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Real People. Real Reviews.®
Wed, Sun 5:30 pm - 10 pm
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You know the old adage, "You get what you pay for"? Regrettably, I've found that it doesn't hold true at many fine dining establishments. (Though ironically, I've had some of the best meals at hole-in-the-wall joints.) I've only ever had two experiences where all my (high) expectations were met and/or exceeded. Now that I've been to Lumière, I can happily say that number is up to three! Every morsel was incredible. All the components were expertly cooked and each top-quality ingredient had a role and purpose. The spot-on and innovative flavour combinations were complemented by presentations so beautiful they were works of art. (I could go on and on, but you get the gist...)
The interior design of the restaurant is clean, bright, and sleek with the perfect balance of traditional and modern (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...). The extremely knowledgeable servers were professional yet warm and never seemed put off by my numerous questions and requests to describe the dish "just one more time". Our needs were anticipated at every turn of the meal, starting with the individual stools for our handbags.
My mom and I ordered from the $58 Prix Fixe menu - a steal at a restaurant of this calibre. We began with an AMUSE BOUCHE of succulent spot prawn (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) that paired well with the creamy lemongrass velouté. What a great start to my meal!
From the appetizers we chose the roasted scallops and watermelon dungeness crab salad. The SCALLOPS (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) epitomized what scallops should taste like and came with avocado and fennel three ways. The combination of the three main ingredients was to die for. The CRAB SALAD (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) was possibly even better. With the sweet crab, crunchy cucumber, juicy watermelon, and cold horchata sorbet, each bite brought a surprise of flavours and textures that complemented each other amazingly.
Next came the FOIE GRAS (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) we ordered a la carte. A little steep at $40 but so worth it! It was served with ingredients I've never had paired with foie gras (walla walla onions four ways, cardamom, kumquat, sweet & sour jus) and the flavours melded beautifully. The cardamom and onions really elevated the skillfully cooked, melt-in-my-mouth foie and the jus and kumquat provided the necessary acid to balance the richness of the foie.
For our entrées we got the duo of AAA prime beef and herb crusted halibut. The PRIME BEEF DUO (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) was beautifully presented. Both preparations were seasoned to perfection and oh so tender; all the accompaniments were great as well. The silky HALIBUT (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) was flawlessly cooked and came with a tomato butter jus that was so good I could've licked the plate. Under the fish was a bed of delicious potatoes with bits of fresh lobster in it.
We got the hot and cold tiramisu sundae and tropical pavlova for dessert. An incredibly rich TIRAMISU deconstructed in the best way possible, the bowl of coffee ice cream was covered by a thin wafer of chocolate with a hole in the middle (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...). As our server poured on the hot chocolate sauce, the chocolate wafer melted away to reveal the yummy goodness inside (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...). The PAVLOVA, which came with meringue, coconut cream, roasted pineapple, and confit mango (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...), was much lighter and very refreshing.
Our meal ended with the requisite PETIT FOURS (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) and some mini madeleines served in the most intricately folded napkin basket I've ever seen (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...). The fresh-out-of-the-oven madeleines were warm and crispy and were just sweet enough with a strong eggy flavour.
This was one of the best meals I've ever had - and I've had plenty. Daniel Boulud and Dale MacKay, you rock my (culinary) world!
This is one of the restaurants I wanted to go to. The restaurant is quite small, and the interiors were modern. Snobbery is unheard of as everyone seems friendly and ready for small talk.
We had the Chef's tasting menu which doesn't really cost that much compared to so and so restaurant. It might also be because we didn't do wine pairings. I had one glass of Le Vieux Pin, Vaïla, Pinot Noir Rose 2005. To cleanse our palate, we had the Asian inspired tuna tartare with sake sauce. I am drooling as I type, theirs and asia de cuba tuna tartares are the best. And we also had the ambrosial seared foie gras. Very, very good.
