hawksworth. 2016 Vancouver, BC

Batting cleanup for tonight's dinner courses was a delightful roasted bison striploin steak, served with cherry, brown butter and thyme. The bison was served over a decorative brown butter thyme purée, which contained the cherry sauce. Topping the bison were some fresh parsley and shaved onion.

The bison had its typical excellent game flavor. This paired with the richness of the purée and sweetness of the cherry sauce. Served with this wonderful dish was a delightful cabernet that enhanced the cherry sauce with its own fruit notes. The tannin in the wine also paired nicely with the salt on the meat, truly rounding out the dish.

Cheese plate & plum sake
Hawksworth. 2016 Vancouver, BC

With surf and turf checked off the list, it was time to take a hard look at cheese and desert. Thankfully, the prix fixe checked both requirements with both a cheese plate and desert. First to come out was the cheese plate accompanied with a glass of plum sake.

The plate came with both a British hard cheese, and a French soft cheese, along with apricot, red currant, and walnuts. I tried all the combinations, and found that my favorite was the British cheese with the walnut. The cheese had just the right amount of creaminess to pair perfectly with the walnut.

What really stole the show was the plum sake. It was sweet and smooth with outstanding flavor. I am not much of a sake fan, and I could have easily substituted one of my typical ports for this sake. I will definitely be on the lookout the next time I go wine shopping.

Dark chocolate ganache
Hawksworth. 2016 Vancouver, BC

With the cheese plate taken away, I was treated to my final dish for the evening: dark chocolate ganache with blackfruit and lime. The ganache was served blackberries, lime pearls, and both blackfruit sorbet and pearls. The ganache was rich and decadent, paring nicely with the lime pearls which, upon bursting in the mouth, refreshed the palette from the chocolate overload. It was an excellent desert, capping off an excellent meal. Hawksworth is definitely one to put on the "must visit in Vancouver" list, and if you can treat yourself to the prix fixe menu... even better!

After dinner, I jumped into a cab and headed to Bard on the Beach: Vancouver's annual summer Shakespeare festival at Vanier Park. Tonight I had tickets to the "Merry Wives of Windsor," a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's play with the same name. Instead of taking place in the 17th century England, this version takes place in 1968 Windsor, Ontario Canada. Nevertheless, this production exhibited the same wit and comedy of its progenitor. The cast dove into their roles, and the production value was really quite good given it was on a temporary stage in the middle of a park.

Once again, I am reminded of the links between England and Canada as I observed the crowd taking in this production. The way they picked up Shakespeare's jokes - many of which easily flew over my head. The way they talked about the players, most of whom (after doing a little research) cut their teeth performing Shakespeare in various cities that one wouldn't associate with "great theater." One can just see a great appreciation for Shakespeare in Canada in a similar manor as in England.

Coming from an American background with less appreciation for the English playwright, I still found the production highly enjoyable. It was a great diversion that evening, especially when most other options included "go to the bar." When I ever come back to Vancouver in the summer, I would definitely make a point to see another production.