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I chose Provence Marinaside as the locale for my family birthday dinner this year; I had never even seen the restaurant before, but I had heard good things and most of the yelp reviews seemed favorable. However, the restaurant was not as wonderful as described; it was far better!
As soon as we arrived, we were seated at a table near the window where we could seem in the marina and watch the people walking by. The wait staff was courteous, helpful, and not at all pretentious. Within seconds of seating down, four glasses of water appeared as well as an olive-anchovy tapenade to wet our appetites. We spent some time examining the menu in detail; there were so many things that we wanted to try, but we finally settled on our choices. Once the orders had been placed, we received a basket of rosemary foccacia and plain baguette, as well as a few crostini topped with a dollop of tuna spread.
The first portion of our meal to arrive was a set of tapa style appetizers. We ordered the grilled artichokes, grilled asparagus, and risotto balls. They were all incredibly delicious, and beautifully presented with several olives on the side. For dinner, I ordered the Ahi Tuna; it came seared to perfection, atop a bed of grilled vegetables. I savored every bite. My family ordered the Nicoise style Grilled Salmon, the Spaghettini with Prawns and Scallops, and the Wild Pacific Salmon with a Tarragon and Mustard Glaze. Judging from the smiles on their faces and the fact that every plate was scraped clean, I would guess that their dinners were on par wit h mine. During dinner, our waitress was very good about refilling glasses and clearing dishes, without ever making us feel pressured or watched.
For dessert, we ordered a Lemon Tarte and the Berry-White Chocolate Clafouti. The Clafouti came not only with a dollop of ice cream, but also with a candle and Happy Birthday written in chocolate across the plate. It was not sickly sweet or overly heavy, but instead the perfect pairing of custardy cake, tart berries, and velvety ice cream. I, who rarely finishes a full dessert on her own, was disinclined to share more than a small bite with the other members of my family. This dessert certainly comes in the league of the top ten plates I have consumed in the past year.
In conclusion, thank you Provence Marinaside for a stellar dinner. Your attention to detail, your mouthwateringly delicious food, and your outstanding service created a birthday celebration that will certainly be hard to top. If only I could give you six stars.
Took my one-and-only here for his birthday dinner last night. Knowing that all he'd want was a steak and a great view, I called ahead to several places - Provence was the only one that said they had an awesome view. When I reserved the table I noted to them that it was a special occasion and I'd appreciate a nice romantic table (i.e., secluded and away from the foottraffic)
Upon arrival I realised that their 'amazing view' was blocked by parked cars. We had dinner staring out at a Honda and Toyota - not the marina. We were seated one table in from the entrance to the patio, meaning that the servers passed by every time they were waiting on any of the tables further down. The tables were pressed together so tightly that when I sat back in my chair, my head bumped the head of the diner in the table behind me. FAIL.
I certainly didn't think that it was worth the $200 pricetag that our meal cost (midrange bottle of wine, two mains, two antipasti ($5/each) and 2 desserts).
While the location is lovely - being right on the marina, the restaurant doesn't really classify as upscale enough for the cost. I could have had a $200 meal at Don Francesco's and eaten far better, with far more ambiance. I'd also note that I've been in bars that have patios and the servers offer the clientele a blanket - nothing like that here.. it says something when a bar takes better care of its customers than a 'high end' restaurant.
The food was good - I won't fault it that (though it wasn't spectacular and frankly, I've had better food served at chain restaurants), and our server was attentive, if a little too familiar (sorry, maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I don't like to be called "hun" by my server, especially if she is in the same age-group as I am. I could possibly let it slide with a little old lady server.. but really - repeatedly calling your patrons "HUN" while pretending to be high scale = FAIL.)
Needless to say - I wouldn't make this a choice for a special occasion or a meal in which you are looking for a higher scale of service and food. For a casual place to dine on date night, I suppose it would be fine - except in that instance the pricetag really isn't justifiable.
Sorry La Provence.
My wife and I went for the DOV (Dine Out Vancouver) last night (a Monday night), which was our first time to be there.