Next we had Scallop tartare with caramelized onion foam, freshly shucked oyster with reggiano cheese. The scallops were yummy, not really a fan of oyster but I ate it nonetheless, more like swallowed it right away.
My favorite course was next, short rib ravioli with truffle and wild mushroom consommé. Good, but not my type, pan seared arctic char with grainy mustard risotto, wild mushrooms, and red wine butter.
Next was seared polderside duck breast with BC morel mushrooms, fava beans, green peas and a garlic, chili, and lime jus. This was YUCK. After that we had Le plateau de fromages, we picked three cheeses (2 creamy and 1 hard); La Sauvagine (with a hint of mushroom), Brie Bonaparte, and Le Cendrillon. The plate comes with nut breads. There's nothing much to say except that it was so damn good.
The yellow summer fruit and sequential terrine with apricot and vanilla nectar looked amazing. The fruits were impeccably fresh and just right and looked like they were encased in glass, their goodness preserved forever. The Chocolate with beet fondant with espelette pepper ice cream, aged balsamic macerated strawberries and beet raspberry coulis didn't really impress me. The pepper gave a 'kick' to the ice cream, but that was it.
Last, we had les migniardises.
I will give this restaurant a 4/5. This is a cliché but dining here was an amazing experience. If I were a millionaire I would probably be fine dining every night. I like that it makes me try different things, the weird combinations, and the different tastes and textures that allow you to broaden your food horizon. The icing on the cake was when Chef Rob feenie sent us a signed menu back home.
At last - the best meal I've had in Vancouver.
We were surprised though to be seated so quickly, and without a booking (on a Friday night)! Is this a sign that Lumiere is not popular or a sign of the times? However, the meal was well presented, with reassuringly small portions (meals for tasting rather than for the hungry), friendly & helpful staff, great wine-list and no problem with the doggy-bag at the end of the night.
A restaurant for two, not a venue for group dinners.
Lumière is a dining experience to be genuinely savoured. I've had supper here on five occations in the past and by writing this review I suppose tonight will have to be my sixth!
Lumière never ceases to astonish one's senses, visit after visit. There are two sections; the dining room in the back and the bar room in the front. The dining room is the place to be if you have enough time to indulge yourself and your company, this location also puts the guest in closer proximity to the sanctum-sanctorum, the kitchen. Then there is the more casual front room, which has a view of the beautiful creative, fully stocked bar.
The menu always changes and the world-class chefs always seem to impress more and more. I usually have the vegiatrian prix-fixe menu; the chef's tasting menu with seven to ten courses. These dishes are unique, adventurous, and always sumptuous. Try the cheese plate after your meal. The wine list here is verily a who's who list of the best vintners. You will undoubtedly be impressed.
One cannot really write a review that does this culinary experience justice. So dust off your shoes, call a loved one and get hungery. Go to Lumière and be prepared to have the gastronomic equivalent of a spiritual experience. After you leave don't forget to call Lumière's lost-and-found in order to retrieve your tastebuds, as they will have surely jumped out of your mouth an into the kitchen. Enjoy!
On our last visit to Vancouver (we're originally from there but moved away ten years ago) we made a pact to visit one really nice restaurant while in town. Like the procrastinators we are, we went shopping downtown and then on the fly decided to pop over the Burrard St. bridge to Daniel Boulud's new bistro place. We walked by and saw that there was no one inside, so we did a kind of walk by thing... Then it struck me... Oh! So this is where Lumiere is!
We walked in and asked if we were too casual. We were the first people there and it felt kind of weird. They told us that no, we were fine. In our defense, I was wearing a skirt with suede boots and my husband was wearing a jacket but for us and the place we seemed dressed down.
We ended up doing the 5 course tasting. How else can i put this? Fantastic. Highlights included an egg inspired amuse bouche and the hamachi. I didn't much care for the accompaniment to the char but that's more a personal preference. Hubby did the wine pairings and I did cocktails. I snuck a little bit of his wine. Superb french wines, perfectly paired... Awesome chocolate dessert at the end. I don't know how I had room for more (I probably didn't) but I ate a couple of the petit fours anyway.
