Bridges (February 2, 2006)

Two reviewers: ts and cw

FOCCACIA BREAD
[cw]
At first we were wondering why we didn't get any butter. The bread still was tasty as it was flavoured with vinaigrette and topped with salt... AND it was warm!

8/10 (with butter, might be 9/10)

STARTERS
Micro Surf & Turf ~ grilled tenderloin, seared digby scallop & madeira cherry glaze
Or
Baked Cambozola ~ cranberry onion relish, reduced balsamic

[ts]
I chose the Micro Surf & Turf. And it was micro indeed! There was a piece of steak slightly larger than the scallop. It was a steak-scallop tower, presentation-wise. Kinda cute. Anyway, this dish was well-executed. Steak was tender, not tough. Ditto for the scallop. I'm not really a fan of that cooked cherry taste, but good thing the cherry glaze did not overpower the beef & scallop in any way. 8/10

[cw]
I generally like scallops and steaks, so of course, I enjoyed this dish. My only complaint was that it was true to its name, MICRO! I only got 1 scallop placed on a cube of steak. The cherry sauce wasn't bad, but I'd rather have another scallop or two in its place. 8/10

ENTREES
Grilled Arctic Char
red thai curry butter, pineapple & cilantro salad, baby shrimp risotto cake
Or
Pan Seared Free-range Chicken Breast
shiitake mushroom demi glaze, baby arugula & roasted red pepper barley risotto
Or
Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni ~ macadamia nut pesto & roasted garlic tomato sauce

[ts]
Char for me. All in all, this was pretty good too. The Red Thai Curry Butter tasted like the usual "thai" curry that abounds. Too bad there weren't that many pieces of pineapple in the salad. Cilantro, of course, is GOOD! ( =P ) Actually, there were only maybe 3-5 leaves of cilantro in the salad; mostly there was slightly wilted pea shoots (very young pea shoots, younger than the usual dou miao). Oh, by wilted, I mean on purpose. Those were *very* good. The risotto cake: the exterior was breaded and was crisp enough, but the interior was a bit mushy in texture. I'm not sure I could distinguish actual grains of rice. But it was OK. The arctic char was nicely grilled. Perfect criss-cross grill marks. =) It was also very nicely seasoned (every bite had flavor) and not "fishy." Very well-executed. 8.5/10 (or 9, if not for the mushy risotto cake)

[cw]
I had the chicken. When the server put my plate on the table, I immediately thought of shake 'n bake. So guess what, on my first bite of the chicken skin, it DID taste like shake 'n bake. The chicken breast itself was cooked just right, and most importantly, it wasn't dry. The risotto was really good, and was a good pairing with the chicken breast. I really enjoyed the dish. The sauce was just enough to flavour the chicken and wasn't very overpowering. 8.5/10

DESSERTS
Chocolate Hazelnut Torte ~ orange mousse & whipped cream
Or
Baked New York Cheesecake ~ kirsch & morello cherry compote

[ts]
Torte. Very dense, very hazelnutty. Good as well. I tasted the cheesecake and it was also good. Perhaps I was more in a cheesecake mood; I haven't had cheesecake in a while, and I could've used the slight tang in my dessert. 8/10

[cw]
The dessert was really good until I noticed some fingerprints on the chocolate. A bit on the sweet side, but still good. 8/10

[cw]
SUMMARY:
Really enjoyed the restaurant and its food. We had a window table, and from my seat, I had a great view of False Creek, the sailboats, and Burrard Bridge. This would be a fine choice for special occasions, as entrees on their regular menu start at $35 or something!