We're greeted at the entrance and seated at a table by the window immediately, with iced water, snacks and bread being served within a very short period of time. We intended to go there for the DOV menu for our first trial. We ordered two antipasti to share- GRILLED SQUID and MERGUEZ (spicy lamb sausage with fennel in tomato sauce), two same mains- BOUILLABAISSE (west coast style, sea tiger prawns, scallops, mussels, clams, fish, served with gruyère et la rouille), and one creme burlee and one strawberry shortcake as desserts. Portion of every dish was larger than we expected as we prepared to pay for DOV price. :b Actually it made us feeling full until midnight! Regarding for food quality...... too bad, I can't find anything to pick on!
There are nice environment, friendly people, and tasty food! And we could have better window view if it wasn't raining. We're very happy with everything, and we will go again to try their regular menu later! :)
*Note: $$$ for DOV
$$$$ for regular
So good we hit it twice in a week for breakfast.
The first time I had Croque Monsieur Benedict which was amazing. Our friend had the belgian sugar waffles which she talked about for days afterward. Because of that the wife and I went back and both ordered our own waffles. Umm, they are pretty fantastic and unlike any waffles I've ever had. That said, YOU DON'T NEED YOUR OWN ORDER. Split them with someone. They are amazing but REALLY heavy. Nice relaxing location by the marina to eat outside on a beautiful day.
We went for breakfast on our last day in Vancouver. The waffles were the best waffles I've ever had! If we hadn't been leaving, I would have gone back for more the next day. Also, nice location by the water.
It's not often that I have a bad experience at a restaurant, and end up changing my mind and becoming a fan. I usually hold grudges for a long, long time ;)
I'm glad to say that I gave Provence a second chance and thank god I did. Everything you hear about their brunch is true. It's top notch. From their perfectly made benny's to their sweet cinnamon french toast, it was all made to perfection. While it isn't the cheapest option, it's well worth the extra bucks for quality.
Each of our entrees were delicious - halibut, salmon, roasted chicken, lamb; true to French cuisine, lightly-seasoned, flavorful, could taste all the ingredients. Fries with the chicken could have been better. Great deal for the price too.
Nice views of the bay/river. Nice walking area in Yaletown.
It may not be fair to review this restaraunt since I live on top of it, but i love it here.
I've been coming here for the last 5 years at least 4 times a week. Brunch, afternnon tea, and many many dinners. The food has been consistant and the staff are wonderfull.
A restaurant that keeps there regulars and staff from leaving is doing something well.
Brunch - Two eggs easy over with grilled veg and smoked salmon.
Lunch - Seafood Linguini or Meguez Panini
Dinner - Ahi Tuna, Halibut, Lamb or Tenderloin
mmmmm
So unexpectedly ended here for breakfast before the Colbert Report taping on one of those rare clear blue sky sunshiny days.
That the view was great was no surprise, but what was surprising was the quality of my breakfast.
I ordered the boring eggs and meat options....but oh how heavenly and creamy were the scrambled eggs. I asked for extra crispy bacon and they sure delivered. The new potatoes were perfect and the baguette was excellent with the homemade preserves.
The service was great as we were the only ones there...I got 4 refills of coffee and water.
Need to head back to try out other meal periods in the AO (after Olympics).
This is my second trip to Provence. The first time I did one of those Taste of Yaletown things and had to go with a set menu. The experience was forgetful. Although I lived about 2 blocks away, I had no desire to come back. This time, a friend recommended we go there for lunch, so I thought why not, give them a second chance.
I ordered the $13 dollar Poulet Grille Panini. It came out really quickly. In about 10 minutes! I liked that. But after my first bit, it all came back to me why I haven't came back after the first time.... the sandwich was flavourless and dry. The side salad is nothing to write home about. The portion was pretty large though.
The service, hmmm.... over zealous is an understatement. I arrived about 10 minutes before my friend and ordered a water. The waitress came by twice to ask how I was doing. When we got our bill, she informed us that she was not going to put the automatic 18% tip on our bill because we were obviously locals. (Yes, Yaletown restaurants decided to add 18% mandatory tip during the Olympics because not all countries are use to tipping!) To me, that was a pretty blatant attempt to score a good tip. Well, it worked, I still gave her 20%. What can I say, it is the Canadian in moi.