For all you foodies out there, you know that people who aren't just don't get a $500 price tag on a fabulous, one-of-a-kind meal. We were completely impressed by our experience at Lumiere and will definitely be back!
This review is long due since when I tried it RF was still the executive chef and came out to greet us during our dinner. Hopefully the same standards have been upheld since his departure.
I came here with a girlfriend for a thank you dinner for her for letting me stay at her place while I was in Vancouver. We both had the tasting menu sans the alcohol since I learned from my other tasting and wine flight meals that too much alcohol can ruin your meal.
We had the scallop and ravioli, duo of foie gras, duo of beef, squab and duck, and creme brulee. Everyone of my senses were dancing with pleasure during our meal.
OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH. Without exaggeration one of the BEST meals we've had in Vancouver. Extraordinary. Last night we decided to venture back to Lumiere after many years away. Last time we sat at Lumiere was Valentines 6 years ago and I remember feeling like we were ripped off afterwards. Not now, though. Our server last night was Bryshun and he was exceptional; the perfect blend of attention, knowledge, and professionalism. We decided to go for it with the five course. Every course was a home run. Paired with wines that Bryshun poured we were in heaven for 3 hours. The very best courses were the halibut with lobster and the lamb. OH MY... foodie heaven. Save your money for a rare treat. Lumiere is possibly the best in the city.
This was my first time back since Feenie left and a lot has changed. Excellent service but the quality of food no longer matches the price. I've had similar food in many other restaurants in Vancouver for much cheaper. The food is no longer as refined as it used to be, the dishes are not very unique and the lamb (with paprika, red pepper, eggplant) was especially boring.
I went in with mediocre expectations given some of the reviews I've read about this place. I'm giving it 3 stars because I enjoyed the experience of the restaurant - not the food per se. I like being able to taste a variety of dishes in small servings as opposed to having a large portion of just one dish. I had a 5 course meal and at the end, I was very full. Even though you expect 5 courses, you actually get more food than you think because you get an amuse bouche to start and some sweet treats at the end of the meal.
The amuse bouche was the best of all the dishes IMO. I could definitely eat each one of the bites in this starter trio in larger portions. I think they need to be turned into a course. That lead me to have high expectations for the rest of the meal but it didn't quite live up to the complimentary starter. The dishes in between ranged from okay to good but not over the top delicious (which is what you would expect given the price of this place).
Here is how I rate the dishes I had:
-amuse bouche - 5/5
-grapefruit cured hamachi - 3.5/5
-scallops - 4/5 the -coleslaw that came with it 2/5
-arctic char - 3.5/5
-mushroom ravioli - 4/5
-dessert - 5/5
I won't be going back any time soon -especially considering how pricey it is to dine here. The service was absolutely impeccable and had zero complaints but I think the food could be better to make it worth while to pay that much for a meal. For example, the ravioli was good but you could probably get something just as good somewhere else. Nothing spectacular or unique about the dish although it was yummy.
If you want the experience of dining at a tasting menu style restaurant and have the coin to spare, try it but otherwise, you could go to maybe 2 or 3 other restaurants with just as good tasting food for the one time you pay to eat here.
First of all i was addicted to Daniels show on the now defunct MOJO HD channel, so i was excited to try one of his restaurants. Went there for a bachelor party, which might have been a mistake because it was pretty stuffy in there.
The food was pretty good. Had the three course pre fixe. Dungeness Crab with champagne mango was a great start. The duck was awesome considering the rest of the party of 10 went with the duo of beef and wasnt impressed.
The Strawberry Pavlova was a great finish along with an esspresso.
Had a second thoughts about the black forest sundae when they came and poured ht cocoa sauce over a chocolate disc to melt it into the gelato....impresive.
