We went in around 7:00pm on a Saturday night with no reservation but were able to sit at the bar immediately to try their famous Tasting Menu. Their tasting menu (5 main courses + 1 dessert) is $98/$148 with wine flights, and we had one each with/without the wine pairing. Here’s the full menu of the night:
beef tartar | puffed tendon, black truffle, yuzu
wine | tengumai • umajun • junmai • ishikawa • jp
kanpachi ceviche | satsuma, heart of palm, mojo de ajo
wine | 11 fritz hag • riesling • troken • mosel • ger
charred pacific octopus | north arm farm radish, ox heart vinaigrette
wine | 11 jean maupertuis • la pierres noires • auvergne • fra
epazote steamed sablefish | corn, pumpkin seed, sorrel
wine | 12 eric texier • adéle • côtes du rhône • fra
24hr pork belly | summer beans, apricot, caramelized honey cider jus
wine | 09 cien y pico • doble pasta • garnacha • manchuela • sp
goat milk pans cotta | strawberry, elderflower
wine | 13 innocent bystander • moscato • victoria • aus
Food // Among the 5 main courses we had, our favorite was Epazote Steamed Sablefish. It was wrapped and cooked in banana leaves, and the texture of the fish was quite amazing. We actually ordered two appetizers before the dessert came because our stomachs were somehow calling for more food. Cole ended up loving one of them – Seared Japanese Squid – and said that it was the best of everything that we had at the end of the night. The bartender told us that it was also his favorite dish at Hawksworth (he said he could eat 3 plates of them – a squid party!) The sweetness of the dessert they had (goat milk panna cotta) was very toned down compared to most dessert dishes we’ve had at other fine dining restaurants and was something that non-dessert eaters could enjoy as well (Hiroko doesn’t have a sweet tooth either!). The overall service (server and a sommelier) and the pacing were both great. If you ask them, they give you a hard copy of their current tasting menu with wine flight so that you won’t forget the yummy details the next morning).
Wine // Their wine pairing was also very interesting – every glass of wine had a very strong personality. The best pairing of the night was the Epazote Steamed Sablefish paired with 12 eric texier • adéle • côtes du rhône from France: it was just an amazingly enjoyable pairing of flavors. All of the wines were very unique on this night, especially the white wines (Beef Tartar was served with a glass of Sake, for exapmle, and it was a really fun and tasty pairing.) After seeing the care they take into making sure each wine is the perfect temperature, we began to understand how serious the wine program is at this restaurant. Something that really stood out was their ability to be able to give information about the wines that lead to a flavor experience. All three of the sommelier were amazing and willing to spend as much or as little time as we wanted to get the best wine/dining experience possible.
The little gem of the night was that they took us to the restaurant tour after we were done eating! We got to see their wine room, the kitchen, and got to greet with Kristian Eligh – their Chef de Cuisine. We love love love restaurants that know how to enchant their guests in addition to their wonderful food!
Website: Hawksworth Restaurant
(Located at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia)
Address: 801 West Georgia St, Vancouver, BC
Phone: (604) 673-7000
Two Pekos 