On our trip to Vancouver this past fall, Provence was the best in what was a week's worth of excellent dining.
C'est si bon! This must be the closest I could get to South of France right smack in downtown Vancouver. The food, the ambiance, the service, the marina view, and the...Smokey Robinson music, uh, err! more on that later... I had my rare - high and happy, buzzed experience here.
Though better known for their awesome brunch, I came here for their $35 Taste of Yaletown offering coupled with a reasonable $20 wine pairing for dinner. Having gone to a few disappointing DOV experiences, I didn't expect much here. In fact, I was ready for sub-par ingredients (read: pork belly or farmed salmon) and tiny portions served by staff who seem perturbed seeing you peruse the prix fixe menu. Not here. Provence served fantastic food paired with awesome service from start to end.
They start you off with Anchovy and Olive tapenade served with crostinis, followed by rosemary foccacia & plain baguette with a side of butter. A complimentary sampling of tuna and cucumber gave a refreshing break before our actual appetizer arrived.
Starting with Wild Mushroom and Mascarpone Tarte as well as an antipasti of Prosciutto Wrapped Bocconcini paired with a slightly sweet white Okanagan wine by Quails' Gate Gewurtzraminer 2008.
For the main entree, we sampled the Rosemary Marinated Lamb Confit with an unforgettable potato gratin on a bed of honey lavender juice. This was mellowed by a spicy, but mellow red wine by Sandhill Syrah 2006.
The Grilled Halibut sat on a bed of perfectly cooked fresh tagliatelle twisting around thinly sliced zucchini ribbons.
For dessert, we chose the Berry and White Chocolate Clafoutis which is a French-style cake which was baked with berries. They did one up and topped it with vanilla ice cream to cut thru the tartness of the fruits and lend even more sweetness.
As if that wasn't enough, the French classic Creme Brulee with Raspberry served in a fist-sized ramekin will make sure you'll have to be carried out since we couldn't walk at this point. But let's not forget the last wine pairing of a foot-stomped dessert wine by Quails' Gate Optima 2007. Very aromatic. Very sweet. Perfect ending for a very hearty meal.
With that I would have said that Provence Marinaside deserves a whopping 5 star rating. But one they did not obtain. Pourquoi? Someone decided to leave a Smokey Robinson CD to play the whole dinner service I was there! I don't want to sound pretentious, but wasn't I supposed to be whisked away to Provence? So unless Detroit, Michigan is in the Southeast region of France, how about some authentic background music.
Perhaps in this dining experience I couldn't have everything, but it's good to know I was able to come close with Provence Marinaside.
I came to this restaurant for high tea with a few friends (a table of 5). This is not good for high tea, go to Secret Garden or Bacchus instead. They don't use high tea teapots (just the regular white ceramic cups and stainless steel teapots). Not worth the money. Quiet environment though, I guess their high tea menu is not very popular?!
I'm probably gonna be flogged, tarred and made to eat generic gas station food for saying this since it seems like most Yelpers love this place but I wasn't impressed with the brunch we had here. It was just OK. Brunch for two for almost $50 .. I dunno.. it should be more than OK.
That is all. Carry on.
Hands down, one of my top five places to eat in Vancouver.
As you know, I love brunch and dinner so this review is for both.
First off, brunch. Oh my freakin' goodness! Now, the standard fare, scrambled eggs (omega 3), veggies and bacon or sausage is fabulous! It's exactly as you would expect. Everything cooked as you would like it to be. Nothing to dry or overcooked. I'm always happy with my order but one brunch day, I caved from my usual. Now, I can't order anything else from them at brunch but this - a grilled chicken crepe from their savoury brunch selection. A mixed mushroom and asparagus sauce with mixed fresh herbs and grated gruyere.
I inhaled that dish! I swear, I didn't think I took a breath before I finished. I was surprised with myself the first time it happened. I've never done that to food before. Yikes! Please try this ...it is unbelieveable!
The great thing about dinner here is the anitpasti collection. It is $5 a tasting dish. I recommend ordering a bunch to share among friends. All the things I've tried didn't disappoint. For example: merguez(spicy lamb sausage with fennel in tomato sauce); chicken skewers (marinated with lemon and fresh herbs); boccocini and tomatoe salad are among just a few you could try.