Overall, we got louder as the night went on and they were probably happy when we left. Great date place, just avoid going there for a stagger.
First off, I'm a vegetarian and usually french restaurant's are best for omnivore's not plant eaters.
Since I only ate the veg. friendly options I was not impressed. I have heard amazing things about this place but when I left I was still hungry and not really amazed at anything they put on my plate.
The Atmosphere was nice, but wow, the people that work here act like they are the most important people on the planet. Despite my negative review, for some reason I enjoyed myself here. I did have a lovely cocktail and I was in good company, so the experience was nice but I won't be going there again.
The place flipping BLEW my mind! Service was EXCELLENT and the food was amazing... too bad our 9 course with alcohol and tip ended up being a price of a new Dell Laptop but oh well. It was a SPECIAL occasion! LOVED IT!
Oh. My. God.
One of the best meals I have ever had was here. Had the tasting menu. Even things I don't like were delicious. The whole time I kept thinking...maybe this dish will be the lowlight of the evening...but it wasn't to be.
Expensive but totally worth it.
We ate here before Daniel Boulod took over as Executive Chef... so I'm not sure how much has changed lately. We had the vegetarian sampler and some items were mindblowing, but some were a miss.. and for a restaurant of Lumiere's calibre and $$$$... it really is not acceptable to have misses.
Service is perfect. And I give it a 4* just cos they introduced me to one of my favourite Terra breads... star anise and fig. YUM.
i came here in Dec. of 2007, right after Feenie left. i had really wanted to try his food, and was quite disappointed i had missed him in the kitchen. never the less i was nicely surprised when we ordered the chef's tasting menu and found each bite to be delicious and fresh.
the sommelier was helpful, attentive and chatty -- we went on a week night and were the only table in the main dining room for awhile. we ordered 2 half bottles and he brought out some extra wines to try with our courses. very cool.
he also gave us a copy of our menu after the meal was over, that was a really nice touch.
i would highly recommend this place for anyone visiting the area and wanting to do some fine dining.
Vancouver's equivalent to Boulevard in San Francisco, in my book. Great, great service, enjoyable food on the prix fixe (and a vegetarian option). Our server did an impromptu wine pairing for us, and it was dynamite! And at $55 for the early seating on tastings, it didn't break the bank!
My wife brought me to Lumiere for my birthday. We had the vegetarian tasting menu. We had frisée and herb salad, sunchoke velouté (a soup with sunchoke, mushrooms and truffles), caramelized shallot ravioli, fine herb risotto, and for dessert, pineapple and passionfruit mousse ravioli, and meyer lemon namelaka. We are normally fast eaters, but this coursed meal took us almost 3 hours to eat. It was such a great experience. Excellent service!
Listed in: Drool Inducing Vancouver Eats
We ate here for our 1 yr anniversary and had a prixe fix menu! We had sooo much food! And the the cheese is sooo yummy, although I think I'm lactose intolerant, I ate as much cheese as I could! the food here was prepared soo well and very tasty! I mean this place was fantastic! Come here for a special occasion because you spend some money!!!
Listed in: seattle/vancouver!
I went to this place "post-Rob Feenie" and it was no longer the same. Three times more expensive with a lot less quality. Heard Rob Feenie is now with Cactus Club so we went and dined there. The Salmon my husband ordered with his initials (RF) on the menu was so much more amazing for $19! Rob Feenie is worth following wherever he goes...
This was my first ever experience of a tasting menu...and OMG was it amazing. I wish I had kept a copy of the menu...as I do these days. So I don't recall the menu but the experience was awesome. The service, atmosphere, the food..all spectacular. This was back in 2005 mind you...when it was still Rob Feenie's place, so I can't tell you how it is since he was forced out of the business he created. Next time I'm in Van I will see where Feenie is and eat there.
Neighborhood: Kitsilano
Neighborhood: Kitsilano
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