Showcase Restaurant and Bar is located inside the Marriott Hotel in Downtown Vancouver. It is on the main floor of the hotel to the left of the lobby. They are a casual dining restaurant serving delicious West Coast Cuisine.
They also have a huge bar, which is great for hanging out with coworkers if you work around this area.
I won a complimentary dinner for 8 at an event and decided to come here with a few friends and the whole family. I’ve never dined here before, so it was a good experience to be able to see what they can produce for their guests. When I think about dining out, I don’t go to a lot of hotel restaurants and I have this impression where its expensive.
They have a private room for large groups.
2011 Cipes Blanc de Franc, BC VQA
Produced by Summerhill Pyramid Winery, this incredibly unique traditional method sparkling is made from 100% Cabernet Franc. In 2011, their Cabernet Franc grapes were in peak condition to be made into a sparkling wine. Aged en tirage for 3 years, this wine provides notes of eccles cakes, currants, dried raspberries and blueberries, finishing dry and well balanced.
A good way to start the meal.
Shirley Temple was my sister’s drink as she is still underage. Instead of all that wine, she had this non-alcoholic drink with grenadine syrup, ginger ale, and orange juice. I would have so many of these when I was younger. A fun way to still be fun and fancy but without the alcohol. I like how the grenadine syrup is dizzled on the side of the glass, so it looks like blood.
Chef Kenny Kyle brought out his creation – “Canned Tuna on the Beach“.
The cans were places in a wooden box full of rocks and shells. Inside the can, there is seared albacore tuna, maple macerated berries, pear & peashoot salad with a smoked sea foam.
This really hit the spot! Very creative way of placing the tuna in the cans. The smoke sea foam was minimal, but has a loads of smoky flavour.
The next dish was the Roasted Beet Salad. Chef Kyle Kenny and Sous Chef Westley Feist came out and prepared the dish right in front of us. The beets were crusted in salt and put into the oven.
Roasted beet salad with goat cheese mousse, cocoa nibs, and herbs. It looks like a simple dish, but the taste of those roasted beets were so good. Some people at the table that didn’t take a liking to usual beets, love this dish. The bit of goat cheese paired well.
Next was the fun Potato soup with a parmesan puff and chili cream. I love creative dishes where the diners get to participate in putting together their meal. It’s interactive and entertaining.
We whacked the puff open and poured the soup all over it. At first, I didn’t think a potato soup could be so interesting.
2005 Meursault Chartron et Trebuchet, French White Burgundy
This wine was definitely an interesting choice to pair with the appetizers. It started off well, but the aftertaste was like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. It was very cheesy and pungent. It wasn’t to my liking so I went with something else.
Bread Service came with golden ears grass fed cultured butter with black garlic. The pieces of baguette were piping hot and so good. The butter containers reminded me of the Beauty and the Beast where they store the mystical rose…but in this case…delicious butter. We enjoyed it so much that we asked for it to-go so they don’t waste any of it.
Seared duck breast, panzanella salad, grilled sourdough, and basil puree. The duck was very flavourful and it was rendered well, so it wasn’t too fatty.
Short Ribs and wild mushroom fazzoletti, shaved parmesan, and arugula salad on top. The richness of the pasta and short ribs balanced with the arugula salad. That short rib was very tender.
Arctic Char with chorizo vinaigrette, and potato gnocchi. was the lighter entree of the evening.
2013 Burrowing Owl Syrah, BC VQA
All the entrees paired with this. It was very smooth, full bodied with a fruit finish.
Up next was dessert! They incorporated a bit of science into this dish was freezing the Vietnamese coffee mousse in liquid nitrogen.
Liquid nitrogen frozen Vietnamese coffee with warm milk sauce, and cake bits.
The dessert was splattered all over the platter. It’s not about the look, but it was the taste and texture that impressed us. You have the icy coldness of the Vietnamese coffee, then the crumble, but you can start hearing and feeling the pop rocks. Very multi sensory.
We shared each platter among 4 others. I wanted to eat it all, but sharing is caring.
2013 Stone boat, Verglas, BC VQA
We ended with this. Sweet with hints of honey, fruits and citrus. I liked it since its not as sweet as some other ice wines out there.
The dinner was great to see what the restaurant can offer guests as well as the innovative skills of the people who work at Showcase and the Marriott. Chef Kyle Kenny and Sous Chef Westley Feist really took took us through a well prepared meal with a lot of different techniques. Assistant Restaurant & Bar Manager – Kal put together some great wines.
Everyone at the table was impressed and left with a lasting impression. Since I won a contest and was invited, it’s definitely not a normal dining experience here. They do private dining for small to large groups with a custom menu, so if you want something similar, give them a shout.
I’ll definitely be back in the future for a normal dining experience.
We Rate Showcase: 
Address:
1122 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.showcaserestaurant.com/
