Shaughnessy Restaurant is located right outside VanDusen Botanical Garden. I was invited to attend dinner with the Bite BC blogging team, but silly me arrived an hour later. I was super embarrassed since I’m usually pretty early or on time when going places. I made it in time for the end of the entrees, so I was still able to enjoy a drink and some dessert with great company around the table.
There are lots of seat in here and its quite a large space. If you come in the evening when there are special light shows at Van Dusen, it will look really nice by the windows. Since there’s not much going on right now, its not as beautiful.
A round of cocktails were ordered for everyone. I got the Shaughnessy Lemonade with rosemary infused bourbon. It is topped off with a candied lemon and a sprig of rosemary. Quite a strong drink compared to other cocktails but it was still good.
When the dessert arrived, the phones and cameras came out. Dishes were strategically placed so everyone could get a good shot.
Flourless Chocolate Cake has pecan praline and a large scoop of vanilla ice cream covered in caramel. I was quite surprised by this dessert. Dense with a lot of chocolate flavour and the added nuts were great. One of my favourites of the night. I am a chocolate fanatic, so I naturally gravitated to this dessert.
Lemon Shortbread Parfait has lemon curd, shortbread crumble, lemon ice cream, and torched meringue. Others at the table loved it, but I didn’t like it as much because I don’t like lemons. Shocker right? Maybe it was because I drank too much lemonade as a kid.
Apple Crumble is topped with a french vanilla ice cream and a strawberry. It was a solid dessert, but not too unique.
If you have a BiteBC Membership, they have a special deal. When you order 2 entrées and 2 appetizers, you receive 2nd entrée free. This is available all week long. Check out Nosh and Nibble, Pork Ninjas as well as Foodgressing to see what they thought of the appetizers and entrees. They have a 30 day trial for their service to get deals at a few restaurants around town.
Overall, its a nice place to go to after you visited Van Dusen Garden to grab a drink and dessert with a few friends. I found the most of the dishes pretty average, but the location is convenient.
We Rate Shaughnessy Restaurant: 
Address:
VanDusen Botanical Gardens, 5251 Oak Street, Vancouver
Website:
www.shaughnessyrestaurant.com