I had their Vension one evening! It was my first time eating that and it blew me away. Perfectly grilled. Tender and flavourful with a wonderful grilled taste on the outside. MMMMmmmm.
I frequently order the spaghettini. Made with wild pacific prawns, scallops, plum tomato sauce, roasted garlic, white wine, and fresh herbs. Unforgettable!! I can still taste it!
For dessert, everything on their menu is wonderful. I have to admit I have tried them all but I think the star in their 'did you make room for something sweet section is......" the berry and white chocolate clafoutis. A french style cake served with vanilla ice cream. To die for!!
So, as you can see I love this place because it does brunch and dinner justice. It does it with impeccable service and high quality ingredients.
It may be a bit more for dinner than average but it is worth every penny. Go for a special occasion or just to have a treat for you and that special someone.
Lovely!
It was a gorgeous day this past Saturday - the perfect time to enjoy an outdoor brunch at Provence M. While the portion sizes are smaller than what you might be used to, the dishes are all delicious and prepared with care. The bread basket is pricey ($12), but SO worth it! Starting off with these scrumptious pastries made the whole experience 10 times better! Oh man, I'm craving their chocolate croissant now...drool....
p.s. I asked for their fresh-squeezed orange juice, because a few Yelpers have raved about it, but our waitress wrinkled her forehead, smiled, and told us that they don't serve fresh-squeezed... they serve Tropicana, lol!
I don't have much to add to what previous reviewers have said, so I'll keep it short. The food is excellent, the service is professional, and the ambience is great.
I've been to the original Point Grey restaurant several times, but this was my first time at the Yaletown location. Both are top-notch restaurants, but my preference is now Provence Marinaside. The restaurant is much larger, which means the tables are a comfortable distance apart. It also has the view of False Creek going for it, as well as people-watching.
Provence has an exceptional brunch - creative takes on eggs benny, fresh squeezed oj/mimosas, gorgeous orange yolked eggs, and breakfast potatos that actually taste good!
The patio is fantastic on a sunny morning & the interior is spacious and family friendly (though I did see a family bringing in their own booster seat this morning, not sure if that was necessary or a personal quirk).
My only complaints are that the mimosas ($8) are tiny and that the menu doesn't seem to change with the seasons - with only one vegetarian eggs benny option on the menu, it would be nice to have some seasonal variety as a repeat customer.
One of my favorite brunch places - the parking is a pain, but once you're here, it's great. It's right by the water, hence the "marinaside", and wonderful to take a stroll after brunch.
I've been here many times over the last few years and find the quality very consistent. I've tried their french toast which is delicious and made with thick french bread, and also enjoy their different egg dishes and omelettes. The dishes generally come with a small amount of fruit and the potatoes are excellent.
Prices are very reasonable - about $15-18 a person for brunch. Service is average to good.
I've never met a Benny in Vancouver that I didn't like...until last weekend at Provence Marinaside. I was super excited upon seeing the veggie benny on the menu because it came on a puff pastry. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a major dud. The eggs were lukewarm to cool, which was probably the result of sitting around too long before being delivered to the table. What was worse was that the puff pastry ceased to be puffy by the time it got to me. Instead it was soggy and flat as a pancake. Boo hoo. The basket of pastries was quite good so if I happen to ever find myself back here for brunch, that's what I'd order. Overall it was a big expensive disappointment.
I love chilling waterside and I love brunch, benny especially, so this place, on the surface, seemed ideal. But...I'm going to be the odd one out here and drop them down a star. It was a beautiful day and I can almost let it go that I stood at the gate waiting for an hour for a table of 4 when they told me it would be 20. Mostly I just didn't think it lived up to the hype. It was all okay. Okay hollandaise, okay potatoes (a salad option would've been nice), kinda less than okay table service. At least the view was nice.
Service on a weekend was slow, especially with decent weather because they have some outdoor seating. Food was hit or miss. The cheese plates and olives - hard to mess up admitingly - was good and nice sized portion for 3-4 people as an appy. The fish soup was confusing - mayo did not help. goat cheese and shrimp cake salads were both good. Would go back when less busy and try a dinner entree as a second chance.
