The last day of May 2024 finds us sitting in a 44-seat, One Michelin Star restaurant on Powell Street in Vancouver. The “heritage” building we found ourselves in was in one of the least salubrious neighbourhoods of the city, just east of the Gastown area. Nonetheless, the St Lawrence was awarded its star in 2023 and we dutifully took it upon ourselves to thoroughly sample its gastronomic offerings on your behalf.
Chef/owner Jean-Christophe Poirier has drawn from his heritage and history growing up in Quebec to reacquaint the West Coast gourmand with the magic of French cuisine. Here you will find a 4-course table d’hôte menu, (with a choice of 2 options per course) and a few “add-ons” to round out the meal. The menu changes each month, although a number of tried and true dishes are always on the menu.
We ordered one of each selection to enable us to try all of the dishes.
First up, after an amuse bouche consisting of an oyster (tasty) in a foam served in a shell on a bed of salt, we enjoyed the Hokkaido scallop, with sunchoke, and potato velouté. Perfectly executed. The beef tartare, smoked beef fat dressing and crispy potatoes which came with a small flat bread was ordinary.
The second-course offering included mushrooms on brioche with hollandaise and Alfred le Fermier cheese (one of the highlights of the meal); unfortunately, the gruyere stuffed pasta in French onion consommé was less successful. The pasta was undercooked and the filling was almost tasteless. The broth was unexciting. After eating the butternut squash ravioli with prawns at Cactus Club, I guess I’m pretty spoiled when it comes to pasta appetizers.
Our third course was a choice between the ling cod, Robucho potatoes, Oka cheese & bacon glaze (disappointing, but that’s cod for you), and the perfectly executed lamb trio in stinging nettle butter with bagna cauda (“warm bath” – basically a sauce). A bit of fighting ensued over the lamb.
Our final course was dessert. Being diabetic, we had asked for a cheese plate (days in advance) for my husband. I opted for the rice pudding (candied pecans and salt caramel ice-cream), which was divine. The cheese offered was a solitary piece of an uninspiring blue with some seeded crackers – very disappointing since the French invented after-dinner cheese plates and the chef could have done so much better. Gruyere? Brie? Perhaps a few figs or a compote?
We were given an after dinner sweet plate which consisted of marshmellow fluff and sour jellies. {sigh} Whatever happened to French petit-fours or chocolate truffles?
The wine list – both by the glass and the bottle – is limited to French selections – also disappointing since the French don’t do the best white wine. My husband was dying for a California chardonnay!
Service was pleasant but not what you’d expect in a first-class restaurant – finished dishes weren’t removed promptly from the table and I had to request a second glass of wine, among other minor points.
Reservations in advance are generally required. The table d’hôte menu will set you back $125 per person to which a 20% gratuity is added. You pay in advance when you make your reservation. In addition, there was a wine pairing offered for $80 per person.
As you might expect, this tiny little restaurant is crowded and noisy. There are 38 seats and 6 places at the bar. The kitchen area is open for all to see the food prep which is kind of fun.
So, basically, there is some inconsistency here. We had 4 great dishes and 4 misses.
We rank the St Lawrence as an 7/10.
Location 269 Powell Street, Vancouver, BC. St Lawrence website.
To read about our other Michelin Star Dining experiences check out the following:
Levadura de Olla (Oaxaca, Mexico)
Okeya Kyujiro (Vancouver, BC)
Wild Honey (London, England)
Kissa Tanto (Vancouver, BC)
Cranes (Washington, DC)
AnnaLena (Vancouver)
Masayoshi (Vancouver)
Published on Main (Vancouver) * (our favourite)
And THESE restaurants don’t have a Michelin Star – but definitely should! (In our opinion.)
Pluvio (Ucluelet, BC)
The Palm Court (London, England)
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