For Brunch, there is nothing better. On a beautiful sunny day, the patio is the place to be seen and just be. It's pretty people, eating wonderful food in very fashionable clothes. The inside is old-school, Provencal decor. Greens, lavenders and browns. For brunch, the shrimp and lobster benedicts, omelettes and granola and yogurt is nice. They serve real white and not so good for you crispy bread with butter and for those that really don't care the warm croissant basket is a must-get. I love the fresh squeezed orange juice and sometimes add champagne to make it a mimosa. Overall, it's a "you should go."
Provence Marinaside is the perfect 'Ladies who Lunch' spot and is also great for business and group lunches. We went with a group of 15 from work midway through an all day meeting. We told Provence that we had only an hour to be served, paid and out of there. We had the private room to ourselves which offered full windows overlooking False Creek for our out of town colleagues to enjoy the view. We went with their set menu at $22++ per person. Rather than order our first course individually we organised to have platters of antipasti on the table when we arrived. These were a beautiful mix of olives, marinated artichokes and mushrooms, seafood and merguez. We each ordered our entrees and I went with the Wild Mushroom Ravioli. I wanted to lick my plate clean it was so good! The ravioli were cooked perfectly with a white wine and butter sauce. Everyone else enjoyed their dishes too. We had a couple of bottles of Benziger Chardonnay to complement our meal and were all done within the one hour. On another note someone had grabbed a bag of their croissants in the morning for our group to eat before the meeting. These were very close to the kind you get in France - very authentic. If you've got visitors coming to town or you want to take your parents out for a meal this place has the perfect atmosphere, a gorgeous view and a lovely menu to keep any mum or tourist happy. I've often ordered a selection of their antipasti and panini to take away for meetings at the office. I don't know if they still do it but their take-away bags used to include a couple of tealights and a box of matches which struck me as very romantically French. I've never had a bad meal here and they have a good wines-by-the-glass selection. In my mind, that's as good as it gets!
A breakfast staple! We come almost every weekend for breakfast/brunch. Food is consistent, fresh and healthy. You can tell they use fresh, homemade ingredients. Coffee is fantastic, with fresh cream and sugar. Omelettes are great and the granola with fruit and yogurt is filling. Order the veal sausage and you won't be disappointed. Views of False Creek are wonderful. Very busy place, but have never waited long for a table. Seating can be cramped at times. Service is good, however servers can be impersonal and don't check on the table too often due to the many other seats in the restaurant.
My Aunt invited me out for lunch to Provence Marinaside on a rare, beautiful sunny day during the rainy season. The view of Yaletown harbour is the perfect setting for a good chat and a delicious late lunch. Being a regular here, my Aunt suggested the crab and lobster risotto for me. I took her word for it and it was fantastic; very fresh tasting with subtle yet impactful flavours and served with a flourish from our courteous server. I very thankfully took a doggie-bag home with me and enjoyed this delight for lunch the next day...oh who am I kidding, I ate the rest of it later that evening and it was still tasty. They are also open for breakfast, brunch, and dinner. I am impressed that a restaurant open for this many hours is still able to maintain consistent quality and truly considerate service.
We weren't sure what to expect from Provence, a place recommended by our hotel for breakfast on our last day. The decor is a little bit hotel-like, and the first thing that the server did was present a copy of the restaurant's cookbook for us to look through. It turned out to be a lovely experience. You would do well even if you just ordered tea or coffee and the bread basket, which is chock-full of delicious pastries. We indulged in petit pain au chocolat, 2 different types of muffins, biscotti and a croissant (we actually took about half of it with us and ate it later). I had the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict, just to get one more taste of BC Wild Salmon, which was served on corn pancakes, which made it lighter than having a traditional English muffin. After all of that, I ended up buying the cookbook, which was rated as the #1 cookbook in Canada recently, and I am so glad that I did! If you are an early riser and want breakfast, this is a good place to go as they start serving at 8am.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Neighborhood: Downtown
Neighborhood: Downtown
Neighborhood: Downtown
Neighborhood: Downtown
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